INTOLERANCE
“Are you not then partial to yourselves, and make yourselves judges of evil thoughts?”
Jas. 2:4
Early in his Masonic career, a Freemason is instructed in the exercise of brotherly love and told that he must regard the entire human race as one family. That family includes the high and the low, the rich and the poor who, created by an Almighty Father and inhabitants of the same planet, must help, support and protect each other. Throughout the remainder of his Masonic career, the Freemason will receive innumerable additional instructions on the relation of brotherly love to the concept of tolerance, especially the concept of religious tolerance.
Most people, including most Freemasons, generally consider themselves tolerant of other people’s religious beliefs. If asked that question during a town meeting, or in any other public place, many are not likely to hesitate to raise their hand in token of their tolerant nature, if only to avoid appearing to their friends and neighbors as if were socially unacceptable. In fact, rather than just feigning sincerity, it is likely that most people actually believe that they deserve to be labeled tolerant, especially if they are citizens of the United States.
Our nation’s constitutional protection of religious freedom is taught to American school children at an early age. Churches of several different denominations dot the landscape, as do synagogues and mosques. While our society may expect such fundamental devotions to the concept of religious tolerance to accurately represent how we act as citizens, the truth really depends on how religious tolerance is defined.
Wikipedia, an Internet dictionary, suggests that the word tolerance is a recent political term used as an antithesis to the word discrimination. That same source goes on to describe tolerance as a word most people would rather avoid using; a word that is obviously not universally liked, because it severely challenges us to understand that it means much more than simply accepting different opinions.
As an example of that disgust, a person with an excellent reputation for good character who had recently discovered the joys of a particular religion, responded with a resounding “no” when asked whether or not the new religion brought a deeper sense of tolerance. “To be truly tolerant, as I understand the meaning of that word,” said that person, “would force me to be dishonest with both my religion and the beliefs I hold true by accepting other religious views.”
Here, we have come across another definition of tolerance, one that has unfortunately enjoyed wide acceptance around the world: a definition that clearly implies that being religiously tolerant means having no strong beliefs in matters of morality and God. The basic misunderstanding behind that definition is based on the misconception that one gives up anything but one’s ego and self-pride when one tolerates other similar religious beliefs. Such is not the case, at least not from the perspective of Freemasonry.
When you tolerate other religious beliefs, you are not required to adopt those beliefs as your own. Nor is it required that you find any particular truth in those other beliefs. Although failure to do so can expose you as a very unwise and narrow person, unwilling to discover the tremendous value of diversity, that alone does not necessarily make you intolerant. To be tolerant, you simply must be willing to extend religious freedom to people of all religious traditions, even if you disagree, in whole or in part, with the teachings of those other religions.
The ritual selected by Freemasonry to impart wise and serious truths does not have a single source. It is not Christian, Jewish, Islamic or Hindu. However, it finds its source in each of those religions, as well as several others. Furthermore, its beauty is richly augmented by wonderful philosophical schools of the past. Ancient Egypt brought symbolisms such as from east to west, the divine nature of the Temple, the immortality of humanity, and the resurrection. Our Hebrew brothers added the symbolism of the one God, which was later reinforced by Muhammad and other Islamic writers. The Hindus led us to embrace the symbolism of the beauty of the world around us, so rich and utterly satisfying as to merit return visits after death in the manner of the reincarnation of souls. Pythagoras and Plato offered Art the concept of humanity’s unity with God and nature. Among its many valuable spiritual contributions, Christianity taught the Craft to educate its members about the inner soul, the mind of man, and the freedom of all to choose good over evil, light over darkness. Consequently, the ritual of Freemasonry is the result of the synthesis of different beliefs and different points of view. Consequently, it is not surprising that the fraternity promotes religious tolerance and literally breathes it into the hearts and souls of its members.
In the Fellowcraft Degree, the candidate is instructed in the value of earnestly seeking knowledge of the various liberal arts and sciences: grammar, rhetoric, logic, arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy. That instruction carries with it the implication that doctrinal adherences to conclusions that are subject to change should be avoided when what was previously unknown sheds new light on the matter. The tyranny of doctrine casts an ominous shadow over religious tolerance, because immutable doctrine has no place for a new light.
When asked if new archaeological discoveries could bring about a change to existing church doctrine, a prelate recently answered “no.” It is not difficult to understand the reason for that response. Change in the fundamental facts inherent in any given doctrine could undermine the credibility of a church. Consequently, the best defense against such change was and remains intolerance. The result of such a stance was most graphically illustrated during that period of history known simply as “The Inquisition,” a period in which prelates and kings roamed the civilized world in search of heretics to burn and torture. The Inquisition led to mass murders of Jews, Gypsies, and alleged witches, as well as others who were not considered to have sincerely embraced the specific doctrine then in power.
Sadly, events like the Inquisition have permeated the history of man. In Rome, those who adhered to the tenets of the fledgling Christian religion were persecuted, tortured, and killed by what are now known as “pagans.” Later, after Emperor Constantine anointed Christianity as the approved state religion, the tables were turned. The pagans were persecuted by the Christians and the period of torture and death was revived. Catholics and Protestants continue to kill each other in certain parts of the world, despite each religion claiming to be Christ-centered. Certain Islamic sects hate each other and send death squads to eliminate the “enemy”.
Freemasonry teaches that every religious doctrine contains truth and error, and always will as long as the doctrine remains unchanged. Thus, Freemasonry has a close affinity with Hermetic philosophy, the origin of which is attributed to Hermes Trimegistus. That philosophy is esoteric in nature and consists of mysteries that are expressed in symbols. Certain disciplines drawn from that philosophy have attempted to become complete doctrines: Kabbalah, astrology, and alchemy are just a few. When such an intellectualization of hermetic philosophy tries to establish unequivocal concepts, it commits an abuse that is not adopted by philosophy itself, nor by Freemasonry.
In Freemasonry there are no theories; there is only experience, including the experience of interpreting symbols. The mystical experience is the root; the experience of acquiring knowledge can be considered the sap; and putting into practice the lessons learned from the interpretation of the symbols constitutes the wood. An important lesson in this regard can be derived from the rich symbolism found in the Book of Revelations, also known as the Apocalypse of Saint John.
The key to understanding Revelation is to practice it, using it as a series of spiritual exercises that awaken deeper levels of consciousness. The seven letters to the churches, the seven seals of the sealed book, the seven trumpets, and the seven bowls signify a course of spiritual study. To understand these studies, one must place oneself in a state of consciousness suitable for receiving revelations: concentration, inner silence, connection of the conscious with the subconscious, followed by a summary of what has been learned. Such an effort of synthesis, so well established in the Masonic interpretation of the symbols, is incompatible with intolerance. Rather, it is highlighted by a sense of change; an awareness that no man, philosophy or religion embodies the complete truth. All that is, or ever was, is not and will never be fully known.
For Freemasons around the world, the development of a tolerant state of conscience is essential for the promotion of brotherly love. One cannot love his brother if he hates his brother’s religious doctrine. One cannot help and support his brother if he comes to the conclusion that his brother’s lamentable condition is the will of God for whom he practices false religious doctrine. And one cannot rejoice in the well-being and successes of his brother when he arrogantly believes that he walks in the truth while his brother follows the path of darkness.
Tolerance, then, is more than simply tolerating another person’s different religious beliefs: it requires embracing and loving difference.