"Not only this lodge,
but this trial is making Masonic history in the State of Idaho, but this is also
an insult to the principle of freedom of conscience (freedom of thought and
expression)."
Krispen Hartung, writing on his
Facebook page, preening over his 'case'.
15 Minutes of Fame
Today everyone in the world, it seems, craves attention. They crash parties given by heads of state, they lie, cheat and steal to finagle their way onto various 'reality' television programs, or they create bizarre YouTube videos which they hope will 'go viral' just so they can be the center of attention for a few precious seconds. Apparently thinking that this will somehow be meaningful in the great scheme of history, they do things which - in the REAL reality of life - are nothing more than... well... stupid! There's really no other way to say it.
It also sometimes occurs that a person will find an organization which is ripe for them to subvert and twist to bring attention to their own causes and concerns. Joining the oldest fraternal organization in the world which has a strong religious underpinning and then using it to highlight imagined abuses against your own lack of faith seems absurd - but such is life sometimes.
And therein lies the tale of Krispen Hartung of Boise, Idaho who - having found his Pied Piper on the internet - decided to form a quasi-lodge patterned on Freemasonry but created in a way HE felt was best. He trumpeted his glory of fighting his former Grand Lodge to whom he had made promises before God and man which he callously broke because HE knew best. He reveled in proclaiming his case for atheism. He dearly loved being the center of attention at the Masonic trial which expelled him.
Big whoop!
I did it MY way....
Perhaps you remember crooner Frank Sinatra singing this lovely ballad. If you're of a certain age, you sure do! There's always something great, particularly for those oh-so-independent Americans, about striking out on your own and achieving recognition for overcoming the odds. However, sometimes such activities are not only ill-conceived but also just 'plumb stupid'. Don Quixote can seem like a hero but he is, in the final analysis, a fool. Oh, and apparently Mr. Hartung wanted to stay in the Shriners 'because he liked the charitable work they did'. Heck: an organization that has a 300+ year existence SHOULD change because one person in Idaho decides that the core belief on which they've operated all that time is just not right for him. Why not?
More mumbo-jumbo:
Here, from the Praxis Lodge FAQ are a series of lies and obfuscations to 'justify' their existence.
| Is Modern
Free-Masonry considered "irregular" by Blue Lodge Masons? Has it always
been that way in the USA? Yes. Modern Free-Masonry is considered “irregular” by most all Blue lodges in the USA, meaning Modern Free-Masonry is not recognized as legitimate Masonry by Blue Grand Lodges. This was not always the case. Prior to 1869, Grand Lodges in the US recognized both the Grand Orient of France and Modern lodges in the U.S, and allowed visitations. However, in 1868, the Grand Orient of France recognized a lodge in Louisiana, which allowed members to join regardless of nationality, race, or color. That was the beginning of Blue lodges not recognizing Modern lodges (based on the GOdF’s philosophy against racism and slavery), but the split formally occurred in 1869 when the GOdF passed a resolution that neither color, race, nor religion should disqualify a man for initiation, and was further reinforced in 1877 when the GOdF declared its principle of “absolute freedom of conscience” and eliminated both belief in God as a membership requirement and use of the Bible in lodges.* However, over 25% of Blue lodges in the U.S. re-recognized Modern lodges after 1918 (likely not coincidental to the US desire to have French allies during WW I). Moreover, the concept of “regularity” is highly relative and deeply immersed in ever-changing political and social ideologies. *Prior to 1760,
even the Grand Lodge of England did not require the Bible in lodges This taken from the Praxis Lodge FAQ at https://web.archive.org/web/20130329121635/http://www.praxislodge.org/FAQ.html |
What a bunch of baloney! Their "Modern Free-Masonry" is considered "irregular" by ALL regular/recognized Masonic lodges in the US. Not one but ALL. Oh, and wait: it's considered "irregular" by ALL regular and recognized Masonic lodges in the WORLD!!! No need to just stop at the US border for this answer.
Prior to 1869, Grand Lodges in the US recognized the Grand Orient of France but there was not anything (as bizarre as) "Modern lodges in the U.S". This fantasy world was created by an expelled Mason in 2005 in spite.
The charges as to the de-recognition of the Grand Orient of France are utterly ridiculous and made up from thin air. The link Mr. Hartung has provided is to a website that was defunct over a year before he posted his FAQ (due to the political aspirations of its founder who then, strangely, was apparently too embarrassed to mention his pseudo-Masonic affiliations in his political race which was lost 70-30 to a REAL Freemason!).
The Ultimate Conclusion
After watching the short flame of intensity burn on the internet, it appears Mr. Hartung has found other things to do. He took his Praxis ball and bat, leaving GOOFUS in a huff, and announced his apparently one-person lodge would become an affiliate of the unrecognized and irregular George Washington Union. A couple of months further on, even his Facebook page has become ignored and is now utilized by internet gadfly Brad Cofield and his sock puppets to push THEIR own bogus quasi-Masonry leaving Mr. Hartung... where???. with this lack of further news, it's probably safe to conclude that this fantasy has passed. It's not surprising. Hopefully no one lost too much time or money in the process.
And as of spring 2014, the praxislodge.org domain site was for sale for just $12.99, having no worth whatsoever to domain brokers.
Created October 13, 2010, updated August 15, 2011 and again in June, 2014 with notice of the domain loss. This page is probably updated for the last time as we expect this sad situation won't even rate as highly as a footnote in an obscure history.
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