C. Fred Kleinknecht, 33°
Sovereign Grand Commander

In the war on terrorism, Masonry provides the values we need.

September is a transitional month. Summer is not quite over, and fall has not quite taken hold. It is a month for reflection on the past and the future. As a Mason, this reflection brings me to think about our Fraternity. Do the lyrics of the famous melody "September Song" echo the state of Masonry today? Are Freemasonry's days "dwindling down to a precious few"? Is our future gray with age and irrelevancy? Has our day passed, and is our task now to decline with as much dignity as we can salvage?

I don't think so, whatever the doomsayers intone, for this month marks the anniversary of the day everything changed. On September 11, 2001, hijacked airliners turned beautiful buildings, lives, and dreams into smoking rubble. But out of that rubble came defiance, not defeatism. Within minutes, a new spirit began in America and in Freemasonry. There was an instant reaffirmation of traditional values. Ideals which had been set on the shelf were dusted off and polished. Suddenly patriotism was important again. So was family, and men and women decided that time spent with their children was more precious than time spent climbing the corporate ladder. Expressions of faith blossomed like the flowers planted in memorial gardens dedicated to the victims of 9-11. "God Bless America" became more than a song or a slogan. It became a prayer.

As Americans, we value toleration of every religious point of view, but we now know that a virulent splinter group within Islam wants all "unbelievers" dead-every man, woman and child. And these extremists are willing to kill themselves in order to kill us. We value our country, but many are apprehensive that in our rush to defend ourselves, we may trample on the American tradition of individual rights which is our greatest national heritage. We value the due process of law, but we are faced with terrorists for whom law means nothing.

Where is the voice which can clarify this conflict and provide a clarion call to arms? Where are the values taught that can rise to the challenge of terrorism today? I believe that voice is Freemasonry. I believe the values we need in the war on terrorism are Masonic. I believe that Masonry has the vision, the moral clarity, the intellectual integrity, and the human values needed by every person in our world today. Now, more than ever, I would encourage each Scottish Rite Mason to talk with his non-Mason friends, tell them about Masonry, and inform them about how to join the Blue Lodge and the Scottish Rite. Masonry has the moral compass, the values and lessons, to guide us through these days of crisis.

Masonry gray, irrelevant, and in decline? Not if we choose to tell our story, not if we choose to share with our friends. Masonry's message appeals to young and old alike. We are here, and we can help our nation face the future with confidence and strength. This month's calendar may say fall, but for Freemasonry and the Scottish Rite it is spring.