From: ptrei@bistromath.mitre.org (Peter Trei)
Subject: Re: Kings' Secret Rituals of the OTO
Date: 17 Mar 1994 14:45:19 GMT

In article  ahaigh@unixg.ubc.ca (Andrew Haigh) writes:

> 	One more question here before I sit back and await the
> oncoming barrage is that given the choice between the OTO and the
> Masons, why would any man join the OTO? If one is only entitled to
> the first three degrees in the OTO, and that the higher degrees are
> reserved for administrative postings and are by invitation only (I
> am assuming here that there are *very* few 7, 8, and 9th degree OTO
> members out there, why not petition the Masons, where one can work
> one's way up through as many degrees as one wishes (although the
> 33rd degree A&A rite [I might be wrong with the Rite;] is honorary)?

     Since the question "Does the OTO claim to confer Masonic degrees,
and is thus forbidden to regular Masons?" comes up perrennially, I
decided to try to put the matter to rest.

    Just last week, I called up the United Grand Lodge of England, and
got connected to the Inquiries Desk. They have a list of
organizations, membership in which is considered incompatible with
Freemasonry. Neither the "OTO" nor the "Ordo Temple Orientalis" (I
asked under both names) is on the list. Thus, in England at least,
there is nothing to stop a man from joining both orders.

     Of course, a ruling by the UGL of England is binding only on
Masons under it's jurisdiction; other Grand Lodges can and do have
other rulings, and in fact, the UGL of England is considered fairly
liberal compared with others.

     This was NOT the answer I was expecting, but shows the value of
going to the source.
						Peter Trei
                                                ptrei@mitre.org
                                                Master of Wilder Lodge, 
                                                Ancient Free & Accepted Masons
                                                Leominster, MA
                                                Editor of Masonic Digest 
Disclaimer: I do not speak for my employer.

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