A PILGRIM’S PATH: FREEMASONRY AND THE RELIGIOUS RIGHT
By John G. Robinson
Reviewed by Bro. Jason F. Hicks
The subtitle of this book intrigued me “freemasonry and the religious right” because I have heard so many of the myths that have been presented about freemasonry in the churches and on the internet. Overall this book is a very thorough review of the topic and its amazing how the ruses about the fraternity use the same information over and over again when it’s been disapproved time and time again and clearly shows their perceived threat of the fraternity to them and the staying power the fraternity enjoys with the public. I thought it was quite telling that at the last chapter is dedicated to his decision to join the fraternity and goes through his analysis and reasoning to do so.
The book goes through the many arguments: freemasonry is a religion, Albert Pike and the morning star, the fundamentalist fury, the southern Baptist convention and the physician-fanatic which gives us the whole story about each of these attacks on the fraternity.
In my opinion, I believe the fraternity sat on the sidelines too long and let these people attack it without defending ourselves. People like the author (a non-mason at the time) stepped up and defended the fraternity and spoke about its many good works and explained why the assumptions made by the attackers were wrong or just simply lying. We should have taken a more aggressive stance and maybe these ideas would not have taken off like they did.
In conclusion, this was a wonderful book. I am glad it was on the reading list and I have recently bought his book “Born in Blood” and I look forward to starting it soon.
