Masonic Education: A proposed concept for 21st century freemasonry
By: Luiz Neto
Masonic education is an essential pillar of Freemasonry, with the aim of promoting the intellectual, moral and spiritual growth of its members.
Despite its relevance, contemporary Masonic education faces challenges, including superficiality in content and reliance on rituals as the main source of knowledge.
This article highlights the urgent need for an organized and comprehensive Masonic educational framework that respects traditional values and addresses the dynamic realities of the modern world.
In this context, we will propose a concept for the term “Masonic education” to consider 21st century Freemasonry.
Historically, Masonic education has been understood as the study of the Institution’s philosophy, symbols and rituals by its workers.
However, recent studies reveal significant gaps in Masons’ knowledge of the foundations of the Order.
A survey by the Inter-American Masonic Confederation (2018) indicated that 95% of Brazilian Freemasons are unaware of the basic principles of Freemasonry.
Similar results are presented in surveys from international contexts as well, highlighting the need for reformist strategies (Rubicon Masonic Society, 2018; Characteristics of An Ideal Lodge Survey Results and Analysis, 2019).
So let’s not try to find solutions to this complex issue that is influenced by historical, cultural, geographical conditions and different intersubjective realities that impact on the (in)formation of “being” a Freemason, but rather let’s look at Masonic education.
Authors have sought to understand why Masonic education, in its real nature, has disappeared or been reduced in Masonic bodies in recent periods (Poll,2023; Schenk, 2006; Willian,2019) .
Unanimously, one possible explanation for this gap in Masonic education is that for too many years, Masonic bodies functioned as second-rate social clubs. Little was taught about the real nature of Masonic education or how to present a Masonic educational program.
The search for these explanations of the past is lessened by the challenges of the present and the future.
The guiding question of our work was: What is Masonic education?
It is important to outline the concept used in this article. There is no consensus on the term in the literature, so we will propose one. For Randall L. Brill (2023) “Masonic education is the study of Masonic values, history, symbols and myths.
It also encompasses lessons in leadership, self-improvement and society building”. Masonic writer Garnet Schenk (2006) conceptualizes the term as the study of the history, philosophy, and symbolism used in the Order to learn the craft and meaning of Freemasonry.
Some authors, such as Bailey (2020), take a more philosophical perspective, emphasizing that it is in Freemasonry that the Mason learns about morality, ethics and spirituality.
The process of Masonic education, for Amaboke ( 2015), takes place primarily in learning to know “ourselves” and then in studying Masonic legends and symbols which, through constant reiteration, will stimulate our intellect.
More recently, Poll (2023) states that Masonic education is the teaching of some element of Freemasonry that serves to help young and old Masons to better understand any aspect of the history, philosophy or functioning of a Masonic lodge.
Therefore, even though there is no consensus on Masonic education, one of the aspects that stands out is that ritual is an important learning tool, but not the only one, and that other content and teaching and learning strategies should be part of a training plan for Masons.
We would like to take this opportunity to recommend efforts among Freemasons for a more robust definition of the concept of Masonic education, as the term has been used very frequently, but with little conceptual robustness.
In view of this, we propose the concept of the term masonic education for contemporary freemasonry as:
“any organized and systematic educational attempt that takes place within the temples or not, based on the formal or informal system of values and principles that form the doctrine of freemasonry and that aims to educate the freemason to create the possibilities of building or updating knowledge and promoting the experience of the fullness of being a freemason”
(Silva Neto, 2023).
Our concept proposal makes it possible to present a more holistic and detailed concept of the term masonic education, and to bring together elements of education (a broad and varied pedagogical approach), the educational environment (temples or not), the objective of educational action (to educate the Mason) and the objective of freemasonry (to promote the experience of the fullness of being a Mason).
Therefore, it is from this conceptual perspective that we have coined this concept for a broad debate in universal freemasonry.
In conclusion, it is helpful to think of a training plan for Masonic education, considering the situation of Freemasonry in the 21st century, which in my view is marked by a state of lethargy and lack of planning, conditions that are very worrying.
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Article by: Luiz Sinésio Silva Neto
Luiz Sinésio Silva Neto
Professor at the Federal University of Tocantins and Coordinator of the Human Aging Program - University of Maturity (UMA/UFT). Master Mason of the Grand Masonic Lodge of the State of Tocantins-Brazil.
Website: http://sites.uft.edu.br/uma/
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