Morals and Dogma was never meant to be the authoritative guide to Masonry? Many Masons, and even non-Masons, have long treated it to be the universally approved doctrinal book or “Bible of Masonry.” The fact is that it was not even widely distributed to or read by the greater population of Masons. It was only used by the Supreme Council of the Scottish Rite of the Southern Jurisdiction, which in 1871-1872 had far less than 5% of American Masons as members, and in 1993 claimed only 20%, by which time the book was no longer distributed even to Scottish Rite Masons. The Preface of Morals and Dogma itself gives the best understanding of how all succeeding Supreme Council leaderships have viewed the book: “The teachings of these readings are NOT sacramental. The Scottish Rite uses the word ‘Dogma’ in its true sense: of doctrine or teaching; and is not ‘dogmatic’ in the odious sense of that term. Everyone is entirely free to reject and dissent from whatsoever herein may seem to him to be untrue or unsound. It is only required of him that he shall weigh what is taught, and give it fair hearing and unprejudiced judgement. The ancient theosophic and philosophic speculations are NOT embodied as part of the doctrines of the Rite.”