Dan Brown's "The Lost Symbol": The Woo Begins

[LightinDarkness]

Quite a few JREFers have suspected that the popularity of Dan Brown is going to create a massive surge of woo from now until probably early next year with the release of his new book on freemasonry. And with the release of the book covers today the woo has already begun:
http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSTRE5670T120090708

Although we knew the book would be about freemasonry I had personally hoped he wouldn't play to the conspiracy theory favorite: the Scottish Rite. Unfortunately, it appears as though I am wrong by looking at the book cover. Although the Scottish Rite is just a side order that has no real power (just like the rest of freemasonry), and although any mason who joins goes from the 4th to the 32nd degree in days, because of the high numbers involved it is the rite most often used by conspiracy theorists to accuse of being the NWO/Illuminati/whatever. They want to believe an increase in degree numbers signifies rank or power or something.

With the setting in Washington, the Scottish Rite being headquartered there, and the US book cover using symbols nearly identical to Scottish Rite freemasonry, it looks like this will be an absolute field day for the woos who are already convinced the Scottish Rite is uber powerful and part of the NWO. I also see the book covers as highlighting the number 33, which is an honorary degree given to members who make substantial contributions to society. In CT lore, its also the super-super-super evil doers (the 32nd degrees are just your standard evil doers in CT lore) that get the 33rd degree.

I am already seeing woogasms in some of the comment sections of the media sites covering this.

[CptColumbo]

My great Uncle Charles (who was the Grandfather I never had) was a 33rd degree member of the Scottish Rite. He was a school teacher. In the end he moved in with me and my family, since he didn't have much money and needed someone looking after him. He was the kindest man I have ever known. When people attribute evil to the 33rd degree I find it hard to contain my anger.

[LightinDarkness]

My great Uncle Charles (who was the Grandfather I never had) was a 33rd degree member of the Scottish Rite. He was a school teacher. In the end he moved in with me and my family, since he didn't have much money and needed someone looking after him. He was the kindest man I have ever known. When people attribute evil to the 33rd degree I find it hard to contain my anger.

Sadly, I think most of it comes from Jim Shaw's Book "The Deadly Deception" where he acts like he was invited to receive the 33rd degree. In it he claims those receiving the honor eventually worship Satan. This is the source I see for most of the claims...which I suspect will soon be popping up if Brown goes down this line in his book. Of course, when you research Jim Shaw the book you find out he was never even a member of the Scottish Rite although was a ex-mason turned wacko evangelical.

Just again delineates how wacky CTs are compared to reality. In reality, the 33rd degree is the masonic equivalent of receiving an honorary doctorate from a school you are an alumnus of.

[Checkmite]

I remember watching a video once of some person who was an ex-Mason, or claimed to be; his last name started with an S I think, and was longish. The video was him delivering a sermon, or at least a long speech, to a church congregation. He was billing himself as an ex-Satanic high priest and was describing for the congregation his rise to "power" and subsequent salvation.

As part of his litany, he describes joining a witch coven and moving up through the ranks; eventually he wanted to become a satanic official. Interestingly, instead of the normal Masonic/satanic conspiracy theories about normal people becoming Masons and then being "indoctrinated" into devil-worship, this individual claimed that in order to advance in the satanic organization, he was told that he would first have to join Freemasonry. Which, he says, he did, and eventually became a 90th-degree Mason (yes, I'm serious). Toward the end he starts talking about how he had to drink the actual blood of a fallen angel, which turned him into a werewolf for a while, and....well, yeah, it was great.

As for Dan Brown; the trouble with him is, his books are billed as fiction. Because of that, whenever you try to dissect his claims/conclusions, his fans will start complaining because it's "only fiction". It's even happened on this forum, I seem to remember. I don't buy the "only fiction" copout, because it's clear from Brown's forewords that he wants us to believe, or "understand", that while his Michael Langdon character and the things that character does in the book are fictional, we're supposed to believe that all the clues and information Langdon uncovers during the course of the book are real and factual, the result of thorough research on the part of Dan Brown.

[8den]

The popularity of Dan Brown's books is something that deeply depresses me.

[fitzgibbon]

I remember watching a video once of some person who was an ex-Mason, or claimed to be; his last name started with an S I think, and was longish.

Bill Schnoebelen. A living example of P.T. Barnum's saying that there's a sucker born every minute. The Internet's a great aggregator of the gullible.

[fitzgibbon]

The popularity of Dan Brown's books is something that deeply depresses me.

Proof positive that you'll never go broke underestimating the intelligence of the paying public. :D

[dudalb]

I love the way Brown tries to have it both ways; he claims his books are fiction but then claims the "historical background" in the books are well researched and accurate.
I am not a Catholic, but I have a real problem with, even in fictioin, accusing a real world group of being basically a bunch of murderers unless you have the solid evidence to back it up.
But Brown might do the impossible; Bring the Masons and the Catholic Hierach into agreement on one thing: Dan Brown is full of it.

[dudalb]

BTW has there been a drop in the numbers of those taking the Scottish Rite since the Shriners dropped the requirement that members have completed the 32 degree or have completed the York rite degrees?
Let's face it, a lot of people just went through the Scottish Rites so they could get to the "Let's Party!" side of Masonry with the Shriners.

[LightinDarkness]

BTW has there been a drop in the numbers of those taking the Scottish Rite since the Shriners dropped the requirement that members have completed the 32 degree or have completed the York rite degrees?
Let's face it, a lot of people just went through the Scottish Rites so they could get to the "Let's Party!" side of Masonry with the Shriners.

Yeah, they dropped that requirement a few years ago. Although I'm not sure who really pushed them to drop it. Although the Shrine has shrinking numbers joining and "moving up the ranks" of the side orders would take at most a weekend or so to get to Knight Templar or 32nd Degree. The bigger barrier is that "having to be a mason" thing, which at least takes a few months usually.

I think the Shrine is becoming more and more concerned about its shrinking numbers, because while membership in every fraternity is dropping regular freemasonry and the side orders are in many cases reversing the trend, while the Shrine languishes. They might eventually even drop the whole "having to be a mason" thing.

[fullflavormenthol]

Bill Schnoebelen. A living example of P.T. Barnum's saying that there's a sucker born every minute. The Internet's a great aggregator of the gullible.
Yes he is very infamous, and appearantly he gets around given that he claims to he been a mason, a Mormon, a Wiccan priest, a Satanic priest, and whatever else he can throw on the list. I suspect he also claims to have played D&D too.

[timhau]

The popularity of Dan Brown's books is something that deeply depresses me.

Me too. He's like a James Patterson who pretends to be smart.

[tsig]

The popularity of Dan Brown's books is something that deeply depresses me.

He has the longest anti-climaxes in literary history.

[tsig]

Yes he is very infamous, and appearantly he gets around given that he claims to he been a mason, a Mormon, a Wiccan priest, a Satanic priest, and whatever else he can throw on the list. I suspect he also claims to have played D&D too.

He's "all things to all men".

[CptColumbo]

Just again delineates how wacky CTs are compared to reality. In reality, the 33rd degree is the masonic equivalent of receiving an honorary doctorate from a school you are an alumnus of.
I still have his White Cap.

[LightinDarkness]

Update because the media woo continues:
http://www.washingtonian.com/blogarticles/people/capitalcomment/13413.html

As a work of fiction I was sort of hoping Brown would come up with some orginal CT that would at least make us think. Nope. Looks like one of his major points is the tried and true (and debunked) "ZOMG, THERE IS A PENTAGRAM IN THE LAYOUT OF WASHINGTON DC!" You would think the media would point out that the street designer for Washington DC was not a mason and that if you have enough diagonal streets you can make a pentagram anywhere, but they are already latching on to this:

You don’t need to burn shoe leather looking for Masonic symbols in the nation’s capital—all you need are Google Maps and a Sharpie marker. It’s no secret that George Washington was a Freemason, but what about Pierre L’Enfant, the architect of DC? The layout of the city’s streets and landmarks seems to suggest as much—triangles and pentagrams abound.


Of course, pentagrams and triangles are not Freemason symbols to begin with..but who let that get in the way of a good CT.

But the stupidity does not end there. It continues by using old debunked dollar bill conspiracies ("the pyramid is a masonic symbol for the all seeing eye of God" - NOT) and a few others.

It really annoys me when the media delves into CT but doesn't stop to point out how much of what they've said is debunked and simply fiction. The argument is that people should know better, but as know from sites like AboveTopSecret...people DON'T know better.