Dear Editor,
”
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of
religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging
the freedom of speech
…
”
Former Officer ‘Confesses’ to Prayer On County Time, and Answers a Letter
Dear Editor,
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech …” So reads the opening lines of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution the last time I looked at it.
To date, so far as I know, neither has Congress or the Gilroy City Council passed a law prohibiting a group of men from diverse ethnic, religious, social and professional backgrounds from assembling in ancient tradition and commending to posterity the successful use and enjoyment of a great and grand public building that should serve for generations and, in the process, praying aloud to God for the wisdom and fortitude necessary to do His will.
If such had been the case, then we would have had to bar the Gilroy Police Department from participating in the ceremony, for their chaplain, Rev. Malcolm McPhail also offered a prayer. But perhaps we can just disqualify the Masons on the grounds that their chaplain rendered two prayers to Rev. McPhail’s one.
I’m convinced that many of today’s police officers pray occasionally on city time but that doesn’t make them a religion. I also want to confess with certainty born of experience that I, for one, when a Deputy Sheriff and later County Sheriff prayed frequently on county time. My prayers were not just to a Presbyterian God (the congregation of which I am an active member), but to the God of the universe. Neither do I expect Santa Clara County to come to me and demand reimbursement for the time I spent in prayer prior to some demanding or life-threatening episode in my professional life.
If Mr. Fennel chooses to regard Masonry as a religion, nothing I can say will likely change his mind. People whose minds are closed to reason seldom consider arguments counter to their convictions, no matter how shaky. I find in Masonry an opportunity to enjoy friendships with men who while they assiduously avoid doctrinaire discussions; they do not hesitate among themselves to express their recognition of and allegiance to God in a relaxed and non-judgmental setting. The rule above noted was established long ago to guarantee that only the best, most upstanding members of society are considered for membership in our various lodges, not as a means to salvation. We leave that task to the member’s own church and his individual involvement therein.
But … keep up the fight, Mr. Fennel. It is not only your constitutional right to speak out but gives hacks like me a chance to try to correct some of the misimpressions you’ve voiced. Masonry has withstood such onslaught from critics and detractors for centuries and will still be laying cornerstones when you and I are safely ensconced in “… that spiritual building, that house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” Amen!
Bob Winter, Gilroy
The Golden Quill is awarded occasionally for a well-written letter.
