In May, all units of the Order received an unexpected letter from the Sovereign Grand Lodge, with instructions that it be read at their next meeting. It dealt with the matter of belief in a Supreme Being, and that principle’s centrality to the Order. The following is a response composed by Andrew Crockett, and is his own statement, not representative of any lodge or unit he belongs to.
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Dear Esteemed Members of Our Friendly Order,
The recent letter dated 5 April 2025 from the Executive Committee of the Sovereign Grand Lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows was a reminder of the general state of distress Odd Fellowship is facing across the continent. In particular, we share the deep and abiding concern that the rituals of our order have been seen as either an obstacle or an afterthought by many members.
We know that our Rituals are of the utmost importance and hold the highest authority in our order. They are a centerpiece of how Odd Fellowship enables the improvement and elevation of the character of mankind.
And proudly, our lodge not only has a Chaplain who performs all required Opening and Closing Prayers, our altar features an antique gilded set of three links with the Holy Bible, resting upon several other volumes of sacred lore from major world wisdom traditions, including Islam, Taoism, Buddhism, and Hinduism. We do this because, as the Past Grand’s charge in the Initiatory Ritual states: “Our Order does not believe in the divisions and classifications of society. It teaches veneration for religion and subordination to civil government and its laws but avoids any relationships with systems of faith or sect, whether religious or political. It requires no sacrifice of your opinions.”
As the 5 April 2025 letter states, “Our earliest rituals set forth that belief in a deity was not tied to any specific religious sect, nor any theological system or doctrine.”
However, that sentence in the letter continued onward to say that belief in such a being “was an acknowledgement of objective truth” – which is a theological and dogmatic statement that contradicts the idea that “belief in the existence of a Supreme, Intelligent Being, the Creator and Preserver of the Universe, is an integral requirement to hold membership in this Order.”
Such a statement is a contradiction because belief is not necessary if what we “believe” is objectively true. Indeed, belief becomes superfluous and pointless when objective certainty is invoked. Why believe in what is objectively true if one’s belief is not required for it to remain objectively true regardless of my belief?
Faith, a core component of Our Order (as exemplified in the Encampment Degrees), is null and void if we bludgeon it with the metaphoric cudgel of treating God as an object. Objects are things we can measure, scrutinize, and tear apart – and lowering the “Supreme Intelligent Being, the Creator and Preserver of the Universe” into such mud would rightfully be called blasphemy if it were not for how seriously we take the command that Odd Fellows should “restrain ourselves from relationships with systems of faith or sect, as mentioned in our ritual” as stated in the letter.
Resolving this contradiction, Odd Fellows must make a choice like the Israelites did in Exodus: do we want to become an “Order of the Golden Calf” and treat God as an object, or shall we be the Levites in this story and maintain that the humility of both belief and faith held without objective proof be sacrosanct in our order? As the Serpent and Staff symbol reminds us of the exercise of wise caution in the proper regulation of life and conduct, so should it be imperative to recognize that disunity or hypocrisy are the only fruits from maintaining contradiction such as this in the core of our membership standards.
Until this contradiction is resolved, this lodge will adhere to the standard stated in the Preliminary Questions, where we ask each candidate “Do you believe in the existence of a Supreme, Intelligent Being, the Creator and Preserver of the Universe?” The candidate being asked this question is not just a random person: they were recently an applicant, whose character was approved of by the vote of the lodge before arriving at the night of their Initiation. And on that night, as long as their answer is not “no” to this question of belief, we have and will continue to engage in no further policing of the new member’s personal relationship with the divine, as it is forbidden by our non-discrimination clause in our code: “Exclusion practices at membership application or after membership has been established based on… religion or other social identity is deemed an offense against the Order.” As such, we leave it up to each member to practice religion in their own way, recognizing that any belief they have would hold no value if it was not overcoming the doubt that exists as part of human life. Indeed, if we betrayed the trust our members have placed in Odd Fellowship and run any member out of the order through illegal discriminatory practices, the reality of the Sword and Scales will rightfully be wielded against any such inquisition or excommunication that would threaten our hard-earned reputation as a diverse and welcoming organization.
That said, there is a way to monitor and maintain the quality of members’ faith that is consistent with the code. Indeed, we Odd Fellows have chosen the Holy Bible to be in our rituals for the important lessons it imparts – so let us utilize such a lesson about faith provided to us by Jesus: “Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit…
Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” 4 If someone practices Friendship, Love, and Truth with earnestness and humility: then by their works we will know them to be a person of faith.
Indeed, if a member follows the rituals, and practices Friendship, Love, and Truth in their deeds – all while doubt exists in their mind – one should sooner call that a miracle than call that a problem.
To conclude, we share the 1834 poem “Abou Ben Adhem” by Leigh Hunt: the themes of which underscore the beauty of letting acts of the heart, not thoughts in the head, be the true measure of a person’s beliefs.
Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase!)
Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace,
And saw, within the moonlight in his room,
Making it rich, and like a lily in bloom,
An angel writing in a book of gold:—
Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold,
And to the presence in the room he said,
“What writest thou?”—The vision raised its head,
And with a look made of all sweet accord,
Answered, “The names of those who love the Lord.”
“And is mine one?” said Abou. “Nay, not so,”
Replied the angel. Abou spoke more low,
But cheerly still; and said, “I pray thee, then,
Write me as one that loves his fellow men.”
The angel wrote, and vanished. The next night
It came again with a great wakening light,
And showed the names whom love of God had blest,
And lo! Ben Adhem’s name led all the rest.
— By Andrew Crockett