Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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42 of 45 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must for Masons and their families!, March 7, 2002
I have over the years read several books on Freemasonry. There are other works which are much longer and go into much more detail but page for page this is probably one of the best books ever written about or for Masons. Furthermore it would be a perfect read for any man about to join the Brotherhood, and his family, especially his wife, should read it as soon as he is finished. John Robinson writes in a style that not only can be understood by someone who has never been exposed to Masonry but it also holds the total interest of someone who has not only been a Mason for years but who grew up going to Lodge functions.Robinson spends the first section of the book taking on the Pat Robertson's and other Anti-Masons of the world. He has without a doubt spent a lot of time making a study of Anti-Masonic writings for he is able to take their arguments one at a time and expose the deception and outright lies they make a living on. For example, Pat Robertson, James Holly and others like them take a document credited to Albert Pike which makes it look like Pike if not all Masons do indeed worship Lucifer. This document was in fact written by a man named Leo Taxil who would later freely admit he made the whole thing up and that Pike had nothing to do with it. Taxil in fact took great delight in telling people how he had pulled the wool over their eyes and had made a fortune in so doing. Robertson in his book "A New World Order" attributes this document to Pike. Either he didn't research his work too well or he simply didn't care about the truth. Maybe lies are more profitable. Finally, Robinson delivers several great ideas to help Masonry not only survive but grow. Several of the mistaken ideas he mentions that he has heard from Masons themselves I have heard also. As he points out, to exclude your family from your Masonic life is to invite problems. Masons everywhere should listen to his advice and Masonry can't help but benefit. In short, if you are curious about Masonry or already have a bad impression of Masonry but still have an open mind, read this book. If you are a Mason this book can make your Masonic life much more rich.
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22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting, but there's still more to the story., November 16, 1999
By A Customer
Robinson does his homework and writes well, and I have enjoyedhis works on Freemasonry, including this one.However, to get therest of the story, I recommend that you read 'The Origins of Freemasonry: Scotland's Century, 1590-1710', by David Stevenson. Stevenson's book is the only work on the origins of Freemasonry I have ever seen that ignores the movement's vast myth-making literature and focuses instead on the surviving records of the earliest known masonic lodges. Stevenson--who teaches history at the University of St. Andrews--paints a solid, sober, believable portrait of Freemasonry's rather prosaic origins in the operative masonic lodges of early 17th-century Scotland. "Scotland's Century" is a welcome and refreshing antidote to all the junk that has been written about Freemasonry in the past three centuries. It explodes Masonic authors' extravagant claims for an origin in ancient civilizations and possession of power supernatural secrets. It also undermines anti-Masonic authors' equally bizarre accusations of pacts with supernatural forces of evil. It replaces these fanciful images with the story of a remarkable human institution whose recent, humble, workaday origins are far more interesting than its myths.
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27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
My Admiration & Respect for this Man and his Writing, July 24, 2000
I recommend this book to Everyone interested in Masonry or Anti-Masonry--esp., to those joining The Craft (see the Dedication of the book) & their loved ones. John J Robinson gives a well-written appraisal of Freemasonry and the Anti-Masonic Propagandists, who slander the organization. Everything he says can easily be backed-up with a little research & this book is a concise, sensible, articulate piece of research material that sums-up most of the important aspects of Freemasonry.... and the unfortunate, ridiculous attacks by the Uninitiated. A Great "coffee table" book for Freemasons. Buy one for your Church and loan it to those who are confused by the evangelists and other money-mongers. My Credentials? : I made my decision to join The Freemasons long-ago, not knowing if I would be found worthy... and not knowing anyone of my generation who had joined this organization, that I admired so-much. As I sought methods of joining the fraternal order, I stumbled-across a cornucopia of information about Freemasonry. I was distressed to discover that Anti-Masonic propaganda was being used by various groups to further the ignorance of various causes. I read everything I could get my hands on about The Masons, for many years, because of my great respect for them. I know many Masons, in other states, and my family--The Lincolns--have been affiliated with Masonic orders for generations, but my Grandfather kept all of his secrets.... My Grandmother was in The Order of the Eastern Star, and so was my Great-Grandmother (a VERY religious, Christian woman). I am also a member of a Humanitarian organization that has always attracted Freemasons and is based on Masonic Principles. My experience with Masonry has made me a better man and I have seen nothing (Despite the Propaganda) that would make me think any less of Freemasonry. -- "A Pilgrim's Path" is a book that could have saved me ten years of research and helped me to teach others, along the way, without saying a word..... However, my research has led me to the conclusion that Mr. Robinson is very knowledgeable and I recommend his book, because I admire his work and his writing skills. I believe this book will be adopted as a Masonic Handbook for those joining or interested in the Freemasons. Women want to know more about The Masons and this book is for them, as well!
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