Freemasonry takes a man, and makes him a better man. If that man is a Christian, you get a better Christian.
LVX "rosy-cross", 32' Scottish Rite Mason
Posted review comment on a book critical of Freemasonry
The Secret Teachings of the Masonic Lodge: A Christian Perspective
www.amazon.com
THE man revealed as the inspiration behind The Da Vinci Code hero Professor Robert Langdon says Aussie actor Mel Gibson - not Tom Hanks - should have portrayed him on the big screen. Despite enjoying the ego boost of discovering the central character in the blockbuster tale was based on him, Dr Robert Lomas, a physicist from Wales, feels the better-looking Gibson should have scored the role. Lomas, who is in regular contact with the book's author Dan Brown, has been made a minor celebrity by Da Vinci Code fanatics. But he's not satisfied with his taste of fame.
May 16, 2006
The Daily Telegraph, Sydney Australia
We pointed out to Dr. Lomas that the images were being used correctly under the 'Fair Use' editorial comment provision, but "Professor Robert Langdon's" legal threats against us continued for two months and escalated to this websites i.s.p. providers. Of course this Freemason and his Brotherly and Sisterly cohorts do not apply the same standard to themselves on their use of sacred Christian imagery in their long term and profitable literary career calumny against Catholicism and Christian belief.
#1. A aproned, blindfolded(hoodwinked) initiate with a noose around his neck(cabletowed), left breast exposed, in barefeet and slippers(slipshod), with his left trouser leg rolled up. #2. An apparent real human skull & crossed thigh bones used in the secret occult ceremony. #3. Raising of the newly created Freemason by the Worshipful Master from a mock ritual grave inside a dimly lighted, strangely furnished, Masonic Temple Lodgeroom.
The Sunday Times - Scotland
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2090-1573158,00.html
Secrets of ‘contorted’ freemason initiation to be revealed
Kath Gourlay
April 17, 2005
HE is believed to be the inspiration for the hero of Dan Brown’s bestselling novel The Da Vinci Code, and is credited with revealing the secrets of Rosslyn Chapel on which the cult book is based.
Now Dr Robert Lomas, who like Brown’s protagonist Robert Langdon is an international expert on symbolism and myth, is to publish a no-holds-barred account of the secret initiation ceremony of a freemason.
In Turning the Hiram Key, Lomas, of Bradford University, describes his own initiation at the Eaglescliffe Masonic Hall, where he was ordered to strip and put on “rough linen pyjamas” in the ladies lavatory by a man wearing a lambskin apron and holding a sword.
He includes details of the “contorted question and answer session”, during which he was asked to twist his body into strange positions while blindfold in a masonic temple, his trousers and sleeves rolled up.
At the completion of the ceremony the blind was ripped off and, half-blinded by the intense brightness in the room, he saw 40 white-gloved masons who clapped once to signify the end of his initiation.
The master of the lodge, wore an elaborate V-shaped collar of blue and white, the floor was covered in a white shroud, and the five-pointed star was shining on the eastern wall of the room, illuminating a skull and two crossed thigh bones.
The book, published by Lewis Masonic, explores the subsequent rituals, myths and symbolism of freemasonry that Lomas claims are connected to spiritual fulfilment.
However, his bid to go public has provoked outrage from fellow freemasons, who believe Lomas has betrayed the trust of the ancient organisation, first founded in Scotland in the 15th century.
Jim Munro, a Scottish freemason who gives tours of Rosslyn Chapel, said the revelations detracted from the ancient and mystic attraction of the clandestine order. “If anybody can buy it and read it on the bus eating a takeaway, then the essence of something ancient and mystical will die,” he said. “Lomas might have good intentions, but I really object to masonry being used as a tool to sell books.”
Another senior Scottish mason, who declined to be named, claimed that the attempt to uncover masonic secrets was “disgraceful”. He said: “The man has trivialised and made a laughing stock of an ancient and dignified tradition.”
Bob Cooper, the museum and library curator of the Grand Lodge of Scotland in Edinburgh, said Lomas could offer only a personal view of freemasonry. “I appreciate what he is trying to do. He feels freemasonry has been a positive influence in his life and that stimulating interest will benefit the craft,” he added. “But the danger is that in removing the mystique he is doing the opposite.”
However Lomas defended the book, which he claimed would set the record straight and would help to recruit new members. “It’s a major source of information about ourselves and our past that will disappear if we don’t get new blood in,” he said. “Previous exposés of freemasonry have been done by outsiders. As an insider, I’m saying this is a good thing. I’m trying to show what I got out of it.”
In 1996, Lomas claimed that Rosslyn Chapel was the hiding place for scrolls containing the secret teachings of Jesus Christ.
Freemasonry was founded in Scotland by the St Clairs of Roslin and the first minuted meetings were recorded in Edinburgh in 1599. Orders have since spread across the world.
Throughout the centuries thousands of famous men have been linked to the order including George Washington, the first president of the United States, Sir Winston Churchill and Mozart.
Further Reading:
UK Freemasonry in the News, have the 'Brethren' finally met their Waterloo?
