You realize this is almost exactly what was being done 200 years ago. I imagine that would be a bit difficult to follow.

And after the ritual and this is true of all the Masonic degrees the master recites a lecture on the group's history and symbols, memorized word for word. You see the assembled brethren and the master of the lodge before you in his top hat. Then you're walked around the lodge room, introduced to each of the main officers. It's basically just a waist-high piece of furniture that has a Bible or whatever sacred text the individual has for their particular religion. The 'obligation,' or oath, is done at the altar in the middle of the lodge room. When I showed up, I was put in a little preparation room beforehand that had some clothing that I was supposed to put on, and then they gave me a blindfold. The main other thing is they want confirmation that you're self-supporting, that you're not joining the Masons to mooch off the lodge. It also asks if you've ever been convicted of a serious crime. The questions include 'Do you believe in a supreme being?' It doesn't specify one particular religion, but because of the way the rituals have evolved, it's assumed a Mason is going to have a non-specific belief in a God or deity. You are given an application form to fill out, that's the first thing. So what are the basic requirements? Who can join? They need to join for their own voluntary reasons. They don't want you to bring in people against their will. Around 2000, I said, Why not try it myself? Kinney: I had been interested since the '70s, when I saw a few books about Masonry and had a lot of confusion about it. In his own new book, The Masonic Myth, Kinney attempts to dispel some of the persistent rumors about the group by explaining how he became a Freemason himself. Now best-selling novelist Dan Brown has taken aim at the group's cultlike reputation in his latest book, The Lost Symbol a fact that comes as no surprise to author Jay Kinney. The secretive organization that once counted George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and Voltaire among its ranks has been a favorite target for conspiracy theorists since the 17th century, when Masonic lodges first spread across Europe. Follow Encyclopaedia Britannica for the word Freemasons and an unusual though not entirely unexpected result pops up: the entry for scapegoats.

The masonic myth by jay kinney