WASHINGTON — As members of a secretive brotherhood, Freemasons are no strangers to conspiracy theories. They’ve heard it all before: that they’re child-sacrificing cult members, or religious zealots plotting aNew World Order with the Jews, or satanic anti-religious alien spies.
With Dan Brown’s newest novel, “The Lost Symbol,” hitting bookstores on Sept. 15, — much of it rumored to center around Masonic myths — the Masons are in preemptive damage-control mode. Even though Brown (of “The Da Vinci Code” fame) and his publisher, Doubleday, are being tight-lipped about the book’s contents, some Masons are preparing for an onslaught of negative press. And because Brown is known for tying religious themes to his thrillers’ plots, Masons are carefully addressing common misconceptions about their religious affiliations.
“There is the basic question asked: Do you believe in God?” said Richard Fletcher, executive secretary of the Masonic Service Association of North America. “Beyond (requiring a belief in God), we’re not a religion, and we don’t pretend to be.”
Because the book’s contents are so hush-hush, Fletcher and others aren’t sure what to expect. The only information Doubleday has released so far is the book’s cover art and sporadic Twitter “clues” that hint at Freemasonry, religion and America’s founding fathers. Mark Koltko-Rivera, a Mason from New York City and author of the upcoming book, “Discovering the Lost Symbol,” which tries to anticipate charges leveled in Brown’s novel, created a blog to discuss and interpret each Twitter clue. Based on those clues, Koltko-Rivera is convinced that Freemasons –particularly the Scottish Rite branch — “will take it in the chops.”
A psychologist by trade with particular interest in psychology of religion, Koltko-Rivera thinks Brown will try to associate Freemasonry with religious extremists or, as one Twitter clue suggested, that the founding fathers subscribed to deism (a generic belief in God) rather than theism (a belief in God as creator and ruler).
“That alone would really tick people off,” Koltko-Rivera said, “and that’s a religious position Dan Brown would be comfortable with.”
Fletcher said Freemasonry has been scrutinized for centuries because it welcomes men of all faiths to join. He said that Nazis forced Masons into concentration camps because Freemasonry welcomed Jews as members.
Noting that Jews are themselves no stranger to conspiracy theories,”a lot of anti-Masonry is rooted in anti-Semitism,” he said.
Jay Kinney, a Mason and writer from California, is releasing a book to counter Masonic falsehoods a week before Brown’s book goes on sale. Kinney’s book, “Masonic Myth,” delves into the mysterious history of the Freemasons and carefully dispels rumors and misconceptions about the brotherhood.
Kinney said he avoided mentioning Brown or his novel in his book, and he’s not trying to guess what conspiracy theories Brown might try to advance.
“On the whole, my approach to the book is to not have Dan Brown define what I’d be writing about.” Kinney said. “I just tried to reboot the subject and methodically go from there. If a reader reads Dan Brown and has questions, undoubtedly they will have a variety of books and sources that will offer counter information or clarification.”
One blogger explicitly warned readers about the “Dan Brown Effect”– the response that followed “The Da Vinci Code” by misinformed and sometimes gullible readers who take historical fiction as historical fact.
“The Da Vinci Code” sold more than 80 million copies worldwide and stirred up controversy by suggesting a romantic relationship between Jesus and Mary Magdalene, upsetting Christian groups and historians who argued against the plot’s historical and biblical inaccuracies.
“This is a major development that will affect the public perception of Freemasonry for years. Don’t forget that tens of millions of people think they understood what Opus Dei was after they read `(The) Da Vinci Code,” wrote Chris Hodapp, a Mason from Indianapolis, Ind., and author of “Freemasons for Dummies,” in his blog of the same name.
The news isn’t all bad, however. Whether Brown makes Masons the good guys or the villains, members of the brotherhood seem to agree that the attention could nonetheless pique people’s interest and lead to increased membership requests.
“This is a truly once-in-a-lifetime chance for this fraternity. Not to go trawling in shallow waters for new members, but to educate the public and make sure men know who we are, where we are, and what we offer them,” Hodapp said in his blog. In Washington, officials at the landmark Temple of the Scottish Rite, which sits about a dozen blocks north of the White House, said are bracing themselves for expected bus loads of curious tourists in the weeks surrounding the book’s release.
But they’re not quite sure whether to expect hostility, curiosity or a little of both. Neither the Freemasons, nor the rest of the world,will know for sure how the Masons are treated in the book until it’s released on Sept. 15.
By S.J. VELASQUEZ
Religion News Service
Copyright 2009 Religion News Service. All rights reserved. No part of this transmission may be distributed or reproduced without written permission.
Beliefnet
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posted September 4, 2009 at 12:49 am
Well Brown’s getting the publicity he wants. Can’t blame him for that.
If this paragraph is suggesting deism is extremist, it’s right in line with RNS’s poor reporting/writing. It’s my understanding several of the founding fathers were deists and at the time that made a lot of sense; far more than any “theism” did or does.
I look forward to the book, perhaps in paperback.
posted September 4, 2009 at 12:34 pm
I’m not sure its so much a concern on how Freemasonry will be treated, but how Brown will approach the fraternity. He villinazed the Illuminati in the last film (even if it was just a minor plot point), so is it the Fraternity that he plans to leverage the story on, or a character who happens to be a Mason.
A very common misconception is that Freemasonry acts and breaths as one voice, when in reality, it has one principal philosophy of initiation (inner awakening) but comprised by many different blocks (cubes) of common members of society. In other words, being a Mason does not imply that each and every one acts under a particular rule as say those of a particular faith, but rather Freemasons are taught to live and contribute to society as they can or able, keeping in mind (and heart) a philosophy of why they do so. Like individual contractors each with a role in life.
I do hope Brown’s book bodes well for the fraternity, otherwise, he may do it more of a disservice and cause the still living and breathing institution irreparable harm.
posted September 4, 2009 at 1:50 pm
All this pre-publication publicity will probably serve to sell more books when it is out. As for the Freemasons….they will probably get both good and bad publicity for it.
posted September 4, 2009 at 2:06 pm
I worked with a lovely older lady whose husband was a high degree Mason; if all people could be like these two the world would be a different place to live in.
The fact that Fundamentalist, Evangelical Religions found so much fault with the Masons is because, IMO, they received people from all faiths or maybe no religion. When you do this you step on their toes, and are suspect of just about anything their imagination can conjure up. Sort of like the climate in our country since we have a President who wants his countryman to have tolerance for each other.
Brown’s new book will be interesting to read, and see where he is going. My suspicion is the story will be favorable towards the Masons.
posted September 4, 2009 at 3:47 pm
“deism (a generic belief in God) rather than theism (a belief in God as creator and ruler)”
That’s probably the poorest definition of deism and theism that I’ve ever seen. The deists of the Founding Fathers’ age most certainly believed that God was the creator and (moral) ruler of the world. What they denied was God’s personal intervention into the world’s history, such as is found in the Jewish Scriptures or in orthodox Christian beliefs about the divinity of Christ.
posted September 4, 2009 at 5:08 pm
Nate W-
Another of those times (rare as they may be) where we agree completely.
Peace!
posted September 4, 2009 at 6:32 pm
The definition of Deism and Theism in the article misses the mark. What Dr. Mark Koltko-Rivera actually had to say about Theism vs. Deism on his “Keys to the Lost Symbol Clues” blog follows:
“Theism vs. Deism
There are many ways to conceive of God. One set of ways comes under the heading of Theism, a group of ideas about God that encompasses Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
A theistic notion of God takes the position that God created the universe and is vitally concerned with its affairs, including the affairs of humankind; God watches over us, individually and collectively (part of the meaning of the ‘Eye of God’ symbol, incidentally). A theistic God communicates the Divine Will to people from time to time, for their benefit — the process of revelation, which may result in the accumulation of scriptures as records of revelation. A theistic God may work miracles to serve divine purposes. Those who believe in a theistic notion of God are called theists.
A different way to conceive of God is the position of Deism. In the deistic perspective, God created the universe, but does not particularly intervene in the affairs of the universe or humankind. To some extent, humankind may come to know a deistic God through the workings of human reason, but a deistic God does not communicate through revelation; thus, whatever people designate as ‘scriptures’ are merely human creations and interpretations. A deistic God does not interfere with the workings of natural law, and so does not work miracles. A deistic God gave reason and compassion to all of humankind, but otherwise does not actively intervene in the lives of individuals. Those who believe in a deistic notion of God are called deists.”
For more regarding what Dr. Mark had to say about Theism, Deism, and our Founding Fathers, click on the URL.
posted September 4, 2009 at 10:26 pm
Just remember that Dan Brown is a fiction writer. This was illustrated in The DaVinci Code. Unfortunately, not everyone understood that fact. The same will be true with The Lost Symbol. Questions will be raised, rumors will spread, and disinformation will abound. But the fact remains that this is a work of fiction.
posted September 6, 2009 at 10:16 am
I completely agree with you Jim, i do hope that people who read this book would remember that it is only a work of fiction. Simple fact!
posted September 6, 2009 at 10:18 am
I completely agree with you Jim, i do hope that people who read this book would remember that it is only a work of fiction. Simple fact
posted September 6, 2009 at 2:14 pm
Only fiction, and if you know any Mason personally it won’t matter what it says.