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We all shine on: Bro. Fred Milliken, aka Squire Bentley
from The Burning Taper
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This is our 19th installment of "This Is Who I Am," our never-ending series of essays by and about readers of The Burning Taper. My name is Frederic L. Milliken, a/k/a Squire Bentley. More about that pseudonym later. Yes I am a Freemason, but that is only one of my many interests even though it is the most compelling. I am also a history buff and a political junkie, and a dabbler in economics. I guess that follows having a BA in Government&History with a minor in Economics. I was born in the town of Lexington, Massachusetts, the birthplace of the American Revolution. The battles of Lexington&Concord, the midnight ride of Paul Revere and the shot heard ?round the world was something that influenced me from an early age. Growing up as a boy I became a member of Battle Green DeMolay which met at Simon W. Robinson Lodge, AF&AM beside the Lexington Green, eventually becoming Master Councilor. My first church was also bordering the Green as was the famous Buckman Tavern where my moth ...
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Happy Birthday to the Masonic Society
from X-Oriente
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Early yesterday morning, the Masonic Society went online, and unveiled itself to the world. What is the Masonic Society? It is an intellectual Society of Masons dedicated to not just focusing on the Masonic past but to its present and Future. I was honored to be a Founding Fellow, but don't let that put you off. ;-) This, brethren, looks like the real deal. The difference between this group and other research societies is twofold.
First, this Society looks not just to the past but to the present and future of the Craft, and secondly, it is poised to take advantage of the net in a way that other societies are just not set up to do. The Masonic Society already has an active Forum and a print publication is in the works now. I will be lending my talents to the Society in any way I can both as a designer and as a podcaster, as its mission and X-Oriente's mission are essentially the same.
I encourage you to check out the site and join. For $39, you'll get the quarterly Journal, a l ...
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Here, read this!
from X-Oriente
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I've never been a huge fan of Ken Wilbur, mostly because I haven't read his works. But after reading this, I think I may have to go back and take another gander at his work. I like that his conception of mysticism does not rely on magical thinking. There is enough real magic in the natural world without us having to get lost in the supernatural. I found this interview with Wilbur in Salon.com. From the interview: So where does God fit into this picture? Do you believe in God? God is a perfect example of how these two types of religion treat ultimate reality. You asked,"Do you believe in God?"In exoteric religion, it's a matter of belief. Do you believe in the kind of God who rewards and punishes and will sit with you in some eternal heaven? But in the esoteric form of religion, God is a direct experience. Most contemplatives would call it"godhead."It's so different from the mythic conceptions of God -- the old man in the sky with a gray beard. The word"God"is much more misleading ...
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World conference of Masonic grand lodges to be held
from The Burning Taper
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From a press release from Grand Lodge of Free And Accepted Masons of the District of Columbia: April 25, 2008 ? For the first time ever, the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the District of Columbia will play host to a historic and grand event, the 9th World Conference of Masonic Grand Lodges, at the Renaissance Washington DC Hotel, May 7th, 2008 through May 10th, 2008. This conference will bring together international Masonic leaders comprised of high-level officials in government, business and civic service. Specifically, large delegations from Africa, Latin America and Europe are expected to be in attendance. Masonic leaders will discuss how the Society of Freemasonry can utilize its position to promote universal understanding, enlightened ideas, and goodwill globally. Members of the press are invited to cover keynote speakers, banquets, the World War II Memorial wreath-laying and Masonic award ceremonies. Congressman John Lewis (D-GA) is to be honored at a reception ...
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We all shine on: Bro. Greg Stewart, AKA Masonic Traveler
from The Burning Taper
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Here it is, the 18th installment of "We All Shine On," The Burning Taper 's never-ending series of essays from online Freemasons and other readers of this blog. Today's is from Bro. Greg Stewart, also known as Masonic Traveler. Thanks for writing, Bro. Greg! The title of this makes me think of the Moby song, "We are all made of Stars." People they come together People they fall apart No one can stop us now 'Cause we are all made of stars My name is Greg Stewart. I go by the moniker of Masonic Traveler. I post when I can to my blog of the same name at MasonicTraveler.com . I also edit and own a website called FreemasonInformation.com . As you can probably guess, I am a Freemason. I fall by habitation under the Grand Lodge of California, where I live with my wife Diane and my two sons. I have been a Freemason now for 11 years, with varying degrees of activity and participation. When I became a Mason, I did not know anything of what the organization was about. I had a good fr ...
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Florida to produce Christian license plates?
from The Burning Taper
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It seems like lots of controversy, religious and political, comes out of the state of Florida. Two years ago we found a pizza maven building a Christian city . Now the Florida legislature is debating whether to produce a Christian-themed auto license plate similar to ones they and other states produce that let drivers show support for colleges, ecological endeavors, and other "worthwhile purposes." The proposed license tag will contain the words "I Believe" and show a stained glass window and a Christian cross. If approved, it will be the first religious-themed license plate any state has produced, Breitbart.com reports . Even some Christians are opposed to the idea, including state representative Kelly Skidmore, a practicing Roman Catholic. I suspect her opposition isn't because she supports the "separation of church and state" so much as she doesn't want to offer the same privilege to other religions. She told reporters, "It's not a road I want to go down. I don't want to se ...
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We all shine on: Timothy Bonney
from The Burning Taper
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This is our 17th installment in the series "This is Who I Am." The series is made up of short essays from Burning Taper readers telling us about themselves. Over the past several weeks the Widows Son and I have had some private conversations about our agreements and past disagreements on issues related to the Craft. While we differ on views at times related to the Craft, its future, and how it should be changed we do agree, I believe, in a couple of very important areas. Whatever we may disagree about, as Masons we are brothers and our commitment to Masonry should out way our differences. And, second, that the Craft is in an ever changing society and needs to find ways to grow and improve itself. Brotherhood isn?t based on agreement but on respect. That is why I accepted WS?s invitation to be a part of his ?We Shine On? series. I?ve been part of the Craft for seven years having been raised to the sublime degree on December 10, 2000. I was made a Mason in Phoenix Lodge No. ...
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Experimental theologists near finding the God particle
from The Burning Taper
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Imagine Margaret Thatcher in her prime as Prime Minister wandering through a Conservative cocktail party, attracting hangers-on keen to hear her every utterance and be seen with someone so powerful. That's how the winning entry in the 1990s's contest "describe the boson theory on a single side of paper" explained how matter gets its mass, the Times Online reports . In 1964 Professor Peter Higgs proposed a solution to a big question in physics: How does matter have mass? His model says the universe is permeated with an invisible field of particles called bosons, that consist of nothing but mass. As other particles move through the boson field, bosons stick to some of the particles, giving them mass. Other particles, like photons, do not pick up these boson hangers-on, and thus, have no mass. Higgs, now 78 years old, thinks the reality of bosons ? long called "the God particle" ? will be proven when a new atom-smasher, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) near Geneva, Switzerland, goes ...
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Royal Order of Scotland can't pay its rent
from The Burning Taper
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America isn't the only place where Freemasonry has lost its "influence." The provincial lodge of the Royal Order of Scotland is currently in last-minute negotiations with its Merchant City (a central district of Glasgow) landlord to keep its meeting place at the Trades Hall on Glassford Street, The Herald recently reported . Five Masonic lodges that previously also met there have already moved out of the building, which was built by stonemasons in 1791 and has provided meeting space for Masons and other union, guild and fraternal groups since 1824. The Royal Order of Scotland is unable to pay the rent. The Masonic organization dates back to at least 1741, and proclaims the King of Scots as its hereditary grand master. An empty chair is maintained at each meeting, awaiting the king's return. Membership in the Royal Order of Scotland is by invitation only, and requires belief in Trinitarian Christianity. Most of the provincial grand lodges require that a candidate have been a Mas ...
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Senate honors American dead in Iraq, Afghanistan
from The Burning Taper
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I stand with the United States Senate in their Resolution today "honor[ing] the service and sacrifice of the men and women who have lost their lives in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom and honors their families and loved ones." On paper, the Senate Resolution goes on for 264 pages . Each of the names of 4,009 servicemen and servicewomen who have died in Iraq and the 487 who have died in Afghanistan is listed. There should not be a Number 4,010. Bring them home. Now. Iraq War | Military Deaths | Peace | Burning Taper | BurningTaper.com
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