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Rational Religion
The image of Jesus Christ is perhaps the most significant symbol in Western history. However, the story of the human Jesus has been all but abandoned by both independent and religious scholars. The sign of the cross and the image of a crucified Christ have become part of a greater spiritual narrative that positions Jesus as God at the expense of his human incarnation.
But, argues Tony Sunderland in his new book, could the highest incarnation of the divine in both Freemasonry and Christianity be the same—a pantheistic vision of God where the divine resides within us and all around us? The history of what would become known as speculative Freemasonry was born from the ‘mystery religions’ of ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome and Israel and the rationalist Enlightenment, and its direct confrontation with the doctrinal authority of the Roman Catholic Church.
Sunderland traces a secret history of ideas, signs and symbols that shine a new light on the story of the human Jesus as being part of a greater narrative that puts every individual at the centre of all things.
But, argues Tony Sunderland in his new book, could the highest incarnation of the divine in both Freemasonry and Christianity be the same—a pantheistic vision of God where the divine resides within us and all around us? The history of what would become known as speculative Freemasonry was born from the ‘mystery religions’ of ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome and Israel and the rationalist Enlightenment, and its direct confrontation with the doctrinal authority of the Roman Catholic Church.
Sunderland traces a secret history of ideas, signs and symbols that shine a new light on the story of the human Jesus as being part of a greater narrative that puts every individual at the centre of all things.
210 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 12, 2019
About the author
Tony Sunderland
9 books61 followersTony Sunderland is an award winning Author and educational researcher who is acknowledged as an innovator in the writing and presentation of nationally accredited courses ranging from social science to the history of learning . He is particularly interested in the practice and history of what has become known as the ‘Western way of life’.
He believes that there are many alternative explanations of how ‘things came to be’ in the Western world and that these have either been ignored or suppressed by dominant and overpowering narratives of what can be termed as consensus history. His latest book ,'The Obelisk and the Cross' attempts to blend the orthodox view of Western history with alternative interpretations and propositions of historical events.
Tony has visited many of the main archaeological sites in Egypt, Israel, Jordon, Italy, Turkey and Greece. His current research interests centre on the investigation and understanding of ancient cultures that existed in the vicinity of the greater Mediterranean region. Tony has been married for 26 years and has two children.
He believes that there are many alternative explanations of how ‘things came to be’ in the Western world and that these have either been ignored or suppressed by dominant and overpowering narratives of what can be termed as consensus history. His latest book ,'The Obelisk and the Cross' attempts to blend the orthodox view of Western history with alternative interpretations and propositions of historical events.
Tony has visited many of the main archaeological sites in Egypt, Israel, Jordon, Italy, Turkey and Greece. His current research interests centre on the investigation and understanding of ancient cultures that existed in the vicinity of the greater Mediterranean region. Tony has been married for 26 years and has two children.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 12, 2020
Even though I’m very familiar with the general subjects explored in this book – Freemasonry, Christianity, the cult of Osiris, and so on – Tony Sunderland ties it all together in a pretty unique way that kept me immersed throughout. And there were loads of specific leads, thoughts, and ancient anecdotes unique to this book that kept it all fresh and alive.
What I like most about Sunderland’s work is his ability to condense academia into easily-understandable concepts. For anyone who is new to the themes of Rational Religion, this book is a great place to start. And even if you are already familiar with the themes and have read countless books on the origins of freemasonry and the religious associations of it, this book will fit in nicely on your bookshelf.
Seeing as religion is based on belief and faith at its core, I can see why many may think it is irrational. But Sunderland isn’t confined by the dogmatism of specific religious structures, as he allows ideas from different eras to ebb and flow through his thought processes. If you want a rational approach to religion and esoterism, check out Rational Religion. You might even discover that atheism is the most irrational religion of all.
What I like most about Sunderland’s work is his ability to condense academia into easily-understandable concepts. For anyone who is new to the themes of Rational Religion, this book is a great place to start. And even if you are already familiar with the themes and have read countless books on the origins of freemasonry and the religious associations of it, this book will fit in nicely on your bookshelf.
Seeing as religion is based on belief and faith at its core, I can see why many may think it is irrational. But Sunderland isn’t confined by the dogmatism of specific religious structures, as he allows ideas from different eras to ebb and flow through his thought processes. If you want a rational approach to religion and esoterism, check out Rational Religion. You might even discover that atheism is the most irrational religion of all.
April 17, 2019
Reviewed For Readers' Favorite By Grant Leishman
Rational Religion: The Mystery of Freemasonry and the Quest to Find the Jesus of History takes us on a journey through time, back even past the birth of Jesus to the time when man first began to gather together in communities and to question their place in the Universe. Author Tony Sunderland has approached the subject from the beginning precepts of Freemasonry and his knowledge and understanding of the craft. He takes us through the basic concept of pantheism that predicates Freemasonry and the idea that this is an organisation of secrecy and development designed for the individual to discover enlightenment personally through following levels of study and to awaken the spark of the divine that is believed, by the Freemasons, to be a part of us all. We then travel back to the dawn of civilisation to examine the ideas and philosophies that governed ancient groupings of humanity, including the two most influential of them all; the Egyptians and the Greeks. The author then examines the greatest religion of the past two millennium, that of Christianity. He looks to the bible and to other historical sources to try to understand who Jesus was and what his place was in contemporary Jewish society of the time. Unlike many works, the author focuses on the human, Jewish, Jesus as opposed to the divine, Messianic, Jesus.
I love books that challenge established precepts and that investigate what often seems to be the impossible and Rational Religion: The Mystery of Freemasonry and the Quest to Find the Jesus of History does exactly that. Firstly Author Tony Sunderland’s exposition on the origins and purposes of Freemasonry was fascinating. As a former member of a Druidic Order, I had often wondered about the mysterious nature of Freemasonry and of course had always heard of the “conspiracy theories” regarding the Knights Templar, the Illuminati, and the Catholic Church, so I did find his simple explanations fascinating, even if he was still unwilling to divulge too many of the secrets of the Order. Secondly the honest attempt to discover the real, human, Jewish, Jesus was enlightening on its own. I was enthralled with his attempts to draw a possible relationship between the Jewish Jesus and the isolationist Jewish sect of Qumran, from where we received the Dead Sea Scrolls. This was, for me, riveting reading. His comparison between the mind-set of the Jewish people in 70CE, before the destruction of the second Temple and that of people today was simply chilling, frighteningly realistic and perhaps even prophetic. The only thing missing from this exposition, I felt, was some nod to the concepts of “New-Age thought”, as expressed by the likes of Prentice Mulford and Joseph Campbell. The idea of divinity being inside of every human is central to this movement. Nevertheless, this is a fascinating and very readable book that I highly recommend anyone who has ever asked the question, “why”, reads.
Rational Religion: The Mystery of Freemasonry and the Quest to Find the Jesus of History takes us on a journey through time, back even past the birth of Jesus to the time when man first began to gather together in communities and to question their place in the Universe. Author Tony Sunderland has approached the subject from the beginning precepts of Freemasonry and his knowledge and understanding of the craft. He takes us through the basic concept of pantheism that predicates Freemasonry and the idea that this is an organisation of secrecy and development designed for the individual to discover enlightenment personally through following levels of study and to awaken the spark of the divine that is believed, by the Freemasons, to be a part of us all. We then travel back to the dawn of civilisation to examine the ideas and philosophies that governed ancient groupings of humanity, including the two most influential of them all; the Egyptians and the Greeks. The author then examines the greatest religion of the past two millennium, that of Christianity. He looks to the bible and to other historical sources to try to understand who Jesus was and what his place was in contemporary Jewish society of the time. Unlike many works, the author focuses on the human, Jewish, Jesus as opposed to the divine, Messianic, Jesus.
I love books that challenge established precepts and that investigate what often seems to be the impossible and Rational Religion: The Mystery of Freemasonry and the Quest to Find the Jesus of History does exactly that. Firstly Author Tony Sunderland’s exposition on the origins and purposes of Freemasonry was fascinating. As a former member of a Druidic Order, I had often wondered about the mysterious nature of Freemasonry and of course had always heard of the “conspiracy theories” regarding the Knights Templar, the Illuminati, and the Catholic Church, so I did find his simple explanations fascinating, even if he was still unwilling to divulge too many of the secrets of the Order. Secondly the honest attempt to discover the real, human, Jewish, Jesus was enlightening on its own. I was enthralled with his attempts to draw a possible relationship between the Jewish Jesus and the isolationist Jewish sect of Qumran, from where we received the Dead Sea Scrolls. This was, for me, riveting reading. His comparison between the mind-set of the Jewish people in 70CE, before the destruction of the second Temple and that of people today was simply chilling, frighteningly realistic and perhaps even prophetic. The only thing missing from this exposition, I felt, was some nod to the concepts of “New-Age thought”, as expressed by the likes of Prentice Mulford and Joseph Campbell. The idea of divinity being inside of every human is central to this movement. Nevertheless, this is a fascinating and very readable book that I highly recommend anyone who has ever asked the question, “why”, reads.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews