Sept. 26, 2009
BOOK REVIEW: 'The Masonic Myth': A California Mason and Scholar Debunks Conspiracy Theories About Freemasonry
Reviewed By David M. Kinchen
Huntingtonnews.net Book Critic
This fall is a mini Golden Age for those interested in symbols -- especially those connected with the various forms of Freemasonry.
Dan Brown, author of the mega-best selling "The Da Vinci Code" and other books about symbolism and the occult, has just published "The Lost Symbol," bringing back symbologist Robert Langdon, a Harvard professor who figured prominently in "The Da Vinci Code." (He was played by Tom Hanks in the movie version). I haven't read the latest Dan Brown novel, but it sounds a lot like the "National Treasure" movies starring Nicolas Cage, with its setting in Washington, DC.
The Discovery Channel has just aired a fascinating two-part series, "The Secret History of Freemasons." It explores Masonic symbols and rituals, including the ritual murder of Hiram Abiff, an ancient Hebrew architect, and the formation of Freemasonry.
As Jay Kinney explains in "The Masonic Myth: Unlocking the Truth About the Symbols, the Secret Rites, and the History of Freemasonry" (Harper One, 288 pages, $15.99) it's proper to capitalize the word "Mason" when it refers to a speculative or philosophical Mason; an actual stoneworking one is lower-cased: "mason."
This sounds like snobbery to me, but Kinney says its just a way of distinguishing the guys who did the work, the operative masons, as opposed to the mostly soft-handed "accepted" speculative Masons who joined the guilds in their 18th Century beginnings.
Kinney, a Bay Area writer and cartoonist who grew up in the Midwest, joined the Masons in 2001, after years of wondering about it. He writes that Freemasons have been connected to the all-seeing eye on the dollar bill, the French Revolution, the Knights Templar, and the pyramids of Egypt.
Masons have been rumored to be everything from a cabal of elite power brokers ruling the world to a covert network of occultists and pagans intent on creating a new world order, to a millennia-old brotherhood perpetuating ancient wisdom through esoteric teachings.
Their secret symbols, rituals and organization have remained shrouded for centuries and spawned theory after theory. Kinney says that the truth -- at least as he sees it -- is far more compelling than the myths created both by Masons and the huge throng of anti-Masons.
Despite the fact that many of the nation's founding fathers -- like George Washington, John Hancock and Benjamin Franklin -- were members of Freemasonry lodges, Kinney writes that anti-Masonry has always been a part of the nation's history. Much of the opposition to this secret society stemmed from the belief that Masons practiced occult, pagan, even sexual rituals in their version of a parallel religion.
Kinney notes that this anti-Masonry often had elements of anti-Semitism, since Scottish Rite masons accepted Jews and members of other non-Christian religions, at a time -- the early 19th Century -- that Jews were excluded from many organizations. (York Rite Masons are still an essentially Christian organization).
Kinney explains the symbols of the "Craft" -- as some Masons refer to Freemasonry -- and their origin and explores alternative forms of Freemasonry. I was surprised to learn that there are Catholic Freemasons, which was explored in depth in the Discovery Channel series. It's no secret that the Roman Catholic church is definitely on the side of the anti-Masons. In fact, Freemasonry is thriving in much of Europe -- including nominally Catholic countries like France and Italy -- at a time when it is declining in the U.S., Kinney notes. He adds that most U.S. Masons are eligible for AARP, and even Medicare.
Younger men aren't interested in hanging out with men old enough to be their fathers and grandfathers, he writes, and American Freemasonry has declined mightily from its peak membership in the 1960s. Sounds like newspaper circulation to this reviewer, a veteran journalist! There certainly is a link between older people and print newspaper readers.
Kinney believes that the interest in Freemasonry thrived when religion became increasingly feminized. Guys needed to hang out with other guys and attending a lodge meeting was an early form of Guys' Night Out. In the early days of Freemasonry, he notes, the meetings were held in private rooms in taverns and food and drink -- especially drink -- flowed like, well, like wine.
This may have influenced anti-Masonry among fundamentalist Christians, who've long been behind prohibition of alcohol. On the other hand, Kinney writes that the Ku Klux Klan -- predominantly fundamentalist Christian in membership -- recruited for members among Masons.
The title of Kinney's book is somewhat misleading, because he doesn't really give away any secrets. He includes an extensive bibliography for further reading and explains the various degrees of membership in the Blue Lodge, York and Scottish Rite forms of Freemasonry. He also defends the moral and charitable work of Freemasonry.
I'm not a Mason, although a couple of decades ago, I was approached by a Scottish Rite Mason and invited to join a lodge in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles. I'm fascinated by symbolism and ritual, but I'd rather be on the outside looking in than on the inside looking out.
I recommend "The Masonic Myth" to similarly inclined readers.
About the author: Jay Kinney for 15 years was the publisher and editor of Gnosis, a journal exploring esoteric traditions and spiritual paths. He is a member of Mill Valley Lodge #356 and Mission Lodge #169, F&AM, in California. He's a member of both the York and Scottish Rites of Freemasonry.
Publisher's web site: www.harperone.com
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BOOK REVIEW: 'The Masonic Myth': A California Mason and Scholar Debunks Conspiracy Theories About Freemasonry
Reviewed By David M. Kinchen
Huntingtonnews.net Book Critic
This fall is a mini Golden Age for those interested in symbols -- especially those connected with the various forms of Freemasonry.
Dan Brown, author of the mega-best selling "The Da Vinci Code" and other books about symbolism and the occult, has just published "The Lost Symbol," bringing back symbologist Robert Langdon, a Harvard professor who figured prominently in "The Da Vinci Code." (He was played by Tom Hanks in the movie version). I haven't read the latest Dan Brown novel, but it sounds a lot like the "National Treasure" movies starring Nicolas Cage, with its setting in Washington, DC.
The Discovery Channel has just aired a fascinating two-part series, "The Secret History of Freemasons." It explores Masonic symbols and rituals, including the ritual murder of Hiram Abiff, an ancient Hebrew architect, and the formation of Freemasonry.
As Jay Kinney explains in "The Masonic Myth: Unlocking the Truth About the Symbols, the Secret Rites, and the History of Freemasonry" (Harper One, 288 pages, $15.99) it's proper to capitalize the word "Mason" when it refers to a speculative or philosophical Mason; an actual stoneworking one is lower-cased: "mason."
This sounds like snobbery to me, but Kinney says its just a way of distinguishing the guys who did the work, the operative masons, as opposed to the mostly soft-handed "accepted" speculative Masons who joined the guilds in their 18th Century beginnings.
Kinney, a Bay Area writer and cartoonist who grew up in the Midwest, joined the Masons in 2001, after years of wondering about it. He writes that Freemasons have been connected to the all-seeing eye on the dollar bill, the French Revolution, the Knights Templar, and the pyramids of Egypt.
Masons have been rumored to be everything from a cabal of elite power brokers ruling the world to a covert network of occultists and pagans intent on creating a new world order, to a millennia-old brotherhood perpetuating ancient wisdom through esoteric teachings.
Their secret symbols, rituals and organization have remained shrouded for centuries and spawned theory after theory. Kinney says that the truth -- at least as he sees it -- is far more compelling than the myths created both by Masons and the huge throng of anti-Masons.
Despite the fact that many of the nation's founding fathers -- like George Washington, John Hancock and Benjamin Franklin -- were members of Freemasonry lodges, Kinney writes that anti-Masonry has always been a part of the nation's history. Much of the opposition to this secret society stemmed from the belief that Masons practiced occult, pagan, even sexual rituals in their version of a parallel religion.
Kinney notes that this anti-Masonry often had elements of anti-Semitism, since Scottish Rite masons accepted Jews and members of other non-Christian religions, at a time -- the early 19th Century -- that Jews were excluded from many organizations. (York Rite Masons are still an essentially Christian organization).
Kinney explains the symbols of the "Craft" -- as some Masons refer to Freemasonry -- and their origin and explores alternative forms of Freemasonry. I was surprised to learn that there are Catholic Freemasons, which was explored in depth in the Discovery Channel series. It's no secret that the Roman Catholic church is definitely on the side of the anti-Masons. In fact, Freemasonry is thriving in much of Europe -- including nominally Catholic countries like France and Italy -- at a time when it is declining in the U.S., Kinney notes. He adds that most U.S. Masons are eligible for AARP, and even Medicare.
Younger men aren't interested in hanging out with men old enough to be their fathers and grandfathers, he writes, and American Freemasonry has declined mightily from its peak membership in the 1960s. Sounds like newspaper circulation to this reviewer, a veteran journalist! There certainly is a link between older people and print newspaper readers.
Kinney believes that the interest in Freemasonry thrived when religion became increasingly feminized. Guys needed to hang out with other guys and attending a lodge meeting was an early form of Guys' Night Out. In the early days of Freemasonry, he notes, the meetings were held in private rooms in taverns and food and drink -- especially drink -- flowed like, well, like wine.
This may have influenced anti-Masonry among fundamentalist Christians, who've long been behind prohibition of alcohol. On the other hand, Kinney writes that the Ku Klux Klan -- predominantly fundamentalist Christian in membership -- recruited for members among Masons.
The title of Kinney's book is somewhat misleading, because he doesn't really give away any secrets. He includes an extensive bibliography for further reading and explains the various degrees of membership in the Blue Lodge, York and Scottish Rite forms of Freemasonry. He also defends the moral and charitable work of Freemasonry.
I'm not a Mason, although a couple of decades ago, I was approached by a Scottish Rite Mason and invited to join a lodge in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles. I'm fascinated by symbolism and ritual, but I'd rather be on the outside looking in than on the inside looking out.
I recommend "The Masonic Myth" to similarly inclined readers.
About the author: Jay Kinney for 15 years was the publisher and editor of Gnosis, a journal exploring esoteric traditions and spiritual paths. He is a member of Mill Valley Lodge #356 and Mission Lodge #169, F&AM, in California. He's a member of both the York and Scottish Rites of Freemasonry.
Publisher's web site: www.harperone.com
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