posted on Feb, 23 2007 @ 09:29 PM
If you are new to the concept that there has been a systematic effort to limit Christianity to the standard interpretation, and that this view has
been brought into serious question by discoveries of "heretical" books at Nag Hammadi in Egypt, and the Dead Sea scrolls, you will have some
problems with the Hiram Key.
I don't have any particular investment in the masonic thread and find it pretty thin, but any line is going to be thin, since so much material has
either been systematically eliminated over the years by the "Church" either by the destruction of original material and the imprisonoing and death
of heretics by the Church (most recently by the office of the "inquisition".). The Masonic line is thinner still because so much of the tradition
has been secret at many levels, often oral as opposed to written, and the Masonic movement is different at different levels.
If you found all the ideas of the Davinci Code new and novel, well you will find this startling too. It is certainly food for thought, and you will
want to get into the hsitory of the Dead Sea scrolls and why such a battle was fought over controlling the access to them, and over the contents.
This is in complete contrast to the speed with which the contents of the gnostic library of Nag Hammadi was disseminated to the scholars of the
world.
If you have had problems reconciling certain things in the story of Jesus as officially accepted by the mainline churches you may find something
makes some sense here, without wanting to necessarily accept the whole interpretation of the authors. If you accept the authors statements and
interpretations about how all this relates to the Masons you will percieve how the majority of the group would have no clue about this, since for most
of the members it is little more than another social-service club, which has major socially important projects like their hospitals, etc.
And the normal member would not have been exposed to the inner most secret, each level is taught as symbolic secret, the only overriding
requirement to be considered for membership is the belief in a supreme being.
Historically the masons have been more than service club, they have been a dynamic political group, either described as revolutionary or a
conspiracy by various authors, and they were heavily involved in the American Revolution among other historical events. JFK as a Catholic is reputed
to the be the first American President who was not a high degree Mason.. (Historically the Mason have not denied Catholics membership, but the
Catholic Church did not reciprocate, excommunicating any church member who was known to be a Mason. The Church definately viewed Masons as their
enemy!)
Read and have fun
the bard