What should Masons do about anti-Masons?
Some Masons point to the Charge given to Entered Apprentices (“You shall not suffer your zeal for the Institution to lead you into argument with those who out of ignorance may disparage it”) and say that Masons should not respond in any way to the allegations of anti-Masons. Others say that that charge is given to Entered Apprentices, and a Master Mason is supposed to be in command of more knowledge about Masonry and therefore better able to respond to such individuals. (The Master Mason’s charge says he is “qualified to correct the errors of less-informed Brethren,” which certainly implies that the Master Mason is also qualified to correct those who are not Masons at all.) But should even a well-informed Master Mason answer anti-Masons? There is a saying about getting dirty after wrestling with pigs. However, the lessons of the civil rights era in America may be instructive: Bigotry was overcome as much by education as any other activity. The tireless efforts of the NAACP and ADL to p
