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Template:Freemasonry2 The Grand Orient of the United States of America (GOUSA) is a Masonic grouping in amity with the Grand Orient de France and sees itself as being in the tradition of Latin Freemasonry.

GOUSA Lodges tend to work in rituals which predate the current Preston-Webb model. The Grand Master is John Slifko who has also set up the Roosevelt Center, that is concerned with the study of freemasonry in civil society.

Foundation

It was founded in 2005 as the "United Grand Lodge of America" as an effort by several Masons and Lodges resolved to leave the existing US Grand Lodge system. In 2007, this group was joined by others who shared a desire for a liberal style of Freemasonry. The United Grand Lodge of America was renamed the Grand Orient of the United States in order to align itself with European Grand Bodies, and received its patent and covenant of amity from the Grand Orient of France on June 27, 2008, in Paris.

Beliefs and principles

The GOUSA holds to these fundamental beliefs:

• That all human beings are endowed with certain inalienable rights
• That peace and harmony among human beings is only possible where there exists a separation between church and state
• That freedom of conscience is an essential element in the pursuit of happiness among all peoples
• That all human beings are created equal and that equality is fundamental to democracy and freedom"

and has the following principles:

• Freedom of conscience of all people, and that it is an essential component of liberty, equality and fraternity.
• Separation of religion and government, and promote religious and spiritual tolerance among all people.
• Freedom of the press as a necessary component of maintaining the inalienable rights of all human beings, and that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
• The need for higher education and life-long learning.
• An impartial judiciary system as essential to guaranteeing the preservation of human rights.
• Support for the arts and sciences as essential elements in the progress and evolution of humanity.
• Support for efforts that work towards global environmental and ecological sustainability as essential to the survival of the human species.

Lodges

The G.O.U.S.A. currently claims to consist of the following lodges:

• n° ... : Les Neuf Sœurs Washington D.C.
• n° ... : Halcyon Cleveland-OH
• n° ... : Euclid Lodge Grand Rapids-MI
• n° ... : Intrepid Los Angeles-CA
• n* ... : Regulus (Triangle) Mobile-AL
• n° ... : Sirius Lodge Atlanta-GA
• n° ... : Deucalion Patras-Greece
• n° ... : Emeth (Triangle) Phoenix-AZ

Other Examples of Continental Freemasonry in North America

Continental Freemasonry in the United States is rare. As well as the Grand Orient of the United States, there are other small English speaking groups, such as the George Washington Union (G.W.U.) and the Omega Grand Lodge of the State of New York, that see themselves as belonging to the European, Continental tradition.

The Women's Grand Lodge Of Belgium (W.G.L.B.) and the Grand Orient of France (G.O.F.) also have liberal lodges in North-America. The French speaking Grande Loge Nationale du Canada and the Spanish speaking Serenísima Gran Logia de Lengua Española are also active and members of CLIPSAS.

Recognition by other Masonic bodies

The Grand Orient of the United States has been recognized by the Grand Orient of France.

The Grand Orient of the United States is not recognized by any of the 51 independant State Grand Lodges that form Anglo-American Freemasonry, nor by their Prince Hall Masonry counterparts.

Criticisms

Alegations of non-existent lodges

Anglo-American Masonic web commentator Ed King claims that some of the lodges listed on the organization's web page may not exist, and that others may consist of no more than three or four people. King states that the Grand Orient's webpage contains "extraordinarily misleading" statements. Despite a request from a Past Grand Master of the Grand Orient to use the accronym "GOUSA", King continues to use his derogatory acronym "GOOFUS" as it is, in his opinion, "representative of their behavior".

References

1. Grand Orient de France
2. ^ Grand Orient of the United States of America
3. Letter from John Slifko quoted on the John Slifko and the Grand Orient of the US, Chris Hodapp, Freemasons for Dummies blog
4. Uniting Masonic, academic pursuits, Richard Clough, The Daily Brun]
5. Grand Orient of the US, from masonicinfo.com
6. Grand Orient de France
7. The Grand Orient of the United States: Facts & Fictions, Toronto Society for Masonic Research
8. Grand Orient de France
9. Sirius Lodge site
10. Grand Orient of the United States
11. website of the Grande Loge Nationale du Canada
12. Serenísima Gran Logia de Lengua Española - Official website
13. Members of CLIPSAS
14. Grand Orient of the United States page Masonicinfo.com
15. "He's so Grand" page from Masonicinfo.com

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