Is Rotary a Christian organization? Benefits of Christianity in a Masonic Lodge

Ian Mitchell King
3 min readApr 14, 2022

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“Is Rotary a religious organization?” Is a difficult one to grasp. Although Rotary is a non-profit organization, it does accept Christians with a biblical worldview to become members. The Rotary invocation prayer, for example, is a civic group meeting invocation that has a religious aspect. Since members should avoid joining in the prayer, they should instead address any questions they may have about their own religion and beliefs.

According to Ian Mitchell King, in 1917, Rotary International’s Object was a list of goals, but in 1951, it was reduced to a single Object. What we’re after is a “service-oriented attitude toward people,” which is what we’re after. It is a religious ideal for Rotarians, but it is not the sole reason they join the organization. Rotary’s second goal is to advance world peace. Its goal is to alleviate world conflict by addressing the root causes and encouraging peaceful coexistence.

The slogan “Service Above Self” was approved by the Council on Legislation in 1989. Unselfish volunteering can best be described by this term. Despite this, the Council on Legislation has now changed its motto to eliminate the words “service before self.” This is a contradiction in terms. Even if a Christian is not a member of any religion, he or she can become a Rotarian.

Rotary is a global humanitarian organization founded as a Masonic-Jewish fraternity. In order to achieve its goal of promoting peace and goodwill across the world, its members are all professionals and business leaders. The group meets once a week, and its members are said to have honed their leadership and public speaking abilities as a result of their participation. However, this does not imply that Rotary is a religious organization. As a matter of fact, its primary goal is to spread kindness and encourage goodwill over the world.

Ian Mitchell King pointed out that, the “concept of service” is emphasized throughout the Rotary invocation. To be of service, one must be willing to serve others regardless of their religious or philosophical convictions. Rotary’s mission statement rests on this tenet. In fact, the Rotary invocation was originally called thus because it is so essential to the organization’s mission. Despite the fact that the organization is secular, it is nevertheless crucial to take into account its values and principles before joining. As well as helping the local community, Rotary also promotes the notion of service as a way of life.

The members of Rotary International have a strong sense of ethics in addition to their mission. In 1932, a Rotarian in Chicago devised the Quadruple Test. It describes the business ethics that Rotarians should adhere to. “Is it FAIR to everyone involved?” should be the first question on their list.

It’s been argued that Rotary should not rely on the summary of the law, and that position has been attacked as simply Rotary Club theology. However, I’d like to present an alternative theory: the Salk polio vaccination was misunderstood. Today commemorates the 50th anniversary of the polio vaccine’s development. In Europe, the Western Pacific, and the Americas, the polio virus is practically eliminated owing to this vaccination.

A prospective Rotarian’s steps to joining Rotary International are outlined in the organization’s rules. It is necessary for a prospective member to have a “proposer,” a Rotarian who makes the recommendation that they join the club. They are expected to attend club meetings on a weekly basis and introduce the newcomer to the other members of the group. Sponsors are encouraged to attend district conferences with new members who have been accepted. Social activities and district conferences should be attended by them as well.

Ian Mitchell King described that, there is a health, hunger and humanity initiative that Rotary initiated in 1978 as well. Rotary’s 3-H Program is one of its most significant humanitarian efforts. It’s built for large-scale community service programs. More than $37 million has been invested in more than a dozen initiatives in 49 countries. People’s health, famine relief, and worldwide understanding are the goals of the programs.

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Ian Mitchell King
Ian Mitchell King

Written by Ian Mitchell King

Ian Mitchell King is a non-practicing lawyer and business consultant based in Studio City, California. He has also served in the military.

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