Path: typhoon.sonic.net!not-for-mail Newsgroups: alt.freemasonry,alt.politics,alt.conspiracy,alt.magick Subject: Masonry and Supreme Beings (was Aleister Crowley ...) References: <3C1E501D.5EE4@pacbell.net> <3C1E8F5B.67F8@pacbell.net> From: 333 Reply-To: nagasiva@yronwode.com User-Agent: nn/6.6.0 Lines: 79 Message-ID: Date: Wed, 19 Dec 2001 00:22:44 GMT NNTP-Posting-Host: 208.201.242.18 X-Complaints-To: abuse@sonic.net X-Trace: typhoon.sonic.net 1008721364 208.201.242.18 (Tue, 18 Dec 2001 16:22:44 PST) NNTP-Posting-Date: Tue, 18 Dec 2001 16:22:44 PST Xref: typhoon.sonic.net alt.freemasonry:201669 alt.politics:616204 alt.conspiracy:642172 alt.magick:280900 50011218 VI! om "D.G. Porter" : > I just grew out of any need for there to be a "Supreme" being. this proceeds from presumptions about the 'need' to believe in such. > As far as I can see, the things are the way they are because it's > inevitable, how would you know if it were otherwise? > and needing something sentient to "run" it all is, well, kind of > childlike. that is correct, it proceeds from a very old fallacy called "Argument By Design". most religious don't study their logic or philosophy well. > If there was a supreme being, he'd probably get awful tired of us > badgering him for things that we're fully capable of handling > ourselves. more peculiar reasoning here, however. you're allowing the possibly superstitious beliefs that: a) any such being can be communicated with; b) that prayers or some other common vehicle for such communications to such a being are efficacious; c) that such a being, receiving these communications, cares about them enough to be "badgered". > Too bad Masonry limits itself this way. AGREED! however, there are Masons who do not. don't be fooled by those with limited jurisdictions! > Yeah, but not having some supremo (in my case) is why. I did > investigate years ago (right after Dad died) but it just never clicked > as something that I'd be interested in. (I'd much rather hang out with > other musicians than any other group of people.) Never joined a frat in > college either. (It was enough to gather on "the patio" every morning > for coffee before classes and plot to change the face of Western Music!) yes, but Masons are a *secret society* in that they won't talk about their rituals in public too often, and their instructions attempt to connect with arts and sciences ancient and valuable to human living in society (look in your dictionary under 'mason' and you'll have a hint of the practical rather than merely speculative significance of the term). >> I can't - via a newsgroup - explain to you fully what Freemasonry is. For >> that, you'll need to meet real, live Masons and talk to them about it >> directly. I'm assuming that your father/my Brother is no longer with us? > > Yep, but he'd never talk about it either. you just have to meet the right ones to get them talking. > Again, he never spoke about it to us. Like it was illegal to do so or > something. secret societies can be like that. if you want to learn quite a bit about masonry I suggest that you join a popular email list on the subject, such as the Freemasonry List at masonic.org: send "ADD" and "SUBSCRIBE" in Subject to MXserver@masonic.org send posts once subscribed to freemasonry-list@masonic.org send admin inquiriers to owner-freemasonry-list@masonic.org data: loose and digest versions available; open to anyone: male/female, mason/non-mason; moderated loosely ("monitored") fyi, general masonry discussion is best taken to alt.magick.order or just left in alt.freemasonry. enjoy! 333