Reviews

Freemasonry for Beginners by Robert Lomas

rachelhelps's review

I was really excited when I learned about these illustrated guides. I thought they would be more like graphic novels? This one seemed like it was written in words first, and then the illustrator was expected to take some quotes and make them into illustrations. Unfortunately most of the illustrations were just a mason guy with a speech bubble. Come on! There were a few good illustrations of symbols and masonic aprons. I also didn't like how there were a bunch of Albert Einstein quotes that were helping to explain the masonic connection to science when he wasn't a mason.

I was really interested in the experience of symbols part of the masonic rituals, but they didn't go into the detail I was hoping for. That said, I wish that the LDS temple preparation curriculum had had a descriptions like the ones in here about the masonic rituals, because it would help me appreciate it more.

I wasn't as interested in the history of Freemasonry, so I didn't read the last half of the book. The part about symbols helping Newton discover new mathematics seemed cool, but I wasn't sure how much I could trust the author, because he seemed to attribute a lot of prominent historical people's breakthroughs to their involvement with Freemasonry (which could be true, I don't know).

mistert's review

3.0

 
The middle section describing the political moves of Scotland-based Masons in history was tedious and really tangential -- its relevance to 'Freemasonry for Beginners' was never elucidated.
Overall, an interesting and friendly introduction.