World Famous Comics: Freemasons: A History and Exploration of the World's Oldest Secret Society
Freemasons: A History and Exploration of the World's Oldest Secret Society
By: H. Paul Jeffers Publisher: Citadel Press Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Citadel Press Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 256 Publication Date: March 01, 2005
"I am not a Freemason,Dr Morris,though I have great respect for it."--Abraham Lincoln
Though never a member of any fraternity,I have always had a passing interest in what they were all about.The author claims that the Freemasons are the world's oldest secret society.Whether that be true or not;it has existed for a very long time in one form or another. He makes a good attempt to trace it roots back to the building of Solomon's Temple.With all that has happened since that time,all the histories that have been written,all the organizations that have existed,and on and on;it is unlikely that complete agreement on all the history of the Freemasons will ever be resolved.Heck,the author shows that even the Freemasons have widely different views. What we seem to find is that there were organizations from Solomon's time and probably even before,and without doubt organizations of Masons exist today;how they got from there to here is intriguing. I have read quite a bit of history,from Ancient times to the present and Masons,Templars or whatever form or organization was involved at any particular time;there is little doubt that they existed and played important parts in all areas of history.Remember, it is the people who belonged to them is what was important;even moreso than the organization itself. Yes,they are a secret organization,not unlike many others. Yes,there are many things said about them,both good and bad.Yes ,they have been maligned and persecuted by just about every country and organization imaginable.All one can really say about that is;"Well,join the club!" The author has set out to show as fairly as possible the history,aims and whatnot and ,rather than make any judgements,leaves the reader to make up his own mind as what to make of it all. Quite honestly,I didn't think he exposed any sinister secrets. Heshows tha Freemasons had major involvement in the development of the United States and Canada.Whether you look at Political leaders,businessmen,Scientists,Mosicians,leaders in the Arts,Medicine,Generals or any other walks of life;you will find men who believed in God,and wanted to do all they were able to serve their country and fellow men.Of course,this was not onlytrue of Freemasons;many other people and organizations had similar aims and also were subjected to similat persecutions and misrepresentations. If one reads this ook with an open mind ,one would come to the same conclusion as did Abraham Lincoln did in my title. Organizations,down through the ages,with the highest of principles and aspirations have had problems with human failings amongst its members,and have been maligned for all kinds of reasons The Freemasons seem to be no different. I thought the list of Famous Masons the author provided shows that Freemasonry cuunts some of the finest people who made tremendous contributions in the development of the United States and Canada. Maybe we are all better off by thinking about what these people saw,believed and how they led their lives;rather than looking for something sinister in the organization. This applies to many other fine organizations as well,and I doubt that any of those Famous Masons listed would disagree.
Beginner Book Before I get to the subject matter, I must say that this book definitely should have been edited much better. There are small, but distracting mistakes quite often. Secondly, the way this college professor cites his sources is disappointing. It is difficult to find where he gets what from unless he comes out and says the author's name in the text, which is not incredibly often. If his "Titles for further reading" in the back is his bibliography, 17 sources from the same publisher? I agree with one of the other reviews. There is not much here that I haven't heard already. It is a wonderful book for beginners who have no clue what masons say about their own organization or if one wants masonic gossip. Personally I would have enjoyed a more balanced book. Why not get perspectives from those masons who have quit the order? Instead of spending gross amounts of time on telling us names of people who were masons and showing us small insignificant branches, why not ellaborate on groups like the illuminati? Thats a pretty major group not even touched. It might be more controversial? This book pits the gossip of ages against what well-rehearsed masons say about it. It doesn't give any well-thought-out arguments against masonry any real heed. It would just be nice to get an honest discourse instead of this off kilter type of research.
an excelent read Like many before me who have writen reviews on this book I to am a mason and I found this book extreemely useful in my studies. If you are a Mason, wishing to become a Mason, or just plain curious then I higly recomend this book.
Nothing New, Some Mistakes This book does not contain much that hasn't already been exhausted in previous books. I read this book the day after finishing Jasper Ridley's volume on Freemasonry, and it seems like the author of this book (for the most part) paraphased Ridley. I recommend Ridley's book. Also, there are some incorrect statements- one being that the eligible age of joining DeMolay is 13. The correct age is 12. That was not well researched. A simple visit to demolay.org would have fixed that problem. As a senior DeMolay and Master Mason, I prefer reading books on Masonry by Masons. Among the great authors are S. Brent Morris, W.L. Wilmshurst, and Allen Roberts. Also recommended are the books by John J. Robinson, who became a mason shortly after writing his 3 books on Freemasonry.
Two Thumbs Up This book is a must for any persons who are interested in secret societies. The information provided by this book will not only help readers understand the history of Freemasons; it also paves the way for scholars and investigative reporters in comparing secret societies of the West and the East.
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