Freemasonry remains an anachronism
1) Masonry, by allowing RTÉ inside Molesworth Street, is clearly acknowledging it has an image problem in the wider community however, it is hard to see how this PR exercise will have done much to redress that.
2) Judging by the lodge members seen in the film, its age profile suggests it is having a serious recruitment problem among younger males a problem which is unlikely to be lessened by glimpses of the somewhat humiliating initiation ceremonies.
3) Despite the masons' insistence that masonry is not an alternative religion, it does seem to have rather a lot of religious and biblical trappings and the use of a composite god, incorporating the Jewish Jehovah with two pagan gods, suggests that the misgivings of many Christian Churches are well founded. It was most revealing that the Grand Master, when questioned on this point, struggled to deal with it.
I suppose the masons are entitled to some credit for this attempt at greater openness, but they do still appear to be a slightly odd anachronism in this 21st century.
David Roberts
Gloundine
Castlegrove
Mallow
Co Cork
