Two members of local temple sue 5 officers

MARY FLOOD
HOUSTON CHRONICLE
Oct. 24, 2009

The Houston branch of the fez-wearing fraternity known for driving tiny circus cars and supporting area Shriners children’s hospitals, is embroiled in a court dispute where the societal honorifics of “potentate,” “high priest” and “illustrious sir” are dropped in favor of plain “plaintiff” and “defendant.”

Two longtime members of the Arabia Shrine Temple in Houston have sued five officers of the group alleging intentional infliction of emotional distress, defamation, violation of due process, breach of fiduciary duty, conspiracy and other charges.

The basic complaint is that the current leaders of the philanthropic Freemasons brotherhood are not following internal rules or state law when it comes to transparency in expenditures of some of the $15 million-plus obtained in the sale of their former temple at 2900 N. Braeswood. The Meyerland-area facility sold in 2007.

Full story

A quote from historian Gordon Wood’s Empire of Liberty: A History of the Early Republic, 1789-1815:

Freemasonry was a surrogate religion for enlightened men suspicious of traditional Christianity. It offered ritual, mystery, and communality without the enthusiasm and sectarian bigotry of organized religion. But Masonry was not only an enlightened institution; with the Revolution, it became a republican one as well. As George Washington said, it was “a lodge for the virtues.” As Masonic lodges had always been places where men who differed in everyday affairs — politically, socially, even religiously — could “all meet amicably, and converse sociably together.” There in the lodges, the Masons told themselves, “we discover no estrangement of behavior, nor alienation of affection.” Masonry had alway sought unity and harmony in a society increasingly diverse and fragmented. It traditionally had prided itself on being, as one Mason put it, “the Center of Union and the menas of conciliating friendship among men that might otherwise have remained at perpetual distance.”

MAUREEN DOWD - September 30, 2009

It’s not so much the barbarous machinations of the villain, another one-dimensional, self-mortifying hulk, that sends chills down your spine. Or the plot, which is an Oedipal MacGuffin.

No, the terrifying thing about “The Lost Symbol” is that Brown — who did not flinch when the Vatican both condemned the “The Da Vinci Code” and curtailed the filming of “Angels & Demons” in Rome — clearly got spooked by that other powerful, secretive ancient sect, the Masons.

His book is a desperate attempt to ingratiate himself with the Masons, rather than to interpret the bizarre Masonic rites and symbols that illuminate — as in Illuminati! — how the ultimate elite private boys’ club has conspired to shape the nation’s capital and Western civilization ever since George Washington laid the cornerstone for the Capitol building in a Masonic ritual wearing full Masonic regalia, including a darling little fringed satin apron. If the Masons are more intimidating than the Vatican, if Brown has now become part of their semiotic smoke screen, then all I can say is, God help us all.

Full story

Eamon Javers - September 28, 2009

The reporter walked into his office expecting a normal day at work: cup of coffee, call some sources, the usual routine.

But this wasn’t going to be an ordinary day at all.

His editor had other ideas. Darker ideas.

The editor wanted an article on the new Dan Brown novel called “The Lost Symbol”, about a conspiracy by Freemasons in Washington.

The long-awaited book features Robert Langdon, the hero of Brown’s previous smash hits “The Da Vinci Code” and “Angels and Demons,” on a dramatic quest in and around Washington’s most famous landmarks to find a secret hidden long ago by the Masons.

But the editor was intrigued by a real-world question: How many present-day members of Congress are Freemasons? And is any member of Congress also a Knight Templar — a famous subgroup of Masons that traces its lineage to the medieval crusaders?

Full story

—

Note: It cuts off at the end, and I’m no sure how much longer the actual program was.

Clair Barrus - September 21, 2009

Since 2003, Dan Brown’s book “The Lost Symbol” has been on the mind of many Mormons.

Rumors and clues on the dust jacket of The Da Vinci Code led some to believe that elements of the church’s relationship with Freemasonry would be emphasized in “The Solomon Key,” the working title for Dan Brown’s latest block buster book. The title was later changed to “The Lost Symbol.”

Dan Brown’s 2004 visit to Salt Lake and interest in Masonic symbols on the Salt Lake Temple elevated curiosity and speculation about his plans to discuss Mormonism’s curious relationship with Freemasonry. “He was, of course, very interested in the symbology on the Mormon temple…he was interested in the pentacles and the suns and the moons and the stars and all that. So, I gather his primary interest was to sort of see the Mormon embellishment of masonry as it exists, in his mind, of course…”[Aaron Wilhelm, tour guide]

An in depth discussion of Mormonism and Masonry was a cause of concern, as the history of Mormonism and Masonry is unique.

Full story

- Man accused of burning Bible in place of worship
- Temple Terrace police find burned Bible on altar in Masonic lodge, arrest man inside for arson

New book should have been called “The Gospel According to Freemasonry”

Thomas Horn - September 17, 2009

SPRINGFIELD, MO – There’s a conspiracy, all right, and Dan Brown is in on it. “The Lost Symbol,” his follow-up to the 2003 best-seller, “The Da Vinci Code,” is out this week – and if you’ve read it, you know the Freemason’s have nothing to worry about. “Symbol” is about as threatening to The Brotherhood as a box of chocolates, two-dozen roses and a love card.

In fact, if you’re anything like me, you’ll come away from this overblown drivel with the curious feeling that we’ve all been had—that the “jitters” Freemasons were claiming to be experiencing in the lead-up to “Symbol” was really an elaborate sales gimmick between Brown and his occult buddies at 16th Street in Washington DC. The problem is, these folks are not just selling books. They’ve amassed under the guise of a “thriller” a profound apologetic for the occult aspirations of the Order of the Quest.

Full story

Lauren Jacobson
Hatchet Reporter

Posted: 9/8/09

A new fraternal organization is surfacing on GW’s campus, and this time there will be no Greek letters involved.

A group of GW alumni that believe in the teachings of the Masonic people are looking to start a Freemason Lodge on campus, said Paul Nadeau, a 2004 graduate of the Elliott School of International Affairs. A Freemason Lodge is not a literal building, Nadeau said, but rather it is a chapter of Freemason people, similar to a fraternal organization.

“The word ‘lodge,’ in a Masonic sense, applies to a local assembly of Masons rather than to a physical structure,” Nadeau said in an e-mail, adding that while there are alumni from the Colonial Lodge, no current students are members.

Any GW students, faculty, staff and alumni would be welcome to join, Nadeau said, with one exception - membership excludes women.

University President Emeritus Stephen Joel Trachtenberg - who follows the Freemason teachings - said an official chapter on campus would be very similar to a service fraternity and would be involved in many public service-related activities.

(more…)

By David Montgomery and Monica Hesse
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, September 10, 2009

Step right up, folks, no ticket necessary for this symbologic tour of the secrets of Washington.

All you need is the secret handshake. Don’t know the handshake? Never mind. Neither do we.

Just stand at the curb at Union Station and say in unison the ancient phrase of the Freemasons: “Is there no help for the widow’s son?”

Excellent. Come on board our vehicle today, the Esoteric Omnibus, painted black with golden stars, squares, crosses, triangles, pyramids and all-seeing eyeballs.

You know why we’re here. Six years after his blockbuster “The Da Vinci Code,” Dan Brown’s next novel, “The Lost Symbol,” will hit stores Tuesday with a massive print run of 5 million copies. The book’s contents remain a secret deeper than the whereabouts of the Holy Grail and the location of Christ’s genome, but the cover shows a blood-red Masonic seal and the sun glinting behind the Capitol dome.

Hmmm. Masons, Washington. Washington, Masons . . . .

Full story

Powerful bankers, international financiers and mystics, join forces in Paris in the build up to the French Revolution:

“Lodge of Les Amis Réunis [The United Friends]” and “Karl R. H. Frick on The Philalèthes“

via Nicene Truth:

Catholic writer John Salza exposes the Masonic influences amongst the Boy Scouts. The Masons scout the Scouts for future Kraftwerkers.

Here in PDF

Sandy Frost - Aug 6, 2009

Former Judge Ronald Tills is being sentenced tomorrow for pleading guilty to violating the Mann Act. He was caught with two others in a FBI human trafficking sting for taking illegal alien prostitutes to weekend meetings of the Royal Order of Jesters so their Master Mason brothers could have sex.

The Jesters, like their parent organizations, the Shriners and Masons, are nonprofit groups, so it’s like partying with prostitutes at taxpayer expense.

In his defense, pre-sentencing memoranda and letters of support have been submitted and are available on the United States federal court record system AKA PACER.

A few things bear discussion here but let’s first review what happened.

Full story

Masonic Post - July 27, 2009

Exclusively for Serbian Playboy the Grand Master of the Regular Grand Lodge of Serbia, Dr. Čedomir Vukić, for the first time publicly speaks candidly about Freemasons in Serbia, Masonic secrets and political influence.

Full story