Freemasons Hope The Lost Symbol Increases Membership
A half-century ago, when more Americans participated in civic groups, 4.1 million men regularly spent evenings at Masonic lodges around the US. That period, from the late 1950s to the early 1960s, would be the peak of Freemasonry membership.
Each year since, membership has declined, in line with those of other service organizations. The current membership? 1.4 million.
Now, though, the group’s leaders are hoping that the publication of novelist Dan Brown’s latest thriller, “The Last Symbol,” whose plot is tied to Masons, will revive interest in the group. This past Saturday, most of the 129 Masonic lodges across New Jersey held open houses to answer questions from aspiring members.
Word that Brown would feature Masons in his newest novel did not initially please some Masons. After all, the author is still viewed as villainous in many Catholic circles for sinister portrayals in “The Da Vinci Code” in 2003 of the lay Catholic group Opus Dei, another group that, like Masons, has long been viewed as overly secretive. (It didn’t help that “The Da Vinci Code’s” premise claimed Jesus married Mary Magdalene and had descendants.)
After reading reviews of “The Lost Symbol,” however, Masons seem more likely to hold a “Dan Brown Appreciation Day” than to bad-mouth him. Treatment of Masons in the new novel, released last month, is generally positive.
“From what I’ve read, it’s not that critical of Masons, it’s just a couple of rogue Masons going against the code of what we believe in,” said Mike Rems, secretary of the Jersey City Masonic Lodge. “Dan Brown actually respects the Masons.”
Historians disagree on the Masons’ origins. Many believe the first ones were in organized groups of medieval stonemasons. After 1717, when the first Grand Lodge of England was founded, the group became easier to trace. Through the three ensuing centuries, it has been an international fraternal and service organization requiring members to believe in a supreme being, irrespective of which religion, if any, they claim.
Tim Sloan/AFP/Getty ImagesA bust of George Washington, the First US President and a Free Mason, sits on a granite pedestal in the gardens 21 November, 2007 at the Free Masons Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia in the North West section of Washington, DC. A sequel to the blockbuster thriller “The Da Vinci Code” by US novelist Dan Brown is set to lift the veil on mysterious Freemason symbols carved into the fabric of the historic streets and buildings of the US capital. AFP PHOTO/TIM SLOAN (Photo credit should read TIM SLOAN/AFP/Getty Images)“The Lost Symbol” involves the leading figure in Brown’s previous books, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon, trying to save his mentor, a prominent Mason, in a code-ridden adventure set in Washington D.C.
Like Opus Dei, the Masons have been subject to conspiracy theories long before Brown used them as plot fodder. And both groups saw the need to react to publicity from the respective books.
“Dan Brown’s treatment of Freemasonry is overwhelmingly positive in The Lost Symbol, but he does engage in some dramatic license for the sake of his plot,” group leaders wrote on a new website, freemasonlostsymbol.com, set up for he occasion by The Masonic Society, The Masonic Service Association of North America, and the George Washington Masonic Memorial.
The Lost Symbol
Dan Brown’s new book, “The Lost Symbol,” is the fastest selling adult novel of all time in both hardback and eBook versions, eclipsing the initial global success of Brown’s earlier book, The Da Vinci Code, which ultimately sold over 80 million copies. This sequel (and the movie, which is already scheduled for release in 2012) is guaranteed to cause a tremendous and lasting groundswell of public interest in the book’s subject matter – which intertwines the history of Washington D.C., the secrets and symbols of Freemasonry, and the hidden meaning of George Washington’s life – each of which have deeply rooted connections to land development.
Even as the book’s clever and fast-paced plot concludes, what may not be apparent to many readers is the connection between the SLDI mission and the meaning of “The Lost Symbol” – The Apotheosis of George Washington – painting on the ceiling of the Capitol Rotunda.
According to Brown’s story, “This ceiling’s spectacular collection of images was indeed a message… The founding fathers had envisioned America as a blank canvas, a fertile field on which the seeds of the mysteries could be sown. Today, Washington – a soaring icon – the father of our country, ascending to heaven – is hung silently above our lawmakers, leaders, and presidents…a bold reminder, a map to the future, a promise of a time when all people, like George Washington, would evolve to complete spiritual maturity.”
“The Lost Symbol” connects the meaning of George Washington’s life to the achievement of our human potential as creators on earth. Now this is something to which we in land development can relate and aspire! Interestingly, SLDI made that very same connection almost four years ago. As first written in the December 2005 Land Development Today magazine article by SLDI entitled, “Breaking New Ground”: “When you look at the history of our industry in America, one is hard pressed not to conclude that George Washington, the Father of our Country, also grew to become what can only be described today as the Father of our own land development industry, as well as a visionary prophet of sustainability.”
Terry Mock
Executive Director
Sustainable Land Development International