There is a difference Larry, but as far as I know, onky in name. Pearl may be able to answer this a little better than I, but I'll take a stab at it.
The Prince Hall ladies, in my opinion, have kept OES in the "true sense" and by this I mean, like the Prince Hall gentlemen, that they've stuck to all of the "old rituals" and the friends I have that are in the PH OES and Masonry do the lectures and rituals BEAUTIFULLY. They are serious, get righ tdown to business and I would give anything to be able to go.
This is only true for where I live (Maine). I didn't even know there was such a thing as PHA until I joined a different Masonic forum a year or so ago. I live whitebread old foegey Maine. There's like 2 black people and 3 mexican people. I've been told that there is one PHA Lodge here in Maine, but they're under the Massuchusettes Grand Lodge. If anyone here wants to join Lodge/OES, they just join "regular" lodges/chapters. Also, I referred to my PHA friends earlier, from what they tell me there's a lot more singing too. Another reason why I'd like to go.
I was very "sheltered" up here until I joined an online forum. My chapter and lodge are filled with archaic old white people. LOL Not that that's bad, but it's like going to church. And I had never heard a Mason talk about "Light" until I went on the internet. No joke. In defense of our Masons, it's kept with older more "traditional" *rules* and they just dn't talk about. They display their masonic emblems proudly, they don't hide the fact that they're masons, but they don't talk about Masonry really. It's still "secretive" up here. And it's more Christain- oriented.
To my surprise I've met Muslims, Jews, Buddists... People that I was "told" weren't allowed to join because they didn't believe in the Christain God. Not a higher power, as I've learned in forums.
I'm a very open minded person and not Christain so I don't really think I'm enjoying OES up here as much as I would elsewhere.
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