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Post by Tamrin on May 19, 2009 7:47:52 GMT 10
- Unacceptable changes will have to be made to the ritual to avoid the baring of breasts.
The last I find particularly strange. It usually comes from US Masons, many of whom resort to degree costumes that are one step short of a burka, completely covering the body and providing only tiny flaps for access to a square inch of flesh. Such brethren would probably die of shame in my lodges, where the upper torso is covered in only a loose cape, shifted left, right or back as appropriate.Below is an example of an LDH tunic, where less breast is exposed than in a low-cut dress. I am told the usual test is applied (though not with reference to sex) and is said to refer to the naked heart (arguably more appropriate).
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Post by Gaslight on May 19, 2009 20:23:40 GMT 10
From my weary perspective, the mention of such excuses, when held-up against the examples of Co-masonry (where men and women seem to happily meet as Masons) and the wider society, is often enough to discount them. Do you believe any of the excuses warrant being looked at more closely? I think they're all spurious, for the reasons you give. The real sticking points are the obligations imposed in some rituals, and more general constitutional exclusion. I think the latter is the more invidious. In my experience, not all obligations contain a specific reference to the exclusion of women, but all do contain a promise to maintain and support the laws of Grand Lodge, in which the exclusion is usually embodied. Rituals, bye-laws and constitutions can, however, be amended. The UGLE's recognition of the existence and regularity of feminine Masonry is a big step forward. Amity and visitation would be the next.
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Post by Tamrin on May 19, 2009 20:35:50 GMT 10
Rituals, bye-laws and constitutions can, however, be amended. The UGLE's recognition of the existence and regularity of feminine Masonry is a big step forward. Amity and visitation would be the next. Hear! Hear!
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Post by Tamrin on Jul 6, 2009 19:19:20 GMT 10
An excuse is worse and more terrible than a lie, for an excuse is a lie guarded Alexander PopeIt is better to offer no excuse than a bad oneGeorge WashingtonDifficulty is the excuse history never acceptsEdward R. Murrow If you don't want to do something, one excuse is as good as anotherYiddish Proverb He who excuses himself accuses himselfGabriel MeurierIt is easier to find an excuse than to find a reasonDoug Brown Don't make excuses, make goodElbert Hubbard We have more ability than will power, and it is often an excuse to ourselves that we imagine that things are impossibleFrançois de la Rochefoucauld
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