Basic concepts

Understanding of the functioning of modern Freemasonry requires that certain concepts are clarified Masonic, although not always defined uniformly accepted by all, are the basis of alliances as well as conflicts between different faiths.

Lodges and Masonic Rites Obediences

Masonic lodges existed before persuasions. They alone have the power to initiate new members. A box typically contains about forty active Freemasons, although there are sometimes some private boxes whose size can be several hundreds. In general, each cell is free to choose its chairman (the "Venerable"), it shall elect annually, subjects its members to study, and possible external actions, charitable and / or societal, it wishes to conduct.

Masonic Lodges are most often grouped into "Masonic allegiances," usually called "big boxes" or, more rarely, "Guidelines". By uniting together, the lodges are joining forces, particularly regarding material issues (financing and management of their premises), ritual (harmonization of Ceremonies) and intervisite (members of a lodge can usually attend to visitors all other boxes of the same federation). Sometimes - especially in France, much more rarely in other countries - the Masonic allegiances act or speak publicly on behalf of all the lodges within them.
The combination of Masonic lodges in allegiances, first appeared in England in June 1717 marked the beginning of modern Freemasonry, known as "speculative." It is accompanied by a relative loss of freedom of each of the boxes and Federated, as they agree to comply with special rules of their associations ("constitutions" and regulations), the first historical example was the Constitutions of Anderson 1723. However, the boxes are usually jealous of their margins of freedom and it is not uncommon, even in a Masonic organization that coexist lodges whose work programs, actions and compositions are very different sociological each other.

Finally, a Masonic rite is a relatively homogeneous set of Masonic rituals. A Masonic rite can be used by some denominations and persuasions Masonic rival Masonic lodges that practice federate various Masonic rites. Sometimes, too, though much more rarely, a single housing practice successively various Masonic rites.


Grand Lodges and Grand Orients

It does not exist between the two designations "big boxes" and "lines" of different nature that is generalizable to all "big boxes" or all "lines" of the world, although in limited France, the term "Grand Lodge" often refers to a group of lodges practicing all the same rite (as the Grand Lodge of France, who practice exclusively Scottish Rite Ancient and Accepted), while the Grand Orient de France defines himself as constituting a federation of several rituals.
In the early eighteenth century France, the term "Grand Lodge" meant a meeting of presidents of chambers. There was therefore no permanent Masonic in the modern sense: the "Grand Lodge" that existed during the meeting of Presidents of housing. Similarly, the term "Grand Orient" meant the place where met the "Grand Lodge". Only in the second half of the century that follows eventually designate permanent institutions (and often rival).

History

On June 24, 1717, four London lodges met in the Goose and Gridiron tavern (Goose and Grill). They bore the names of the taverns where they were accustomed to meet:
The Goose and the Grill
Crown
Le Pommier
The Goblet and Grapes.
They decided to support each other, grouping them dénommèrent "Grand Lodge of London and elected Grand Master of Masons (Grand Master of Masons), the oldest of the four masters of lodges, one Anthony Sayer.
This event, which passed almost unnoticed at the time, however, marks the birth of the first Masonic world.
The following year, 1718, George Payne, secretary of the Tax Administration, was elected Grand Master and the number of boxes came to join the federation increased.
In 1719, the Great Master Theophilus Desaguliers fell to John, a friend of Isaac Newton and one of its most illustrious speakers time1 and in 1721 the Duke of Montagu, high aristocrat and one of the richest men in England . He asked that recast all the old rules of the fraternity (the "Old Charges") as "a new and better method", a project that will culminate in the publication of Anderson's Constitutions in 1723.
In a few years the Grand Lodge of London had acquired considerable prestige that would allow Freemasonry to flourish in the twenty years throughout Europe and throughout the European colonies, this which included at that time America, Australia and much of Africa and Asia.
Very quickly, new dressing rooms, quickly assembled into new denominations were formed around the world, such as the Grand Lodge of France, since 1728.
Just as quickly, the movement diversified within the same country where he was born, since another persuasion, as the Grand Lodge of Masons Antients, was formed in England and opposed to the first, which it accused of having de-Christianized the ritual, while a number of Lodges London continued to remain independent.
Problems constitutions persuasions and recognition between them are as old as modern Freemasonry itself.

Points of contention between faiths Masonic

Divisions and landmarks

From the beginning, the proliferation of different ideas and practices raised the problem of recognition and limitations:
By dint of deviations, what can be regarded as a more or less "exotic" of Freemasonry and what is so remote that it must be regarded as something else?
The English word sums up this landmark issue and difficult: in fact the word means both a remarkable point of the landscape (eg we say that the Eiffel Tower is a landmark of Paris) and a terminal at the edge of a territory . In the first case, it is a landmark which should be not too far under penalty of going astray. The second is a definite limit beyond which we changed territory.
Specifically, many faiths, mostly in the United States have established various lists of landmarks, sometimes considered intangible limits, sometimes as benchmarks may change over time.
For its part, the United Grand Lodge of England (Glua), without using the word landmarks, provides a list of 8 principles, published in 1929 and amended in 1989, which it considers necessary for a grand lodge or recognized by it.
On a more general, all Masonic allegiances, at least in their constitutions, state how they define, in their eyes, the Freemasonry.


The concept of "Regularity"


The word "lawful" is relatively recent and should be further understood in the English sense (regular, that is to say "normal") in relation to the idea of a rule in the Latin sense of monastic orders. But this word, however, conceals a much more ancient, and not exactly superimposable to that of the landmarks, since it refers to the "Old Charges", that is to say the old rules of business of corporations Masons. But these rules:
Are not always directly transferable without a metaphorical interpretation in modern Freemasonry, known as "speculative." This is for example the case of the rules governing payment for the work or the prohibition of employment sites on the era of visually impaired workers.
Have always been part by different eras and regions.
Were "recast" as we have seen above at the time Anderson, which was re-challenged from the outset (Antients conflict and Moderns).
The fact remains that most denominations have more or less given over time on a set of rules, formulated in a sufficiently flexible, and called "criteria of regularity."
The denominations of the current "principal" generally agree on the list of criteria promulgated by the United Grand Lodge of England in its 1929 version or the slightly different from 1989.
Other denominations, while attaching great importance to this issue of consistency, add or subtract things to their own lists of "criteria of regularity." This is for example the case of those who accept the Old Charges within the strict limits of the version given by Anderson in 1723 or those who, conversely, consider a traditional test of regularity ban racial or religious discrimination.


Mutual recognition and intervisites

Finally, the issue of mutual recognition and intervisites is still a different issue, which is not always directly superimposable to those above.
Indeed, to take one example, admit such obedience than another Masonic obedience has a practice that is entirely consistent with his own designs, landmarks (if recent) or "criteria of fairness' (assumed unchanged from the Old Charges) but does not yet give his "gratitude" for other reasons.
In recent history, we have seen thus denominations refuse or withdraw their "recognition" to others:
For reasons of discrimination, their eyes become inconsistent with morality, even if the "Old Charges" or the old landmarks did not prohibit discrimination once.
For reasons of exclusivity, some denominations do not recognize one another by obedience country.
And sometimes for reasons of financial dispute.
The recognition of obedience from another practice may condition the possibility of mutual visits to box, although in practice the theoretical restrictions of mutual visits are often circumvented.
Indeed, it is necessary to distinguish the recognition, which can be direct or transitive (and hence somehow), stronger links treaty of friendship or even dual membership, they are rare and in any case non-existent between liberal and fair persuasions.
However, it is not uncommon for Masonic allegiances that do not recognize each other can nevertheless have mutual cooperative relations in special occasions, such as sharing space for exhibitions or musicology.

Combinations persuasions

The Masonic allegiances weave together networks of complex interrelationships, but we can roughly be grouped into four types:
Persuasions regular core group (mainstream)

Over three quarters of Freemasons in the world belong to this group allegiances.

It consists of:
The most important obedience of every nation of the Commonwealth and each state of the United States and every province of Canada.
An obedience (not necessarily the most important) of each country where Freemasonry is represented.
The persuasions of this group of mutual recognition is saying all regular. Conversely, they say sometimes irregular all persuasions who do not belong to their group, without taking into account the nature of Masonic practices. The allegiances and declared irregular only because of their non-primary group membership rarely share that view.
Contrary to a fairly widespread misconception, there is no central organization that would have authority over all of Freemasonry in this group. Grand Lodges that compose it, which are a little more than a hundred, are independent, autonomous and sovereign. Each of them has an original character, with specific uses that reflect to some extent the prevailing mentality and traditions. But all are linked by a consensus on principles, practices, rules and landmarks that make up the indispensable basis of Masonic regularity.
Even the United Grand Lodge of England, which is the oldest and largest, with approximately 600,000 members, has no direct action on the international level that grant, withhold or withdraw " recognition ". But it is the scrupulous care to respect and uphold the principles it was the first to codify, gives his decisions in this area a special weight and prestige.

Other denominations regular

The rule sets in principle to a single country or state allegiance by the number of denominations which belong to the main results in the existence in some countries persuasions who, while respecting the same landmarks that the allegiances of the main group are not recognized by him.
The case of African-American denominations (so-called Prince Hall) is exemplary in this respect. They obviously could not be recognized by the main group at a time when the United States practiced racial segregation, and their gradual recognition since the early 1990s by the American Grand Lodges white (Caucasian say) is not without an issue under the rule of territorial exclusivity.
Other cases are often cited in France where several faiths who meet the same criteria as the regularity of main group persuasions (several of which are derived from divisions of obedience is recognized by the main group), but not can not be recognized by him in connection with the rule of territorial exclusivity, or because of other disputes with the obedience recognized by the main group.
There can likewise of all persuasions who practice the correctness criteria, but who do not wish to belong to the main group, for example because they refuse to recognize the denominations of the group that practiced racial segregation (United States) or nun (Scandinavia). In Europe, eleven of these persuasions recognize them in a group called the International Confederation of persuasions grand lodges united Europe.

Other traditional allegiances

There are also around the world a number of denominations that can be described as traditional but not regular. This is particularly the case for all those who meet all criteria for landmarks and regularity, with the exception of the old rule banning coeducation, which they regard as a form of segregation and believe it exceeded.

Liberal denominations

One class in general by the name of faiths "liberal" the obedience that does not consider themselves bound by the old rules or landmarks. This is particularly true of those who advocate an "absolute freedom of conscience."
Overall, these are not nationals persuasions to Glua or masonry that would require the belief in a higher being deprived of freedom of interpretation attached to it as a symbol, it should be noted that since 1989 Glua longer does the belief in one God revealed (similar to that referred to the Church).
A fairly large number of these persuasions recognize them within an international group called CLIPSAS persuasions.

Independent lodges, "savages," "independent" or "clandestine"

Finally, there is a bit all over the world who do not want boxes federate within an obedience and who jealously guard their independence. Some of them are old and traditional, others may be quite recent and have so little common practices that other denominations do not consider them more as Masonic, nor in the sense of "regular" of the term, or even in its "liberal".
However, it should distinguish a box called "wild" in that it is not recognized by any allegiance or power Masonic lodge an "independent" as recognized by at least one power or masonic obedience while not belonging not, strictly speaking. Often in a country, a future obedience implanted by first creating a box called "pioneer" owned if it is already international (Glua / DH), or a box called "independent" (and not wild) if obedience that supports it has a vocation "national", which does not prevent it from providing such assistance to a "project constitutes a contribution to Masonic Masonic landscape" of that country.
A box can also be isolated, unsupported and illegal, that choose to work in the most absolute discretion, for reasons such as security (countries where freedom of association is denied - dictatorship).