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The Hiram Key Pharaohs, Freemasons and the Discovery of the Secret Scrolls of Jesus by Christopher Knight, Robert Lomas (Contributor) Buy this book |
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| Brethren Reviews |
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Steve E. Myers, Everett Lodge 137, Everett, Washington: If you are looking for controversy you have found it! In Freemasonry we are taught that every Mason is an individual with a right to his own opinion, religion, and philosophy. We are striving to make good men, who believe in a Supreme Being, better men. Many non-Masons are critical of Masonry because of their belief that it is a religion, it is not of course, but does have religious ties. This book to me stretches the imagination not only of the reader but also of the authors. When any subject is researched and evaluated with enough - maybes, what-ifs, could-bees and looks like, we can come up with any answer we are looking for. I believe that this book does this (and of course it is my belief and is not meant to criticize that of others). Therefore I feel that it does not do credit to the enhancement and the building of Masonry, but causes fuel to those who are critical of it and rejection to those who may have considered it. |
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Eric Kay, Malta Lodge #17, Thermopolis, WY: I began reading this book right after being raised to Master Mason. I had high hopes. I was let down. Don't get me wrong, this is a facinating book, but I have a hard time calling it non-fiction. Knight and Lomas have high hopes too, but not the greatest research techniques. They present a fact, make a few conclusions, present a fact or quote, then try and tie the two together. It makes for a great story, but it just doesn't hold water. Knight and Lomas also have a few things to learn about Masonry and basic faith. They spend a lot of time "debunking" Christianity, for no real purpose (so it seems). They use the Bible a bit but rely heavily on the Dead Sea Scrolls, with some facinating results. It would be great if even most of what they say was plausable; it just doesn't stand up to a close look. Read it and decide for yourself, but my advice is, don't take it as gospel. An open mind and a big grain of salt won't hurt either. |
| VWB Ken Cage. Past Master, Crystal Lodge 122, Marysville, WA: Quoting from the book jacket, "The Hiram Key is a book that will shake the Christian world to its very roots" "When (the authors) set out to find the origins of Freemasonry, they had no idea they would find themselves unravelling the true story of Jesus Christ and the original Jerusalem Church. As a radically new picture of Jesus and his ultra-Jewish sect started to emerge, the authors came to the controversial conclusion that the Key rituals of modern Freemasonry were practiced by the sect as a means of initiation into their community." This book is very well researched and the deductive reasoning is clear and easy to follow. This book will be very controversial and will be the subject of many debates. Not all Masons will agree with the conclusions. But we are taught to look at all information and reach our own conclusions. I recommend it very highly. |