religion and politics on solstice

Music: Antony and the Johnsons: The Crying Light (2009)

In a couple of hours I'll be giving a speech tonight at my Masonic lodge for our holiday party and potluck. In the spirit of the holidays, I thought I would share.

[Later edit: the speech seemed to go over well. The WM remarked "you really like to push the envelope, don't you?" with a nervous laugh. I didn't see this as very risky, but I suppose it could be. Anyhoo, I've revised some things from comments after the speech, and from comments here]:

AFTER DINNER SPEECH FOR DECEMBER 21, 2009

STATED MEETING OF AUSTIN LODGE #12 (AUSTIN, TEXAS)

RELIGION AND POLITICS ON SOLSTICE

Thank you, worshipful, for that introduction and for the opportunity to address you this evening, most especially this particular evening, which is auspicious.[1] I want to begin with a provocation: it is often said by Masons, as well as our mothers, that two topics are not allowed for discussion at the dinner table: religion and politics. In keeping with the contradictions that plague any three hundred year old organization, I intend to speak briefly about precisely these two things: religion and politics.

First, religion: Today is the winter solstice or what some have termed "midwinter," and by midnight, the earth will be tilting farthest away from the sun. Consequently, today is the shortest day of the year for those of us in the northern hemisphere, and it is the day that is most deprived of what Masons cherish: light.

The winter solstice is important to Masons, however, because of its regularity. For us, the solstice is also a reminder for us to be upstanding, to follow-through on our promises, and give our love with unrelenting consistency. Because astrologically the winter solstice is unfailingly reliable, this is also why this day marks the beginning of some of the most significant religious holidays around the world: From the Japanese Amaterasu celebration, to the Incan Festival of the Sun, to Christmas, the days around the winter solstice have been religious for billions of people around the world for centuries. No matter what your faith, this evening encourages a good mood, which is simply another way of saying goodwill, and goodwill toward all people is what our holidays this season are about.

And speaking of religion, tonight is also important because next Sunday we celebrate the Feast of St. John. The feast of St. John is in honor of the Apostle of that name, also known as John the Evangelist, who is likely a composite of different Johns in the Christian tradition.

As many of you know, Lodges are symbolically erected and dedicated to the Holy Saints John. The other John is John the Baptist, who is often described as the "voice in the wilderness" that prepared the way for Christ. We are told it was John the Baptist who first saw the light of Divinity emanating from Jesus. John the Baptist was a stern and unrelenting believer in the gospel, and it was his unwavering fidelity to Christ's teachings that led to his beheading. Masons celebrate John the Baptist for his fidelity of faith in midsummer, and it is in honor of him that our Masonic calendar in Texas begins on June 24---the first feast of St. John.

John the Evangelist, however, is very different from John the Baptist. His Sunday feast is fitting for this holiday season because he is the apostle most closely associated with brotherly love. The Evangelist is sometimes described as Jesus' favorite because of his devotion and chastity. It was John the Evangelist whom Jesus allowed to rest his head on his breast, and it was John the Evangelist whom Jesus trusted to take care of his mother after death.

The apostle is among the most elegant writers of the new testament, and it was John the Evangelist who so closely associated the metaphor of light with speech---or as my profession would have it, with rhetoric. His gospel begins: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." While at one level St. John is attempting to stress that Christ is the embodied word, he also goes on to equate speech with light: "What has come to being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and darkness did not overcome it." It is thus from John the Evangelicst that Masons receive their most fundamental metaphor---light---and it is from him that we understand this light as both knowledge and love. Knowledge and love combined is divinity.

I'm especially pleased to be speaking to you tonight because I try to model my own conduct in accord with St. John the apostle, rather than St. John the Baptist. For me, brotherly love is more important than dogma and a strict adherence to a certain way of thinking. Nevertheless, I think both saints are important to Masonry because they represent two ways of being good. It is important to stress here that Jesus loved and honored them both.

Symbolism in Masonry is complicated and it's easy to get things confused. To help me remember the symbolism of the Saints John, I like to think of each one as a pillar on the porch of Solomon's Temple. We know these columns as Jachin and Boaz, the former often representing beauty and the latter, of course, strength. There is much disagreement among scholars as to which column is "right" or "left," and this leads me to the politics of my discussion.

Jachin and Boaz are often said to represent deity; they are two columns that, paradoxically, represent one being. I think the Saints John are also described as pillars of Masonry because their respective virtues were not mutually exclusive; these holy men were compatible role models. That is why Jesus cherished them both.

In closing, then, I would like to suggest this: each of us leans politically toward strength, fidelity, and charity, as well as brotherly love. And although this is the time of year we celebrate brotherly love, that doesn't mean commitment and regularity go out the window. We need John the Baptist too!

We are offered, then, the Saints John as two extremes or poles on a continuum of virtue. Being a good Mason requires that we figure ourselves between these columns, between the evangelist and Baptist, in pursuit of moral being. Sure, we may lean toward one pole or the other, and this is a literal parallel of the solstices and feasts: as we leave June behind and move toward December, our minds and hearts increasingly move toward the message of brotherly love.

This is a lesson that I think our political leaders could learn from Masonry. We have, at the moment, two parties vying over a health care bill designed to alleviate human suffering. It is not my intention to argue at dinner for or against this policy; I respect the spirit of the rule against talking about politics in the lodge. Rather, it is my intention to suggest this: our political system was crafted from Masonic principles, principles deliberately designed to promote fidelity, love, harmony, and peace. It is time for our political leaders to return to those principles. They can and should figure out how to meet on the level.

To put it metaphorically, these Masonic principles do not ask us to choose one saint over the other, or to embrace Jachin over Boaz. Whether or not you are a Christian---and I confess I am not---Jesus' teaching is worth learning by heart: all good, moral people are worthy of consideration and love, regardless of their religion or politics.

Note

[1] Typically, speeches are not "sourced" as scholarly papers often are. Even so, my remarks are heavily informed by the following two sources: Harvey L. Ward, "'And Dedicated to the Holy Saints John': An Inquiry Into the Designation of the Saints John as Patron Saints of Freemasonry," Pietre Stones: Review of Freemasonry, available here; and Henry Wilson Coil, Coil's Masonic Encyclopedia, eds. Wiliam Moseley Brown, William L. Cummings, Harold Van Buren Voorhis, and Allen E. Roberts (Richmond, VA: Macoy Publishing, 1996).