A Pilgrim's Path: Freemasonry and the Religious Right - John J. Robinson

A Pilgrim's Path: Freemasonry and the Religious Right

by John J. Robinson

Received this in the mail today. I honestly don't know where I first heard of this book. Online? From a brother at lodge? I don't know know, but without hesitation I can say it's one of the best reads I've had in awhile. I sat down and read the entire thing tonight in one sitting. It was that compelling.

The book is somewhat hard to describe as it doesn't necessarily have a core focus. Essentially it is a book of apologetics defending Freemasonry against the slanderous attacks made against it by so many fundamentalist religious pundits of the modern era. It criticizes mostly Christians, but that's mainly because they tend to attack Masonry the most in America, and often from the most ridiculous, outlandish grounds. It takes many of the most common anti-Masonic arguments made by those 'Christian' leaders, and refutes them with facts, and often enough, pure reason. It was amazing to me how many arguments the author was able to deconstruct just through logic alone. He truly was a gifted writer.

Not only that, he was fair minded. When he did criticize anyone, it was through a careful examination of the [often times] outright falsehoods they proclaim as truth to those unwilling to investigate the craft for itself. 

I think, perhaps, most fascinating about the whole book is that, at the time of the writing, the author was definitively not a Freemason. He chose to undertake writing this book after earlier research into another book he wrote, Born In Blood, which discusses his theories regarding the origins of Freemasonry. After writing that book, he learned much about the fraternity, and actually had his own sort of a lecture circuit in the Masonic world. Through that, he learned about modern Freemasonry, and made friends in the craft, when caused him to learn even more about the subject at hand. At the request of many who wanted him to write another book about Freemasonry, he choose this as the topic, addressing what he considered some of the most heinous lies told about Masonry, which he encountered during his many radio show spots, discussions post lecture, etc. 

That a man, who was not a Mason, should be motivated to write a book defending Masonry is in itself an illuminating fact. And the book continues to enlighten. He does a better job of defending Freemasonry than most Freemasons themselves do.

To be fair, some of the book is a bit dated. It was written in the early 1990's, and some of the issues he discussed in a then contemporary voice are rapidly becoming old history. However, that said, the work as a whole, excepting one or two chapters, is still incredibly relevant, and I expect it to remain relevant for years to come. 

Overall, as a Freemason, I found the book both enlightening and inspiring in parts. From the standpoint of an author outside of Masonry, he had remarkable understanding and insight into what is a complex fraternity at best. I would heartily recommend this book to anyone with reservations about the fraternity, be it wives of men who just joined, or men who've always been curious but have questions they are afraid to ask.

I'd like to add that Mr. John Robinson, at the conclusion of writing this book, did join the fraternity and became Brother John Robinson. Unfortunately, only a few short years after joining the fraternity, he passed away from health issues. This saddens me, as I had hoped to be able to write him and thank him for this valuable work. Even more so, it saddens me that no new works will ever be published by him. 

For a list of all his publications, including Born in Blood, click here. (Link takes you to the Barnes and Noble website.)