'Freemasons For Dummies' seeks to demystify freemasonry

A few days ago, I finished reading a cool, information-packed book called “Freemasons For Dummies” by Christopher Hodapp.

I’m sure that many of you are familiar with the easily-recognized “For Dummies” series of books, which are published by Wiley Publishing in Hoboken, N.J. This best-selling reference book series includes more than 1,600 titles with more than 200 million books in print.

I picked up a copy of “Freemasons for Dummies,” which was published in 2005, after joining the Masonic lodge in Evergreen, Ala. a little more than a year ago. I was encouraged to read about the fraternity, and having read other “For Dummies” books in the past, I knew that this would be a good place to start.

The description on the back cover sums up the book nicely.

“This fascinating introduction to the oldest and largest ‘secret society’ in the world, the Masons, is a balanced, eye-opening guide that demystifies Freemasonry, explaining everything from its elaborate rituals and cryptic rites, to its curious symbols and their meanings.

“You’ll understand the true purposes of Masonic ‘secrecy’ and philosophy, find out what goes on in Masonic lodges, meet famous Masons throughout history and discover related organizations like the Knights Templar, the Scottish Rite, Order of the Eastern Star and the Shriners.

“In Freemasons For Dummies, you’ll explore the controversies and conspiracy theories that swirl around the organization at the center of Dan Brown’s novel ‘The Lost Symbol,’ and discover the changes coming to the Craft.”

For masons reading this, don’t worry. The author doesn’t give away any of the fraternity’s secrets.

In fact, Hodapp is a well-respected mason and Masonic scholar. Hodapp, who lives in Indianapolis, is the current editor of The Journal of the Masonic Society and is the past master of two Masonic lodges in Indianapolis. He’s also a 32-degree Scottish Rite mason and a member of the Royal Order of Scotland as well as the DeMolay Legion of Honor. He’s also appeared on the History Channel and has written a number of other books including “Solomon’s Builders: Freemasons, Founding Fathers and the Secrets of Washington, D.C.,” “Deciphering The Lost Symbol: Masons, Myths and the Mysteries of Washington, D.C.,” “The Templar Code for Dummies” and “Conspiracy Theories and Secret Societies for Dummies.”

At 368 pages, “Freemasons For Dummies” was full of interesting content, but if I had to pick my favorite part, it would be Hodapp’s list of “Ten Cool Masonic Places.”

The list included:
1. Freemason Hall in London, England
2. George Washington Masonic Memorial in Alexandria, Va.
3. House of the Temple in Washington, D.C.
4. Freemason’s Hall in Philadelphia
5. Masonic Temple in Detroit
6. Grand Lodge of the State of New York in New York City
7. Templar Church in London
8. Rosslyn Chapel in Roslin, Scotland
9. Grand Lodge Nationale Francaise and Other Masonic Buildings in Paris, France
10. Scottish Rite Cathedral in Indianapolis

I enjoyed Hodapp’s book and look forward to reading the other books that he has written. I highly recommend “Freemasons For Dummies” to other masons in the reading audience, especially masons who are new to the fraternity like me. I think that non-masons would also find the book interesting because it clears up a lot of misconceptions about the fraternity.

In the end, how many of you out there have had a chance to read “Freemasons For Dummies”? What did you think about it? What did you like or dislike about it? What was your favorite part? Let us know in the comments section below.