"The Anti-Masons, traitors
and perjurers some, and some mere political knaves,
purified Masonry by persecution, and so proved to be its benefactors."
Albert Pike (1809-1891); "Morals and Dogma"
No discussion of anti-Masonry would be complete without an
extensive mention of Albert Pike. The flyleaf of a biography
written by Mason Jim Tresner describes him as "...a pioneer, a crusader for justice for Native Americans,
a practical joker, a reformer, a journalist, a philosopher, a prominent Washington lawyer,
and a Civil War general." For many years, he was leader of the Scottish Rite in the
southern United States and he was the author of Morals and Dogma published in
1871. The title in and of itself has led to much confusion
since those who are NOT Masons will automatically assume this book sets forth 'dogma' for
Freemasonry. Nothing could be further from fact.
Let's clarify right at the outset: the vast majority of those who become Masons have no idea whatsoever who Pike was. In fact, most Masons throughout the world become members and will eventually die without ever encountering either him or any of his works. In fact, of all the Masons world-wide, it's likely that fewer than 2% will have ever even SEEN (much less read) a copy of ANY of his hundreds of writings, most of which have been relegated to the dustbin of history. Of the few who have, what they're familiar with will - almost without exception - be Morals and Dogma, a book that anti-Masons delight in holding up as the 'Bible' of Freemasonry.
But what are the facts about this book? For about 60 years, it was given as a memento to all who joined the Southern United States jurisdiction of the Scottish Rite, an appendant body of Freemasonry (and NOT Freemasonry itself!). In the earliest printings, due to the cost of publishing books, there was an instruction inside that it was to be returned to the Supreme Council in the case of death of the owner. Of course, there was no way to enforce that and in a majority of cases, it was ignored. As book publishing costs became less onerous, that request was dropped in later editions. Those who find such a REQUEST nefarious (it was not an order and certainly impossible to enforce), ignore the reality of the times.
We'd guess that of the few who actually begin reading this ponderous 850+ page tome, only a small percentage actually finish it. Of those who do, the great majority admit that they could barely understand it. (Lately, with the advent of various book comparison online venues, it would seem that far more NON-Masons have read the book than Masons!) Yet despite this, anti-Masons assert that Pike and his works exert significant influence over Freemasonry today. Let's be clear: the book was NEVER given to all Masons and it has NEVER, EVER (not once, anywhere, anytime) been used as a 'textbook' or 'instruction' for Masons.
Morals and Dogma is a philosophical
work, created by an individual who was an extraordinarily prolific writer even
for an age when prolific writing was the norm. It was also fashioned in the style of
Pike's time when public speaking was a high art form and Pike was known far and
wide for his skills in this area. Morals and Dogma is not a manifesto (i.e. public declaration of principles, policies, or
intentions) for Masonry or even for the Scottish Rite's Southern Jurisdiction. It
is, rather, an attempt by Pike to provide a framework for understanding religions and
philosophies of the past. Pike believed that without knowing
the history of a
concept, one couldn't grasp the concept itself - and thus his lengthy explanations of
various religious beliefs, consistent with knowledge of those beliefs in the mid-1800s.
Interested in Pike's "Lucifer" Quote? Click HERE!
| If one were to estimate, the numbers would likely be as follows:
Out of the next 100 men who join Masonry world-wide, less than 10 will obtain (either through purchase
or from a library) Pike's Morals and Dogma. It is a massive book and is certainly not 'light reading'! And we suspect that precious few anti-Masons have ever really read the book - but are not at all hesitant about quoting passages they've found (or have been pointed toward). The index mentions every word that Pike used and thus when talking about the beliefs of this or that religion, there's surely a titillating word or two to be found. Taking quotes out of context is a cottage industry that has developed around this particular work. |
Because of the writing style used by Pike, many of the explanations he seeks to provide are totally lost on current day readers. Pike felt that unless one understood the complete background of a philosophy, he could never expect to understand any part thereof. In consequence, he attempted to put literally everything he'd read, learned, or 'knew' into his prodigious writings.
In the case of Morals and Dogma, it's sheer size alone keeps most people today from reading, much less understanding it. (Don't believe it? Use our Reality Gauge and get a copy from your local library. READ IT! Don't just browse and look for offensive passages which you might find if you take it out of context; actually READ THE BOOK!)
Grabbing quotes out of context (and this was, after all, a discussion of various world religions), it's quite easy to find things which will make Pike sound just awful. In context - and particularly when one considers that this is one book by one writer - Morals and Dogma simply has no relevance to the actions and activity of Freemasonry.
| How did Morals and Dogma gain such
'notoriety'? For many years, the Southern Masonic Jurisdiction of the United States' Scottish Rite gave those who received the 32nd Degree a copy of this book. It was a tribute to a man who had done so very much for their organization. For many Masons who joined after World War I or around the Great Depression in the US or during/after World War II, it might have been the only book they owned which related to Freemasonry! Hundreds of thousands of copies of this work were published and given away. They have collected dust on bookshelves for decades ever since. For those who sought to learn Masonry's supposed "secrets", this tome seemed to be a ready reference. A cover with a 'Masonic' emblem; reference to "all" the degrees (so they thought), and a book which had been in their house since they were old enough to remember. A phrase was plucked from here and there - and suddenly Masonry was an all-encompassing satanic group in their mind. |
Starting with the first edition of Morals and Dogma in 1871, every edition is prefaced with these words:
"Everyone is free to reject and dissent from whatsoever herein may seem to him to be untrue or unsound. It is only required of him that he shall weigh what is taught, and give it a fair hearing and unprejudiced judgment."
As anti-Masons continue to claim that this book 'rules' Freemasonry in some unspecified way, they totally ignore this admonition. How can one assume that Masons follow blindly everything else Pike 'taught' (he wasn't 'teaching' but that's another discussion) but ignore the two sentences that start the book?
Today, some Masons will diminish Pike's importance so as to deflect the charges of anti-Masons. Sometimes too, we'll see the statement that Pike never held an office in Freemasonry. For the record: Pike joined Freemasonry in 1851 and in 1855 was the Master of his lodge. He also served his Grand Lodge as the Chairman of the Committee on Masonic Law & Usage and for a year was the Chairman of the Library Committee. While these are important offices, they were at a jurisdictional level and NOT involving hundreds of other Grand Lodges worldwide.
Certainly there is no doubt that he was among the most influential Masons of his time. It must be also remembered that this was a time when communications even with surrounding states was severely limited and travel from place to place took days. Pike wrote Morals and Dogma some eight years before Alexander Graham Bell transmitted the first wireless telephone message! Pike was a giant of his time who did extraordinary things in his lifetime. He was, in fact, the ONLY Confederate soldier to be honored in America's capitol: Washington, DC, where a huge statue of him dominates a major intersection (Judiciary Square). See more about that here.
While Pike was an extraordinary man, his writings are mischaracterized and the shadow he casts over Freemasonry today is, for all intents and purposes, inconsequential. His philosophical writings have been misquoted and used completely out of context to the point that today it is likely even he would not recognize them! Demonization is the name of the game that anti-Masons play with Albert Pike!
To this day,
in addition to the statue, the United States honors Pike through its interstate highway system. The
Albert Pike Highway runs from Hot Springs, Arkansas to Colorado Springs, Colorado. Cities
along the route include:
Arkansas: Hot Springs, Fort Smith
Oklahoma: Muskogee, Tulsa, Enid, Cherokee, Alva
Kansas: Coldwater, Greensburg, Dodge City
Colorado: Pueblo, Colorado Springs
Corresponding US Highways:
US 64, [OK 34/KS 1], US 183, US 54, US 154, US 50, US 85
Recently, we found an interesting and informative essay titled "Venus, the Devil, Jack Chick and the Freemasons". We encourage you to read it here.
We occasionally get inquiries as to where one might obtain a copy of Morals & Dogma: at one point in time, there were copies donated by Masons and their families in nearly every public library in the country. Most of these have been 'removed' by patrons (the word "stolen" is probably more accurate) without the permission of the library. However, the Southern Masonic Jurisdiction of the Scottish Rite has copies for sale (used only - since the book hasn't been given to new members for several decades now) on their website here in the 'Books' section for $50 USD. We also from time to time see copies sold on e-Bay where they may be sold from $20 or so to well over $200. Why anyone would want to pay $200 for the same book they could buy for $50 fascinates us but such is the nature of online auction sales.... We would encourage anyone interested in understanding Morals and Dogma to read 'A Glossary to Morals and Dogma' by Rex Hutchens as well as the informative book 'The Bible in Albert Pike's Morals and Dogma' by Hutchens and Monson. Both of these are also available from the Southern Masonic Jurisdiction Scottish Rite's bookstore.
If you're looking to read the book online, you can do so here.
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