Dear Editor,

Having been a bona fide member of the Freemasons in The Bahamas for decades, and having been elevated to the sublime status of grand master, I am now more than persuaded that the vast majority of members of this ancient and honorable fraternity, certainly in The Bahamas, are joking and playing, literally, doll house.
We are supposed to be a part of a brotherhood which is seeped in antiquity and based on mutual respect, aid, comfort and elevation of the individual members. We are supposed to be all about advancing the common goals and causes of the individual, the brotherhood and, by extension, the nation.
No, contrary to the patently bogus and defamatory assertions, we do not worship, in any way, shape or form Baphomet or Satan as some would maliciously suggest. The genuine mason is a believer and a follower of 'The Great Architect of the Universe', whom we, who are "true", call God.
There is no deviation or chickcharney, God is, in fact, God, the creator and author of all that is and all that there will ever be.
In our nation many of the so-called movers and shakers seek to join up with either The Prince Hall or the so-called "Scottish" rites organizations for selfish and societal reasons. Mind you, there are very few if any differences between those organizations except for distinctions which I will not mention, at this time.
If 30 percent of the local masonic brothers were for "real" and "genuine" 85 percent of what's wrong in our nation would not, in fact, be a problem. Drive or walk past any lodge hall or temple on a meeting night and you'd see the spectacle of hundreds of motor vehicles parked around a building with windows ordinarily shuttered, and where ordinary people speculate as to what is going on within the confines.
What is the mystery all about and why are the brothers not doing what is commanded in the Bible? We are supposed to govern our lives by the square and compass, but are we to ignore and overlook the plight of our fellow brothers and sisters?
It is, I submit, a bunch of shaving cream and pretensions. I would go so far as to suggest that masonry in this country has now evolved into a form of elitism and bamboozle. As a former grand
master, I am not afraid of what any brother can do to me because I serve at the altar of the architect himself. Indeed, what are they able to do me, the son most favored by Yahweh in the extreme?
Masons see the societal and economic injustices which are being heaped upon the collective shoulders of the ordinary Bahamian day in and day out but what do most of us do? Are we expected to hide in some darkened room which we call, facetiously, a temple, and ignore the truth?
A large number of our politicians, business, religious and societal leaders called themselves "masons", but they are really joking. Their objectives are to get filthy rich or die trying.
This missive is in no way meant or intended to be an indictment on the craft but I am sick and tired of the overt nonsense. Our senior brother put it well when He was quoted as saying: "I came that I might bring life and bring it more abundantly...".
To the "genuine" masonic brotherhood, I now call upon you to exercise those attributes and traits which once made us respected, influential and progressive within our societies and communities.
To God then, in all things, be the glory.

- Ortland H. Bodie Jr.

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