Freemasonry and Innovation

“There is no innovation in Freemasonry.”

Or so the Craft solemnly admonishes its new officers, as though we must be ever vigilant against the introduction of radical ideas that might obscure our basic, ancient tenets. But now that, for many Lodges, officer installation season is approaching, and a new generation of officers is progessing toward the Master’s chair, I’ve been thinking about the role of change and innovation in the Craft.

What does “no innovation” mean exactly? Surely it doesn’t mean that we can’t, for example, wire our dignified old lodge halls for electricity or use computers for our mailing labels. Surely it does mean, however, that we can’t tamper with the Landmarks or Ritual. These are the easy situations to address.

More difficult, though, are the traditions and practices of individual Lodges that are not based on Ritual or the Landmarks, but are nevertheless stubbornly observed because “it’s always been done that way”. Some Brethren may be opposed to casual dress for summer Stated Communications, or disapprove of alchoholic beverages at post-meeting collations. While prohibitions such as these may be based on sound judgement, they perhaps should not be treated as Masonic dogma, especially in cases where the observance of them tends to inhibit our ability to attract and retain new Brethren.

A metaphor may be useful here. To me, the Light of Freemasonry is like that of a bonfire, a bonfire that has been burning for many centuries. Now let’s say that when the bonfire was built, only oak was used as fuel, it being most abundant at the time. As the years went by, oak remained the fuel of choice such that a tradtion emerged stating that only oak was permissable for the fire. Eventually, however, oak become scarce, and the Brethren, out of a misguided sense of duty, refused to consider other wood like maple and pine. As a result, the fire began to die out.

In this metaphor, the pieces of wood represent the enthusiasm of each individual Brother. We add our enthusiasm to the Light of Freemasonry, and when it’s time for us to go to Refreshment, we can rest assured that the next generation will add it’s enthusiasm and thereby propel the Light into the future. But just as the oak, maple, and pine, although different species of trees, add fuel to the fire, so too may the attitudes and enthusiasms of each Brother, although different from person to person and generation to generation, add fuel the Light of Freemasonry. Because what is important is that the Light itself remain constant, unchanging and undiminished.