“We live in a world where people kill each other every day over whose definition of God is correct…And here is a worldwide organization that, at its core, will bring people together from many, many different religions, and ask only that you believe in a god, and they’ll all stand in the same room and proclaim their reverence for a god. … And it seems like a perfect blueprint for universal spirituality.”
Guessed the organization but not the speaker (should have given the currency of his book). That said, Masonry draws heavily on Old and New Testament scripture and tradition and by far the majority of its members are Christian. Since it is not explicitly a “religious organization” it is tolerant of many religious perspectives. Haven’t read Dan Brown’s book so I have no idea what his perspective is on the matter.
Its such a classic illustration of so much of the syncretism that is out there.
I did hear the promo piece on NPR the night before, so I knew that it was Dan Brown.
Another lapsed Episcopalian!
I thought it would be William Swing, former bishop of SF and founder of the United Religions Initiative (or whatever it’s called).
I was guessing Tony Blair or Jefferts Schori!