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The Question of Freemasonry and the Founding Fathers
In recent years, Freemasonry and its links to the Founding Fathers has been a focal point of controversy. This new work explores the truth behind this connection and corrects the numerous myths about Freemasonry and the Founders. Primary sources reveal both the Founders' limited involvement with Freemasonry as well as the dramatic changes that Masonry has undergone since the time of the Founders. This work provides an insightful history of the secret society and offers convincing proof of its relatively small influence on America's foundations.
132 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2005
2 people are currently reading
251 people want to read
About the author
David Barton
293 books267 followersDavid Barton is the Founder and President of WallBuilders, a national pro-family organization that presents America's forgotten history and heroes, with an emphasis on our moral, religious and constitutional heritage.
WallBuilders is a name taken from the Old Testament writings of Nehemiah, who led a grassroots movement to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and restore its strength and honor. In the same way, WallBuilders seeks to energize the grassroots today to become involved in strengthening their communities, states, and nation.
David is the author of numerous best-selling books, with the subjects being drawn largely from his massive library of tens of thousands of original writings from the Founding Era. He also addresses well over 400 groups each year.
His exhaustive research has rendered him an expert in historical and constitutional issues and he serves as a consultant to state and federal legislators, has participated in several cases at the Supreme Court, was involved in the development of the History/Social Studies standards for states such as Texas and California, and has helped produce history textbooks now used in schools across the nation.
WallBuilders is a name taken from the Old Testament writings of Nehemiah, who led a grassroots movement to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and restore its strength and honor. In the same way, WallBuilders seeks to energize the grassroots today to become involved in strengthening their communities, states, and nation.
David is the author of numerous best-selling books, with the subjects being drawn largely from his massive library of tens of thousands of original writings from the Founding Era. He also addresses well over 400 groups each year.
His exhaustive research has rendered him an expert in historical and constitutional issues and he serves as a consultant to state and federal legislators, has participated in several cases at the Supreme Court, was involved in the development of the History/Social Studies standards for states such as Texas and California, and has helped produce history textbooks now used in schools across the nation.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
July 7, 2023
(I had just about finished writing a great review when the app crashed on me…so this will be shorter)
Great read!
If you’ve ever wondered what’s the deal with this sketchy freemasonry stuff and our founding fathers who were supposedly Christian?? this is the book for you.
Consider a couple great points that Barton goes in detail on concerning the history of freemasonry and the founding fathers:
1) Freemasonry has changed over time and became wildly different in different parts of the world. For example, in the 18th century, the organization was a heartily Christian organization in America. By half way through the 19th century, it had been influenced by the European freemasonry, the Illuminati, and others to become an organization that strictly rejected Christianity and became aligned with the occult.
2) The founding fathers who were involved, by and large, were not active members. For example, George Washington became a member early in life for military reasons, but could then count on one hand the number of times he actually attended a meeting throughout his life. Still, Freemasons today claim him as a devoted one of their own while anti-American/anti-founding folks throw him in as one who was more devoted to freemasonry than he was to this country…laughable.
Lots of great stuff in here and would highly recommend!
Took one star away because some things weren’t as fleshed out as I would prefer. But the flip side of the coin is that it’s a good short read.
Great read!
If you’ve ever wondered what’s the deal with this sketchy freemasonry stuff and our founding fathers who were supposedly Christian?? this is the book for you.
Consider a couple great points that Barton goes in detail on concerning the history of freemasonry and the founding fathers:
1) Freemasonry has changed over time and became wildly different in different parts of the world. For example, in the 18th century, the organization was a heartily Christian organization in America. By half way through the 19th century, it had been influenced by the European freemasonry, the Illuminati, and others to become an organization that strictly rejected Christianity and became aligned with the occult.
2) The founding fathers who were involved, by and large, were not active members. For example, George Washington became a member early in life for military reasons, but could then count on one hand the number of times he actually attended a meeting throughout his life. Still, Freemasons today claim him as a devoted one of their own while anti-American/anti-founding folks throw him in as one who was more devoted to freemasonry than he was to this country…laughable.
Lots of great stuff in here and would highly recommend!
Took one star away because some things weren’t as fleshed out as I would prefer. But the flip side of the coin is that it’s a good short read.
March 2, 2023
AN EXCELLENT REFUTATON OF ‘CONSPIRACY’ THEORIES
Author David Barton wrote in the first chapter of this 2005 book, “Although hundreds of books have been written on the subject of American Freemasonry, this one examines an aspect rarely touched: did Freemasonry substantially impact the American Founding? This question will be examined from a Christian perspective, illuminating not only historical occurrences but also Biblical considerations. While few Americans concern themselves with [this question]… it is nevertheless an important question---especially for Christians. The answer directly impacts the broader issue of whether America was founded on, or against, Judeo-Christian principles.” (Pg. 5)
He continues, “Seemingly countless modern Christian books and websites---convinced that … there was a widespread Masonic influence in the American Founding---disparage and attack any suggestion that America was, or is, a Christian nation. Their assaults have affected many American Christians who… lose their sense of patriotism and refuse to become involved in civic or political affairs. They see no enduring hope for a nation that they believe was formed on a pagan foundation. Yet, their conclusion---while sincerely believed---is entirely mistaken, for it can indisputably show that one of their suppositions is completely erroneous… The plumbline for truth in this investigation will not be the cacophony of modern voices and writings; rather, it will be original documents from the Founding Fathers.” (Pg. 6-7)
He asserts, “After all, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, John Adams, James Madison, Charles Carroll, John Jay, Samuel Adams and so many other prominent Founding Fathers were all Masons, weren’t they? No! They definitely were not! In fact, not a single one of those individuals was a Freemason---nor were so many of the others often alleged to be members of that organization… it is historically and irrefutably demonstrable that Freemasonry was NOT a significant influence in the formation of the United States. This fact is readily confirmed by reputable historians---even reputable Masonic historians---who have taken the time to investigate the actual records, rather than simply to repeat what others have erroneously claimed.” (Pg. 21)
He continues, “if most of the Founders were not Freemasons, then how many were? Of those who signed the Declaration of Independence, a MAXIMUM of one in six (16%) could have been Freemasons; and of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention… a MAXIMUM of one in four (25%) could have been Freemasons. These numbers … include not only the inactive Masonic Founders but also those with inconclusive evidence of alleged Masonic activity; those with indisputable evidence of having been Freemasons actually represent a much lower percentage than the maximum indicated.” (Pg. 24)
He notes, “It is unquestionable that early American Freemasonry was Christian in its nature and practices, and included many orthodox Chirstian ministers in its numbers… despite the fact that Freemasonry at that time was especially friendly to Episcopalians, ministers from many other denominations were involved… it is clear that orthodox Christianity was an integral part of the Masonic Lodge during the time of the Founding Fathers. Consequently, intellectually honest researchers have concluded that EARLY American Freemasonry was NOT antithetical to Christianity.” (Pg. 43-44)
He explains, “probably one aspect of Masonry with which most individuals are familiar is Masonry’s use of blood oaths… Just on the evidence of these oaths, how can it possibly be alleged that early American Freemasonry was compatible with Christianity? By the simple fact that these oaths did not exist in Freemasonry at the time of the Founders. These oaths had been introduced into Freemasonry shortly before they were exposed by William Morgan in 1825… The previous oath that had been part of Masonry since 1724 was quite different… The perversion that now characterizes the Masonic blood oaths … did not exist at the time of George Washington and the other Founders.” (Pg. 45-46)
Later, “Americans in general had become conscious of the work of the Illuminati in European Masonic Lodges; many feared a duplication in America. Their concern was logical: Americans … now knew the perfidy of European Masonry; it therefore became logical to question whether American Freemasonry … was becoming like---the Freemasonry being practice in Europe… was it susceptible to the same ant-religious influences?” (Pg. 52)
He acknowledges that “George Washington [was] undoubtedly the most recognizable Founding Father associated with Masonry… among the events linked to Masonry were public events where Washington as present and at which some Masons were in attendance among the crowd… The genuine Masonic activities in which Washington participated were very few. They include Washington’s first becoming a Mason at the age of twenty [1752]… followed by two more Masonic meetings over the next 10 months…” (Pg. 59-60) He summarizes, “in 47 years of being a Mason, Washington … participated actively in only 14 genuinely Masonic meetings or activities…. Washington simply was not an active Freemason—nor were many other of the Masonic Founding Fathers… The misrepresentation of Washington is aggravated by the numerous paintings depicting him dressed n masonic regalia… [The] painting (which appears on the cover of this book)---and so many others like it---is a MODERN creation, done in 1993… Of the numerous Washington-the-Mason portraits, only one was painted during his lifetime, and that one… was painted without Washington’s blessing… The truth is that … Washington’s Masonic activity was, and still is, grossly exaggerated.” (Pg. 59-63) He summarizes, “it may reasonably be concluded that Washington was Freemason, but an inactive one.” (Pg. 66)
Of the argument that there is a ‘Masonic pentagram’ with the White House at top, he states, “The flaw in this thesis is that several of the key locations in the alleged pentagram were neither planned nor built until almost a century AFTER the founders…” (Pg. 68)
Of the “all-seeing eye” on the back of the $1 bill, he argues, “The all-seeing eye is specifically described as ‘the eye of Providence’; it is joined to the account on the other side of the [Great] Seal in which God is watching over His people both day and night, and intervening in their behalf to destroy their enemies. The eye in the Great Seal was no pagan, Illuminati, big-brother-government eye; to the contrary, it was the vigilant all-seeing eye of Almighty God, watching over His people.” (Pg. 75-76) He adds, “the reason for the selection of the pyramid [is]… pyramids were the oldest surviving structure known to the Founders… that symbol communicated the great desire of the Framers: that the American Republic might endure as long as had the great pyramids.” (Pg. 82)
He summarizes that “it is from [Albert] Pike’s work that … anti-Christian quote are often drawn by Evangelicals to show why Freemasonry s repugnant to so many Christians today… Yet recall that … these new and odious Masonic teachings were introduced nearly a century AFTER the American Founding… Significantly, modern critics …provide virtually no offensive quote from early Masonic works… This non-scholarly practice has led to numerous erroneous conclusions regarding the influence of Freemasonry in the American Founding.” (Pg. 94)
He concludes, “The historical facts are clear that early American Freemasonry exerted measurable influence on the American Founding; and even if it had, at that time it was not incompatible with orthodox Christianity. Therefore, the fact that a few of the Founding Fathers may have been involved in early Freemasonry cannot legitimately be used to undermine the otherwise Christian nature of the American Founding.” (Pg. 116)
This book will be “must reading” for anyone studying these issues.
Author David Barton wrote in the first chapter of this 2005 book, “Although hundreds of books have been written on the subject of American Freemasonry, this one examines an aspect rarely touched: did Freemasonry substantially impact the American Founding? This question will be examined from a Christian perspective, illuminating not only historical occurrences but also Biblical considerations. While few Americans concern themselves with [this question]… it is nevertheless an important question---especially for Christians. The answer directly impacts the broader issue of whether America was founded on, or against, Judeo-Christian principles.” (Pg. 5)
He continues, “Seemingly countless modern Christian books and websites---convinced that … there was a widespread Masonic influence in the American Founding---disparage and attack any suggestion that America was, or is, a Christian nation. Their assaults have affected many American Christians who… lose their sense of patriotism and refuse to become involved in civic or political affairs. They see no enduring hope for a nation that they believe was formed on a pagan foundation. Yet, their conclusion---while sincerely believed---is entirely mistaken, for it can indisputably show that one of their suppositions is completely erroneous… The plumbline for truth in this investigation will not be the cacophony of modern voices and writings; rather, it will be original documents from the Founding Fathers.” (Pg. 6-7)
He asserts, “After all, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, John Adams, James Madison, Charles Carroll, John Jay, Samuel Adams and so many other prominent Founding Fathers were all Masons, weren’t they? No! They definitely were not! In fact, not a single one of those individuals was a Freemason---nor were so many of the others often alleged to be members of that organization… it is historically and irrefutably demonstrable that Freemasonry was NOT a significant influence in the formation of the United States. This fact is readily confirmed by reputable historians---even reputable Masonic historians---who have taken the time to investigate the actual records, rather than simply to repeat what others have erroneously claimed.” (Pg. 21)
He continues, “if most of the Founders were not Freemasons, then how many were? Of those who signed the Declaration of Independence, a MAXIMUM of one in six (16%) could have been Freemasons; and of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention… a MAXIMUM of one in four (25%) could have been Freemasons. These numbers … include not only the inactive Masonic Founders but also those with inconclusive evidence of alleged Masonic activity; those with indisputable evidence of having been Freemasons actually represent a much lower percentage than the maximum indicated.” (Pg. 24)
He notes, “It is unquestionable that early American Freemasonry was Christian in its nature and practices, and included many orthodox Chirstian ministers in its numbers… despite the fact that Freemasonry at that time was especially friendly to Episcopalians, ministers from many other denominations were involved… it is clear that orthodox Christianity was an integral part of the Masonic Lodge during the time of the Founding Fathers. Consequently, intellectually honest researchers have concluded that EARLY American Freemasonry was NOT antithetical to Christianity.” (Pg. 43-44)
He explains, “probably one aspect of Masonry with which most individuals are familiar is Masonry’s use of blood oaths… Just on the evidence of these oaths, how can it possibly be alleged that early American Freemasonry was compatible with Christianity? By the simple fact that these oaths did not exist in Freemasonry at the time of the Founders. These oaths had been introduced into Freemasonry shortly before they were exposed by William Morgan in 1825… The previous oath that had been part of Masonry since 1724 was quite different… The perversion that now characterizes the Masonic blood oaths … did not exist at the time of George Washington and the other Founders.” (Pg. 45-46)
Later, “Americans in general had become conscious of the work of the Illuminati in European Masonic Lodges; many feared a duplication in America. Their concern was logical: Americans … now knew the perfidy of European Masonry; it therefore became logical to question whether American Freemasonry … was becoming like---the Freemasonry being practice in Europe… was it susceptible to the same ant-religious influences?” (Pg. 52)
He acknowledges that “George Washington [was] undoubtedly the most recognizable Founding Father associated with Masonry… among the events linked to Masonry were public events where Washington as present and at which some Masons were in attendance among the crowd… The genuine Masonic activities in which Washington participated were very few. They include Washington’s first becoming a Mason at the age of twenty [1752]… followed by two more Masonic meetings over the next 10 months…” (Pg. 59-60) He summarizes, “in 47 years of being a Mason, Washington … participated actively in only 14 genuinely Masonic meetings or activities…. Washington simply was not an active Freemason—nor were many other of the Masonic Founding Fathers… The misrepresentation of Washington is aggravated by the numerous paintings depicting him dressed n masonic regalia… [The] painting (which appears on the cover of this book)---and so many others like it---is a MODERN creation, done in 1993… Of the numerous Washington-the-Mason portraits, only one was painted during his lifetime, and that one… was painted without Washington’s blessing… The truth is that … Washington’s Masonic activity was, and still is, grossly exaggerated.” (Pg. 59-63) He summarizes, “it may reasonably be concluded that Washington was Freemason, but an inactive one.” (Pg. 66)
Of the argument that there is a ‘Masonic pentagram’ with the White House at top, he states, “The flaw in this thesis is that several of the key locations in the alleged pentagram were neither planned nor built until almost a century AFTER the founders…” (Pg. 68)
Of the “all-seeing eye” on the back of the $1 bill, he argues, “The all-seeing eye is specifically described as ‘the eye of Providence’; it is joined to the account on the other side of the [Great] Seal in which God is watching over His people both day and night, and intervening in their behalf to destroy their enemies. The eye in the Great Seal was no pagan, Illuminati, big-brother-government eye; to the contrary, it was the vigilant all-seeing eye of Almighty God, watching over His people.” (Pg. 75-76) He adds, “the reason for the selection of the pyramid [is]… pyramids were the oldest surviving structure known to the Founders… that symbol communicated the great desire of the Framers: that the American Republic might endure as long as had the great pyramids.” (Pg. 82)
He summarizes that “it is from [Albert] Pike’s work that … anti-Christian quote are often drawn by Evangelicals to show why Freemasonry s repugnant to so many Christians today… Yet recall that … these new and odious Masonic teachings were introduced nearly a century AFTER the American Founding… Significantly, modern critics …provide virtually no offensive quote from early Masonic works… This non-scholarly practice has led to numerous erroneous conclusions regarding the influence of Freemasonry in the American Founding.” (Pg. 94)
He concludes, “The historical facts are clear that early American Freemasonry exerted measurable influence on the American Founding; and even if it had, at that time it was not incompatible with orthodox Christianity. Therefore, the fact that a few of the Founding Fathers may have been involved in early Freemasonry cannot legitimately be used to undermine the otherwise Christian nature of the American Founding.” (Pg. 116)
This book will be “must reading” for anyone studying these issues.
October 21, 2018
David Barton is a historian par excellence and goes about with precision to debunk the myths and expose the slander that the American Founding Fathers were into the occult like freemasonry. They were by and large authentic, Bible-believing, Christian men, or "ABCs" as David likes to call true believers. Not only are depictions of "George Washington the Mason" modern propagandist paintings, but also the city plan of Washington D.C. has nothing to do with Masonic conspiracy.
David has the largest library of the Founding Father's original writings, so it's hard to argue with him. Yes, there are some real conspiracies in history, but this urban myth is nothing more than a secular smear campaign against the Christian heritage of America. It falls under the category of fake news! Well worth a read to the fair-minded.
David has the largest library of the Founding Father's original writings, so it's hard to argue with him. Yes, there are some real conspiracies in history, but this urban myth is nothing more than a secular smear campaign against the Christian heritage of America. It falls under the category of fake news! Well worth a read to the fair-minded.
February 22, 2018
Very clear, precise and well documented refutes to the urban legends and myths, that the Founding Fathers were Anti-Christian, Anti-Religious Illuminati or well versed and active in Freemasonry.
January 3, 2020
Great book every American needs to read. Our true history needs to get back out in view so Americans know it instead of believing a lot of lies or untruths that are being told to us.
October 17, 2022
The author attempts to separate freemasonry from the founding of the US by showing that modern freemasonry is different than the founders' freemasonry.
Throughout the book, he accuses the anti-masonic movement of jumping to conclusions without good research, yet right at the beginning, he makes his first error by tieing the Scottish Rite to the Shriners. The Shriners are not a part of the Scottish Rite, they are a separate organization altogether. Historically the Shrine required membership in either the York or Scottish Rite however beyond that the Shrine was completely separated from both; today the Shrine only requires membership in the Blue Lodge. Further into the book he makes another mistake concerning the Shrine by calling it Islamic. It is not. The Shrine has elements of the Middle Eastern culture with its Fez, names, and buildings. But as we all know, religion isn't a region.
There are parts of the book that I enjoyed, that being the times he shows the many ways early Americans were both Freemason and Christian by their writings and proclamations. Granted if proclaiming Christ was all it took then he(Christ) wouldn't have said that many will proclaim me but not get in(Matthew 7:22,) but I can apply the same threshold to modern Freemasons who are Christians and say so just as loud in their posts and actions.
Overall, I don't think the author did a good job of making his case against modern freemasons or for the founding freemasons being any different, nor did he establish anything different than others have as it pertained to the Christianity of this nation from its founding forward. Two stars for the effort and advertisement to get people to buy this book, thankfully I was given my copy.
Throughout the book, he accuses the anti-masonic movement of jumping to conclusions without good research, yet right at the beginning, he makes his first error by tieing the Scottish Rite to the Shriners. The Shriners are not a part of the Scottish Rite, they are a separate organization altogether. Historically the Shrine required membership in either the York or Scottish Rite however beyond that the Shrine was completely separated from both; today the Shrine only requires membership in the Blue Lodge. Further into the book he makes another mistake concerning the Shrine by calling it Islamic. It is not. The Shrine has elements of the Middle Eastern culture with its Fez, names, and buildings. But as we all know, religion isn't a region.
There are parts of the book that I enjoyed, that being the times he shows the many ways early Americans were both Freemason and Christian by their writings and proclamations. Granted if proclaiming Christ was all it took then he(Christ) wouldn't have said that many will proclaim me but not get in(Matthew 7:22,) but I can apply the same threshold to modern Freemasons who are Christians and say so just as loud in their posts and actions.
Overall, I don't think the author did a good job of making his case against modern freemasons or for the founding freemasons being any different, nor did he establish anything different than others have as it pertained to the Christianity of this nation from its founding forward. Two stars for the effort and advertisement to get people to buy this book, thankfully I was given my copy.
February 9, 2023
Some clear history of the founders based upon what happened at the time it occurred rather than the current revisionist history being promoted today. The author presents all sides of the history so you can determine what happened based upon at the time it occurred, rather than trying to apply history based upon today's norms.
January 31, 2023
Such an impactful book with great documentation from original sources about the role freemasonry had in our nations founding documents and other areas. We’ve been lied to about so much. Thankful David Barton shows us the truth.
November 13, 2020
Interesting explanation of the founding fathers, Freemasons, and Christianity.
January 7, 2022
Nation of God!!!!!!
September 5, 2025
Short and fascinating!
June 22, 2012
There is much propaganda that would have Americans believe their country was founded on occult principles of the supposedly inevitable New World Order (via Freemasonry or the Illuminati). The media helps to perpetuate this idea; most recent examples are History Channel's Brad Meltzer's Decoded - The White House episode and the Statue of Liberty & Illuminati episode. Both claim there are symbols "hidden in plain sight" that reveal a conspiracy has been there since the founding of this country, that the Founding Fathers were "in on it." Programs like these claim "Novus Ordo Seclorum" (found on our money and Great Seal) is referring to the New World Order, and not the "new order of the ages" it was meant to be (i.e. a new era of government "of the people by the people": a completely new concept in the history of the world prior to 1776).
I don't believe there is another scholar who knows more about the Founding Fathers, and most particularly the Christian founding of this country, than David Barton. He is a walking encyclopedia and avid collector of original source documents. This book is completely referenced and footnoted (the book is only 132 pages, and yet there are 309 source references given!) He debunks the notion that every Founding Father was a Freemason. Very few actually were, and some of the main movers and shakers had nothing to do with freemasonry at all (such as Thomas Jefferson and John Adams). Even George Washington only attended a lodge meeting four times in 30 years, mostly as a young man in his 20's-- despite modern propaganda paintings showing him wearing the Freemason apron and presiding at lodges and the laying of the Capitol cornerstone (this latter one is shown in the Decoded episode-- and just for the record, that particular painting was done in 1993!)
Barton also debunks the notion that the Freemasonry that was around during America's founding is the same as the Freemasonry of today. They're not even remotely the same organization. Freemasonry used to be a Christian organization and even require a Christian belief in God in order to join. That changed during the 1800's with the writings of Albert Mackey and Albert Pike, particularly Pike's book Morals & Dogmas (1871), which purposely incorporated many pagan symbols into the freemason rituals and divorced itself from the Christian God.
Barton also goes on at length about the various Founding Fathers and their active involvement in their Christian faiths. He includes their own statements in regards to the Christian God, leaving no doubt that God did indeed raise up a righteous generation of men to midwife this country of liberty into being. This flies in the face of much propaganda that tries to convince that the Founding Fathers were humanists and deists. Read them in their own words-- they are the words of believers!
Barton also covers some of the well-known American symbols, such as the All-Seeing Eye and the half-finished pyramid... symbols that had pure meanings at their onset, but which have since been hijacked by Illuminati propaganda and used for their own evil purposes in movies and music videos.
The conclusion of this book was that America's founding was indeed Christian and untainted by occult beginnings. But like any good thing, the adversary has worked hard to undermine that founding via revisionist history and by the corrupting of American symbols for its own Satanic purposes. I highly recommend this book. You'll better understand American history and not be duped by detractors. My sole complaint was that the book didn't have an index.
Update 6/22/12: David Barton has done a Wallbuilders radio program called Freemasonry and the Founding Fathers (parts 1 & 2) which aired on June 19 & 20, 2012. You can listen to the archived program here. Search for the correct date to listen to this program.
I don't believe there is another scholar who knows more about the Founding Fathers, and most particularly the Christian founding of this country, than David Barton. He is a walking encyclopedia and avid collector of original source documents. This book is completely referenced and footnoted (the book is only 132 pages, and yet there are 309 source references given!) He debunks the notion that every Founding Father was a Freemason. Very few actually were, and some of the main movers and shakers had nothing to do with freemasonry at all (such as Thomas Jefferson and John Adams). Even George Washington only attended a lodge meeting four times in 30 years, mostly as a young man in his 20's-- despite modern propaganda paintings showing him wearing the Freemason apron and presiding at lodges and the laying of the Capitol cornerstone (this latter one is shown in the Decoded episode-- and just for the record, that particular painting was done in 1993!)
Barton also debunks the notion that the Freemasonry that was around during America's founding is the same as the Freemasonry of today. They're not even remotely the same organization. Freemasonry used to be a Christian organization and even require a Christian belief in God in order to join. That changed during the 1800's with the writings of Albert Mackey and Albert Pike, particularly Pike's book Morals & Dogmas (1871), which purposely incorporated many pagan symbols into the freemason rituals and divorced itself from the Christian God.
Barton also goes on at length about the various Founding Fathers and their active involvement in their Christian faiths. He includes their own statements in regards to the Christian God, leaving no doubt that God did indeed raise up a righteous generation of men to midwife this country of liberty into being. This flies in the face of much propaganda that tries to convince that the Founding Fathers were humanists and deists. Read them in their own words-- they are the words of believers!
Barton also covers some of the well-known American symbols, such as the All-Seeing Eye and the half-finished pyramid... symbols that had pure meanings at their onset, but which have since been hijacked by Illuminati propaganda and used for their own evil purposes in movies and music videos.
The conclusion of this book was that America's founding was indeed Christian and untainted by occult beginnings. But like any good thing, the adversary has worked hard to undermine that founding via revisionist history and by the corrupting of American symbols for its own Satanic purposes. I highly recommend this book. You'll better understand American history and not be duped by detractors. My sole complaint was that the book didn't have an index.
Update 6/22/12: David Barton has done a Wallbuilders radio program called Freemasonry and the Founding Fathers (parts 1 & 2) which aired on June 19 & 20, 2012. You can listen to the archived program here. Search for the correct date to listen to this program.
July 23, 2011
This is a well written work by David Barton, who owns the largest library of the United States' Founding Father writing. Barton's work challenges the popularly held belief that the Founding Fathers were made up largely of Free-Masons who were Anti-Christians or Diests, and instead defends the thesis that the Founding Fathers were heavily Christians. For such a controversial topic, the book does a good job in remaining fairly balance concerning Free-Masonry, even refuting some of the conspiracy theory about Free-Masonry. It is also heavily documented from primary sources, and in the age of Google book search, the footnotes is a great treasure to read the evidence yourself. The author does a good job in the logical presentation of the book, beginning first with the evidence of who were Free-Mason (and even those who were clearly not Free-Masons!) from primary source, and granting the small amount there were, Barton gives a good treatment of the significant differences between the Free-Masonry of the Revolutionary War era and the later form of Free-Masonry forged by Albert Pike, with all it's occultic, pagan anti-Christian fantasy. Having studied previously a bit on Benjamin's Franklin's "Deism" the book's discussion on Benjamin Franklin was for me a litmus test of the book's accuracy, which I found to be pretty accurate. The real treat for me was Barton's discussion about George Washington as an inactive member of Free-Masonry and also the evidence from Washington himself referring to Jesus in refuting the charge I have heard often from Secular Skeptics and atheists that Washington never mentioned "Jesus" in the corpus of his life's work. I recommend this book.
August 23, 2009
This was an good book on the problems with the theory that the majority of the founding fathers were Freemasons, and that thus our nation was built on paganism. Written clearly and strewn with black and white pictures, this book is more interesting than I thought it would be and quite informative. The author is a professed Christian and a best-selling author. Some people doubt his credibility, but we ought to be careful in believing negative things said about people, as the truth can be twisted. I believe his historical quotes and such things are accurate, although I don't agree with all his personal beliefs and theology.
December 20, 2014
Great book. Compact and yet full of information and citations showing that early American Freemasonry was not anti-Christian, but was rather very pro-Christian allowing only Christian membership. This book also shows that the majority of the founding fathers were not Freemasons and those few who were were typically strong Christians or at least pro-Christianity. A great read.
September 18, 2012
What is the fear of admitting these guys were freemasons? No one wants to admit it. Is it so very bad? I see it as an intellectual society. I must be missing something...so much bluster to cover the obvious.
September 7, 2011
This was a well written engaging and informative book. A must read!
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