---

---

ReligionNewsBlog.com • Item 23628 • Posted: Friday September 11, 2009  

---

Masons already addressing common misconceptions

With Dan Brown’s newest novel, The Lost Symbol, hitting bookstores Sept. 15 — much of it rumored to revolve around Masonic myths — the Masons are in pre-emptive damage-control mode, Religion News Service reports.

Although Brown — of Da Vinci Code fame — and his publisher, Doubleday, are being tight-lipped about the book’s contents, some Masons are preparing for an onslaught of negative press. And because Brown is known for tying religious themes to his thrillers’ plots, Masons are carefully addressing common misconceptions about their religious affiliations.

Mark Koltko-Rivera — a Mason from New York City and author of the upcoming book Discovering the Lost Symbol , which tries to anticipate charges leveled in Brown’s novel — created a blog to discuss and interpret each Twitter clue.

Based on those clues, Koltko-Rivera is convinced that Freemasons, particularly the Scottish Rite branch, “will take it in the chops.”
[...]

One blogger explicitly warned readers about the “Dan Brown Effect” — the response that followed The Da Vinci Code by misinformed and sometimes gullible readers who take historical fiction as historical fact.

The Da Vinci Code sold more than 80 million copies worldwide and stirred up controversy by suggesting a romantic relationship between Jesus and Mary Magdalene, upsetting Christian groups and historians who argued against the plot’s historical and biblical inaccuracies.

Whether Brown makes Masons the good guys or the villains, members of the brotherhood seem to agree that the attention could nonetheless pique people’s interest and lead to increased membership requests.

Never mind ‘misinformed and sometimes gullible readers.’ Dan Brown himself apparently lost the plot when he claimed that The Da Vinci Code was historically accurate.

The problem, it seems, is that some people have taken the story to be true.

Indeed, Brown has encouraged this confusion by insisting upon the book’s historical accuracy. Asked in an interview how much of the novel is based on fact, he replied: “All of it.”
[...]

Brown has argued that historical arguments are themselves suspect because history is written “by those societies and belief systems that conquered and survived.” This is a cop-out. It is disingenuous for Brown to present his book as factual and then hide behind questions like “how historically accurate is history itself?” He should stick to fiction.

Matter of fact, Brown’s Da Vinci Code is an incredible rummage sale of accurate historical nuggets alongside falsehoods and misleading statements, Margaret M. Mitchell, PhD, wrote in Lake Magazine, Fall 2003.

And Sandra Miesel, in Crisis (Sep. 1, 2003) wrote, So error-laden is The Da Vinci Code that the educated reader actually applauds those rare occasions where Brown stumbles (despite himself) into the truth. [...] In the end, Dan Brown has penned a poorly written, atrociously researched mess.

Will Brown do any better at representing facts on Freemasonry?

Probably not.

See Also

• Mormon connection to Masons explored ahead of ‘Da Vinci Code’ sequel
• Reserch resources on Freemasonry

---

What You Can Do From Here

---

Read More Articles On These Topics Categories: Books, Freemasonry Tags: Dan Brown, Freemasonry, Lost Symbol Share, Blog About, Bookmark, or Email This Article Subscribe Religion News Blog RSS feed [What is this?] RSS by topic: Books, Freemasonry Read Another Article Previous entry: Schools in Belgian region ban Muslim headscarves Next entry: Britain warns of rise in far-right violence RNB Homepage with latest headlines Find Related Information Use our custom search engines to find additional research resources on religions and cults Find Related Books Books Most Popular Today NewsChannel 10 allowed inside self proclaimed messiah’s compound Wanda Barzee pleads guilty to charge in Elizabeth Smart case Judge cancels hearing in case against Warren Jeffs Atheists ‘just as ethical as churchgoers’ research shows

---

Share This Article

---

To share this page simply copy and paste one of these URL's:

• Post a link on your blog or website:
  
• Send in an email or IM:
  
• Post on a forum:
  

Search for information about (religious) cults, cult-like organizations, -- as well as paranormal-, New Age, and pseudoscientific claims -- across 260+ websites, blogs and forums dedicated to cult research, spiritual abuse, ex-cult counseling & support.

Note: results are listed on another domain -- CounterCultSearch.com -- from which you can easily return here.

Search for apologetics articles, books, videos, and other research resources across 135 Christian apologetics websites and blogs.

Note: results are listed on another domain -- ApologeticsSearch.com -- from which you can easily return here.