Carnarvon Lodge No 2376 invited Shaun Butler, UGLE Director of Membership and Communications to give his talk on ‘Communicating Freemasonry: a history of misconceptions’. Shaun’s talk offers a historical overview of communications and Freemasonry to explore the roots of the many misconceptions that exist. Beginning in 16th century Lisbon and extending to the present day, the UGLE Director of Membership and Communications, who is also the official spokesperson, discusses the lessons we can learn from our past and how UGLE plans to approach its future.
The meeting was organized by Neil Ward, the Provincial Grand Membership Officer, and was scheduled to start at 6:30pm at Preston Masonic Hall. However, sometimes circumstances conspire against you, and that was the case on Monday evening in Preston.
Everything began smoothly until an articulated lorry decided to do a flip on the M6 motorway north, just after the Preston junction. This incident forced every man and his dog to find alternative routes. While some determined individuals managed to push through the challenges to reach the meeting, others were unable to make it.
On arriving, Shaun, who had travelled from London, struck a lonely figure as he stood on the steps of a locked Masonic hall, thinking to himself that coming up north seemed like a good idea at the time. Shaun had arrived first and must have thought everyone had forgotten about him, but his little face lit up when the first of the hardy souls arrived.
Shaun’s visit had not gotten off to the best start, but as the brethren began to arrive, the hall quickly filled with West Lancashire Freemasons eager to hear his talk. Time was not wasted; the brethren moved into the temple, opened the lodge and conducted the necessary business. Shaun was introduced to the members of Carnarvon Lodge and the visiting brethren. Due to the earlier delays, it was decided that Shaun’s talk would take place during the festive board.
The brethren left the temple and gathered at the bar to enjoy a well-deserved drink after their heroic efforts to reach the hall for Shaun’s talk. Once everyone was seated, WM Adam Dennett welcomed everyone and expressed his gratitude for their attendance. Adam was pleased to introduce Shaun to the assembled brethren and invited him to begin his talk, titled ‘Communicating Freemasonry, a history of misconceptions’.
When Shaun stepped to the front to deliver his talk, he was met with rousing applause from all the brethren who were just pleased to have made it through the chaotic traffic in one piece. Shaun discussed the theories that Jack the Ripper was a Freemason, or had he had Masonic connections that helped him evade capture. 1,000s of Freemasons were persecuted by the Nazi regime, with many imprisoned in concentration camps and classified as political prisoners.
Tragically, 1,000s lost their lives due to this persecution. The Nazis rejected Freemasonry and banned it in January 1934, partly because it was associated with Jews. The secrecy surrounding Masonic rituals has always made the organization vulnerable to conspiracy theories. The Nazis believed that Freemasons were part of a conspiracy working against the interests of German nationalism. Criticism of Freemasons was a common theme in Nazi propaganda, often framed within an antisemitic discourse that portrayed them as a threat from ‘World Jewry’.
The Taxil hoax was an 1890s hoax of exposure by Léo Taxil, intended to mock not only Freemasonry but also the Catholic Church’s opposition to it. Taxil, the author of an anti-papal tract, pretended to convert to Catholicism (circa 1884) and wrote several volumes, purportedly in the service to his new faith. These included the adventures of one Dr. Bataille, a surgeon serving in the French merchant navy who has infiltrated the Freemasons and observes their evil rituals as they occur all over the world. Buddhists, Hindus and Spiritualists join with Freemasons in conspiring against the Catholic church, and Bataille uncovers an even more secret order within the Masons called the Palladists, who take their orders directly from demons.
As Dr. Bataille’s tale unfolds, he introduces Diana Vaughan, a former high priestess of Palladism who has converted to Catholicism and is in grave danger of assassination from vengeful Freemasons. In 1897, Léo Taxil called a press conference at which he promised to produce Diana Vaughan. Instead, he announced that his revelations about the Freemasons were made up and thanked the Catholic clergy for helping to publicize his stories, Léo Taxil made a fortune thanks to the catholic church.
Shaun ended his talk by referencing the story in the Guardian newspaper which sparked the response from the United Grand Lodge of England: “Enough is Enough.”
Shaun held a Q&A session that sparked a lively debate among the brethren. The festive board that followed was excellent, featuring delicious food, fine wine, and engaging discussions that were truly unmatched. A raffle was also held to raise much-needed funds for both Masonic and non-Masonic charities.
The evening concluded late, and some of the brethren faced long journeys home. However, everyone agreed it had been well worth it. A big thank you goes to Shaun for his fascinating and eye-opening talk, as well as to Neil Ward, the Provincial Grand Membership Officer, who made the entire event possible.