The true history of the freemasons is intertwined with mankinds never ending quest

for that holy grail we call equality.

To understand this amorphous organization, we would trace it back to its roots,

our traditions as recorded in scripture.

The link between Judaism and Freemasonry is no surprise to educated readers, but
it is actually the relationship between the Pharoah and his slaves, where we can
find the foundations of masonic lore. In the tale of the Pharoah and Moses, we
see the first true "peasant uprising" and from it the need to address the issue of
equality.

Traditionally, education was a privelege only granted to the warrior class, the
nobility. Thus a new branch of 'the knighthood' was created, for the education and
the advancement of workers.

The romans instituted a College Fabrorum, the 'College of Workers' which

flourished during the later days of the empire and whose members spread this love
of fraternity throughout Europe, and into the Middle Ages where it became the
"guild system" of organized skilled labor - precursor of the modern labor unions.

The success of this 'new knighthood' attracted members of older, traditional

society. Eventually a 'speculative masonry' of gentlemen replaced the 'operative
freemasons', who were by tradition laborers and architects. These new 'knights of
labor' bestowed on the freemasons the same honors and privileges of a 'new
aristocracy' and of course with it, that nemesis of the establishment: greed.

It may seem strange then, to focus on this legendary peculiarity of the masonic
craft - but greed is a monster that lives within the soul of freemasonry for a
good reason, it belongs there. Greed is a symptom of the political reality of
freemasonry.

Because it is the destiny of mankind's fraternal organizations to supplant the

role of the traditional aristocracy, it is no surprise that this 'new aristocracy'
would become a victim of its own success. Today's knight rides in a police cruiser
- and his capitalist kingdom is a throne of the 'masonic aristocracy'. This greed,
and conspicous consumptions of this 'new nobility' has been the wildfire of so
many wars, and revolutions. Violent revolution is the "death penalty" for "big
kids" and this "age of enlightenment" was sadly, written in blood.

Freemasonry was created by the older estates to alleviate symptoms of the struggle
between the haves and the have-nots, but today it has become a 'frankenstein
monster' of frightening proportions.

The earliest work of the freemasons can be seen in the varied architecture and
obelisks built thousands of years ago along the banks of the Nile. It is here, in
Egypt - that we see the intersection of the historical forces that shape our
modern world today. The slaves of Egypt were educated in the religion of Judaism,
which demanded of them devotion to the unseen god of Israel. The slaves were
indoctrinated into original sin, and learned that righteousness would be the only
path to their freedom, while sin would earn them greater punishments.

The labors of the slaves of Egypt were then harnessed into the building of a great
religious edifice, the pyramid.

The pyramids demonstrated to the slaves the lofty goal of salvation, in the form
of a physical monument - a testament, if you will, to the trials and labors of
man. The immense size of the pyramids became also a physical testament to the
almighty, allowing the slaves to more easily imagine a better world to come.

The harnessing of the Egyptian slaves into a code of morality, Judaism - and
directing the spiritual energies of this host towards the creation of immense
temples of stone is very much the foundation of the world we live in today. Our
connection to this ancient institution begins, of course, in the form of the
Templars, who paid masons handsomely to create vast cathedrals across the face of
Europe during the dawn of modern history.

Nearly three hundred years separates the arrival of European civilization in the
new world from the industrialization and urbanization of the Americas. Naturally,
scholars discount the contributions made by these early settlers - perhaps
forgetting that the US Constitution dates from this era. It is easy assume that
because many of these early settlers were slaves - that they left no lasting
impression upon our culture. If we allow ourselves to be blinded by our own
cultural biases, how easy it would be to forget that no cultural force in modern
history rivals that of Louis Armstrong.

It is important to note this era in masonic history, therefore, to better

understand the institution of freemasonry itself: a) that slaves were the
primary shareholders of the masonic institution and b)the cultural foundation of
this new civilization is a product of the labors of these early settlers.

History books rarely hint at the power that the slaves exercised over the
operation and maintenance of the colonial plantations. White landowners were a
minority, and lived or died (often enough) according the the good will they were
able to generate amongst this indentured class.

Therefore, in our masonic studies it is equally important to identify that the

foundation of our modern institution involves a form of freemasonry that dates
from ancient Egypt - and - that slaves, the "original masons" are the true
builders of American civilization.

In the decade of the 1970's, following the loss of the war in Vietnam, the
American culture experienced a great degree of vertigo. Conspiracies within the
government, rocketing oil prices and unemployment pointed to a failed political
establishment, but what was the failure?

Was it faulty equipment, or corruption that made victory impossible? Or was it

another kind of failure altogether?
The enemy we were fighting then was a popular "Robin Hood" named Ho Chi Minh.
Soldiers who fought for Ho Chi Minh believed that they were immortal - they
terrified American soldiers with their acts of bravery. The American people,
although trained from birth to honor the cause of the underdog - somehow failed to
notice that our enemy resembled, in every way, an asian 'George Washington' -
fighting for the cause of justice, sharing sacrifices with the soldiers on the
field of battle.

The failure of the American public to recognize this man, Ho Chi Minh as a sort of
modern day Robin Hood is the real tragedy of the Vietnamese war, a tragedy that
continues to this day. Currently, our military is enmired in a similiar political
swampland - the war against terror. Once again, the public failed to recognize in
Osama bin Laden a modern day underdog. Osama is seen throughout the region as a
hero who can stand up to the imperialist bullies. Like it or not, we are the
imperialist bullies, and Osama bin Laden is the underdog. A modern day 'David' to
our 'Goliath'.

What does this have to do with freemasonry?

Freemasonry is a "free association" and it relies on the strengths of its members
(not a centralized authority) to meet the challenges of today. Freemasonry will
fail, when the members are uneducated, or unaware of their traditional
obligations.

Scripture teaches us about this obligation - to defend and honor the underdog. If
the American freemasonry were unable to understand the righteous Ho Chi Minh, and
still unable to grasp the reality of Osama bin Laden - it points to a clear defect
in the religious education of this body.