Review
Title: Method Infinite: Freemasonry and the Mormon Restoration
Authors: Cheryl L. Bruno, Joe Steve Swick III, Nicholas S. Literski
Publisher: Greg Kofford Books, Salt Lake City
Genre: Religious History
Year Published: 2022
Number of Pages: 510
Binding: Hardback
ISBN: 978-1-58958-753-3
Price: $44.95
Reviewed by Kevin Folkman for the Association for Mormon Letters
As an English minor in college, I took a course on James Joyce’s Ulysses, aided by a commentary by Anthony Burgess, author of A Clockwork Orange. There were many things there I didn’t understand, but as a newly married and endowed member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I was startled to see what appeared as a plagiarized excerpt from the LDS temple liturgy. Our professor, a Mormon, explained it as one of many references by Joyce to Freemasonry. There was also a wink to the handful of us in that class whom she knew were LDS. As a result, I was somewhat acquainted with the idea of Masonic influences on LDS temple rituals from my early adulthood.
In reading Method Infinite: Freemasonry and the Mormon Restoration by Cheryl Bruno, Joe Steve Swick III, and Nicholas Literski, I was prepared for an in-depth review of more of those references. What I was not prepared for was the avalanche of information about the parallels, direct influences, and obvious borrowing of ritual and symbolism that followed. Method Infinite is the culmination of decades of research and scholarship, a massive work of importance to understanding early Mormon history in the context of the time and places of the Restoration.
The last several decades of LDS Church history have shown both faithful members and non-believers that Joseph Smith did not create the church ex nihilo. Smith and other early church leaders lived, worked, and worshiped in an environment ripe with many influences. They lived lives on the edge of a developing nation, were well acquainted with other religious traditions, observed and occasionally dabbled in frontier folk magic, and viewed the world around them with sometimes apocalyptic symbolism. With an often-limited access to formal education, they read, pondered the Bible, and taught themselves with whatever resources were available.
Freemasonry was one of those influences. It is easy to underestimate the role that Freemasonry played in the founding of the new United States. Many of the founding fathers themselves were Masons, attracted to Freemasonry’s Christian symbolism and principles of equality. These principles easily aligned with the ideals behind the creation of a new nation free from the aristocracy and class consciousness of England and the rest of Europe. Growing out of 15th and 16th-century guilds in Europe, Freemasonry became a fraternity of opportunity that purported to have roots in ancient lore descending from the time of Solomon’s temple, where members, regardless of their outside lives, participated equally in “…a system of morality veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols.” [p 449]
Method Infinite’s authors bring the insider perspective of both the LDS Church and Masonry. Swick and Literski are Master Masons with advanced degrees in the Craft, and with Bruno are also scholars steeped in Mormon history. Together, they have completed the most comprehensive treatment of the parallels and direct Masonic influences on the founding of the LDS Church to date. When I described this as an avalanche of information, I will admit to feeling a bit overwhelmed early on in my reading. According to the authors, Masonic influences and symbols are everywhere in the founding of the Church. They point to parallels in the visit of Moroni to Joseph Smith in 1823, in the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith’s dabbling in treasure seeking, and many other aspects of early Church history. I found myself on a few occasions wondering whether Bruno, Swick, and Literski were arguing that Smith was creating some kind of ΰber-masonry, or restoring the primitive Christianity described in the literature of the restoration. But bit by bit, the thesis of Method Infinite became clearer to me. By the time the book reaches the Nauvoo period and the creation of the Nauvoo temple and its rituals, the bigger picture came into focus for me.
Joseph Smith saw Freemasonry as ancient and authentic. He saw in it how symbols and ritual were powerful means of relating important truths and inspiring the participants involved. He was:
“…comfortable and skilled with the Masonic ritual style and populated the temple with a ceremony supporting his views on priesthood. He tapped into the emotion of legend and began to recover real truths about the human soul…to transform and elevate Masonic ritual into ordinances holding divine, salvific power.” [p 350]
The authors argue that Smith also sought to provide a more inclusive role for women, modeled on similar principles of morality and service found in male-only Freemasonry. Barred from direct participation in Masonic lodges, the Nauvoo Relief Society began, in his vision, as an extension of many of Freemasonry’s elements to a women’s organization. The authors argue that similar principles extended to such other efforts as the organization of the Danites as a means of protection for the Saints and the theocratic ambitions of the Council of 50. In all of these, Smith used oaths, covenants, a commitment to defend each other, and, as necessary, vows of secrecy. These were designed, they argue, to achieve his goal of forging direct links between mortality and the very powers of Heaven. Freemasonry provided a template for him in bringing about a restoration of principles of the original Christian church. In a similar vein, Freemasons are seeking “that which is lost,” or “the Master’s Word,” a reference to the secrets lost in ancient times. Smith also envisioned his temple rituals, initially for a select group, to be available for everyone willing to covenant and assist in binding heaven on earth. The Mormon Masonic lodges in and around Nauvoo included at one time more than one thousand members, a far larger number than in any other area of Illinois where Masonic lodges were established. It was for Smith, a means of preparing his people to recognize and achieve their ultimate divine potential.
To be honest, there are still elements in Method Infinite that felt more like coincidence than direct influences, but in most cases, the authors labeled them as such. One such example that the authors clearly indicated as an unintentional parallel were the similarities between the deaths of Joseph and Hyrum Smith at the hands of assassins and the Masonic legend of the death of Hiram Abiff, whom Masons believe was the chief architect of Solomon’s Temple. This chapter carries those startling but clearly coincidental elements for 25 pages, interesting but perhaps a bit too long under the circumstances. I was also reminded of some of the criticism of Hugh Nibley’s practice of drawing parallels between LDS theology and ancient cultures, which some felt were selectively presented or too broadly drawn. Method Infinite seems likely to attract some of that same criticism. For those who may feel, as I did at times, that the authors may have taken this project too far, this quote from a writer on Masonic rituals may help:
“There is scarcely a single element in Free Masonry, but we find its corresponding rite in one or other of the idolatrous mysteries; and the coincidence can only be accounted for by supposing that these mysteries were derived from Masonry”
The authors then add, “Of course, Masonry might have derived from “Idolatrous mysteries” rather than the other way round…” [p155]
Perhaps it is unfair to read and render in a few weeks an opinion on what took the authors many years of exhaustive research to produce. Some of what was borrowed from Freemasonry in the early church has since been removed from the temple liturgy, including the words from Ulysses that piqued my interest back in college. Yet I came away with a better understanding of the obvious links that remain, where they came from, and why misunderstanding has led to denial and confusion on the topic.
I should point out that the authors exercised restraint and respect for both Mormon and Masonic rituals and practices. They have not violated oaths to hold these elements secret or sacred. Sensitive topics are referenced via previously published materials and archives open to the public, and the authors have avoided sensationalism. This is a serious work of scholarship, and the authors are to be applauded for their approach. Not everyone will be interested in Method Infinite, and not all will agree with the author’s conclusions. Method Infinite, however, is the most complete treatment yet of a poorly understood and controversial topic. It will likely promote more debate and scholarship, but clearly marks a milestone in early LDS Church history.