Ritual , Secrecy , and Civil Society - Volume 2 - ������ 1 - Spring 2014
Ritual , Secrecy , and Civil Society : � �����������������1 , Spring 2014
Freemasonry , Enlightenment , and Networks Foreword by Pierre Mollier
Although Anglo-Saxon Freemasonry has always claimed that it “ does not do politics ,” Latin Freemasonries in Europe or South America have in fact helped to promote new , liberal , and progressive ideas . Historians must look beyond the official discourse and study the interactions between the often important organizations of the Grand Lodges and the societies to which they belong .
Building on the works of Margaret Jacob , our first two articles examine the political ideas implemented and promoted by the Grand Orient in France in the eighteenth century . We will see very clearly how Masonic dignitaries applied the liberal and predemocratic principles of Enlightenment thinkers in the management of the Lodges under their leadership , even if this often meant going against the opinions and prejudices of “ ordinary ” Masons . What makes this even more interesting is its occurrence at a time when the leadership of the Grand Orient belonged to the country ’ s ruling classes , and when France was highly influential throughout Europe . Moreover , Masonry was an effective network for exchange in Enlightenment Europe , as shown by the study on the Masons Knights of Malta . We can perceive a new sociability ( Freemasonry ) relaying and challenging an old sociability ( the Order of Malta ). It is therefore appropriate to examine the existence of a true geopolitics of Freemasonry in the eighteenth century .
What makes the eighteenth century so interesting to us is that it was one of the key periods in Western culture in terms of literature and the arts , as well as the time when the ideas and values that many still consider to be ours today took shape . Modern man looks to the eighteenth century as a reference point in a similar way to how men in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries looked to antiquity . This makes it particularly important to examine the role of Freemasonry in this process .
Finally , after a look at these essentially very “ European ” issues , we include Carter Charles ’ fascinating study on a very “ American ” subject : the “ Masonic ” sources of certain aspects of the Mormon religion .
Welcome to our third issue — a number of great symbolic significance for Freemasons ! It shows that Ritual , Secrecy , and Civil Society has now fully secured its place among academic journals on Freemasonry and fraternalism .
Pierre Mollier Editor-in-Chief
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