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Setting the Record Straight: Mormons & Masons
There is probably more misinformation about the relationship of the temple ceremony of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Masonry than any other Church subject. This is especially apparent in the many attacks on the LDS Church. Surprisingly, many members of the LDS Church also have false notions.
In this book, Latter-day Saint scholar Gilbert W. Scharffs, Ph.D., discusses the connection between, and answers some of the most common questions about, Mormons and Masons. Whether you are a history enthusiast or merely looking for clarification, you'll find Mormons and Masons both enlightening and faith promoting.
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92 pages, Paperback
First published December 15, 2006
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April 9, 2009
As someone who has spent the past seven years researching the relationship between Freemasonry and early Mormonism, I note quite a number of serious problems with this book. For example:
Page 1: The book begins by quoting the Apostle Peter and Neal A. Maxwell, suggesting that LDS members should be prepared to shoot down critics. Scharffs explains that he is responding, in part, to The Da Vinci Code, which he seems to think readers believed was a non-fiction book.
Page 3: Photo caption claims that Joseph Smith authorized the building of the Nauvoo Masonic Hall. That may be true, but there is no record of him doing so, unless you count the fact that he held the mortgage on the property and sold construction goods via the Red Brick Store.
Page 4: Apparently as evidence that the Endowment was a revelation from deity which preceded Joseph's initiation as a Mason, Scharffs makes the claim that the Book of Moses and "most likely" the Book of Abraham were revelations to Joseph Smith, and that these "contain a large portion of the completed endowment ceremony." I'm not sure he couldn't make the same claim about the Book of Genesis, so this argument seems rather weak.
Page 5-6: Scharffs argues that temple ritual was part of Mormonism in the Kirtland era, "long before" Joseph became a Mason. He ignores the fact that Joseph was immersed in Masonic culture and legend from the cradle.
Page 7-8: John C. Bennett is identified as a Mason who became a Mormon. Bennett was not a Mason at the time, having been expelled in Ohio. There is some debate on this question, but the evidence favors the position that he had already been expelled. The Grand Lodge of Illinois was certainly satisfied that this was the case.
Page 9: Scharffs claims that the extravagance of the Nauvoo Masonic Hall caused jealously and antagonism on the part of non-Mormon Masons. There is no evidence of this.
Page 9: "Some Masons were suspected of taking part" in the Martyrdom. There is far more than "suspicion." Quite a number of Masons were specifically known to have been participants in the mob at Carthage.
Page 10: Scharffs claims that the Nauvoo endowment caused "the overwhelming majority" of Mormons to follow Brigham Young. My understanding is that modern scholarship refutes this characterization, and at best, there was a small majority.
Page 13: In an apparent effort to show that all things temple predated all things masonic in Mormonism, Scharffs prepares a chronology, italicizing the words "temple" and "masonic lodge" throughout. Annoying. Repeats the claim that the Book of Moses contains "a major part" of the Endowment.
Page 15: Claims James Adams met Joseph in November 1839 and "became a lifelong friend" of the Prophet. I guess that's easy, if "lifetime" means you die less than three years later. Repeated claim that John C. Bennet was a Mason when he came to Nauvoo---"mason" not only italicized, but bolded (unlike anywhere else!).
Page 17: Claims the 1842 first investigation of Nauvoo Lodge found "no irregularities." This is patently false. Rather, the Nauvoo Lodge was saved at that time by Jonathan Nye, former Grand Master of Vermont who would have known the Smith family from those days. Nye noted the irregularities, but reported that they could be corrected with proper instruction.
Page 17: Claims the Grand Lodge of Illinois gave "another temporary suspension" of Nauvoo Lodge in October 1843. Not true---they revoked the dispensation entirely.
Page 18: "Some feel" that Joseph gave the Masonic distress signal at Carthage. That "some" includes John Taylor, among many others. Scharffs notes that Brigham Young directed that Masonic initiations cease in April 1845, and claims that the Masonic Hall "became a Social Hall" after that. This appears to be an effort to justify the current "Cultural Hall" label used in Nauvoo for the Masonic Hall. First, Brigham's request did not end the meetings and initiations. There's no record that he recinded it, but I think it's likely he did. Second, the Masonic Hall was host to the armory and police headquarters, not just a "Social Hall."
Page 23: Scharffs argues that Joseph received revelations by asking questions about the Bible, etc., and thus Joseph "certainly followed this procedure" after "being exposed to Masonic ritual." This idea rests on the premise that Joseph was ignorant of Freemasonry prior to his initiation. This is a false premise. More importantly, Scharffs uses elipses and brackets to completely misquote Franklin D. Richards, making Richards directly say that the Endowment was revealed to Joseph after he inquired about Freemasonry. Not only is this a misquote, but Richards' OTHER unpublished journal makes it clear that this wasn't what he was saying at all. (Don't ask---wait for it in my book.)
Page 24, etc.: There's a whole lot of generic response to anti-Mormons here, which has zero to do with the subject at hand.
Page 26: Scharffs repeats the incorrect assumption of earlier writers, that Abraham Jonas authorized the Nauvoo Lodge without the required sponsorship by a nearby lodge. Another lodge was the same distance from Nauvoo as Quincy, and THAT lodge happened to be Abraham Jonas' lodge. That lodge gave the required approval. Scharffs also repeats here his claim that the initial investigation of Nauvoo Lodge found "everything in order." This is false, as I explained. To make matters worse, Scharffs takes a quotation from the newspaper edited by Abraham Jonas (an unsigned editorial, btw), which was made in regard to the 1842 installation of Nauvoo Lodge, and falsely presents it as Abraham Jonas commenting on the investigation.
Page 27-28: Scharffs finally acknowledged that Joseph had some prior exposure to Freemasonry, via friends and relatives. Then he claims, without evidence, that James Adams talked Joseph into allowing a lodge at Nauvoo. The opposite is more likely true, as my book will explain. Then, Scharffs catalogues the goofy excuses which various apologists have invented for "why Joseph became a Mason." Among the list, he includes the "Joseph wanted political influence" story, and the "Joseph wanted Masonic protection for the Saints" story, which unknown to Scharffs, are accusations AGAINST Joseph. A new Mason actually is required to aver that he is NOT requesting initiation for such reasons. If Joseph had these motives, he would have to have lied to gain initiation.
Page 30: Scharffs claims that Heber C. Kimball said "a man should be a Mason for six months before becoming a Mormon." I'd sure like to know the source for such a quote, since I have never seen it, nor seen anyone else claim it. I strongly suspect that one of Scharffs' acknowledged personal sources, who I have already caught inventing useful quotes on this subject, invented this one for Scharff.
Page 30-31: Rather strong oversimplification of the case of John C. Bennett, including a claim that Bennett signed a statement refuting his own accusations against Joseph. Nevermind the alternative claim that he was locked in a room by Hyrum Smith, and essentially forced to do this.
Page 32: Scharffs claims that the four LDS church presidents who had been Masons "discontinued their association with Masonry after the Prophet's death." Nonsense. The lodge continued to operate in Nauvoo, even after many of the Mormons had left town.
Page 33: Scharffs claims that the first masonic lodge in Utah (Rocky Mountain Lodge #205, chartered out of Missouri) "included former enemies from that state [Missouri:]." Unlike Scharffs, I happen to have copies of all extant records from this lodge. They are limited, since during the ban on Mormons joining Utah lodges, the Grand Lodge of Utah "borrowed" the records from the Grand Lodge of Missouri, and never returned them. There is an allegation that officers of the Grand Lodge of Utah burned these records, so as to destroy evidence that Mormons were WELCOMED in Rocky Mountain Lodge. (I've investigated this claim as far as can be done, and find nothing to refute it.) The ONLY existing record with any names, is the original petition asking for a dispensation to form the lodge. Most of the names are quite illegible. NONE of them are recognizeable as "former enemies" of the Mormons. Brigham Young once referred to members of this lodge as "our enemies," but the lodge was made up of U.S. Army soldiers, who were sent to quell the "rebellion" in Utah. They were "enemies" for that reason, and not for any former events.
Page 34-35: Pay attention, as this is one of the most damning aspects of this book.
Scharffs writes: "In 2005, I taught the course, 'Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith' at the BYU semester in Nauvoo. I was surprised to meet one of my students that I had taught several years earlier at the LDS Institute of Religion adjacent to the University of Utah. He had become a Mason and was now residing in Nauvoo, where he could study firsthand records of Masonry in the Nauvoo period of the Church. When I asked him why, he responded that he wanted to lay to rest all of the accusations of 'similarity' he had been exposed to before. He assured me he found no conflict."
Nearly every statement in this paragraph is a COMPLETE and KNOWING FALSEHOOD. Let me give you some background. You see, while Scharffs was teaching said semester class, I was invited to lecture to the assembled BYU instructors (this was after I did heavy editing to the lesson plan of instructor Paul Smith by his request, so that he wasn't teaching the LDS kids inaccurate material). Scharffs is rather careful never to list me in relation to any of his sources. I have been asked, since the publication of this book, whether I was the student written about in this paragraph. I was not, but I was well acquainted with that individual. In fact, I initiated that good friend into the Fraternity. Had it come to my attention that ANYONE was trying to join my lodge for such an ulterior motive, I would have personally seen to it that the individual was never allowed to join.
When I read this statement, I knew that my friend would never, never have made this statement. I contacted this friend to ask him about it. He was unaware of the above statement, since he had not yet read the book. I read it to him. To say that he was upset is putting it mildly. He acknowledged having a conversation with Scharffs, and that Scharffs was his former instructor, but he was adamant that he never said, and never would say, what Scharffs attributed to him. This is simply inexcuseable, especially in an author who claims to be "defending the faith."
Page 35: Scharff lists a number of supposed differences between Freemasonry and Mormonism. Most are plaigarized from Ken Godfrey's unfortunate *Encyclopedia of Mormonism* article on the subject.
For example: "In an LDS temple everyone is equal before God; rank in Masonry is very important." This is a rather insulting, let alone false, statement. The vast majority of LDS Masons I have known will agree that they experience far greater equality in lodge, than in any LDS setting, and that if anything, rank (office) is inexpressibly important in LDS-ism.
Page 36: Scharffs claims that anointing with oil is an old Jewish, Christian, and Islamic tradition, and is not found in Masonry. Scharffs is incorrect on this, as I have personally been anointed with oil in two different Masonic rituals, and know of another Masonic ritual I've not received, which includes anointing with oil. Scharffs is just wrong in saying that "anointing with oil" is not found in Freemasonry.
Note: You're going to notice that I skip lots of pages here. This is not an indication that Scharffs "got it right" on those pages. Rather, it's because he includes a whole lot of material that isn't relevant to the question of Mormonism and Freemasonry. For example, there's a long answer to the question of whether "secrecy" is contrary to christianity, and another on why LDS have sealings when there's supposedly no marriage in heaven. Standard generic responses to standard generic anti-LDS questions. To be honest, I think he used this material to stretch the book, since it's only 92 pages long, including appendices (such as the appendix, "A summary of why the LDS temple is vital and different from anything else on earth, and why I love to participate." I kid you not--that's the title of a 14 page appendix!)
Page 40-41: Scharffs denies that the use of Masonic symbols (beehive, blazing star, etc.) in Mormonism has anything at all to do with Freemasonry, on the basis that these symbols also appear elsewhere. Such an argument may raise a bit of "reasonable doubt," but it certainly doesn't prove anything.
Page 41: Scharffs mistakenly assumes that Matthew Brown "discovered" the ancient usage of the blazing star (five pointed star with one tip downward).
Page 42-43: Scharffs quotes Greg Kearney and D. Charles Pyle, both LDS Masons, as saying that Joseph Smith was "chaplain of the Nauvoo Rising Sun Lodge." There was no such lodge. Rising Sun Lodge was in Montrose, and Joseph wasn't chaplain of it. I've seen statements from Kearney that I vigorously disagree with (and he makes up excuses when I ask him for citations), so I'm honestly not sure whether to attribute this mistake to Kearney or to Scharffs.
Page 43-44: Scharffs claims that George Harris (presumably George W. Harris, second husband of Lucinda Pendleton Morgan Harris Smith), "a Mason who left the LDS church," said that "The signs and tokens taught in the temple were unique to Mormonism." Either Scharffs found some other schmuck named George Harris, or he made up this quote and attributed it to the "real" George Harris.
Page 53-55: Scharffs makes some significant mistakes in regard to the "Masonic distress call" (actually the Grand Hailing Sign of Distress of a Master Mason). He argues that Joseph was not attempting to do this as he leapt/fell from the window of Carthage Jail. He bases his argument on the fact that Joseph didn't finish the entire wording, and Joseph's lack of accompanying hand/arm movements. In particular, he rather deceptively states that John Taylor "only" recorded Joseph as saying "O Lord, my God." Scharffs doesn't mention that John Taylor ALSO wrote a lengthy article in the Times & Seasons, in which he berates those Freemasons present at the jail for not responding to Joseph's attempt to use the sign. Scharffs also incorrectly argues that because Joseph didn't move his arms in a particular way WITH those words, it couldn't be the distress call. That simply isn't true, as any initiated Freemason can tell you. Then, Scharffs states his opinion that Joseph was "addressing the Lord Jesus Christ or God the Father" in prayer. As further evidence of his opinion, Scharffs then goes on for a few pages about Joseph's forebodings that he would die soon.
Page 61: The conclusion demonstrates Scharffs' motivation, just as the first words do. The "Conclusion" begins with the words, "The most important question that needs to be answered is 'Was Joseph Smith a prophet of God?' When we come to know this through study and prayer, then our faith becomes unshakeable." In other words, when Scharffs wrote this book, he set out to "prove" that Joseph Smith was a prophet, in spite of questions over the relationship between Freemasonry and Mormonism. He didn't set out to write an objective history of that relationship.
Page 63: We launch into the appendices, none of which have anything at all to do with Freemasonry. Included, for example, is a listing of operating LDS temples, until we reach page 92. (See my above statement, re "filler.")
MY FINAL COMMENTS:
I didn't set out to nit-pick in these comments. There are other errors, such as the claim that the Scottish Rite didn't exist in the United States in 1844. I read several pages at a time, and then went back through quickly to note my comments, so I'm sure I missed writing about things that I found problematic in reading. The unfortunate fact is that in "setting the record straight," Scharffs has made a huge number of errors, oversimplifications, and worst of all, some blatant (to the point of appearing intentional) misrepresentations.
Page 1: The book begins by quoting the Apostle Peter and Neal A. Maxwell, suggesting that LDS members should be prepared to shoot down critics. Scharffs explains that he is responding, in part, to The Da Vinci Code, which he seems to think readers believed was a non-fiction book.
Page 3: Photo caption claims that Joseph Smith authorized the building of the Nauvoo Masonic Hall. That may be true, but there is no record of him doing so, unless you count the fact that he held the mortgage on the property and sold construction goods via the Red Brick Store.
Page 4: Apparently as evidence that the Endowment was a revelation from deity which preceded Joseph's initiation as a Mason, Scharffs makes the claim that the Book of Moses and "most likely" the Book of Abraham were revelations to Joseph Smith, and that these "contain a large portion of the completed endowment ceremony." I'm not sure he couldn't make the same claim about the Book of Genesis, so this argument seems rather weak.
Page 5-6: Scharffs argues that temple ritual was part of Mormonism in the Kirtland era, "long before" Joseph became a Mason. He ignores the fact that Joseph was immersed in Masonic culture and legend from the cradle.
Page 7-8: John C. Bennett is identified as a Mason who became a Mormon. Bennett was not a Mason at the time, having been expelled in Ohio. There is some debate on this question, but the evidence favors the position that he had already been expelled. The Grand Lodge of Illinois was certainly satisfied that this was the case.
Page 9: Scharffs claims that the extravagance of the Nauvoo Masonic Hall caused jealously and antagonism on the part of non-Mormon Masons. There is no evidence of this.
Page 9: "Some Masons were suspected of taking part" in the Martyrdom. There is far more than "suspicion." Quite a number of Masons were specifically known to have been participants in the mob at Carthage.
Page 10: Scharffs claims that the Nauvoo endowment caused "the overwhelming majority" of Mormons to follow Brigham Young. My understanding is that modern scholarship refutes this characterization, and at best, there was a small majority.
Page 13: In an apparent effort to show that all things temple predated all things masonic in Mormonism, Scharffs prepares a chronology, italicizing the words "temple" and "masonic lodge" throughout. Annoying. Repeats the claim that the Book of Moses contains "a major part" of the Endowment.
Page 15: Claims James Adams met Joseph in November 1839 and "became a lifelong friend" of the Prophet. I guess that's easy, if "lifetime" means you die less than three years later. Repeated claim that John C. Bennet was a Mason when he came to Nauvoo---"mason" not only italicized, but bolded (unlike anywhere else!).
Page 17: Claims the 1842 first investigation of Nauvoo Lodge found "no irregularities." This is patently false. Rather, the Nauvoo Lodge was saved at that time by Jonathan Nye, former Grand Master of Vermont who would have known the Smith family from those days. Nye noted the irregularities, but reported that they could be corrected with proper instruction.
Page 17: Claims the Grand Lodge of Illinois gave "another temporary suspension" of Nauvoo Lodge in October 1843. Not true---they revoked the dispensation entirely.
Page 18: "Some feel" that Joseph gave the Masonic distress signal at Carthage. That "some" includes John Taylor, among many others. Scharffs notes that Brigham Young directed that Masonic initiations cease in April 1845, and claims that the Masonic Hall "became a Social Hall" after that. This appears to be an effort to justify the current "Cultural Hall" label used in Nauvoo for the Masonic Hall. First, Brigham's request did not end the meetings and initiations. There's no record that he recinded it, but I think it's likely he did. Second, the Masonic Hall was host to the armory and police headquarters, not just a "Social Hall."
Page 23: Scharffs argues that Joseph received revelations by asking questions about the Bible, etc., and thus Joseph "certainly followed this procedure" after "being exposed to Masonic ritual." This idea rests on the premise that Joseph was ignorant of Freemasonry prior to his initiation. This is a false premise. More importantly, Scharffs uses elipses and brackets to completely misquote Franklin D. Richards, making Richards directly say that the Endowment was revealed to Joseph after he inquired about Freemasonry. Not only is this a misquote, but Richards' OTHER unpublished journal makes it clear that this wasn't what he was saying at all. (Don't ask---wait for it in my book.)
Page 24, etc.: There's a whole lot of generic response to anti-Mormons here, which has zero to do with the subject at hand.
Page 26: Scharffs repeats the incorrect assumption of earlier writers, that Abraham Jonas authorized the Nauvoo Lodge without the required sponsorship by a nearby lodge. Another lodge was the same distance from Nauvoo as Quincy, and THAT lodge happened to be Abraham Jonas' lodge. That lodge gave the required approval. Scharffs also repeats here his claim that the initial investigation of Nauvoo Lodge found "everything in order." This is false, as I explained. To make matters worse, Scharffs takes a quotation from the newspaper edited by Abraham Jonas (an unsigned editorial, btw), which was made in regard to the 1842 installation of Nauvoo Lodge, and falsely presents it as Abraham Jonas commenting on the investigation.
Page 27-28: Scharffs finally acknowledged that Joseph had some prior exposure to Freemasonry, via friends and relatives. Then he claims, without evidence, that James Adams talked Joseph into allowing a lodge at Nauvoo. The opposite is more likely true, as my book will explain. Then, Scharffs catalogues the goofy excuses which various apologists have invented for "why Joseph became a Mason." Among the list, he includes the "Joseph wanted political influence" story, and the "Joseph wanted Masonic protection for the Saints" story, which unknown to Scharffs, are accusations AGAINST Joseph. A new Mason actually is required to aver that he is NOT requesting initiation for such reasons. If Joseph had these motives, he would have to have lied to gain initiation.
Page 30: Scharffs claims that Heber C. Kimball said "a man should be a Mason for six months before becoming a Mormon." I'd sure like to know the source for such a quote, since I have never seen it, nor seen anyone else claim it. I strongly suspect that one of Scharffs' acknowledged personal sources, who I have already caught inventing useful quotes on this subject, invented this one for Scharff.
Page 30-31: Rather strong oversimplification of the case of John C. Bennett, including a claim that Bennett signed a statement refuting his own accusations against Joseph. Nevermind the alternative claim that he was locked in a room by Hyrum Smith, and essentially forced to do this.
Page 32: Scharffs claims that the four LDS church presidents who had been Masons "discontinued their association with Masonry after the Prophet's death." Nonsense. The lodge continued to operate in Nauvoo, even after many of the Mormons had left town.
Page 33: Scharffs claims that the first masonic lodge in Utah (Rocky Mountain Lodge #205, chartered out of Missouri) "included former enemies from that state [Missouri:]." Unlike Scharffs, I happen to have copies of all extant records from this lodge. They are limited, since during the ban on Mormons joining Utah lodges, the Grand Lodge of Utah "borrowed" the records from the Grand Lodge of Missouri, and never returned them. There is an allegation that officers of the Grand Lodge of Utah burned these records, so as to destroy evidence that Mormons were WELCOMED in Rocky Mountain Lodge. (I've investigated this claim as far as can be done, and find nothing to refute it.) The ONLY existing record with any names, is the original petition asking for a dispensation to form the lodge. Most of the names are quite illegible. NONE of them are recognizeable as "former enemies" of the Mormons. Brigham Young once referred to members of this lodge as "our enemies," but the lodge was made up of U.S. Army soldiers, who were sent to quell the "rebellion" in Utah. They were "enemies" for that reason, and not for any former events.
Page 34-35: Pay attention, as this is one of the most damning aspects of this book.
Scharffs writes: "In 2005, I taught the course, 'Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith' at the BYU semester in Nauvoo. I was surprised to meet one of my students that I had taught several years earlier at the LDS Institute of Religion adjacent to the University of Utah. He had become a Mason and was now residing in Nauvoo, where he could study firsthand records of Masonry in the Nauvoo period of the Church. When I asked him why, he responded that he wanted to lay to rest all of the accusations of 'similarity' he had been exposed to before. He assured me he found no conflict."
Nearly every statement in this paragraph is a COMPLETE and KNOWING FALSEHOOD. Let me give you some background. You see, while Scharffs was teaching said semester class, I was invited to lecture to the assembled BYU instructors (this was after I did heavy editing to the lesson plan of instructor Paul Smith by his request, so that he wasn't teaching the LDS kids inaccurate material). Scharffs is rather careful never to list me in relation to any of his sources. I have been asked, since the publication of this book, whether I was the student written about in this paragraph. I was not, but I was well acquainted with that individual. In fact, I initiated that good friend into the Fraternity. Had it come to my attention that ANYONE was trying to join my lodge for such an ulterior motive, I would have personally seen to it that the individual was never allowed to join.
When I read this statement, I knew that my friend would never, never have made this statement. I contacted this friend to ask him about it. He was unaware of the above statement, since he had not yet read the book. I read it to him. To say that he was upset is putting it mildly. He acknowledged having a conversation with Scharffs, and that Scharffs was his former instructor, but he was adamant that he never said, and never would say, what Scharffs attributed to him. This is simply inexcuseable, especially in an author who claims to be "defending the faith."
Page 35: Scharff lists a number of supposed differences between Freemasonry and Mormonism. Most are plaigarized from Ken Godfrey's unfortunate *Encyclopedia of Mormonism* article on the subject.
For example: "In an LDS temple everyone is equal before God; rank in Masonry is very important." This is a rather insulting, let alone false, statement. The vast majority of LDS Masons I have known will agree that they experience far greater equality in lodge, than in any LDS setting, and that if anything, rank (office) is inexpressibly important in LDS-ism.
Page 36: Scharffs claims that anointing with oil is an old Jewish, Christian, and Islamic tradition, and is not found in Masonry. Scharffs is incorrect on this, as I have personally been anointed with oil in two different Masonic rituals, and know of another Masonic ritual I've not received, which includes anointing with oil. Scharffs is just wrong in saying that "anointing with oil" is not found in Freemasonry.
Note: You're going to notice that I skip lots of pages here. This is not an indication that Scharffs "got it right" on those pages. Rather, it's because he includes a whole lot of material that isn't relevant to the question of Mormonism and Freemasonry. For example, there's a long answer to the question of whether "secrecy" is contrary to christianity, and another on why LDS have sealings when there's supposedly no marriage in heaven. Standard generic responses to standard generic anti-LDS questions. To be honest, I think he used this material to stretch the book, since it's only 92 pages long, including appendices (such as the appendix, "A summary of why the LDS temple is vital and different from anything else on earth, and why I love to participate." I kid you not--that's the title of a 14 page appendix!)
Page 40-41: Scharffs denies that the use of Masonic symbols (beehive, blazing star, etc.) in Mormonism has anything at all to do with Freemasonry, on the basis that these symbols also appear elsewhere. Such an argument may raise a bit of "reasonable doubt," but it certainly doesn't prove anything.
Page 41: Scharffs mistakenly assumes that Matthew Brown "discovered" the ancient usage of the blazing star (five pointed star with one tip downward).
Page 42-43: Scharffs quotes Greg Kearney and D. Charles Pyle, both LDS Masons, as saying that Joseph Smith was "chaplain of the Nauvoo Rising Sun Lodge." There was no such lodge. Rising Sun Lodge was in Montrose, and Joseph wasn't chaplain of it. I've seen statements from Kearney that I vigorously disagree with (and he makes up excuses when I ask him for citations), so I'm honestly not sure whether to attribute this mistake to Kearney or to Scharffs.
Page 43-44: Scharffs claims that George Harris (presumably George W. Harris, second husband of Lucinda Pendleton Morgan Harris Smith), "a Mason who left the LDS church," said that "The signs and tokens taught in the temple were unique to Mormonism." Either Scharffs found some other schmuck named George Harris, or he made up this quote and attributed it to the "real" George Harris.
Page 53-55: Scharffs makes some significant mistakes in regard to the "Masonic distress call" (actually the Grand Hailing Sign of Distress of a Master Mason). He argues that Joseph was not attempting to do this as he leapt/fell from the window of Carthage Jail. He bases his argument on the fact that Joseph didn't finish the entire wording, and Joseph's lack of accompanying hand/arm movements. In particular, he rather deceptively states that John Taylor "only" recorded Joseph as saying "O Lord, my God." Scharffs doesn't mention that John Taylor ALSO wrote a lengthy article in the Times & Seasons, in which he berates those Freemasons present at the jail for not responding to Joseph's attempt to use the sign. Scharffs also incorrectly argues that because Joseph didn't move his arms in a particular way WITH those words, it couldn't be the distress call. That simply isn't true, as any initiated Freemason can tell you. Then, Scharffs states his opinion that Joseph was "addressing the Lord Jesus Christ or God the Father" in prayer. As further evidence of his opinion, Scharffs then goes on for a few pages about Joseph's forebodings that he would die soon.
Page 61: The conclusion demonstrates Scharffs' motivation, just as the first words do. The "Conclusion" begins with the words, "The most important question that needs to be answered is 'Was Joseph Smith a prophet of God?' When we come to know this through study and prayer, then our faith becomes unshakeable." In other words, when Scharffs wrote this book, he set out to "prove" that Joseph Smith was a prophet, in spite of questions over the relationship between Freemasonry and Mormonism. He didn't set out to write an objective history of that relationship.
Page 63: We launch into the appendices, none of which have anything at all to do with Freemasonry. Included, for example, is a listing of operating LDS temples, until we reach page 92. (See my above statement, re "filler.")
MY FINAL COMMENTS:
I didn't set out to nit-pick in these comments. There are other errors, such as the claim that the Scottish Rite didn't exist in the United States in 1844. I read several pages at a time, and then went back through quickly to note my comments, so I'm sure I missed writing about things that I found problematic in reading. The unfortunate fact is that in "setting the record straight," Scharffs has made a huge number of errors, oversimplifications, and worst of all, some blatant (to the point of appearing intentional) misrepresentations.
February 25, 2015
I liked this book a lot for the history but after having a tour of the George Washington Masonic Memorial I was shocked at how much similarity there is that the book doesn't discuss. The best thing about the similarity between Mormons and Masons is that it makes complete sense and doesn't take away from the credibility of either. It's OK to admit that.
September 16, 2009
Short book dispelling myths about the origins of LDS temple rites and showing the connection of Joseph Smith with the Masons. Scharffs documents everything very well, and uses recent citings.
December 18, 2020
Information is both not that informative and not that interesting. The book tries to avoid any ties between Mormonism and Masonry by bringing up irrelevant points and sometimes quoting the author’s previous work to make a point. Some of the information is just factually incorrect and the sources cited are few and far between. The writing is fine, nothing special or interesting. The way it’s broken down is kind of interesting but it avoids any serious critical thought about the subject by its framing device. Just read Richard Bushman’s excellent Rough Stone Rolling for better insight on this topic.
November 7, 2017
My maternal grandfather was a freemason in the UK. As I was doing my family history I thought researching freemasonry would be a good idea for me to better understand my grandfather. I joined the Church of Jesus Christ of LDS shortyly after my grandfather passed away. Iwas 26 at the time (in 1995). There is a lot of controversy about both Mormons and Masons, essentially both teach a system of self-development. There are similarities betwen the two and this book outlines that very well. Another book I found very useful is "Freemasonry for Beginners" by Robert Lomas.
August 19, 2022
Exactly what I expected. A discussion of some historical points without being disrespectful to either group.
November 6, 2023
Not convinced that there is not a strong masonic element in the temple ritual.
February 1, 2012
As one with an intimite involvement in both Mormonism and Freemasonry, I found this to be a perfectly dreadful book. It suffers from many factual errors, interpretive misses and overall bad logic. I give a single example:
While a kind of red herring to begin with (Mormon "borrowing" from Freemasonry actually extends to various LDS institutions, the language and content of LDS scripture, and significant aspects of its founding legenda), the discussion of whether or not LDS Temple ritual borrows from Freemasonry is a settled issue: it does. There is a direct, genetic connection between the two ritual systems which can be easily demonstrated, and which does not and frankly canno exist for LDS or Masonic rituals and ritual systems of the ancient past. This genetic connnection can be troublesome for some Latter-day Saints, as the specific areas of Masonic ritual which are borrowed are sometimes from relatively modern innovations in the Craft.
I believe that Latter-day Saints who think that Masons got their rites from the temples and traditions of the ancient world, would be best served by reading modern Masonic scholarship on this subject matter as a corrective to their misperception. Further, it is important to keep in mind that the legendary history of the Craft serves a profound allegorical purpose, but often "adjusts" the facts of "real" or "authentic" history towards this allegorical end. As is true of some Freemasons both early and late, many Latter-day Saints --Joseph Smith and Brigham Young included -- have accepted as literally true this legendary, allegorical Masonic history. Scharffs does little to illuminate such issues, because to do so would require serious discussion and scholarship, far exceeding what is provided in this brief, 92-page piece of bad apologetic.
The official blurb for this title begins: "There is probably more misinformation about the relationship of the temple ceremony of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Masonry than any other Church subject." This book does nothing to rectify the situation it so aptly describes. Trust me, friend: if you wish to know about Mormonism and Freemasonry in general or about LDS and Masonic ritual similarites and differences in particular, this is NOT the book for you. It certainly does NOT "set the record straight" about much of anything on the subject it proclaims to illuminate.
While a kind of red herring to begin with (Mormon "borrowing" from Freemasonry actually extends to various LDS institutions, the language and content of LDS scripture, and significant aspects of its founding legenda), the discussion of whether or not LDS Temple ritual borrows from Freemasonry is a settled issue: it does. There is a direct, genetic connection between the two ritual systems which can be easily demonstrated, and which does not and frankly canno exist for LDS or Masonic rituals and ritual systems of the ancient past. This genetic connnection can be troublesome for some Latter-day Saints, as the specific areas of Masonic ritual which are borrowed are sometimes from relatively modern innovations in the Craft.
I believe that Latter-day Saints who think that Masons got their rites from the temples and traditions of the ancient world, would be best served by reading modern Masonic scholarship on this subject matter as a corrective to their misperception. Further, it is important to keep in mind that the legendary history of the Craft serves a profound allegorical purpose, but often "adjusts" the facts of "real" or "authentic" history towards this allegorical end. As is true of some Freemasons both early and late, many Latter-day Saints --Joseph Smith and Brigham Young included -- have accepted as literally true this legendary, allegorical Masonic history. Scharffs does little to illuminate such issues, because to do so would require serious discussion and scholarship, far exceeding what is provided in this brief, 92-page piece of bad apologetic.
The official blurb for this title begins: "There is probably more misinformation about the relationship of the temple ceremony of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Masonry than any other Church subject." This book does nothing to rectify the situation it so aptly describes. Trust me, friend: if you wish to know about Mormonism and Freemasonry in general or about LDS and Masonic ritual similarites and differences in particular, this is NOT the book for you. It certainly does NOT "set the record straight" about much of anything on the subject it proclaims to illuminate.
December 28, 2012
I feel bad ripping on this book too much because its author appears to be the father of my Business Associations professor at law school, but the book really is not very good.
The number one question I wanted the book to address -- how similar are the Masonic ceremonies to the Mormon temple ceremonies -- is answered in two or three sentences. Dr. Scharffs essentially says, "I've talked to some Mormons who are also Masons, and they told me that the ceremonies are different." That is the total extent of his analysis of the question, and frankly, it is no analysis at all. The remainder of the book is a defense of the LDS temple ceremony (conveyed almost as if he were debating an anti-Mormon), dealing with questions like:
"Since prophets and apostles ended with the Bible, how can Latter-Day Saints claim their temple ceremony came from God?"
and
"Because secrecy is contrary to Christianity, does that not invalidate the LDS temple ceremony?"
and
"How can Latter-day Saints claim the temple endowment is inspired when there have been changes over the years?"
and
"Since the Bible says there is no marriage in heaven isn't marriage for time and eternity in the LDS temples a false concept?"
His answer to this last question (that when Jesus said "in the resurrection, they neither marry nor are given in marriage," He meant that no one, including the righteous, can be married after they die because "this life is the time to find a suitable mate and be married") is contrary to statements from multiple General Authorities.
I'm still giving the book two stars (rather than only one) because he does have some interesting points about church history. His discussion of whether Joseph Smith was giving a Masonic distress call when he was killed at Carthage Jail was particularly interesting.
The bottom line, however, is that this book is filled with too many "personal" insights from the author (or from non-LDS persons the author considers noteworthy) and with too little scholarship or concrete, factual answers.
The number one question I wanted the book to address -- how similar are the Masonic ceremonies to the Mormon temple ceremonies -- is answered in two or three sentences. Dr. Scharffs essentially says, "I've talked to some Mormons who are also Masons, and they told me that the ceremonies are different." That is the total extent of his analysis of the question, and frankly, it is no analysis at all. The remainder of the book is a defense of the LDS temple ceremony (conveyed almost as if he were debating an anti-Mormon), dealing with questions like:
"Since prophets and apostles ended with the Bible, how can Latter-Day Saints claim their temple ceremony came from God?"
and
"Because secrecy is contrary to Christianity, does that not invalidate the LDS temple ceremony?"
and
"How can Latter-day Saints claim the temple endowment is inspired when there have been changes over the years?"
and
"Since the Bible says there is no marriage in heaven isn't marriage for time and eternity in the LDS temples a false concept?"
His answer to this last question (that when Jesus said "in the resurrection, they neither marry nor are given in marriage," He meant that no one, including the righteous, can be married after they die because "this life is the time to find a suitable mate and be married") is contrary to statements from multiple General Authorities.
I'm still giving the book two stars (rather than only one) because he does have some interesting points about church history. His discussion of whether Joseph Smith was giving a Masonic distress call when he was killed at Carthage Jail was particularly interesting.
The bottom line, however, is that this book is filled with too many "personal" insights from the author (or from non-LDS persons the author considers noteworthy) and with too little scholarship or concrete, factual answers.
February 8, 2013
Being no expert whatsoever on free-masonry I cannot say if any of the information was correct, especially after reading some of the previous reviews. I found I enjoyed the book, it was nothing that I expected and though it gave very little information on masonry, still answered some of my questions regarding why any would think masonry and Mormonism were similar. Only half of the book discussed these questions while the other half answered other general questions and I feel it could have been more carefully executed. I do not regret reading it nor do I feel so strongly against it as others have.
January 12, 2011
I found this cleaning out a bookshelf, I think it was from my father in law, and started to read it that afternoon. I honestly didn't finish the whole thing because I was turned off by his style which wasn't professional or academic. His answer to the first question in the book ("what about charges Joseph Smith stole the temple ceremony from the Masons?") starts with "Why would Joseph Smith have needed to steal anything?" Really? After a few more examples very similar to the one above, I skimmed the rest and will stick it in the recycle box (instead of the DI pile).
May 21, 2012
This book was not very on the subject I felt. I felt it should of perhaps been called Mormon temple rituals and masons rituals. Basically the only thing it talked about was the mormon endownment and how it differs and relates to masoic rituals. It did not talk about modern masons and mormon relations, nor did it talk about the relationship with the mormons and masons between about 1855 and 2000. About the only time period it touched upon was the Nauvoo area. I would have given it a lower rating, but I felt as though it did touch on some good idea's, and it did give me some new knowledge.
May 14, 2012
I never give 'ones' as ratings on this site. This book was poorly written, the opposite of thorough, scattered, chocked full of opinion, while claiming to give factual backup...failed. For my part, I am an "active" mormon, seeking historical facts. I get that not every mormon needs to have knowledge of the church's history---but don't write a book about it, pretending to clear it all up for your readers. Scharffs did prompt some new questions for me, and quoted from 3 sources that I am hoping have done a better job. I'll let you know.
August 5, 2009
I was disappointed by this book. Not that I expected to learn all the deeper secrets of the Masons or understand the symbolism of the temple ceremony better, but I did expect to learn something. The whole book came across like the author was presenting propaganda. Nothing was really explained about either Mormons or Masons. It kind of makes both organizations seem overly mysterious and cult-like. It was not what I was hoping for at all.
May 19, 2008
This is the first of the "setting the record straight" series. It started out a little vague and slow, but really got going, and I really learned a lot. It went along well with the Rosslyn book that I read. This book really helped me understand and get clarification on the Masonic influence in early Mormonism.
December 28, 2010
I'm pretty certain nothing here would catch or silence anyone who was determined to think ill of Mormons, but there were still bits of information that I found useful and interesting. Of particular interest were the bits that list some significant differences between LDS temple ceremonies and Masonic ritual.
March 21, 2011
It provided interesting comments on whether or not the temple ceremonies of the Mormons and masons are the same. The author concluded they weren't. I agree. I think the Masons got their rites from ancient temples in the Middle East and passed them on through the centuries then onto America. Joseph Smith received his ceremonies by revelation from God.
January 15, 2018
This is not a book that does much as far as comparing the practices of Mormons and Masons. Masons are actually not a very prominent component to this book. That said, this is a good book for someone who is interested in the origins of the LDS Temple ceremonies and their deep significance for members of the LDS community.
February 13, 2015
This is a very short (65 pages) book discussing whether Joseph Smith incorporated Masonic rites into the Mormon Temple ceremony. He had been accused of doing so. The facts are given so the reader can understand for him/herself. There are 3 appendix at the end of the book as well as a bibliography. The author is LDS.
March 22, 2010
Only read this because I saw it on my mom's bookshelf and noticed how short it was. I read it with a couple of hours, found a few things interesting, but, on the whole, rather dull. I'm glad I didn't spend my money on it.
August 2, 2007
Informative, despite amateur writing. Approachable research.
July 2, 2008
This answered some questions I've had since I toured a Masonic Lodge in Philadelphia a few years ago.
July 26, 2008
It was in the form of Q&A. I appreciated that. I learned more about the temple than about masons, which is why I got the book.
August 27, 2008
We are collecting the whole "Setting the Record Straight" series...they have been good so far.
December 27, 2008
I like the format of the book. It was a quick read and I felt that I learned more about Masons than Mormons. I look forward to reading more of the setting the record straight books.
November 21, 2013
Interesting, but some of the information seems inconsistent with other sources.
September 20, 2008
dont waste your time!
January 6, 2009
This book taught me a lot about Jospeh Smith that I never knew before. I would reccomend it to anyone interested in church history.
April 25, 2009
Very good, lets you decide.
July 29, 2009
Some interesting material on this subject. Not terribly well written but the information was worth reading it anyway.
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