As a historian, I am constantly reminded of the term “Postmodernism,” which can be defined as “a late-20th-century movement in the arts, architecture, and criticism that was a departure from modernism. Postmodernism includes skeptical interpretations of culture, literature, art, philosophy, history, economics, architecture, fiction, and literary criticism.” Better yet, “it can be described as a set of critical, strategic and rhetorical practices employing concepts such as difference, repetition, the trace, the simulacrum, and hyperreality to destabilize other concepts such as presence, identity, historical progress, epistemic certainty, and the univocity of meaning.” Did you catch that? In short, Postmodernism “can be described as a set of critical, strategic and rhetorical practices… to destabilize concepts such as presence, identity, historical progress.” This destructive thought process is all part of an academic effort to destroy “Traditionalism,” which can be defined as, “Adherence to tradition, especially in cultural or religious practice,” or “A system holding that all knowledge is derived from original divine revelation and is transmitted by tradition,” like that of Freemasonry; but more on that a little later.
The term Postmodernism has been around for well over a hundred years, but it was mostly used in the arts during this period; however, little by little it worked its way into literature. Nevertheless, starting in the 1960s, Postmodern thinking became the new prize of academia. Did you ever wonder why our public schools have gone through so many changes in the past five decades? Well, it is all a part of this Postmodern movement. As well, ever wonder why we are programmed to think new is better. Again, Postmodern programming by our teachers and leaders, who were also trained to think new is better. Brother Cameron MacKay perhaps said it best when he wrote,
At the very roots of this post-industrial society – as part of its base genetic make up – is an urge for development – a need for progress – a need for growth. To generate this growth change becomes the critical essential characteristic of postmodernism. Every year the design of an automobile is changed,. Every year the fashion in cloths is redefined. Perfectly good buildings are imploded so that new buildings can be put in their stead. Economic models are constantly being revisited and revised. The economic chain from manufacturer to wholesaler to distributor to retailer is completely dismantled and replaced by amorphous constantly shifting relationships in which, at times, the manufacturer competes directly with his own retailer for the same customer. Everyone’s trade or profession becomes relegated to the status of a product for sale. Hence teachers are somehow to be rated not on their ability to teach , inspire, or motivate children but on how many BA’s they can generate. Lawyers are no longer measured on the wisdom of their legal advice but are measured and evaluated on the number of dollars they generate.
All we have to do is again look at the above definition for “Traditionalism” to see why old is bad and new is good. In short, Traditionalism is the adherence to tradition, which is derived from Divinity. Little by little, this Postmodern thinking has further separated us from seeking Divinity. It should also be mentioned that the word Divinity can be defined as “spirituality” or “mysticism.”
I am not alone in my criticism of Postmodernism! Many academics have asserted that Postmodernism is “meaningless and promotes obscurantism.” Obscurantism means “the practice of deliberately preventing the facts or the full details of some matter from becoming known.” Sound familiar? It should; this is what happened to Albert Pike. Seriously, I am told repeatedly from other Freemasons, why were we not told the truth about Pike; and why does the Craft continue to lie or bury the truth about this Masonic legend? Honestly though, it really is no one person’s fault. No, rather it is a part of this cultural phenomenon known as Postmodernism.
Case in point, Noam Chomsky contended that postmodernism was meaningless because it added nothing to “analytical or empirical knowledge.” Furthermore, William Lane Craig stated that “The idea that we live in a postmodern culture is a myth. In fact, a postmodern culture is an impossibility; it would be utterly unliveable. People are not relativistic when it comes to matters of science, engineering, and technology; rather, they are relativistic and pluralistic in matters of religion and ethics. But, of course, that’s not postmodernism; that’s modernism!” As well, several academic critiques of postmodernism have found that many Postmodern works are nothing more than “Fashionable Nonsense.” Sadly, Postmodernism believes that there are no truths; i.e. nobody is wrong and everybody is right.
Moreover, as a Freemason, I have witnessed this activity play itself out. As I wrote in my book, Masonry and the Three Little Pigs (2015), the wolf uses the benevolence of the Craft to destroy the character of other men. I should have, however, added that the wolf uses the benevolence, under the banner of Postmodernism, to destroy long standing traditions for his own benefit. You see, Postmodern idealism is used within the Craft to destroy long standing traditions of moral development. Our foundations are based on long standing religious principles of moral behavior, something Postmodernism is attempting to destroy. I might also add that we use religious principles from all of the great religions of the world, many of which no longer exist.
As many readers of my blogs already know, I am a student of Albert Pike’s great work, Morals and Dogma (1871). With that said, I have found that there is a disconnect between most Freemasons and Pike’s book. As I wrote on my Facebook page recently, “When the Craft turned its back on Pike, membership turned down significantly. It all started in the mid 1960’s and has steadily decreased ever since. Just check out these numbers, from a high of over 4 million to almost 1 million today.” I supported this statement with this research from Masonic Service Association of North America; here is a graph demonstrating these declining numbers:
1924 3,077,161 1955 4,009,925 1986 2,839,962
1925 3,157,566 1956 4,053,323 1987 2,763,828
1926 3,218,375 1957 4,085,676 1988 2,682,537
1927 3,267,241 1958 4,099,928 1989 2,608,935
1928 3,295,872 1959 4,103,161 1990 2,531,643
1929 3,295,125 1960 4,099,219 1991 2,452,676
1930 3,279,778 1961 4,086,499 1992 2,371,863
1931 3,216,307 1962 4,063,563 1993 2,293,949
1932 3,069,645 1963 4,034,020 1994 2,225,611
1933 2,901,758 1964 4,005,605 1995 2,153,316
1934 2,760,451 1965 3,987,690 1996 2,089,578
1935 2,659,218 1966 3,948,193 1997 2,021,909
1936 2,591,309 1967 3,910,509 1998 1,967,208
1937 2,549,772 1968 3,868,854 1999 1,902,588
1938 2,514,595 1969 3,817,846 2000 1,841,169
1939 2,482,291 1970 3,763,213 2001 1,774,200
1940 2,457,263 1971 3,718,718 2002 1,727,505
1941 2,451,301 1972 3,661,507 2003 1,671,255
1942 2,478,892 1973 3,611,448 2004 1,617,032
1943 2,561,844 1974 3,561,767 2005 1,569,812
1944 2,719,607 1975 3,512,628 2006 1,525,131
1945 2,896,343 1976 3,470,980 2007 1,483,449
1946 3,097,713 1977 3,418,844 2008 1,444,823
1947 3,281,371 1978 3,360,409 2009 1,404,059
1948 3,426,155 1979 3,304,334 2010 1,373,453
1949 3,545,757 1980 3,251,528 2011 1,336,503
1950 3,644,634 1981 3,188,175 2012 1,306,539
1951 3,726,744 1982 3,121,746 2013 1,246,241
1952 3,808,364 1983 3,060,242 2014 1,211,183
1953 3,893,530 1984 2,992,389
1954 3,964,118 1985 2,914,421
With the benefit of historical hindsight, we can see a parallel between the rise of Postmodernism, the decline of Modernism, and declining Masonic membership in the United States. In essence, without knowing it, collectively and subconsciousness, Freemasonry has succumbed to Postmodern thinking. Freemasonry is a collective organism, made up of millions of men (and women); this could not have happened unless our collective consciousness allowed it to happen. And the only way of overcome this problem is for our collective consciousness to will it, followed by collective action and the reestablishment of our ancient traditions. Nevertheless, this will never happen unless we are first willing to dismiss Postmodernism, an issue that has become a part of our popular culture. But the first step in addressing any problem is first admitting we have one.
Therefore, the next time you instinctively criticize a traditional institution, like perhaps a religion, etc. and so forth, don’t. For you see, when we do this, we are only demonstrating our preconditioned Postmodern programming. Believe it or not, Freemasonry needs traditional religions, because they are the breeding grounds for future Freemasons. As well, nothing can be gained by attacking anyone or any institution, traditional or not; it does nothing but taint your soul. Please, just remember one thing, new is not always better; especially when it comes to religion, faith and even Freemasonry. And like I wrote in my previous article, The Ancients Vs. The Moderns; An Unwinnable Civil War,
In conclusion, we need, more than ever, to return to our traditional roots and teachings. This path of Postmodernism is a destructive force that continues to divide the Craft, and will result in our own demise; that is unless we can stop our declining numbers.
So Mote It Be!
Hank Kraychir
A∴A∴ – Blue Lodge Master Mason – Scottish Rite Mason – York Rite Mason – Knight Mason – Allied Mason – York Rite College – Holy Royal Arch Knight Templar Priest – Red Cross of Constantine – Societas Rosicruciana in Civitatibus Foederatis.
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Justin Jones said:
I enjoyed your article, I’m glad I stumbled across it!
That being said, in an article that takes a stance against postmodernism and states the importance of tradition, I couldn’t help but notice the “(and women)” you inserted into it.
Are you talking about OES when you say that, or are you talking about clandestine Grand Lodges that accept women? If it’s the later, how do you reconcile the acceptance of women and the importance of tradition?
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Hank Kraychir said:
I know it’s popular to look at Masonry as a male only organization; but history is replete with women in the craft. In fact, one only needs to read Albert Mackey’s Encyclopedia to see that co-masonry existed in the 1700s, and co-existed with male only Masons during our contemporary growth. With that said, I enjoy our male only orders, but also understand that behind every good man is a great woman. Some are OES, but many are not. Yet, a man’s wife also plays a role in his participation, etc. That is all I meant by my comment.
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Dale Hinote said:
Bro. Kraychir,
Are you well read in Postmodernist literature and theory? What you describe as Postmodernism seems to come from second hand experience. I would be particularly way of Bro. McKay, whom you quote. He speaks of Orson Well’s (sic) novel 1984.
If you have not done so, please read Guy Debord’s The Society of the Spectacle and Thomas Pynchon’s The Crying of Lot 49.
I belong to a Lodge where politics are a staple topic at the supper before we meet. I am in favor of doing that, but most of the talk is to the right of my positions, which are Republican-Libertarian to begin with. I think the crust of conservatism and traditionalism is what scares most young people away from joining or staying. They investigate to find a lot of old men who love their Craft but will not adapt it in any way to modernity.
Masonry has survived because it has usually been out in front of human thought. Now it is well behind it and dying. Coincidence? I think not.
I am looking forward to continuing our dialogue.
F&S
Dale Hinote
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Hank Kraychir said:
QUESTION: What are the characteristics of Postmodernism?
ANSWER:
When listing the chracteristics of postmodernism, it is important to remember that postmodernists do not place their philosophy in a defined box or category. Their beliefs and practices are personal rather than being identifiable with a particular establishment or special interest group. The following principles appear elemental to postmodernists:
There is no absolute truth – Postmodernists believe that the notion of truth is a contrived illusion, misused by people and special interest groups to gain power over others.
Truth and error are synonymous – Facts, postmodernists claim, are too limiting to determine anything. Changing erratically, what is fact today can be false tomorrow.
Self-conceptualization and rationalization – Traditional logic and objectivity are spurned by postmodernists. Preferring to rely on opinions rather than embrace facts, postmodernist spurn the scientific method.
Traditional authority is false and corrupt – Postmodernists speak out against the constraints of religious morals and secular authority. They wage intellectual revolution to voice their concerns about traditional establishment.
Ownership – They claim that collective ownership would most fairly administrate goods and services.
Disillusionment with modernism – Postmodernists rue the unfulfilled promises of science, technology, government, and religion.
Morality is personal – Believing ethics to be relative, postmodernists subject morality to personal opinion. They define morality as each person’s private code of ethics without the need to follow traditional values and rules.
Globalization – Many postmodernists claim that national boundaries are a hindrance to human communication. Nationalism, they believe, causes wars. Therefore, postmodernists often propose internationalism and uniting separate countries.
http://www.allaboutphilosophy.org/characteristics-of-postmodernism-faq.htm
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Lee Duncan said:
“I think the crust of conservatism and traditionalism is what scares most young people away from joining or staying. They investigate to find a lot of old men who love their Craft but will not adapt it in any way to modernity.”
I would say that is fine. Masonry is about quality, not quantity. Masonry cannot “adapt to modernity” and still be Masonry, as modernity is fundamentally based on the profane worldview.
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fieldworkstudios said:
Remember also that postmodernism is just a fancy word for nihilism, that is what is at the core of it, and nihilism is the greatest danger that mankind has yet faced.
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Hank Kraychir said:
Well said! Thanks for your comment!
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kobusvanzyl said:
I enjoy your articles. I would like to site however that “collectivism”, “altruism” and the “great whole” are postmodernist thinking. There is no such thing as collective thinking, once your reach that status you become mindless. First we must protect the individual mind of man.
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