LightinDarkness
15th September 2009, 04:55 PM
So I've been following the media frenzy up to Dan Brown's "The Lost Symbol" to see if the media would embrace the conspiracy lunacy to get the ratings. The general publics failure to grasp that the DaVinci code was FICTIONAL as is "The Lost Symbol" could lead to a spread of conspiracy propaganda that would be embraced among the general population, which was concerning.
I have to say that, overall, I have been pleasantly surprised. Although there were a few members of the media that really exploited this (like the history channel), overall the amount of reasonable discussion and pointing out that this is a fictional book and has no basis in reality has been refreshing.
In an AP interview Dan Brown appears to indicate he took the high road -
Brown's research for "The Da Vinci Code" was highly criticized by some Catholics for suggesting that Jesus and Mary Magdalene conceived a child and for portraying Opus Dei — the conservative religious order — as a murderous, power-hungry sect.
The Mason response could well be milder. Brown goes out of his way in "The Lost Symbol" to present the lodge as essentially benign and misunderstood. Masons are praised for their religious tolerance and their elaborate rituals are seen as no more unusual than those of formal religions. The plot centers in part on an "unfair" anti-Masonic video that "conspiracy theorists would feed on ... like sharks," Langdon says.
"I have enormous respect for the Masons," Brown told The Associated Press during a recent interview. "In the most fundamental terms, with different cultures killing each other over whose version of God is correct, here is a worldwide organization that essentially says, `We don't care what you call God, or what you think about God, only that you believe in a god and let's all stand together as brothers and look in the same direction.'
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112840436
I have the book but won't have time to read it for a while, but it LOOKS like what hes done is made freemasonry look good and might show the damage that conspiracy theorists can do to otherwise benign organizations.
Of course, any flattery he gives to freemasonry is probably also going to be undeserved, but I thought it would be a hit job book because having evil freemasons be at the center would create lots of publicity and conspiracy theorists would eat it up. Angelic freemasons acting as forces for goid against nefarious plots is any better, but hopefully he does not go that far.
Reading the comments on the media sites is also rather interesting. Although your typical anti-masonic evangelical is there preaching to the sheeple that masons are satanists, they seem to be in the minority. Perhaps things will kick up later when more people have read the book, but for NOW it looks like this is going to be a loss for conspiracy theorists.
I have to say that, overall, I have been pleasantly surprised. Although there were a few members of the media that really exploited this (like the history channel), overall the amount of reasonable discussion and pointing out that this is a fictional book and has no basis in reality has been refreshing.
In an AP interview Dan Brown appears to indicate he took the high road -
Brown's research for "The Da Vinci Code" was highly criticized by some Catholics for suggesting that Jesus and Mary Magdalene conceived a child and for portraying Opus Dei — the conservative religious order — as a murderous, power-hungry sect.
The Mason response could well be milder. Brown goes out of his way in "The Lost Symbol" to present the lodge as essentially benign and misunderstood. Masons are praised for their religious tolerance and their elaborate rituals are seen as no more unusual than those of formal religions. The plot centers in part on an "unfair" anti-Masonic video that "conspiracy theorists would feed on ... like sharks," Langdon says.
"I have enormous respect for the Masons," Brown told The Associated Press during a recent interview. "In the most fundamental terms, with different cultures killing each other over whose version of God is correct, here is a worldwide organization that essentially says, `We don't care what you call God, or what you think about God, only that you believe in a god and let's all stand together as brothers and look in the same direction.'
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112840436
I have the book but won't have time to read it for a while, but it LOOKS like what hes done is made freemasonry look good and might show the damage that conspiracy theorists can do to otherwise benign organizations.
Of course, any flattery he gives to freemasonry is probably also going to be undeserved, but I thought it would be a hit job book because having evil freemasons be at the center would create lots of publicity and conspiracy theorists would eat it up. Angelic freemasons acting as forces for goid against nefarious plots is any better, but hopefully he does not go that far.
Reading the comments on the media sites is also rather interesting. Although your typical anti-masonic evangelical is there preaching to the sheeple that masons are satanists, they seem to be in the minority. Perhaps things will kick up later when more people have read the book, but for NOW it looks like this is going to be a loss for conspiracy theorists.