JP and I went to see Angels & Demons on Friday night, and it was pretty entertaining - much better than the film adaptation of The Da Vinci Code. I always love movies about secret societies and such, but this one gets me a little more interested because it turns out that my family tree contains some Freemasons.
A long time ago, I came to be in possession of a couple of Freemason-related reading materials - I can't remember if I got them from my dad or my grandmother when I spent a summer helping her clean out her attic. It turns out that one of my relatives, Frank Dodge (a relative on my grandmother's side, not sure what relation he would be to me), became a Master Mason in 1944, and I have one of his books called "The Master's Lectures" (written in 1923) and a masonic version of the Bible which has a big forward in it detailing the construction of King Solomon's temple and the relevant biblical passages relating to it. Tucked into the Bible, I found the bylaws booklet of the lodge that my relative apparently attended. I knew that my Uncle Steve was a mason, but I didn't really think that anyone else in my family was one until now. I have no idea how many others in my family are Masons.
I've read the first couple of lectures, and watched a show on Discovery regarding the Freemasons, and they keep talking about how open they are and that they don't have ulterior motives. And yet even within the lectures, there are clearly some things that are secret, meant for Masons only as the author makes mention that some brothers might be worried that he would disclose "that which ought not be disclosed to outsiders". The Discovery special had the "first ever taped masonic initiation" (which was an acted thing, not a legitimate, real ceremony), and yet it was only the First Degree - according to the book I'm reading, there are anywhere from 3 Degrees to 25 (depending on which Rites a given lodge practices) and there's definitely secrecy involved - even if that secrecy only applies to rituals and symbols. I find it highly interesting that the Masons have recently taken great pains to prove how open they are and yet their own writings speak of some secrecy and symbology which is reserved solely for brothers. Then again, they're the most non-secret secret society that exists today, I would imagine. So what better way to hide an agenda than in plain sight? I can see from where the conspiracy theorists get their ideas.
Another interesting thing is that American Freemasonry seems to be tied to the Bible (as evidenced by the Masonic version of the one I have), but both the Discovery special and the lectures I have read leave the door open for any deity to fill in as the "Master Builder" and in some cases, the writings point to a definitively humanistic worldview, merging astrology with biblical themes such as asserting that each tribe of Israel used a particular astrological sign on their banners. I would assume that other masonic traditions in other countries would tend to ascribe to the prevailing God-view in that region and it seems that Freemasonry leaves that an open possibility. So, while I believe that Freemasonry strives to achieve goodness through brotherhood in search of a higher power, it's not an organization that supports one particular religious tradition over the other, nor is it merely a social or humanitarian organization. As such, I am still unclear as to what Freemasonry's point of existence really is, other than a classic and traditional "boy's club". They have secret handshakes, secret ceremonies, and are an invitation-only organization - it's no wonder that people think that there's more than meets the eye to your average Mason.
So yeah, maybe I'm part of the Illuminati and I don't even know it. As a fella once said, ain't that a kick in the head? "It's the Skulls...they control everything!"
