Mormon connection to Masons explored ahead of 'Da Vinci Code' sequel

Dan Brown clearly enjoys playing with legends, history, symbols and secrets. And readers' minds. In his best-selling novel, The Da Vinci Code, Brown wove all these - real and imagined - into a breathless mystery about Christianity, Mary Magdalene and the Divine Feminine that has spawned an industry of de-coders eager to separate fact from fiction.
    Now that he has turned his attention to the mysteries of Freemasonry, the centuries-old fraternal order, the new book also might deal with Mormonism.
   But rather than announce the Da Vinci sequel in a news release, Brown embedded tantalizing clues to its subject on the book's jacket. Written in typeface that is slightly larger and bolder than the rest (it requires a magnifying glass to find them all) are the words: is there no help for the widows son.
    "O Lord, my God, is there no help for the widow's son?" was used historically as a Masonic distress call, but when journalist David Shugarts plugged it into Google, the first hit was a 1974 speech given by an LDS Institute of Religion teacher, Reed C. Durham, at the University of Utah.
   Joseph Smith, the founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, reportedly began to utter the call as he fell from a second story window after being fatally shot by a mob in a Carthage, Ill., jail in 1844, Durham said.
   In an electrifying presidential address to the Mormon History Association meeting in Nauvoo, Ill., he traced close parallels between Smith's account of digging gold plates out of a New York hillside and Masonic tales of Enoch and buried treasure. Smith wore a "Jupiter talisman," or what his wife called "his Masonic jewel," and LDS temple ceremonies bear a striking resemblance to Masonic rituals, he said.
   The

speech was so controversial that Durham's superiors in the LDS Educational System forced him to issue a public apology.
   The speech was never published but was surreptitiously taped and has floated around on the Internet for years.
   It may have also caught Brown's attention, Shugarts speculates, and may provide one plot twist in Brown's next book, tentatively titled The Solomon Key. Brown confirmed in a speech last year that the book's mystery will be set in Washington, D.C., where many architectural features were drawn from Masonry, and will feature the same lead character, Harvard-professor-turned-detective Robert Langdom.
   Getting a jump on the novel's historical context, Shugarts has written Secrets of the Widow's Son: The Mysteries Surrounding the Sequel to The Da Vinci Code.
   He provides a broad history of Mormonism, including its brush with Masonry in the 19th century. It also offers nuggets about Masonic history such as these: At least eight signers of the Declaration of Independence were Masons, as were 13 U.S. presidents including George Washington. A Freemason released Paul Revere from British custody on the night of his famous ride, after he determined that Revere was a Mason. Mozart's "Magic Flute" and Rudyard Kipling's The Man Who Would Be King were written as Masonic allegories.
   The Washington Monument and a similar monument on Bunker Hill in Boston, were not just coincidentally shaped like an Egyptian obelisks, but intentionally designed to honor Masonic allusions to ancient Egyptian mystical wisdom.
   Much of the symbolism is mathematical, even geometrical, which could explain why the fraternity has attracted rationalists such as Voltaire, Goethe, Benjamin Franklin and Mark Twain.
   "We've heard from Masons

that they feel that [Brown is] going to do them justice," says Dan Burstein, who wrote the introduction to Shugarts' book. "He seems to be favorably disposed to thinking of Masons as an important historical underground movement, pushing the world towards democracy and enlightenment."
   Today there are nearly 2 million Masons in the United States, with 2,250 members in 29 Utah lodges.
   "We have a lot of Mormons who are Masons in this state, but we don't know exactly how many," says Ridgley Gilmour, Grand Master of Utah Masonic Lodge. "Anyone with a belief in God can petition to join but we don't ask what religion they are."
   Gilmour was adamant the Masonry is not a "secret society," but a fraternal order with large-scale charitable giving built on deeply held American values of family, God and country.
   "The only secrets we have are little signs and passwords which we use because it's an ancient custom, and, frankly, it's fun,'' Gilmour says.
   It remains to be seen how much Mormon history will feature in the novel, (Brown's wife reportedly was raised in the LDS Church) but if the reaction to Durham's 1974 speech is any indication, any link between the two could be controversial in Utah.
   For his part, Nicholas S. Literski, an active Mormon and Mason living in Nauvoo, thinks Latter-day Saints misunderstand the similarities. But they are significant.
    "Everybody wants to obsess over supposed similarities in ritual," he says. "But that's just one aspect. Everything about Joseph and his family was tied into Masonic legends."

    The Mormon connection: Smith's father, Joseph Smith Sr. joined a Masonic lodge when the family moved to Palmyra,

N.Y., in 1816. Later, Smith's brother Hyrum also joined. From them, Smith heard the story of a lost sacred word that was engraved upon a triangular plate of pure gold. The word was the name of God.
   It makes sense that he would go searching for such treasure in the large American Indian burial mounds near his home, says Literski, author of the forthcoming book, Method Infinite: Freemasonry and the Mormon Restoration.
   And when Smith reported finding an ancient record written on plates of gold, he used "distinctively Masonic language to describe the experience," Literski says.
   The church, which claimed to restore ancient truths of Christianity lost through the ages, attracted many members of the Masonic fraternity who traced their own roots back centuries and had similar esoteric teachings.
   By the 1840s, many Mormon leaders in Nauvoo, including Smith and apostles Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball, became Masons and organized a lodge there under the auspices of the Grand Lodge of Illinois. It wasn't long before nearly every male member of the church in the area had joined. At the same time, Smith introduced LDS temple rituals that included secret handshakes, signs and symbols like the all-seeing eye, the compass and square (tools of the mason's trade) and the sun, moon and stars that echoed Masonry.
    Soon, though, other Masons felt that the Mormons were dominating the fraternity. In 1842, the Nauvoo Lodge was suspended. Many Mormons believed that Masons contributed to the murder of their prophet.
   Antagonisms built up between the two groups. In Utah in 1860, Masonic lodges were established but they prohibited Mormons from joining. At the same time, Young forbade Mormons from joining and refused to allow any Mason to hold

priesthood leadership positions in the church, Literski says.
   It wasn't until 1984 that LDS President Spencer W. Kimball removed the prohibition against Latter-day Saints becoming Freemasons. Later that year, the Grand Lodge of Utah removed its own ban on Mormon membership so that, in the ensuing years, many Latter-day Saint men have returned to this part of their heritage.

    In the novelist's mind: Shugarts says it was not his intention to be a plot spoiler for Brown's sequel. He couldn't do that if he wanted. But he did offer a primer on Masonry and Mormonism for those who will want to explore, as they did with Da Vinci, just how much of what Brown writes is really history.
   "I had to push out in every direction possible," Shugarts said in a phone interview from his Connecticut home. "I read five books about Mormon history and thousands of Internet Web sites. I tried to be thorough and fair."
   Though he only dedicated four or five pages to Mormons in a 200-page book, he's already heard from unhappy Latter-day Saints who accuse him of misreading or a biased approach to LDS history, a charge he rejects.
   "Prior to embarking on my research, I had no particular opinion of Joseph Smith or the details of the founding of the [LDS ]Church," he wrote to one critic. "But I had met a few Mormons and they always impressed me as fine people. After delving into the story of Joseph Smith, I understood a lot more about LDS. I remain impressed that Mormons are fine people."
    It will be interesting to see if Brown sees them that way as well. Literski isn't worried.
   "He'll weave a good conspiracy," Literski says, "but no matter how inventive Dan Brown gets in terms of the connection, he will fall short of just how deep

that story does go."
   Even in Smith's day, there were Masons who believed the legends were historical truth and saw Freemasonry as a deeply spiritual, mystical quest. Other, more sophisticated members, discounted the old stories, wanting to refocus it along the lines of a charitable and benevolent institution.
    The Smiths were about as far into mysticism as you can get, Literski says. "Joseph was rebuilding Solomon's temple with all the legendary baggage that came along with that."
    Seeing the relationship between the two groups forces Mormons like Literski to revise his ideas about how God interacts with a prophet.
   "You cannot understand what is going on in Joseph's mind unless you can know what he is seeing, hearing, feeling and touching," he says. "That gives me a stronger position of faith than would this idea that revelation is ex nihilo. Joseph was not a puppet."
    ---
   Contact Peggy Fletcher Stack at pstack@sltrib.com or 801-257-8725. Send comments on this article to religioneditor@sltrib.com.

The "They" is not in the Greek. It was inferred by the interpreter. It's "epi tis poieo baptizo huper ho/he/to nekros"(bad Greek lettering). literally "Otherwise who do baptise for the sake of the dead". It almost sounds like "who does baptise for the dead if the dead do not awaken? Why is it done?"

The Corinthians were heavily influence by the Greeks and did not preach the resurrection of the body. They believed only the spirit went to heaven therefore you could do anything you want with the body (ie fornication). Paul preaches the resurrection of the body which must therefore be kept holy.

http://www.e-sword.net will get you Bible software that has the original Greek. I'm using Modern King James. I find the King James sometimes guesses at meaning.

Here is an interesting commentary. Paul seems to be mocking the practice because they don't believe in the bodily resurrection. Why do you baptise the body for someone if they don't take the body to Heaven?

ALFORD thinks there is an allusion to a practice at Corinth of baptizing a living person in behalf of a friend who died unbaptized; thus Paul, without giving the least sanction to the practice, uses an ad hominem argument from it against its practicers, some of whom, though using it, denied the resurrection: "What account can they give of their practice; why are they at the trouble of it, if the dead rise not?" [So Jesus used an ad hominem argument, Mat_12:27]. But if so, it is strange there is no direct censure of it. Some Marcionites adopted the practice at a later period, probably from taking this passage, as ALFORD does; but, generally, it was unknown in the Church. BENGEL translates, "over (immediately upon) the dead," that is, who will be gathered to the dead immediately after baptism. Compare Job_17:1, "the graves are ready for me." The price they get for their trouble is, that they should be gathered to the dead for ever (1Co_15:13, 1Co_15:16). Many in the ancient Church put off baptism till near death. This seems the better view; though there may have been some rites of symbolical baptism at Corinth, now unknown, perhaps grounded on Jesus' words (Mat_20:22-23), which Paul here alludes to. The best punctuation is, "If the dead rise not at all, why are they then baptized for them" (so the oldest manuscripts read the last words, instead of "for the dead")?

As a Mormon, who has attended the Temple, performed Baptisms for my ancestors, and been baptized by Proxy for my ancestors, we are doing it precisely so their sins can be remitted. If the dead accept this proxy baptism in the next world, they can go directly into Christ’s kingdom. They would be dammed unless someone in mortality had performed the ordinance of baptism, with the proper authority, for them (Much the same way Christ had to be mortal to perform the Atonement, or he couldn’t die for our sins). Do they suddenly join our ranks as Mormons? No, they are not here in mortality; they join the Church of Christ on the other side of the veil.

Wow. I didn't know that. That seems to fly in the face of the immediate need for Salvation. The whole point of the message is that we should be Saved before we die because there is a point of no return. How is that concept different from Purgatory? Also, forgetting the fact that I don't think Mormons believe in Salvation outside the Mormon Church. Otherwise, how would you know if your ancestors were Saved?

The Elders come by every year. I should ask them this stuff.

First, I don’t speak Greek, pick one set of scriptures, preferably English from which to quote.

>> I'm using Modern King James. I find the King James sometimes guesses at meaning.

I know what you mean…

>> It almost sounds like "who does baptise for the dead if the dead do not awaken?
>>Why is it done?"

The Pharisee’s were baptizing for the dead by proxy for a long time before Christ’s ministry, their doctrine is clearly recorded. Christ directly referenced the Pharisees in Mathew 22: 31..33

31 But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying,

32 I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.

33 And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at his doctrine.

This is not open to some complicated interpretation of what he might have meant. His meaning is plain when you look at whom he was speaking to, and it was a masterstroke of communication.

You are right, some early Christians also baptized for the dead, just as Paul mentions in Corinthians.

>> So Jesus used an ad homonym argument, Mat_12:27

What does Matthew 12:27 “And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges.” Have to do with baptisem for the dead?

The need is simple, your test is through, you must have the ordinances performed for you, in order to obtain any rest in the kingdom of god (In my father’s house are many mansions…) Mormons believe that there are many degrees of Glory, and that men will be judged according to their understanding of god’s laws. (Unto whom much is given, much is required)

Please ask the elders, they can help far more in person than I can from a distance, not to mention, I travel a lot so my ability to respond on FR is spotty

The Catholic Church States that revelations was written on the isle of Patmos right before John DIED I read this on their On line catholic encyclopedia). They have no documentary evidence of either john’s death, nor the timing of the writings, but hearsay evidence adopted 300 years later (about the time of the council at Nicea where the Nicene creed was established). Most scholars who have looked into dating the books, date Revelations before the Gospel of St. John (Dated pretty reliably at 95-96 AD).

Here is a good site, very logical presentation of both early and late theories for Revelations (http://www.ecclesia.org/truth/revelation.html

Some highlights:
Revelations 1:4 John was writing revelations to the seven churches of Asia. There was only a five year period before the Roman / Jewish war that there were seven churches. This puts the book in the early to mid 60AD’s

Revelation 11:1-2 Why prophesies about something that had happened? If he was writing the book after AD 95 the temple had already fallen, so why prophesy about it, not talk about it as something that had already happened. (My answer, because when he wrote it the temple was still standing.)

The Greek (Which I do not speak or read) is said to be less mature in Revelations that John)

Simply put, I say that Revelations was written before John, because all the evidence from the books tells me that was the order of writing. And the Catholic Church as some contemporary writers record placed it at the end of the Bible, because they didn’t know what to do with it. (I have not been able to find where I first read this, and that has taken me over a day of looking, so sorry for the delayed response.)

It appears the timing has been somewhat debated over the years.

The argument you mention regarding the Apocalypse being written before 70AD is consistent with later debate amongst interpretters of Bible Prophecy as to the meanings of the Prophecy. So I would also agree to a pre 70 AD date of writing.

Commentators appear to agree that the gospel of John was the later of the gospels when it was written. I've seen arguments placing the writing from 60 to 95 AD, but also arguments for Revelation written by John between 62/3 and 95AD.

The Qumran texts had some parchment favoring John's gospel so the earlier than 70AD version of John's gospel is consistent.

It’s funny that most people seem to think that the apostles sat down, and wrote the Bible, organized it and it hasn’t changed since. The reality is there was fierce debate over the books that would be included, their order, and the very structure of the cannon of scripture. “The Bible” is in essence “The Collection”, Biblia means a collection of books. The bible was compiled from separate books written at different times by many authors, we don’t even know for sure who wrote some of the books in the New Testament. The Bible wasn’t compiled until about 300 AD. (300 AD. Is a very interesting time for Christians to study)

Here is a request for the freepers out there, know any good electronic sources for books from the apocrypha? They make for very interesting reading, and although not accepted by most as “Scripture” they do give insight into what the early saints had available.

(Just a hint, never try to win a debate by brining up a book from the apocrypha into it, you become an easy target, tried it once…)

I’ll start (http://www.ccel.org/a/anonymous/jasher/home.html) On line version of the book of Jasher (HTML)

Bretheren and peoples,

I would just like to say that I am both a proud LDS and a Freemason hailing from the Southern Australian Masonic Jurisdictions, various valleys and chapters etc. I was first a LDS then I became a Freemason. As a Master Mason it gives you the ability to see the solid connection and bridge to Freemasonry it is undeniable that the two are one by every description of every definition they are in fact one in the same, let me put it this way if you have puzzle pieces in two boxes of the same puzzle and then put one together does that make the other any less the same puzzle? the answer is of coarse not.

Now I know that the above text in it self is a hard pill to swallow and many of my LDS brothers at my various wards I’ve come across in the past use to really be disdain with the very idea, well let me put my comments into better context, Just because Freemasonry has a place in the Mormon faith does not mean God did not use Freemasonry in a divine way to help restore the Priesthood, these things are not for us to know the details of rather let us have faith that The Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is in fact the one true faith to him who holds it in that regard, I would contend for religious tolerance and pray that the Mormon as well as all good faiths for that matter have a chance to pray at the same alter, then and only then would we see a day when nation shall not raise sword against nation and they will not know war anymore.

My Masonic knowledge and light is for me to know as I’m under oath to never reveal but conceal it’s sacred secrets and as for those secrets, even they differ from Mason to Mason I am not speaking for all my brothers rather from my own light that The Great Architect of The Universe has so graciously extended me.

Furthermore I strongly predict the re-unification of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints with the Craft of Freemasonry, since the Split of Nauvoo this time was destine to come, thus what was once a sunder and made un-done behold again the two make one.

So Mote it Be.

I would highly recommend to any LDS brethren to consider the Craft of Freemasonry and joining us and to consider the path that Joseph Smith had taken and the fact he was used greatly by our celestial father, Join us.

Sincerely & Fraternally

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	The Winding Staircase, like all Masonic symbols, is illustrative of discipline and doctrine, and opens to us a wide field of moral and speculative inquiry. (Chris Detrick/The Salt Lake Tribune)




	One of the rooms in the Temple. The Salt Lake Masonic Temple was completed in 1927 and was built in 1 year, 3 months, and 22 days. The architect of the temple was Carl W. Scott and George W Welch. (Chris Detrick/The Salt Lake Tribune)