Michael Johnstone

There is confusion in many minds as to what Freemasons do and what they represent, largely because of the mystery and secrecy surrounding many of their practices. This book hopes to re-orientate the reader towards an appreciation of the essentially altruistic aims of Freemasonry.

An Ancient Brotherhood Revealed

The Freemasons

Jawahir M

Full review can be found on my blog : https://jawahirthebookworm.com 

Description Summary: A great guide for those new to the subject of Freemasonry and would like to have a comprehensive timeline of the mysterious brotherhood. 

Score: 3/5 

If you’re a complete novice and want to dabble into the occult, this book is a good place to start. Everything is lined out clearly, chapters are separated by clearly defined topics although sometimes the author deviates a bit and the writing gets carried away. Nonetheless, what I like about this book is that the author explains the myths that surround it and the actual history of real life occurrences and people so you get a good mix of both. 

I think with the way each topic has a subtitle instead of a long book of endless writing is a smart way to tackle the scatterbrain nature of this organization. This is also a way for the reader should they like to know more they can easily refer to the title and go on to research more. Furthermore, the author provides numerous resources that can be found in the glossary at the end of the book.

Book Summary: Johnstone takes an in depth look at the influential organization that made its way popularly into many aspects of our lives. In the beginning we explore different origin theories presented by the author before emerging into the factual periods of history where it is first noted that the brotherhood was founded (year 1717). 

Then it is an outlook of the inner workings and beliefs of this brotherhood, and the notable persons of interest who either supported it or rejected ; all of them playing an integral part of how the organization grew and functioned. 

Johnstone examines the rituals and positions found in Freemasonry, as well as it’s values before finally closing off the book with a list of famous Freemasons and the history of women in Freemasonry. End of Summary.

I wished he wrote more about women in Freemasonry and it would have been nice to see direct quotes from the women actually initiated into the organization. For non fiction historical books, I prefer it if the author was not so blatantly biased to one group (in this case the Freemasons) because it can influence your opinion as a reader on the topic at hand. 

Do I recommend? Yes if you need a starting point somewhere this is a good start.

The Freemasons An Ancient Brotherhood Revealed

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