|
Whether you
believe that Freemasonry grew out of the order of The Knights Templar or
not, you cannot dispute the Templars influence on some of the degrees and
orders within the fraternity today. For most, Masonry consists of the
initial degrees of what is called the Blue Lodge. Those degrees are;
Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft and Master Mason. for those wishing to
advance their Masonic education, two paths are given. The Scottish rite
and the York rite. It is the latter, The York Rite which contains the
influence of the Historical Knights Templar.
York Rite Masonry
The York Rite consists of
three groups leading to the designation of "Knight Templar". Before
pursuing these steps, one must first be a Master Mason.
The first is what is called Royal Arch Masonry. As in the Blue Lodge,
potential Royal Arch Masons, must express a belief in one G-d and have a
respect for one another. The degrees of the Royal Arch Masons are Mark
Master, Past Master, Most Excellent Master and Royal Arch. The
organization was founded in the US in 1797 and today has approximately
7000 world wide chapters.
The next step towards the Masonic Knights Templar is the Cryptic Masons.
In this segment there are three groupings or degrees: The Royal Master
Degree, followed by The Select Master Degree and lastly The Super
Excellent Master Degree.
Last but not least is The Knights Templar. While it has been said that all
Knights Templar are Master Masons, not all Master Masons are Knights
Templar. This particular segment of Freemasonry is the only one that
requires a belief in Christianity. Therefore among its ranks you are
unlikely to find Moslem or Jew.
Demolay
Demolay is named
after the last Grand master of The Knights Templar, Jaques De Molay, who
was burned at the stake by King Philip IV as a heretic in 1314 CE. The
organization is geared to young men thirteen and older, often the sons of
Masons, but not always. It is set up with the idea of providing young men
leadership skills, while at the same time enjoying fellowship and having
fun. Like other branches of Freemasonry, there is no religious
affiliations required . Ones religious persuasions are their own and no
religious education is taught.
Conclusions?
Whether the
Templars evolved into the Freemasons or Freemasonry is paying Homage to
the ancient order through Demolay and York rite Masonry, there is no doubt
of the influential connection the fraternity has to the Monastic order of
the crusades. |
