MASONIC
INFORMATION CENTER
- 1999 ACTIVITIES
That support for the Masonic
Information Center continues to grow is clearly evident by an ever-increasing
number of Freemasons who send information to us. This information may consist of
articles seen in newspapers or magazines, or an inquiry about statements made on
a television or radio show, or calling attention to something that has been seen
on a website. We want to extend our thanks to all who support us in this way.
We are also receiving many
inquiries and questions about the fraternity. These often result in our being
interviewed by newspapers and, occasionally, by radio or TV shows.
Anti-Masonic material continues to
be distributed, however, there seems to have been a lessening of attacks during
1999. Many of the Anti-Masonic TV shows that had been concentrating on
Freemasonry now seem to be going in other directions and finding new enemies to
focus on.
Booklets/Brochures
The Masonic Information Center has
produced three booklets and three brochures. They are listed as follows,
together with the numbers of copies that have been distributed through the end
of 1999.
What's A Mason? 550,000
Get A Life 100,000
There Is No Sin In Symbols 163,000
Facts About Freemasonry 335,000
A Response To Critics Of
Freemasonry 190,000
Who are the Masons? (New in 1999)
300,000
Total 1,638,000
It is truly exciting to realize
that over 1,638,000 copies of the brochures and booklets published by the
Masonic Information Center have been distributed, literally, around the world.
Who Are The Masons?, a new color brochure introduced in 1999, has
already reached the 300,000 figure in sales, and has been reprinted, with
permission , in several Masonic publications. This brochure is an attractive,
easy-to-read, introduction to Freemasonry.
Focus
The MIC's quarterly newsletter,
Focus, was published four times during 1999, and as previously mentioned, many
publications reprint material from this newsletter. Focus is also posted on the
Masonic Information Center website (shared with the Masonic Service Association)
at http://www.msana.com/
Statement on Freemasonry
and Religion
We again urge those Grand Lodges
who have not adopted this statement to do so, so that Freemasonry may have one
response to present to the public and to the media about Freemasonry's position
concerning Religion. The statement is printed, in its entirety, on the inside
back cover.
Media
Contacts
Binghamton New York To fill
out a story, MIC was requested to give general information on Freemasonry.
The thrust of the story was declining membership and why we thought this was
occurring and what was being done about it.
Danville Register This
Danville, Virginia newspaper called and wanted statistical information on
Freemasonry, and, again, the question was why there was a drop in membership.
London Free Press, London,
Ontario A reporter specializing in religious affairs feature articles
wanted information about Freemasonry and requested one of the media kits
provided by the Information Center.
Voice of America During
an interview with a representative of the Voice of America concerning
American presidents who were Freemasons, the Information Center was asked to
comment on why we thought these presidents became Freemasons and what the
influence of Freemasonry was on them. This was a five-minute segment aired on
President's Day 1999, both in English, and then translated into many languages
and broadcast around the world. As a follow-up to this interview, a
representative of the Voice of America attended the Masonic Information
Center's Steering Committee meeting in Washington, in March 1999, for a more
in-depth interview.
Summary of
Media Contacts
You will note that in a number of
instances, the interview was centered on the declining membership in
Freemasonry. It should be pointed out that the interviews were part of a larger
question; why there was declining membership in service organizations, volunteer
organizations, and fraternal organizations? It is not only Masonry that suffers
a membership decline. That is a point we should always keep in mind.
Anti-Masonry
Many inquiries were received
during the year wanting us to send information to ministers who had voiced
objections to the fraternity; in one case, a treasurer of a little league team
returned a donation from a local lodge because he objected to Freemasonry; an
elected official had received a very negative letter about Freemasonry from a
constituent; and numerous individuals who had encountered Anti-Masonry either
through the mail or by an individual expressing negative feelings about the
fraternity. Of course, all of these inquiries were responded to immediately.
Interestingly, we did hot have the
number of reports about negative comments concerning Freemasonry in movies and
TV shows as we have had in the past. Part of this may be due to the
televangelist's attention being drawn to other organizations or religious bodies
with whom they disagree.
Of Special
Note
George Washington's Burial
Reenactment. The Washington Post reported on Sunday, December 19,
1999 about the reenactment of the funeral service held for George Washington in
1799. A small mention was made of the Masonic participation in this event. But,
MIC later learned that C-SPAN videotaped the entire Reenactment Ceremony,
including the Masonic Funeral Service. The tape is available for purchase at a
cost of $19.95 plus $7.50 shipping and handling. Call CSPAN at 1-877-662-7726,
and ask for Tape #154157, "Reenactment of George Washington Funeral."
Albert Pike It was very
pleasant to see in the Washington Post Comic Section of Sunday,
December 12, 1999, a strip titled "Flashbacks" by Patrick Reynolds from his book
A Cartoon History of D.C. The information presented was very positive
about Albert Pike and Freemasonry.
New Hampshire Magazine
The Grand Lodge of New Hampshire requested permission to reprint the brochure
Who Are The Masons? in a two-page spread in New Hampshire Magazine.
The information will be noted as being presented by and paid for by the
Masons of New Hampshire. New Hampshire Magazine is extremely well-done
and very attractive, and we have had comments that the Grand Lodge is pleased
with the response they have received so far.
Presbyterians Today A
recent issue of Presbyterians Today, a publication of the Presbyterian
Church (USA), included an article which contained an inaccurate statement about
Freemasonry. When this inaccurate statement was called to the attention of the
Editors of Presbyterians Today, a letter of regret was sent to the
Masonic Information Center, together with a commitment to print a portion of the
material sent to them by the MIC.
The text of the letter sent to
Presbyterians Today follows:
In the July-August 1999 issue of
Presbyterians Today, there is an article called "Touched by Another."
On page I I titled "He was there for me," Marjorie D. Tyler says "Mother and
father were members of the Eastern Star, and Masons, and that was their faith."
The impression given by this
statement is that Freemasonry considers itself a religion, and on an equal with
any other religious faith. Nothing could be further from the truth. This
statement by Marjorie Tyler may leave many of your readers with a mistaken
impression of how the Masonic fraternity views its relationship with religion.
To that end, we would like to ask that you publish the enclosed statement titled
"Freemasonry and Religion." We feel your readers need to know this information.
The response
from Presbyterians Today said:
Thank you for writing about the
"Touched by Another" piece by Marjorie Tyler (July/August issue of
Presbyterians Today). A couple of our other readers have also written
objecting to the inference that Ms. Tyler's parents consider Masonry their
religion. She may not have intended this literally, but we regret that the
implication was there.
Although because of space
limitations we cannot print all of the "Freemasonry and Religion" statement you
enclosed, we are planning to include a portion of your letter and the statement
in the "Readers Write" department of the November issue (the October issue is
already being printed). We trust this will clarify the inaccurate implication.
The Whydah In April 1717,
a storm off Cape Cod destroyed the treasure-filled pirate galley the Whydah.
Artifacts have been recovered for many years. However, more recently, it is
believed the actual remains of the sunken ship have been found.
The May 1999 issue of National
Geographic tells the story of the Whydah and shows a photo of a
pewter plate recovered along with many other items. What appears to be a Masonic
Square and Compasses have been carved into the plate. The mystery-Where did it
come from? Remember, the ship sank in April 1717, and the first Grand Lodge was
formed in June 1717. Of course, we know Freemasonry began earlier than 1717, but
the intriguing questions about the plate are: Did it belong to a member of the
crew? Was it part of the booty stolen from another ship? We don't know. You are
invited to visit the website of the Whydah Museum in Provincetown, MA, at
www.whydah.com.
At the most recent meeting of the
Masonic Information Steering Committee in August 1999, we had a conference call
with Mr. Ken Kincor of the Expedition Whydah Museum. So much early
history of Freemasonry is unknown that we feel encouragement should be given to
those in the public sector doing research, especially research involving
Freemasonry.
Mr. Kincor has written an article
about this subject which is currently under review by several members of the MIC
Steering Committee.
Website
We invite you to visit us at
http://www.msana.com. We are constantly adding information to the site and are
really encouraged by the number of people who visit us. If you have not done so,
please check our website and give us your comments.
Summary
The report of the MIC Activities
is simply meant to be representative of the kind of activities that we have
experienced during the year. The points of contact we have with Masons are from
personal discussions, phone, fax,,regular mail, and e-mail. It is also
interesting to note that we are having visits to our website from all around the
world and in particular, are hearing from people in Europe and Australia.
The Masonic Information Center
would like to thank the Grand Lodges and those individual Masons who support us
financially and by using our products. Thanks also to the many, many Shrine
Temples, Scottish Rite Valleys, and York Rite Bodies who are using our
materials, particularly at public functions.
We also thank those who have
enough interest to contact us for more information about the fraternity. Please
note that the Masonic Information Center is committed to providing accurate and
factual information about Freemasonry to the media, to the general public, to
members of the clergy, and to members of the Masonic Fraternity and their
families.
This is our pledge to you.
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