National Treasure is an entertaining (although improbable) movie that reminds me of the Masonic symbolism embedded in America.
The Washington Monument, for example, is a masonic symbol. Then there's the masonic symbols hidden in the street plan of Washington, DC. (See here) Unfortunately, a search on the internet reveals all manner of websites which, to put it kindly, tend to be on the fringe of society. You'll see anti-semitic websites proclaiming that Jews control the monetary system, (here), sites of a religious nature that "expose" the Illuminati, and sites heavy with occult folklore. All of this makes it tempting to just write off the whole Masonry thing as the product of paranoid imaginations.
But you might want to take a look at a dollar bill. If you overlay the two sides of the Great Seal you end up with something that looks suspiciously like the Masonic Compass. Then there's the number 13. In the Great Seal of The US you find:
As far as the Freemasons go, I don't think they're the malevolent group that many make them out to be. The vast majority of them are simply attracted (for some reason that I can't fathom) to being part of a "secret society". As far as I'm concerned, this group is a "false religion". I don't think membership in the masons is consistent with a genuine Christian faith, but that doesn't make them evil - just misled. Still, the esoteric nature of this subject is fascinating and if you're not careful you'll find yourself going over the edge into a paranoid fantasy world.
What fascinates me is the blatant display of Novus Ordo Seclorum, and the all seeing eye [big brother], that seems to be totally ignored by people, given the apparent meanings of the two; it is astounding that more people are not raising a fuss. One world order and the cameras in the sky. All on the dollar, among the masonic symbolism of the compass and the repeated reference and use of the #13. I often have wondered why no one says anything about it. But, recently, the History channel did a show about our founding fathers; 6 of the 7 are known to be masons. Bad secret soceity? False religion. I think you hit the nail on the head; also with your reference to esoteric and occult practices within the realms of masonry. But, it is far better to focus on things that we have control over and all the good things we have in America. :o) God Bless.
Posted by: Annie at December 7, 2004 08:55 PMThanks for leaving a comment! I think people take much of the masonic symbolism for granted since they've been around it their entire lives. Also, if you look for the official govt explanation of what the symbolism means, it's something much more benign.
Ultimately you're right, it makes more sense to deal with things over which we have more control.
-Jim