What Makes a Grand Lodge Regular?
Does your Grand Lodge meet these standards?
REGULARITY AND RECOGNITION
INTRODUCTION
1. The regularity and recognition of Grand Lodges are separate but allied subjects. Unless a Grand Lodge is regular, it cannot be recognised. Unless a Grand Lodge is recognised, its Brethren cannot (or should not) be met as Freemasons by Brethren of regular and recognised Grand Lodges.
BASIC PRINCIPLES
2. The "Basic Principles for Grand Lodge Recognition" were adopted by Grand Lodge in 1929. This was a codification, and not a statement of new principles. summarised the tests which the United Grand Lodge of England had applied and would apply in recognising regular Grand Lodges throughout the World. Eight principles are set out in 'the Book of Constitutions, and restated in Grand Lodge's leaflet "Freemasonry's External Relations" To be eligible for recognition, a Grand Lodge must
a. be regular in its origin (see paragraph 3 below)
b. be truly independent and self-governing (see paragraph 4 below)
c. adhere to 'landmarks' (a landmark is an essential characteristic of regular Freemasonry), viz:
(I) its Brethren must believe in a Supreme Being (the GAOTU);
(ii) Obligations must be taken on or in full view of the VSL;
(iii) it must display the three Great Lights of Freemasonry when it or its Lodges are open;
(iv) discussion of religion and politics in its Lodges must be prohibited, and
(v) its membership must be male, and it must have nothing to do with mixed or women's Lodges.
REGULARITY OF ORIGIN
3. The original Grand Lodges (England, Ireland and Scotland) were formed by private Lodges which had formed themselves Time immemorial Lodges, in English parlance. the 18th Century, three State Grand Lodges in the United States of America were formed by two Lodges, and one was formed by a Grand Convention of Masons Subsequent Grand Lodges follow the modern rule in paragraph 4.
4. A Grand Lodge must have been established by: a) a recognised Grand Lodge, or b) three (nowadays) or more regularly constituted private Lodges, formed in accordance within the rules and customs of a regular Grand Lodge.
5. A Grand Lodge must have undisputed authority over Craft (or basic) Freemasonry within its jurisdiction, and not be subject in any way to or share power with any other Masonic body.
6. This principle is expressed overseas as exclusive Territorial jurisdiction, but has recently been qualified as being "subject to exceptions" This qualification means the principle is not violated if Grand Lodges agree to share territory while remaining authority over Brethren under their jurisdiction (e.g., our recognition of four Grand Lodges in Colombia; the acceptance of the Grand Lodges of New Zealand and South Africa (etc.) of Lodges under the UGLE (etc.) in their territory, and the fact that Lodges under the Grand Lodge of the State of Washington work in the territory of the Grand Lodge of Alaska). Agreement by one Grand Lodge to share its territory with another does not imply license for other Grand Lodges to insert Lodges into the territory of the first Grand Lodge.
7. England's view, of jurisdiction over the Brethren in its constitution regardless of where their Lodges meet, has the merit of simplicity, and is compatible with the territorial view described above. In practice, England does not ignore territorial sovereignty when it considers recognition.
RECOGNITION
8. Recognition is a series of bi-lateral relationships between Grand Lodges. If a Grand Lodge seeks recognition from England, and in due course is recognised, the mutual recognition between it and England cannot bind a third Grand Lodge.
9. England's recent policy on recognition has been described as needing to be convinced that it should be granted, rather than noting an absence of reasons why it should not.