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Freemasonry’s “Rebound” should target Gen-Z and Gen Alpha

by Bill Hosler

Darin A. Lahners A recent Facebook/blog post by the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, Northern Masonic Jurisdiction, highlighted ideas that many Grand Jurisdictions have been trying to capitalize on.  While all of the facts above are correct, there is an elephant in the proverbial lodge room.  We are part of a fraternity that, in Grand Lodge organized terms, is coming up on its 309th birthday.  However, we know that it is much older.  In terms of membership numbers, we’ve seen a rapid decline, which matches what Robert Putnam’s seminal work, Bowling Alone, stated when it was first published in 2000; that civic organization membership has been in decline since the 1960’s. One of the main issues that is never addressed in these articles is the elephant in the room.  Freemasonry is facing a generational issue.  Meaning that the older our average membership age is, the less likely we are to recruit younger men into our lodges.  Let me explain why I feel this is the case. I feel that there is a wide difference between my children, who are Gen – Z, and I, who is Gen-X.  I mean, I sometimes feel unable to understand anything my 23-year-old son

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Writing Masons and Masons Who Don’t Read

by Bill Hosler

Patrick Dey “No. If I thought of it, somebody else must have already done it.” — Umberto Eco, Foucault’s Pendulum “There is nothing new under the sun.” — Ecclesiastes 1:10 In 1875, Albert G. Mackey published his scathing essay “Reading Masons & Masons Who Do Not Read.” It really needs no introduction. You’ve either read it or you are in the other category. But I would like to bring up a different category that I don’t think Mackey could have imagined, or at least did not think would be a problem, because it appears to be a recent phenomenon: Masons who write (or want to write) but don’t read Masonic books (or magazines or blogs, &c). The impetus for this article comes from a recent video from Man Carrying Thing, in which he discusses authors who don’t read. It’s kind of a strange phenomenon, but there has been a growing trend of authors admitting proudly that they do not read. There are a number of reasons an author might not read or does not read much. A valid reason is that a seasoned author is always working on their craft, so they don’t have much time to read novels or other

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Freemasonry and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

by Bill Hosler

Darin A. Lahners MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD! If you walk into a room full of fifty Freemasons and ask each of them to define what Freemasonry is, you will most likely get fifty different answers.  Sure, we have our platitudes: “Making Good Men Better”, but one of the main reasons we struggle with membership, especially with younger members, is the inability to explain what the benefits of Freemasonry are succinctly.  One only needs to look at the current state of our Craft to know that the “Not Just a Man…A Mason” campaign, which is soon to turn ten years old, and know that at some point it will become as stale as “2B1ASK1”.  Ten years is a long time in terms of Marketing, so the expiration date on the shelf life will soon be reached. Freemasonry often fails due to a lack of imagination.  Freemasonry has an unwillingness to try to tie pop culture trends to what our Fraternity could offer a younger man.  It has failed time and time again to take an aggressive approach to look at pop culture franchises like Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Brendan Fraser’s Mummy movies, National Treasure, Harry Potter, to see how synergies could be

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Freemasonry: Good, Better, Best!

by Bill Hosler

WB Darin Lahners In Freemasonry, we are forbidden from discussing sectarian topics in a Masonic lodge, which normally means discussing Religion and Politics.  However, sports could easily be added to the list.  So why write about it and potentially cause disharmony?  The article uses sports and references a mantra given by the head coach of the Chicago Bears to teach a Masonic lesson.  If you are a Green Bay Packers fan and you don’t want to read further, I understand.   Like many sports fans, my fandom began as a child. I grew up a Bears fan.  I bleed Blue and Orange, not only because of the Bears, but also because the founder of the Bears, George Halas, is an alumnus of the same University I graduated from, The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  Papa Bear Halas borrowed the color scheme from the University of Illinois Fighting Illini for the football team he started.  Halas started the Decatur Staleys on September 20, 1919, while working for A. E. Staley Manufacturing Co in Decatur, Illinois.  The Staleys have an indirect tie to Illinois Freemasonry, in that, the owner of A.E. Staley Manufacturing Co; A.E. Staley was a prominent Freemason and one of

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My Gen-X outlook on Freemasonry: Healing myself from Masonic angst

by Bill Hosler

WB Darin Lahners One of the most important ceremonies that we perform as Freemasons is participating in Masonic Funeral Rites.  I truly believe that this ritual is a perfect encapsulation of what the Masonic philosophy is.  It is a solemn and important duty, and it is one that every Freemason should make every attempt to honor, regardless of whether they knew the brother or not.  As a secretary of two lodges, it has become my duty to attend and to read the Masonic obituary for the brethren in my lodges who have passed to that Celestial Lodge on high. I had to undertake this solemn duty this past Friday, for a brother unknown to me, other than by name.  I knew him to be a life member and a Past Master of my mother lodge.  To me, he was just a name.  As secretary, I would read his name in our membership management software and see he was a life member.  When I arrived at his funeral, Masonic Obituary in hand, ready to perform my duty to read it as part of his funeral rites, I discovered how much Freemasonry meant to him.  I was overjoyed to see that we

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“Yeah, But Why Should We Care?” – Apathy in regards to bogus and anti-Masonic rhetoric

by Bill Hosler

Andrew Rizzitello “They just got black balled…” During my time on social media as a Freemason, many and inestimable accounts of the horrors that supposedly happen during our meetings and rituals have come across my feed. From devil worship to physical abuse, from misogyny to allegations of child endangerment; the accusations span a huge gamut of horrible actions that anyone could think of. However, what I believe to be the most egregious, is the lack of response to these claims and the general “meh” that comes from my Brothers. “Pay them no mind”, they say, “They were probably denied entry and are now butt hurt. Besides, they don’t know what they’re talking about.” This attitude becomes more detrimental the longer it persists and could eventually open our lodges and members to attack, especially with the global connectivity we all share through the internet. The God Grifter “I renounced it…” While there are plenty of individuals who fake membership to gain clicks and views, actual former members are by far the worst because they know they’re lying simply to appease the religious crowd. The above image is an example of a disgraced Mason who has created a television series dedicated to

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AI and Freemasonry: The Cowan and Eavesdropper

by Bill Hosler

WB Darin Lahners “All of this has happened before, and all off this has happened again” is a reoccurring line said by number six, a cylon model from the reimagined Battlestar Galactica series which ran from 2004 – 2009 on the Sci-Fi network. The premise of the series was that humanity created artificial intelligence and robots called cylons to make my life easier, it rebelled, a war was fought, a truce was reached.  The cylons make cyborgs that are indistinguishable from human beings and they infiltrate human society to help launch a sneak attack on the twelve colonies of humanity to finish the job they started many years before. As luck would have it, as the attacks are launched the Battlestar Galactica is being retired and about to become a museum.  Being the oldest ship in the fleet, it is somewhat of a Luddite technologically speaking not having any networked computers. While the newer ships off humanity’s fleet are victims of a computer virus that disables their networked computers and the defenses they control allows humanity on the planets of the twelve colonies to be eradicated by a nuclear holocaust, the Battlestar Galactica becomes the command ship for a rag

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Fear, Loathing, and Freemasonry

by Bill Hosler

WB Darin Lahners Author Hunter S. Thompson wrote several works using “Fear and Loathing” in the title, which alluded to his fear that the American Dream was dying and his loathing towards those he saw as guilty of its demise. In many aspects, he was a visionary.  This article uses “Fear and Loathing” because of my fear that Freemasonry (at least the philosophical aspects of it) in the United States is dying, and there’s loathing towards those who are guilty of its demise.  It’s also a difficult article to write because how do you write an article about hate when it has become so ingrained in politics?  You just write it. The election of Zohran Mamdani as the mayor of New York City one week ago highlighted some of Freemasonry’s troglodytes as they came out of the woodwork on social media to use hate-filled language to voice their dissatisfaction with the election results.  If that’s not bad enough, many of them did this while proudly displaying Masonic imagery in their profile pictures.  Whatever happened to just stopping at: Man, I’m disappointed that Mamdani won?  That would have gotten the same point across.  If you want to post hate on social

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The Issue of Confederate Degree Teams

by Bill Hosler

R.H. Johnson, PDDGM, FILOR     It isn’t as prevalent as it once was; however, I still see it from time to time as I shamelessly publish links to podcast episodes or interesting Masonic articles in various Facebook Groups. As the title alludes to, I am going to address the existence and use of Confederate Degree Teams. For many, this may sound like a shocking thing that they cannot believe exists. To those folks, I will give you a very brief rundown. Masonic degree teams with Confederate themes often exist in regions where the Confederacy historically held sway, largely in the Southern United States, reflecting the cultural and historical context of these areas. Their prevalence is generally limited and more common in communities with strong ties to Civil War heritage. These teams may have emerged as a means to preserve and honor local history and traditions within a fraternal setting, offering members a way to connect with their ancestry. While these themes might hold particular resonance in certain geographical and cultural landscapes, they remain a niche aspect of Masonic practice that can attract interest due to their historical implications. To others, you may just be casually reading, to you, I

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The Threads of Labor Day: Uniting Workers, Unions, and Freemasonry

by Bill Hosler

By R.H. Johnson Labor Day, a celebration deeply rooted in the achievements of workers and the labor movement, has significant ties to Freemasonry. As we delve into this day’s historical and symbolic connections, we see a confluence of vocational excellence, the spirit of fraternity, and the pursuit of equality—cornerstones of both the labor movement and Freemasonry. Origins of Labor Day Labor Day was established in the United States to honor the social and economic achievements of American workers. It emerged during a period when labor unions were advocating for fair working conditions, reasonable work hours, and improved wages. This quest for equity mirrors the values upheld by the guilds of medieval Europe, the precursors to modern labor unions. The Guild Connection The guilds of the Middle Ages were associations of craftsmen and tradesmen that regulated and protected the practices of particular crafts. These guilds laid the foundations for organizational structures that would later inspire labor movements worldwide. Freemasonry traces its origins to these guilds, particularly those involving stone masons who built the great cathedrals and castles of Europe. Freemasonry absorbed the guilds’ emphasis on skill, integrity, and cooperation. While guilds focused on the physical labor of the craft, Freemasonry transformed

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