Scenic Loop Café and Why is Masonry Anti-Religious?

By James C. “Chris” Williams IV, Staff Writer

The truth is that I wasn’t feeling very well…..my head felt foggy, and I hadn’t had much sleep in the last two nights.  Pam and I had celebrated our son’s birthday and then attended the local college’s football game with friends on successive days, and the combination of dinners, refreshments, and late nights was screaming something in my ear that sounded like nah nah nah nah nahhhh nah. Yup, I was thinking and moving slowly.  So you can imagine my mood when I looked up from my work and saw a rather bizarre sight.  Pulling into the first space in front of the shop was a big black F350 which, considering this is an auto repair shop is, in and of itself, not unusual.  This truck however, had a huge Christmas wreath complete with ornaments and evergreen…which covered the front grill area.  It was also wrapped with Christmas lights that twinkled off and on about every 2 seconds.  There was what looked like antlers attached to the top of each front door and there were two eyes and a nose painted on the windshield to finish off the reindeer illusion.  If that wasn’t enough, there was a white square border painted on the driver’s side windshield like the ones you see on newlywed’s cars advertising their wedding.  This one had one word painted at the top leaving only a small hole that the driver could see out of.  That word was SANTA.  I have to say that the truck looked like it was embarrassed….. ….heck I was embarrassed having it sitting in front of my shop.  And if things couldn’t get any worse the driver’s door opened and Santa stepped out.  Actually it was crazy John Deacon with a white beard, pointed cap, and bright red coat with several sets of bells attached to it and black cowboy boots.  I just shook my head in disbelief as he walked into our lobby, bells-a-ringing.  “I don’t know how or why Mrs. Deacon let you out of the house looking like that,” I said cringing from the sound of those bells……… (remember my foggy head and lack of sleep?) “But I guarantee that I am not going anywhere in public with you looking like that.” “You boys need to get in the Christmas spirit,” he laughed out loud, hopping around like a 5-year-old ringing those bells, seemingly unfazed by my comment.  “And you need to feed me quick before this here Santa suit starts getting loose.”  I looked over at Roger who was staring hard at his computer screen trying not to laugh.  I looked back at John and said, “Ok, Ok, here is the way it’s going to be.  We will go in separate vehicles, and you will arrive first and go to the most inconspicuous table in the place, and I will walk in by myself.  Those are my rules.” “Heck, my Brother,” he laughed.  “As long as you are paying I am good with anything.  Tell me where we are going.” In my weakened condition I was not thinking properly.  There was a place I had been wanting to try but hadn’t yet.  I had been told that the Scenic Loop Café was really good, so I told John where it was and reminded him again of the rules.  By the time I got there I could see that he was already inside.  As I parked I saw a few people had walked by his truck and were bewildered by how it looked.  When I walked in the door I realized that maybe I ought to not have picked this place for Santa John.  This was not just your average neighborhood restaurant.  It was nicer than I would have thought it would be with the name “café.” It had a comfortable western style with rock floors and walls and lots of real wood furniture.  I could only hope that John would be as inconspicuous as possible.  It was, however, not to be.  I found him as far in the back as he could get in a booth oooo-ing and ahhh-ing a little too loudly over the menu.  Kim, our server, was already there taking drink orders.  She smiled at me sympathetically as I slid into the booth opposite John.  Needless to say, there were more than a few diners looking at John and all but the few kids that were there were not impressed.  He ignored them however and as Kim sat our iced teas down he began to order.  As expected it was Chicken Fried Steak……two of them and when she asked what sides he wanted he ordered the usual mashed potatoes and gravy but also some char-grilled sweet potatoes, some creamed spinach, and a double order of fried okra.  She was just finishing the second page of her order pad when he was done and had to put my order on the third page.

The wait sure wasn’t long and it is possible that they wanted us out of there bad enough that they put a rush on our meals cause we had barely finished catching up from last month when Kim covered the table with John’s food.  There was just barely enough room to squeeze my plate in front of me.  We dug in and found out quickly that the food was awesome.  John was making pleasurable tasting sounds.

I knew he was not going to talk while he ate so I spent the time between bites telling him how foolish he looked and that he was a disgrace to the Brotherhood and that he should have a least taken his Masonic license plates off the truck before going out in public looking like he was. He glared at me a couple of times and grunted a couple more but mostly ignored my verbal abuse.  Kim was a good hand at her job as she kept clearing away dishes as they emptied (they probably needed them pretty bad for other customers) and kept our glasses full.  She was surely going to get a good tip.  This was indeed a strange day for as soon as he finished his last bite, he took one last drink from his glass; leaned back took a deep breath and without any prodding, began talking.

He said, “Brother Chris, you are not going to believe what a Brother asked me the other day.” (I knew better than to answer) “I was at Lodge sitting there enjoying a large plateful of Hamburger Helper and one of the Past Masters came up and sat down opposite me and asked me, Hey John, why is Masonry so anti-religion?  Brother Chris, I just about had me an accident right there at dinner.  That is something I would expect from a non-Mason but not from a Mason, and a Past Master no less….well I was shocked.” “Boy,” I replied.  “I can’t wait to hear this.” “Well let me tell you, I just shook my head, and my first thought was to tear right into him, but I said to myself….I said self….calm down… Don’t go all “spider monkey” on him… just let it go….. And then as he sat there blankly looking at me I thought about choking him… but I resisted that too because I remembered something about an obligation.  Finally I took a big breath and as the Brethren were going into the Lodge room to open Lodge I motioned for him to sit back down and stay out with me.  Once the Tiler had the door closed and since it was my favorite flavor of Hamburger Helper (Beef Stroganoff) I made him sit there while I finished.  Then I asked him in as nice a voice as I could muster, where the heck he had gotten the idea that Masons were anti- religion?

He told me that his church….and that is where I stopped him.  I told him I didn’t want to know what his religion was or what his church was, just to tell me what was said.  He then told me that his Pastor had said that Masons were not going to heaven because they weren’t following the right path to get there.  I asked him what he himself thought and he said that he was confused because he really respected the Pastor and it seemed that his Pastor’s beliefs were at odds with and contradictory of the lessons and teachings of Masonry. Then I asked him why he didn’t already have the answer, and he said that he didn’t know, and right quick that desire to choke him came back.  I looked at him sitting there across from me with a confused look on his face, a Brother who was not a new Mason, in fact far from it.  Here was a Past Master of his Lodge with more than ten years as a Master Mason and he was asking me why Masonry was against religion.  It brought back the realization that so many of our Brethren are floating through their Masonic lives wrapped in that warm and fuzzy feeling that it is to be a member of this great and gentle Fraternity, without even a basic knowledge of what it is that Masonry stands for and why?  And that realization sometimes comes only after they are forced to defend, even in their own minds, even the most basic of our tenets.  I was honestly worried about how to explain everything to him without being insensitive to whatever his particular beliefs were.  But then I said what the hell, and just jumped in with both feet.” I said to him, “My Brother I am going to tell you something now and no matter what I say from this point forward you must remember this one truth.  Masonry is not now, nor has it ever been, nor will it ever be, in any way, against religion.  And when you say religion I hear you meaning God or the Supreme Architect of the Universe.  Now, having said that, I am going to wander off the path a little bit.  I don’t know where your Pastor is getting his information or how he can come to make a statement like he made to you, but it is true that some religious organizations are against Masonry for what I think are ridiculous reasons and try to sway their members from having anything to do with our Craft. Some are so wrapped up in their specific beliefs that they will tell you that anyone who doesn’t believe EXACTLY as they do have no chance for salvation….. ..and that includes other religions.  So by their definition, “if you don’t think like I do, then you are going to hell”…..plain and simple.  There are actually religious fundamentalists who dislike us simply because Masonry admits any good man as long as he has a belief in God regardless of his specific personal beliefs.  I think that some feel that we are actually their competition and fear that a man will choose Masonry over his church.  Both of those opinions are just that….opinions… based on ignorance of the facts.  The facts are, as you know, that we cannot open a Masonic Lodge anywhere anytime without the Holy Scriptures open upon our altar.  As Masons, we ask for God’s blessing on all things we do and many of our Moral Lessons are taken from those scriptures.  Based on that, how could anyone say or think that we could be against religion?  I believe that the answer to that question is that they think we ARE a religion.  But I can assure you that Masonry is not in any way in the business of saving souls nor do we offer any sacrament whatsoever.  Our rituals are moral lessons, not religious rites.  Masonry does not make a man better just because he is a Mason.  Masonry gives a good man the tools so that he may make HIMSELF a better man.

Everyone has the right to believe what they want but NO one has the right to force their beliefs on someone else.  The more you try to force your ideas and beliefs on someone else the more they will reject them.  It is in this way that Masonry attracts good men …not by forcing our ideas and teachings on them but attracting them to our Fraternity by showing the strength of our character and our commitment to doing good.” “Wow John,” I said.  “Trying to explain why Masonry is religious in nature while at the same time explaining both why we are not a religion AND why we are not anti-religion is like navigating a minefield.  It’s pretty near impossible to not offend someone, but I think you did it pretty well.  As a Mason it is easier for me to understand because I know these things already, as your Brother Past Master should too, but unfortunately most of our Brethren don’t or won’t even try to understand what you said.  Sometimes ignorance is a comfortable state of mind.”  “Yes Brother Chris,” John replied sadly.  “You are right and even after explaining it to him, I am not sure my confused Brother knows it nor believes it.  Masonry is not easily understood and even harder to put into words that adequately explain it.  This is why Brothers many times do not even try.

What is scary is that our whole world has gotten used to, and accepted, ignorance as normal.  We have allowed machines to do all of our thinking for us.  Being able to read or write, or especially to do anything that involves mathematics, we leave to machines.  Heck we just ask a computer what we want to know nowadays, and it gives us the answer.  There is no need to study or to research………..or to learn.  Even sadder, in our Fraternity where learning and knowledge are hallmarks of our Craft, our Brethren, except for a very small percentage, have very little knowledge of Masonry and almost no desire to gain any.  I listen night after night in Lodges all over, while watching our Lodges being opened and closed and our degrees being conferred, to Brethren proudly reciting words in our ritual without emotion, without any understanding of why what they are saying matters or what any of it means.  But by memorizing the words, they believe they have achieved all they need to.  If you look back into our history you will find that many of the most learned men in the world were members of this Fraternity.  Our Brethren don’t understand that Masonry….. ..beyond parroting the words……..and really learning Masonry……expands the mind, causes thoughtful reflection, and makes a man ask questions and dream dreams…….and then gives him the tools to find the answers he seeks.  This is the beauty of Freemasonry.  This is what makes us who we are and who we were meant to be.  I wish I could scream it in the ear of every Brother Mason and make them all understand that as Masons, we have a destiny…….and we have a duty.  That destiny is to be good and true men and to spread that goodness and truth to all mankind and by our actions, make this world a better place.  It is a destiny and a duty that when we knelt at the altar and placed our hands on that Holy Book, we made a promise to God that we would fulfill that destiny.  And fulfill it we must”

He paused and I said a silent prayer to the Great Architect that my little voice recorder had gotten all of his words.  I stayed silent not wanting to stop him from continuing but it seemed he was talked out.  I realized that I had forgotten his ridiculous Santa costume as he had reached deep into his Masonic heart and gave me a special peek.  I just hoped that I could write it as profoundly as he had said it, but even as I wished it, I knew it was impossible, but I was going to do the best I could.

I had been concentrating on every word John had said and looked up just as Kim laid the check on the table.  She had an apologetic look on her face like she was interrupting something, and I could see the people at the tables closest to us smiling in our direction and I realized that they had heard some or all of what John had said.  It wasn’t just me that felt it, I guess.  I was without words.  All I could say was “thank you John.” He stuck his big paw across the table and said, “No, my Brother, thank you.  And as I sat there feeling full of Masonry, he slid out of the booth and walked away.  It was just as well.  I still didn’t want to be seen with him looking the way he did.

Finally I took a deep breath and smiled and reached for the ticket, but it was gone.  I looked around and there was John at the cashier paying for our lunches.  He looked back at me in that ridiculous Santa suit and as he went out the door I heard him shout, “Merry Christmas to you Brother Chris and Merry Christmas to all, and to all….  well… y’all have a good life.” I headed for the door with everyone staring at me, some of them smiling and others shaking their heads knowing that I was with the crazy guy, and I realized with a chuckle that this was just one more place we couldn’t come back to.  Even though….I still whispered under my breath, “God Bless You John Deacon.”