Theos-Talk Archives (June 1996 Message tl00825)

Chuck:

[writing to Doss]

>The idea of all members-at-large was something the founders never saw, but
>there was no way they could in that time.  With our means of communication,
>lodges are an interesting anachronism, a leftover from the days of horses and
>buggies.

Are you sure? Groups of people that get together to explore the spiritual
and to offer each other mutual support -- that's something as old as
humanity. It's nothing new nor do I forsee it losing its usefulness in
the coming ages.

Also useful are classes, organized groups for purpose of study. Classes
with instructors that are knowledgeable in the subject are more useful
than those with equally-uninformed beginning students, but even there
we can gain something from *knowing each other in person*.

Things like theos-l and new forms of transferring information are helpful
additions to our toolset, but compliment, not replace group activities.

Where I see lodges as getting run down is in their low energy level, their
drooping enthusiasm, their loss of power to make a dramatic change in the
lives of their members. They may, too often, have turned into book-study
clubs. This is fine as far as it goes, but it's only the first of many
steps along the way.

Part of this decay in lodges may be in a loss of a sense of wonder, a
fading sense of mystery, a sense of majesty and