Morals & Dogma For The 21st Century

A group of enthusiastic Scottish Rite Masons from Plano, Texas have crafted a new edition of Albert Pike's Morals & Dogma in a unique manner. It is a side-by-side comparison, presenting Pike's original words on one page, with an updated, more modern, less inscrutable version on the other.

According to the advance announcement, "Morals and Dogma for the 21st Century is a modern interpretation of Albert Pike’s Greatest Work. We have taken the entire original book and translated it into modern English, streamlined the ideas, organized the flow of thoughts, updated many of the historical examples, and clarified many of the points that are easily misread."

From the Introduction:

As a Fraternity, we need to teach our Brethren what it means to be a Mason beyond paying dues and attending business meetings. We need to focus on the quality of our Masons and not the quantity. We need to reinforce our differences from other civic or charitable organizations and lift the fog that has obscured our path of progress and prosperity in recent years.

This book is far too important to the Scottish Rite to be lost forever. This "translation" of the work seeks to inspire a return to the basics and renew our belief in the importance of giving our new members a starting point for their Masonic journey and a foundation upon which to build. Volumes have been written about every aspect of the original edition of Morals and Dogma, but none of these efforts has made the beauty and lessons of the book any more accessible to the vast majority of our membership. Analysis and commentary is only useful when the source material is well understood. The neglect of the last several decades has rendered this work withered and fruitless, but it is as relevant today as it was in 1871. Its lessons need to be repeated again, and again, and again.

It is with an absolute reverence for Albert Pike and for the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite that the compilers of this work have endeavored to make Morals and Dogma more approachable and accessible to the modern reader. In no way do we intend to displace (or replace) his work from its exalted position, so rightly and fully deserved. Rather, through this effort, we hope to inspire our audience to read Morals and Dogma in its entirety and in the original language. Only in this way, can the Brethren of the Rite fully appreciate Albert Pike's sublime language and explore the book's deeper mysteries and speculations.

The authors — James L. "JJ" Miller IV, Brian A. Chaput, William R. Goodell, and Kevin K. Main — are all "black hat" 32° Masons from Plano Lodge #768, and proudly proclaim that none of them are "past anythings." The first printing is limited to 5,000 copies, and the first 1,000 are signed by the authors. Price is $49.00, and it is available online from Stone Guild Publishing.

Hat tip to Brother Ron Martin on the Philalethes Yahoo group.