MythBusters is one of the most popular programs on the Discovery Channel. Millions of fans watch each week and Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman test and prove (or more often, disprove) various urban legends. Many a cherished illusion has come to grief on that show, although you can usually count on an explosion of some sort to raise your spirits. MythBusters, like The Wizard of Oz, tends to take a look at the man behind the curtain. So does Brother Brent—Ill. Dr. S. Brent Morris, 33°, Grand Cross, Grand Abbot of the Society of Blue Friars, editor of the Scottish Rite Journal, professional mathematician, and first-rate amateur magician—who has a reputation as a mythbuster as well. Generally, the explosions he produces are less spectacular than those created by Adam and Jamie, but the effects of his explosions last a lot longer. I have been eagerly awaiting his new book on Freemasonry. Here it is.
Morris, S. Brent, 33°, G.C., The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Freemasonry,* New York: Penguin Books, 2006, Softbound, 334 pages, heavily illustrated, ISBN 1-59257-490-4, cover price $18.95, available from bookstores or the Supreme Council Store, 202-232-3579, www.srmason-sj.org/acatalog.
First of all, this is a fun book to read. I realize that is not always a recommendation—often “fun” equates with shallow, flippant, or not serious. Not here. There is hard-edged research behind every word and every fact presented. All too often “serious” writing about Freemasonry resembles a combination of a medical pathologist’s report and grimmer work of the Brothers Grimm. Not here. The style is easy to read, but informational. It is fact-oriented, but never loses sight of the truth that the story of Freemasonry is first and foremost a story about what is means to be human.
I especially enjoy Chapter 13 (Oh, Brother Brent, what will the conspiracies people say about that number!) which introduces Part 4 of the book, dealing with Masonic urban myths and legends. Chapter 13 deals primarily with Albert Pike, and does so with a remarkable burst of sunlight and common sense. We might disagree a bit about Pike’s style of writing (I love it; I love the ability to let Pike’s sonorous prose wash over me in great tidal waves of forceful eloquence; and if it takes an extra thirty minutes to understand the meaning, so much richer the experience), but no one can deny that Pike has been attacked by men and women who are among the great unwashed. “They” claim he was a member of the KKK (there is no proof at all—nothing). “They” say he wrote a letter claiming that Lucifer was the god of Masonry (a proven and confessed forgery, written after his death). Incidentally, the mythbusting is not limited to Pike, You will find much more.
Chapter 16 is first rate on religious concerns and Freemasonry. Ill. Dr. Morris sets out the principal “charges” that various writers have leveled at the Fraternity, cites the documents in which the charges appear, and addresses them with clarity and reason. The book is worth owning for that chapter alone, if you find it necessary to explain Freemasonry to someone who raises religious objections.
I’ve mentioned those two chapters specifically, but the book has much more. For one thing, it is well illustrated. For another, there are “sidebars” of various types throughout the book which give additional information of different sorts. One type, headed “Hits and Myths,” gives short factual statements that address Masonic mythology or give side comments on history. Definitions of terms are also boxed, making them easy to find but not interrupting the flow of the reading if you already know the term. Yet a third box type is titled “The Square Deal.” These give more information about the topic under discussion. For example: “Masonic Degrees are initiatory steps and short allegorical plays which teach ethical and moral lessons. An initiatory step usually leads the candidate into self-reflection and contemplation of universal principles. When an allegorical play is presented, its plot usually builds upon the legends of the Blue Lodge, sometimes introducing new legends…. An initiatory step and an allegorical play can be combined in one degree. A Masonic ‘rite’ is a collection of degrees that coherently expand on the Blue Lodge legends, while teaching a cohesive set of ethical and moral lessons.”
Topics covered by the book include: • What is Freemasonry?; • Birth of the Masonic fraternity; • Beginnings of American Freemasonry; • Modern American Masonry; • African American Freemasonry; • Eastern Star and other organizations for women; • Scottish and York Rites; • Other organizations including youth groups; • Masonic symbolism; • Masonic regalia; and, of course, • Mythbusting. It is a good book for the general reading public as well as the Masonic public. It also has a special advantage in that the research and documentation, while they never “get in the way,” are here in full. If a person is writing a term paper on the fraternity, here is where he should start.
For student, researcher, or casual reader, the appendices are a treasure trove. Appendix A is a good glossary. Appendix B has an excellent list of good Masonic books, a very useful list of web sites, and contact information for various Masonic philanthropies. Appendix C contains two Masonic rituals, one typical of the Symbolic Lodge and one typical of the rites. Not only can non-Masons get the flavor and nature of a degree from the material, but Masons can explore earlier forms of the structure that is so familiar to us. Appendix D has a listing of famous Freemasons. This is simply a first-rate book. I’ve already ordered copies for the libraries at my Lodge and Grand Lodge.
John K. Young, Ph.D., and Barb Karg, The Everything Freemasons Book: Unlock the Secrets of this Ancient and Mysterious Society,* Avon, Mass: Adams Media, 2006, Softbound, 303 pages, illustrated, ISBN 1-59869-059-0, cover price $14.95, available on the Internet from $9.72.
This is another good book on basic Freemasonry, a part of the current interest caused by The Da Vinci Code and the anticipation of Dan Brown’s next book, The Solomon Key. It is well written and a good and easy read, and—bless the authors—it is an honest attempt to discover fact, not an exercise in Mason-bashing. In an introductory letter to the reader, they write: “No matter your opinions on Freemasonry, you can’t help but admire a group that has managed to cultivate so many strong and motivated individuals while at the same time enduring a load of adversity. My sincerest hope is that you’ll find this subject, as I did, to be utterly engaging, from its rich history to its alleged conspiracies, and that in so doing you gain a much better understanding of the fascinating world of Freemasonry.”
At first glance, it might seem that The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Freemasonry and The Everything Freemasons Book cover the same ground. That really is not the case. Young and Karg focus more on popular culture and Masonry’s appearance therein (for example, they debunk the movie From Hell which suggested that Jack the Ripper was a Mason).
Essentially, this book was written “from the outside, in” while The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Freemasonry was written from the “inside, out” The difference in perspective makes both books very much worth reading.
The History Channel, Mysteries of the Freemasons: The Beginning, DVD, 100 Minutes, $29.95, available from the Supreme Council Store, 202-232-3579, www.srmason-sj.org/acatalog. Product will ship on 07/20/06.
Suspected for centuries of plotting to overtake the world, accused of fomenting revolution, and reviled as devil worshippers that stole King Solomon’s treasure, the Freemasons claim they’re merely a civic-minded fraternity, bound together by harmless rituals. Which is closer to the truth?
This is the DVD of the two shows that first aired on the History Channel on Thursday, May 18. Some of the “come on” to draw in viewers is more lurid than necessary, and there is much dwelling on conspiracy theories and secrets designs and plots. However, it’s basically a good story about the fraternity.
Here’s how the History Channel describes the DVD. “This high-energy cocktail of dramatic reenactment, expert interviews, and location footage features historians Akram Elias, Stephen Bullock, and Brent Morris. They retell the Freemasons’ central myth, which stars Hiram Abiff, mythical builder of Jerusalem’s Temple of Solomon. During construction, Hiram was killed by three workers who believed his ‘secret, would impart magical powers—representing the three evils against which Freemasons believe they’re still struggling: ignorance, fanaticism, and tyranny.”
