IS IT EASIER IF WE FACED THREAT?

Before we became boring and docile, we faced constant threats.  History helps us remember the struggles brethren faced. So many yesterdays tell us about men who were maligned, prosecuted and murdered because they were freemasons.  It should come as little surprise, a group of men, meeting privately for reasons not revealed to authorities, were considered a menace. We had stepped on toes- church and state varieties that were capable of revenge. Today, we have given explanations to diffuse those tensions, which to a large extent has helped. But men with secrets are always a threat, aren't they? In some places masonry is still actively persecuted. Not so much in North America but religious zealotry never completely disappears. But it does emphasize the need for discretion. Occasionally a thoughtless comment comes back to affirm old suspicions. If most of us were interrogated, there is not much he would or could reveal. If challenged, would the average brother push another brother under the bus or protect his interests. If a man doesn't see a threat, does it exist? As we couldn't stop aggressive religious posturing, we simply stopped attending. When the perversions of fools surfaced, credibility vanished. Some were able to separate the faith from the performance. Others are still wrestling with it. And still others have decided on protection of the innocent.  So we do have purpose, we who embrace all faiths, to explain how to be a person of faith and a man of science. Why have so many of the great scientist been people of faith? It is hard to explain in a way that takes in all views on the subject.  Can we find meaning in a seculare world? Of course.