Scottish Rite

From Free net encyclopedia

(Redirected from Scottish Rite Creed)

The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry is one of several different rites of the worldwide fraternity known as freemasonry. A rite is a series of progressive degrees that are conferred by various Masonic organizations or bodies that all operate under the control of one central authority. In the Scottish Rite, the central authority is called a Supreme Council. Other rites include the Swedish Rite, French Rite, Rectified Scottish Rite, etc.

The thirty-three degrees of the Scottish Rite are conferred by several different controlling bodies. The first of the these is the craft lodge which confers the Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft, and Master Mason degrees. These craft lodges operate under the authority of Grand Lodges, and outside the control of the Scottish Rite. Although most lodges throughout the English-speaking world do not confer Scottish Rite degrees, but use other versions of the degrees, there are a handful of lodges in New Orleans and in several other major cities that have traditionally conferred the Scottish Rite version of these degrees. All craft lodges operate under the control of a Grand Lodge for the country, province or state where they are located. Therefore, although they may confer the Scottish Rite version of these degrees, they are not controlled by the Scottish Rite.

The Scottish Rite, as it usually referred to, forms one of the more important appendant bodies of Freemasonry that a Master Mason may join for further exposure to the principles of Freemasonry. In England and some other countries, the Scottish Rite is not accorded official recognition by the Grand Lodge, however there is no prohibition against a Freemason electing to join it. In the United States, however, the Scottish Rite is officially recognized by Grand Lodges as an official extension of the degrees of Freemasonry.

In the United States the Scottish Rite is complemented by the York Rite, which encompasses some of the diverse range of appendant bodies available elsewhere. In reality, however, the York Rite is actually a collection of several rites, each being separately controlled by their own governing bodies.

The Scottish Rite builds upon the ethical teachings and philosophy offered in the craft lodge, or blue lodge, through dramatic presentation of the individual degrees.

Notable members of this order include Albert Pike, Buzz Aldrin, Gerald Ford, Harry S. Truman, Bob Dole, John Wayne, Michael Richards, Arnold Palmer, Henry Ford, and John Glenn.

Contents

[edit]

Organization

The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite in each country is governed by a Supreme Council. There is no international governing body, each Supreme Council in each country being sovereign unto itself.

In the United States of America there are two Supreme Councils headquartered in Washington, DC, and Lexington, Massachusetts. Individual states are referred to as "Orients," and local bodies are called "Valleys." Each Valley has four Scottish Rite bodies: the Lodge of Perfection controls the 4th through the 14th degrees, the Chapter of Rose Croix controls the 15th through the 18th degrees, the Council of Kadosh controls the 19th through the 30th degrees, and the Consistory controls the 31st and 32nd Degrees. The Supreme Council controls and confers the 33rd Degree of Inspector General.

In the United States the Lexington, Massachusetts based Northern Masonic Jurisdiction oversees fifteen orients in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Wisconsin and Vermont.

Orients in the other thirty-five states, districts and territories in the United States are overseen by the Southern Jurisdiction. Based in Washington, D.C., the Southern Jurisdiction is the "Mother Supreme Council of the World," being the first Supreme Council, and was founded in Charleston, South Carolina in 1801. The Northern Masonic Jurisdiction was formed in 1813.

In the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States, the Supreme Council consists of no more than 33 members. The Supreme Council is presided over by a Grand Commander. Other members of the Supreme Council are called "Sovereign Grand Inspectors General" (S.G.I.G.), and each is the head of the Rite in his respective Orient (or state). Other heads of the various Orients who are not members of the Supreme Council are called "Deputies of the Supreme Council."

In the Northern Jurisdiction the Supreme Council consists of no more than 66 members. All members of the Supreme Council are designated Sovereign Grand Inspectors General, but the head of the Rite in each Orient of the Northern Jurisdiction is called a "Deputy of the Supreme Council."

In England, whose Supreme Council was warranted by that of the Northern Jurisdiction of the U.S.A, the Rite is known colloquially as the "Rose Croix" or more formally as "The Ancient and Accepted Rite" (continental European jurisdictions retain the "Écossais"). The only local bodies are "Rose Croix Chapters"; many degrees are conferred in name only, and degrees beyond the 18° are conferred only by the Supreme Council itself.

[edit]

The Scottish Rite Degrees

Attainment of the third Masonic degree, that of a Master Mason, represents the attainment of the highest rank in all of Masonry. Any Master Mason stands as an equal before every other Master Mason, regardless of position, class, or other degrees. Additional degrees are sometimes referred to as appendant degrees, even where the degree numbering might imply a hierarchy. Appendant degrees represent a lateral movement in Masonic Education rather than an upward movement. These are not degrees of rank, but rather degrees of instruction.

In many countries, some Craft Lodges use Scottish Rite ritual in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd degrees.

In the United States, members of the Scottish Rite can be elected to receive the 33rd Degree by the Supreme Council, the governing body of the Rite. It is conferred on members who have made major contributions to society or to Masonry in general. Because of this, some have incorrectly called the 33rd Degree an "honorary" degree, and have even referred to its recipients as "honorary 33rd Degree Masons." This is incorrect. There is only one 33rd Degree in the Scottish Rite, and all recipients receive the same degree.

The titles of the degrees in the Southern Jurisdiction are as follows<ref>Hutchens, Rex R., 2001. "A Bridge to Light" (2nd ed.). Washington, DC: The Supreme Council 33° S.J.</ref>. Titles for some degrees are different in the Northern Jurisdiction. These titles are in parentheses where they occur<ref>"Progressive Steps in Masonry." Freemasonry and the Holy Bible, DeVore & Sons Inc., Heirloom Bible Publishers, Wichita, Kansas, 1991</ref>:

  • Blue Lodge or Craft Lodge
1° Entered Apprentice
2° Fellowcraft
3° Master Mason
  • Scottish Rite
4° Secret Master
5° Perfect Master
6° Intimate Secretary
7° Provost and Judge
8° Intendant of the Building
9° Elu of the Nine (Master Elect of the Nine)
10° Elu of the Fifteen (Master Elect of the Fifteen)
11° Elu of the Twelve (Sublime Master Elected)
12° Master Architect (Grand Master Architect)
13° The Royal Arch of Solomon (Master of the Ninth Arch)
14° Perfect Elu (Grand Elect Mason)
15° Knight of the East, or of the Sword
16° Prince of Jerusalem
17° Knight of the East and West
18° Knight of the Rose Croix (Knight of the Rose Croix of H.R.D.M.)
19° Grand Pontiff
20° Master of the Symbolic Lodge (Master ad Vitam)
21° Noachite or Prussian Knight (Patriarch Noachite)
22° Knight of the Royal Axe (also known as Prince of Libanus in both jurisdictions)
23° Chief of the Tabernacle
24° Prince of the Tabernacle
25° Knight of the Brazen Serpent
26° Prince of Mercy, or Scottish Trinitarian
27° Knight Commander of the Temple (Commander of the Temple)
28° Knight of the Sun, Prince Adept
29° Scottish Knight of St. Andrew
30° Knight Kadosh (Grand Elect Knight Kadosh)
31° Inspector Inquisitor (Grand Inspector Inquisitor Commander)
32° Sublime Prince of the Royal Secret<ref>"The Distinctive Regalia of the Scottish Rite" by Pete Normand, "The Scottish Rite Journal", October 2001, retrieved 9 April 2006</ref>
In the Southern Jurisdiction, a member who has been a 32nd Degree Scottish Rite Mason for 46 months or more, is eligible to be elected to receive the "rank and decoration" of Knight Commander of the Court of Honour (K.C.C.H.) in recognition of outstanding service. After 46 months as a K.C.C.H. he is then eligible to be elected to the 33rd Degree.<ref>"The Distinctive Regalia of the Scottish Rite" by Pete Normand, "The Scottish Rite Journal", October 2001, retrieved 9 April 2006</ref>
33° Inspector General (In the Southern Jurisdiction a recipient of the 33rd Degree is called an "Inspector General." Most recipients, as honorary members of the Supreme Council, are designated "Inspectors General Honorary." Active members of the Supreme Council are designated "Sovereign Grand Inspectors General.")
[edit]

Systems of Degrees

According to the various Scottish Rite jurisdictions in the world, all of which operate independently, the Scottish Rite degrees are worked at will by their governing bodies. For example the Southern Jurisdiction separates the degrees as follows:

  • 4° through 14° - Lodge of Perfection
  • 15° through 18° - Chapter of Rose Croix
  • 19° through 30° - Council of Kadosh
  • 31° through 32° - Consistory

This is slightly different in the Northern Jurisdiction:

  • 4° through 14° - Lodge of Perfection
  • 15° through 16° - Council, Prince of Jerusalem
  • 17° through 18° - Chapter of Rose Croix
  • 19° through 32° - Consistory

The Supreme Council is the governing body of the Scottish Rite in the various jurisdictions, and charters all subordinate bodies. Members of the Supreme Council are chosen from among those members who have obtained the 33rd degree.

A Scottish Rite Mason does not have to be, nor have ever been, an officer of any rank in any lodge to be honored with the 33rd degree.

In Scotland, candidates are perfected in the 18th degree, with the preceding degrees awarded in name only. A minimum of a two-year interval is required before continuing to the 30th degree, again with the intervening degrees awarded by name only. Elevation beyond that is by invitation only, and numbers are severely restricted.

Similarly in England, the candidate is perfected in the 18th degree with the preceding degrees awarded in name only. Continuing to the 30th degree is restricted to those who have served in the chair of the Chapter. Elevation beyond the 30th degree is as it is in Scotland.

[edit]

Description of Degrees

[edit]

14th Degree - Perfect Elu (Elect)

The lessons of this degree are that Perfect Elect Masons are to be free from prejudice, intolerance and envy. The duties of a 14 Degree Scottish Rite Mason are to protect the oppressed and relieve want and distress, and to serve the common good and do good works.<ref>Hutchens, Rex R., 2001. "A Bridge to Light" (2nd ed.). Washington, DC: The Supreme Council 33° S.J.</ref>

[edit]

18th Degree - Knight of the Rose Croix

The lessons taught in this degree are the lessons of faith, hope and charity. The duties of a Knight of Rose Croix are to practice virtue, to labor to eliminate vice, and to be tolerant of the faith and creed of others. The symbols of the degree are those of the rose and cross, and the "pelican in her piety," that is, a nesting pelican plucking flesh from her breast to feed her young.<ref>Hutchens, Rex R., 2001. "A Bridge to Light" (2nd ed.). Washington, DC: The Supreme Council 33° S.J.</ref>

The lessons taught in this degree are that man must have a new Temple in his heart where God is worshipped in spirit and in truthTemplate:Fact, and that he must have a new law of love with all men everywhere may understand and practice. The degree affirms the broad principals of universality and toleration.

The origins of the symbol of the Rose and Cross, or the Rosy Cross are obscure, and its use in other unrelated, non-Masonic contexts predates its use in Freemasonry. For example, the popularity of the symbol in Europe was advanced through the appearance of the so-called Rosicrucian Manifestos of the early 17th century. Most scholars agree that their author was the German theologian Johann Valentin Andreae. The Rose and Cross as a symbol had been employed during the celebrations attendant to the 1613 marriage of Frederick V, Elector Palatine, to Princess Elizabeth Stuart, daughter of King James I of England. The symbol also appears in the arms of the German Reformation leader Martin Luther (1483-1546).<ref>Yates, Frances A., 1972. "The Rosicrucian Enlightenment." London: Routledge and Kegan Paul Ltd.</ref>

Around 1530, more than eighty years before the publication of the first Rosicrucian Manifesto, documented evidence of the cross and the rose already existed in Portugal in the Convent of the Order of Christ, home of the Knights Templar, which later was renamed Order of Christ.

[edit]

29th Degree - Scottish Knight of St. Andrew

The duties of a Knight of St. Andrew are to serve the truth, to protect virtue and innocence, and to defend against tyranny. The degree incorporates elements of Scottish legend dealing with the survival of the Knights Templar. The lessons of the degree are symbolic and philosophical, not historical.<ref>Hutchens, Rex R., 2001. "A Bridge to Light" (2nd ed.). Washington, DC: The Supreme Council 33° S.J.</ref>

[edit]

HISTORY

[edit]

Early References to "Scots Master" Degree

There are records of lodges conferring the degree of "Scots Master" or "Scotch Master" as early as 1733. A lodge at Temple Bar in London is the earliest such lodge on record. Other lodges include a lodge at Bath in 1735, and the French lodge, St. George de l'Observance No. 49 at Covent Garden in 1736. The references to these few occasions indicate that these were special meetings held for the purpose of performing unusual ceremonies, probably by visiting Freemasons.<ref>Jackson, A.C.F. (1980). "Rose Croix: A History of the Ancient & Accepted Rite for England and Wales" (rev. ed. 1987). London: Lewis Masonic.</ref>

[edit]

Stuart Jacobite Influence

Many British expatriates, who were Scottish Jacobites and living in France during the early 1700's, took an active part in high degree Freemasonry there and saw in its symbolism some hope for their political aspirations of a return of the Stuart to the thrones of England and ScotlandTemplate:Fact. Because of its Stuart sympathies, it has been suggested that the Jesuit College of Clermont also had a hand in the development of the high degreesTemplate:Fact.

The seed of the myth of Stuart Jacobite influence on the high degrees may have been a careless and unsubstantiated remark made by John Noorthouk in the 1784 Book of Constitutions of the Premier Grand Lodge of London. It was stated, without support, that King Charles II (older brother and predecessor to James II) was made a Freemason in Holland during the years of his exile (1649-60). However, there were no lodges of Freemasons on the continent during those years. The statement was undoubtedly made to flatter the fraternity by claiming membership for a previous monarch. This folly was then embellished upon by John Robison (1739-1805), a professor of history at the University of Edinburgh, in an anti-Masonic work published in 1797. The lack of scholarship exhibited by him that work even caused the Encyclopedia Britannica to denounce it.<ref>Coil, Henry W. (1961) Article: "Stuart Masonry," pp. 634-637; and Article: "Robison, John," pp. 569-570. Coil's Masonic Encyclopedia (rev. ed. 1996). Richmond, Va: Macoy Publ. Co. Inc.</ref>

A German bookseller and Freemason, living in Paris, working under the assumed name of C. Lenning, embellished the story further in a manuscript titled "Encyclopedia of Freemasonry" probably written between 1822 and 1828 at Leipzig. This manuscript was later revised and published by another German Freemason named Friedrich Mossdorf (1757-1830).<ref>Coil, Henry W. (1961) Article: "Lenning, C." pp. 377-378; and Article: "Mossdorf, Friedrich," pg. 435. Coil's Masonic Encyclopedia (rev. ed. 1996). Richmond, Va: Macoy Publ. Co. Inc.</ref> Lenning stated that King James II of England, after his flight to France in 1688, resided at the Jesuit College of Clermont, where his followers fabricated certain degrees for the purpose of carrying out their political ends.<ref>Mackey, Albert G. (1909) Article: "Stuart Masonry" pp. 981-982. Encyclopedia of Freemasonry (rev. ed. 1946). Chicago, IL: Masonic History Co.</ref>

By the mid-19th century, the story had gained currency. The well-known English Masonic writer, Dr. George Oliver (1782-1867), in his "Historical Landmarks," 1846, carried the story forward and even claimed that King Charles II was active in his attendance at meetings -- an obvious invention, for if it had been true, it would not have escaped the notice of the historians of the time. The story was then repeated by the French writers Jean-Baptiste Ragon (1771-1862) and Emmanuel Rebold, in their Masonic histories. Rebold's claim that the high degrees were created and practiced in Lodge Canongate Kilwinning at Edinburgh are entirely false.<ref>Coil, Henry W. (1961) Article: "Stuart Masonry," pp. 634-637. Coil's Masonic Encyclopedia (rev. ed. 1996). Richmond, Va: Macoy Publ. Co. Inc.</ref>

James II died in 1701 at the Palace of St. Germain en Laye, and was succeeded in his claims to the British throne by his son, James Edward Stuart (1699-1766), the Chevalier St. George, better known as "the Old Pretender," but recognized as James III by the French King Louis XIV. He was succeeded in his claim by Charles Edward Stuart ("Bonnie Prince Charles"), also known as "the Young Pretender," whose ultimate defeat at the Battle of Culloden in 1746 effectively put an end to any serious hopes of the Stuarts regaining the British crowns.

The natural confusion between the names of the Jesuit College of Clermont, and the short-lived Chapter of Clermont which was a Masonic body that controlled a few high degrees during its brief existence, only served to add fuel to the myth of Stuart Jacobite influence in Freemasonry's high degrees. However, the College and the Chapter had nothing to do with each other. The Chapter was named "Clermont" in honor of the French Grand Master, the Duc de Clermont, and not because of any connection with the Jesuit College of Clermont.<ref>Coil, Henry W. (1961) Article: "Clermont, Chapter of," pg. 135. Coil's Masonic Encyclopedia (rev. ed. 1996). Richmond, Va: Macoy Publ. Co. Inc.</ref>

[edit]

Estienne Morin and his Rite of 25 Degrees

A French trader, by the name of Estienne Morin, had been involved in high degree Masonry in Bordeaux since 1744 and, in 1747, founded an "Ecossais" lodge (Scots Masters Lodge) in the city of Le Cap Francais, on the north coast of the French colony of Saint-Domingue (now Haiti). Over the next decade, high degree Freemasonry continued to spread to the Western hemisphere as the high degree lodge at Bordeaux warranted or recognized seven Ecossais lodges there. In Paris in the year 1761, a Patent was issued to Estienne Morin, dated 27 August, creating him "Grand Inspector for all parts of the New World." This Patent was signed by officials of the Grand Lodge at Paris and appears to have originally granted him power over the craft lodges only, and not over the high, or "Ecossais", degree lodges. Later copies of this Patent appear to have been embellished, probably by Morin, to improve his position over the high degree lodges in the West Indies. The authenticity of the enlarged powers named in later copies of Morin's Patent is further weakened by the Declaration of the Grand Lodge of the 3 Globes at Berlin (q.v.).<ref>Jackson, A.C.F. (1980). "Rose Croix: A History of the Ancient & Accepted Rite for England and Wales" (rev. ed. 1987) pp 31-45. London: Lewis Masonic.</ref>

Early writers long believed that a "Rite of Perfection" consisting of 25 degrees, the highest being the "Sublime Prince of the Royal Secret," and being the predecessor of the Scottish Rite, had been formed in Paris by a high degree council calling itself "The Council of Emperors of the East and West." The title "Rite of Perfection" first appeared in the Preface to the "Grand Constitutions of 1786," the authority for which is now known to be faulty. It is now generally accepted that this Rite of twenty-five degrees was compiled by Estienne Morin and is therefore more properly titled "The Rite of the Royal Secret," or "Morin's Rite."<ref>Jackson, A.C.F. (1980). "Rose Croix: A History of the Ancient & Accepted Rite for England and Wales" (rev. ed. 1987) pg. 37. London: Lewis Masonic.</ref>

Morin returned to the West Indies in 1762 or 1763, to Saint-Domingue, where, armed with his new Patent, he assumed powers to constitute lodges of all degrees, spreading the high degrees throughout the West Indies and North America. Morin stayed in Saint-Domingue until 1766 when he moved to Jamaica. At Kingston, Jamaica, in 1770, Morin created a "Grand Chapter" of his new Rite (the Grand Council of Jamaica). Morin died in 1771 and was buried in Kingston.<ref>Fox, William L. (1997). Lodge of the Double-Headed Eagle: Two centuries of Scottish Rite Freemasonry in America's Southern Jurisdiction, pg. 16. Univ. of Arkansas Press.</ref>

[edit]

Henry Andrew Francken and his Manuscripts

The one man who was most important in assisting Morin in spreading the degrees in the New World was a naturalized French subject of Dutch origin named Henry Andrew Francken. Morin appointed him Deputy Grand Inspector General as one of his first acts after returning to the West Indies. Francken worked closely with Morin and, in 1771, produced a manuscript book giving the rituals for the 15th through the 25th degrees. Francken produced at least two more similar manuscripts, one in 1783 and another about 1786. The second and third of these manuscripts included all the degrees from the 4th through the 25th.<ref>Jackson, A.C.F. (1980). "Rose Croix: A History of the Ancient & Accepted Rite for England and Wales" (rev. ed. 1987). London: Lewis Masonic.</ref>

A Loge de Parfaits d' Écosse was formed on 12 April 1764 at New Orleans, becoming the first high degree lodge on the North American continent. Its life, however, was short, as the 1763 Treaty of Paris ceded New Orleans to Spain, and the Catholic Spanish crown had been historically hostile to Freemasonry. Documented Masonic activity ceased for a time and did not return to New Orleans until the 1790s.<ref>Fox, William L. (1997). "Lodge of the Double-Headed Eagle: Two centuries of Scottish Rite Freemasonry in America's Southern Jurisdiction," pg. 16. Univ. of Arkansas Press.</ref>

Francken travelled to New York in 1767 where he granted a Patent, dated 26 December 1767, for the formation of a Lodge of Perfection at Albany. This marked the first time the Degrees of Perfection (the 4th through the 14th) were conferred in one of the thirteen British colonies. This Patent, and the early minutes of the Lodge, are still extant and are in the archives of Supreme Council, Northern Jurisdiction.<ref>Fox, William L. (1997). "Lodge of the Double-Headed Eagle: Two centuries of Scottish Rite Freemasonry in America's Southern Jurisdiction," pg. 16. Univ. of Arkansas Press.</ref>

While in New York, Francken also communicated the degrees to Moses Michael Hays, a Jewish businessman, and appointed him a Deputy Inspector General. In 1781, Hays made eight Deputy Inspectors General, four of whom were later important in the establishment of Scottish Rite Freemasonry in South Carolina: Isaac Da Costa Sr., D.I.G. for South Carolina; Abraham Forst, D.I.G. for Virginia; Joseph M. Myers, D.I.G. for Maryland; and Barend M. Spitzer, D.I.G. for Georgia. Da Costa returned to Charleston, S.C., and established the "Sublime Grand Lodge of Perfection" in February 1783. After Da Costa's death in November 1783, Hays appointed Myers as Da Costa's successor. Joined by Forst and Spitzer, Myers created additional high degree bodies in Charleston and, by 1801, the Charleston bodies were the only extant bodies of the Rite in North America.<ref>Fox, William L. (1997). "Lodge of the Double-Headed Eagle: Two centuries of Scottish Rite Freemasonry in America's Southern Jurisdiction," pg. 16-17. Univ. of Arkansas Press.</ref>

[edit]

Birth of the Scottish Rite

Although most of the thirty-three degrees of the Scottish Rite existed in parts of previous degree systems, the Scottish Rite did not come into being until the formation of the Mother Supreme Council at Charleston, South Carolina, in May 1801.

Isaac De Costa, one of the deputies commissioned to establish the Rite in other countries, formed Scottish Rite bodies in South Carolina in 1783, which eventually became, in 1801, The Supreme Council of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, Southern Jurisdiction. All extant Scottish Rite bodies derive their heritage from this body, directly or indirectly.

In 1813 the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, Northern Jurisdiction of the United States, was formed.

[edit]

Albert Pike

Born in Boston, Massachusetts, 29 December 1809, Albert Pike is asserted within the Southern Jurisdiction as the man most responsible for the growth and success of the Scottish Rite from an obscure Masonic Rite in the mid-1800's, to the international fraternity that it became. Pike received the 4th through the 32nd Degrees from the American Masonic historian, Dr. Albert G. Mackey, in Charleston, S.C., in March 1853, and, in that same year, Pike was appointed Deputy Inspector for Arkansas.

At this point, the degrees were in only a rudimentary form, and often only included a brief history and legend of each degree as well as other brief details which usually lacked a workable ritual for their conferral. In 1855, the Supreme Council appointed a committee to prepare and compile rituals for the 4th through the 32nd Degrees. That committee was composed of Albert G. Mackey, John H. Honour, W. S. Rockwell, C. Samory, and Albert Pike. Of these five committee members, Pike did all the work of the committee.

In March 1858, Pike was elected a member of the Supreme Council for the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States, and in January 1859 he became its Grand Commander. The War between the states interrupted his work on the Scottish Rite rituals. After the War, he moved to Washington, DC, and in 1868 his revision, and de-christianisation, of the rituals was complete. Pike also wrote lectures for all the degrees which were published in 1871 under the title "Morals & Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite".<ref>Coil, Henry W. (1961). Article: "Pike, Albert" pp. 472-475. "Coil's Masonic Encyclopedia" (rev. ed. 1995) Richmond, Va: Macoy Publ. Co. Inc.</ref>

[edit]

Controversy surrounding the Scottish Rite

In 1856 Albert Pike revised and re-issued the rituals in use in the Southern Jurisdiction, also illustrating his interpretations of his revised rituals in Morals and Dogma. These rituals and the interpretation in Morals and Dogma provide much of the source for criticism of Freemasonry as a whole, despite the factual inaccuracies. Pikes' revision of the ritual is not now in use in the Southern JurisdictionTemplate:Fact and the level of use that it had throughout the Scottish Rite globally is unkown.

[edit]

THE SCOTTISH RITE CREED

The Scottish Rite Creed of Freemasonry as stated by the Supreme Council, 33°, S.J. USA, is as follows:

Human progress is our cause, liberty of thought our supreme wish, freedom of conscience our mission, and the guarantee of equal rights to all people everywhere our ultimate goal.<ref> Homepage of the AASR Supreme Council, 33°, S.J. USA accessed 27 March 2006</ref>

[edit]

See also

[edit]

External links

[edit]

Hospitals

[edit]

Notes

<references/>tr:İskoç Riti fi:Skottilainen riitti

Retrieved from "http://www.netipedia.com/index.php/Scottish_Rite"