Dwindling Shriners find few to wear John Wayne's hat (Shriners irrelevant to young generation?)

Tacoma News Tribune ^ | Aug 16 06 | News Tribune

[churchillbuff]

[John] Wayne, arguably the No. 1 all-time cinema hero, bought into the most valuable tenets of the Shriners' fun brand of freemasonry – friendship, morality and brotherly love.

Who wouldn't want to join a fraternity with tenets like those? Apparently, a lot of us these days don't.

In 1975, the same year Universal Pictures released "Rooster Cogburn," the Shriners opened Afifi Shrine Temple next to the Scottish Rite Temple, on nearly 20 acres in Tacoma's West End.

They needed more space to accommodate a growing membership that numbered roughly 8,700 Afifi Shriners plus their circus calliope, old clown jalopies, parade floats and Oriental band equipment.

Today, the two fraternal organizations have put their remaining 10 acres and two temples up for sale. Asking price: $7.6 million.

The state's oldest Shriners organization, founded in 1889, has gotten old and irrelevant to younger generations.

[Chode]

there are Masons in just about EVERY religion... that's why Masonry itself is NOT a religion.

ever see a movie called "The Man Who Would Be King" with Sean Connery??? it's not really about Masonry, but shows you can find it almost anywhere/everywhere, you just never know when or where.

in my case, when i moved to St.Croix-USVI i found a Lodge three blocks from my house... and the first night, i met everybody i needed to know on the island from Lawyers to Doctors to Construction Company owners to a guy i started doing computer working for.

[TheLion]

There used to be a Masonic lodge in about every town in America....we have lost a lot.

[Tiny]

That is hooey! One "Reunion" class lasting a day and you go from third degree to 32nd degree Mason and becoming a Shriner is another day. It is not much trouble at all.

Its the 6 to 8 months of study to become a 3rd degree that turns alot of people off. You don't just pay your dues and become a Master Mason, you have to invest a lot of time working towards that goal.

The 3rd degree is the highest achievement that a Mason can attain, the 4th through 32 degrees are more like merit badges in scouting than any kind of advancement up the ladder. Last time I checked the Shriners had dropped the 32 degree requirement and will accept a Master Mason.

[ordinaryguy]

Thanks. That looks like a lot of material! I'll browse through it.

[nopardons]

Thanks. :-)

[StoneColdTaxHater]

As a mason one of the things that limits our membership is that we do not advertise or solicit. One of our mottoes is 2B1ASK1. Aman has to come to us, we never go to them. It shows a prospective member's intent

[nopardons]

You have to understand that there are some people on FR, who have spent all of their time here, trashing the Masons and sometimes the Shriners. Those of us who support these organization are, by now, a bit thin skinned and your post wasn't "funny"; though you later claimed that it was a "joke" .

[ordinaryguy]

I have never trashed the Masons or the Shriners on or off Free Republic. I understand now that you are thin skinned on these threads. I still don't see the offensiveness towards Shriners in my comment. I'm sorry it came across to you as a slight.

Unless I understand the offensiveness in my comment, I really can't give you an honest apology for my comment itself.

As far as apologizing to these others you write of, I'm unclear as to who you are to be speaking for them, and why they can't represent themselves.

[uglybiker]

Apology accepted.

Let's move on.

[ordinaryguy]

there are Masons in just about EVERY religion... that's why Masonry itself is NOT a religion.

Thanks. I never had the impression that is was a religion, just that it was somehow... I guess a wedge between a person and their religion - that it presented some conflict.

ever see a movie called "The Man Who Would Be King" with Sean Connery???

Nope. Maybe I'll watch it someday.

[Graybeard58]

Hey nopardons, I'm the one you gave a conditional pardon to for mistaking your gender. I am also proud to be a Mason.

[Graybeard58]

the only religious requirement in Masonry is that you believe in SOME higher power than yourself...

I was told 26 years ago when I joined that the only requirement was that I believe in God.

[blackie]

Thanks Brother.


John Wayne was a man.

[Anti-Bubba182]

"Its the 6 to 8 months of study to become a 3rd degree that turns alot of people off. "

There is some memory work for the first three degrees that does not take anything like 6 to 8 months in my experience. A few weeks is more like it.

[Chode]

in America... but i believe it says A God elsewhere since there are Hindu's, Seiks, Muslims, Buddists, etc. that are Masons too and don't believe in our Christian God.

[BluH2o]

By my generation Shriners (and all those types of organizations) are primarily associated with old guys wearing goofy hats.

Yeah ... and driving those silly little cars around in circles at local parades. Haven't had the slightest inclination ever to be a Shriner ...

[Tiny]

"...that does not take anything like 6 to 8 months in my experience. A few weeks is more like it."

Unless things have changed drastically in the last 20 years, I have to disagree. Expereince with a family member joining tells me otherwise. I would have liked to have joined back then but after watching him go through it I never felt I had the time to devote to becoming a Master, much less the involvement after joining. Now that my kids are grown I've been looking into it again, trouble is my memory is so bad now I may not be able to memorize what I need. Its tough getting old :)

[Anti-Bubba182]

I've done it myself. It does not take months. Also several other guys went through the process with me at the time and they did not have any trouble either.

[Tiny]

Then either your brilliant or I'm stupid. Either way, I still think of the Mason's as an honorable organization, its a shame more men don't have an interest in them. Keep up the good work.

[Anti-Bubba182]

Thanks, If you are interested I encourage you to try. The memory work is easier because the ritual works like a play, the cues make it easier to remember.