Posted on 12/04/2004 7:06:01 AM PST by missyme
The Knights Templar theme is also the plot of the new hit film, "National Treasure." We talked with the authors of "Templars in America" to see how their research matches up with the fictional movie.
Who were the Knights Templar?
On the surface they were a medieval, monastic order who gave the appearance of being part of the church and devout Christians. In actual fact, they were anything but that. Yes, they were a monastic order, theyd been approved by the pope, and they were virtually independent of all civil and other church authorities, being responsible through their grand master to the pope and the pope alone. But in actual fact, theyd been founded by a group of families who had a very different and a very heretical view about Christ and his teaching. They had kept that teaching alive in secret for nearly 1,100 years and conspired to set up a counterbalance to church power.
Is the history of the Knights Templar disputed?
Oh, yes it is. There are two totally different views on this. One is that it was founded by devout Catholics to defend the faitha view that Im afraid we would dispute quite vigorously. The other is the view weve just given you, that it was founded for heretical reasons, by families trying to reclaim their patrimony--which was in their view the Holy Land, because they claimed descent from the high priesthood of Jerusalem.
Tell me about this family trying to keep its patrimony.
It wasnt one family--it was a series of them. There were 24 hereditary high priests in the temple of Jerusalem, and after the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 they scattered throughout Europe and the Far East. Their descendents kept in touch and only married within that group of familieskeeping the bloodline pure and passing down their teaching in secret. Now, they knew that Jesus wasnt God and that he had taught a form of spirituality which was totally in conformity with Judaic tradition and with the Egyptian tradition that preceded it.
How does that story connect with Gnosticism?
These families were Gnostics. The church required you to believe in a set of fixed dogma and accept it as fact. It said that if you are not a good boy down here then youll burn in hell for eternity; or you could conform to church belief and join the feathered choir in heaven. The Gnostic is a different animal. He follows a teacher who teaches an ascending path of initiation, whereby more and more is revealed until ultimately you attain union with God. Examples would be Buddhists, Zoroastrians, Egyptians or the Jewish Kabbalists. And the families were talking about were following something very closely akin to the Kabbalah and the Egyptian tradition.
How does Gnosticism connect with the legends surrounding Mary Magdalene and Jesus?
She was his wife. The Christian concept that Jesus was God and therefore he was untouchable by anybody is nonsense, because as a Jew he would have had to conform to Jewish tradition at that timeand Jewish tradition said that the male had to marry and have children. And he was also heir to the throne of David. It would have been incumbent on him to produce another heir to keep the bloodline going. Had he not been married and done that, he couldnt have been the heir to the throne.
And Mary Magdalene came from a very important familyfar more important than the Christian gospels tells us. And it probably was an arranged marriage by the two families to promote the aristocracy because Jesus was certainly an aristocrat, not just a humble carpenter
Yes, there is a tradition that said that she landed in a boat with Lazarus. Each year there is a festival there. And on the first day of the festival, they carry the patron saint, known as Saint Sarah, down to the sea. She is known as Sarah the Egyptian. The story says that she was a servant girl, but its our belief that she was actually Jesus and Mary Magdalenes daughter.
They went inland to Westford in Massachusetts, because there is rock carving there known as the Westford Knight, which commemorates the death of one of Earl Henrys companions, Sir James Gunn.
And then we spend quite a lot of time in the book examining one of the most controversial buildings in the North American continent, the Old Stone Mill at Newport, which we refer to as the Newport Tower. This is a classic example of rubble-built, Romanesque architecture in the Templar tradition of round churches. The proofs we put forward we think are conclusive, though were aware that opinions are sharp, and theyre divided about the origins of this tower. So trying to convince people is probably a waste of time.
THE REST OF THIS STORY:
Nobodys sure. Thats one of the mysteries. The reason we came to that conclusion is because he was a very important person. He was a premier earl of Norway; he was also an incredibly influential Scottish lord and yet, there is no record anywhere of his funeral.
The other reason weve come to that conclusion is that his son was never installed as the earl. The title went to his grandson, even though on his death his son would automatically inherit it. And we suggest he wasnt officially installed because nobody knew for sure whether his father was dead or not.
Because of the links hed made in Nova Scotia and the fact that their spiritual traditions were so similar, we think he would have very easily assimilated with them. Life on that side of the Atlantic was probably a lot easier than on this, with the conflicts in Europe, and he just decided that hed go back and assimilate with them. And frankly enough, there are people over there who bear a great deal of resemblance to the Sinclairs on this side of the Atlantic.
So youre suggesting that the spiritual importance of this journey is that it unites the Gnostic spirituality of these ten Templar families with Native American spirituality?
Yes. That was something that we found startling
and its demonstrably true. If you look at some of the quotations from some of the medieval mystics of the Gnostic traditions and some of the quotations that were told 150-200 years ago from the North American people, theyre almost interchangeable in their spiritual view of the world.
Is your contention that this is because this is a universal spirituality found all over the world? Or are you suggesting these groups had contact with each other prior to his voyage?
I dont think they had contact with each other. But if there is one divinely inspired truth, and God is merciful and loving, then that truth will always be available to all people throughout the world, irrespective of culture or time.
Why do you believe this other path of Christianity was suppressed in the first place and why it had to be kept secret?
Because if you disagreed with the church, you were condemned for heresy. And you were invited to the next church barbecue as the chief item on the menu.
Can you help us understand the connection you make between North American Freemasonry and the founding of the United States?
Freemasonry played a pivotal and formative role in the creation of the American constitution and the American way of life. If you study the history of the people who led the American Revolution, you find that the leading figures, military, and politically and philosophicallyId say 85 percent of them were members of the Freemasons, including George Washington. And a similar percentage of people who composed and created the American Constitution, came from the same background. Masonic principles are bound in the Constitution.
Freemasonry is an offshootit derived indirectly, perhaps, but it derived from the Knights Templar and their teaching. It was certainly created and formed by the secret families. And the family that played the major role in that, were of course the Sinclairs of Rosslyn because the lords of Rosslyn were the hereditary patrons of masonry throughout Scotland.
What was the reason for starting Freemasonry?
It was a way of bringing monotheism and true spirituality back to people outside the families in a way that wouldnt attract the unwelcome attention of the church. It did, of course, but it still managed to survive. They kept their teaching secret, but the Catholic church has traditionally viewed freemasonry as its sworn enemy.
What do you say to people who say, Wait, this isnt the history I know"?
Check our sources. Thats why we footnote our work so carefully. Our opinions are like anybody elses opinions. They can be modified, argued about, accepted, rejected. But you cant argue with the actual factsand the access to the facts was restricted or forbidden for centuries, until now.
I wonder if this will be the rise of Freemasonry that is spoken about concerning "End Times Prophecy"
well, well..... The Messianic conspiracy comes to America.
I thought it was going to be about the American organization known as the Knights Templar.
There making a movie of all thus...
Knights Templar, Freemasonry, and a secret map on the Declaration of Independence....
My understanding is that Freemasonry was a cultish faith sort of like the Da Vinci Code but it's making some headway here in the U.S shining it's ugly head with people and the church getting away from GOD's truth..
Other literature written by Masonic authorities shows that the religion being promoted through Freemasonry is incompatible with Christianity.
Freemasonry denies the Trinity, the deity of Christ, salvation by grace through faith, the uniqueness of the Bible, and a number of other Christian beliefs. Masonry also promotes involvement with the occult as a means of achieving higher degrees of "truth".
This is what is being promoted by the cults of christianity growing here in America,Hollywood making a Movie the Da Vinci Code now this? what's next???
TWO CHARACTERISTICS OF THE END OF THE AGE FROM THE APOSTLE PAUL
GODLESSNESS IN THE LAST DAYS
II Timothy 3:1-5,7 "But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of god; holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth."
APOSTASY (FALLING AWAY FROM THE FAITH)
I Timothy 4:1-3 "But the spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons. By means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron, men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth."
They went inland to Westford in Massachusetts, because there is rock carving there known as the Westford Knight, which commemorates the death of one of Earl Henrys companions, Sir James Gunn.
There is a lot of the article left out of your post. It wasn't St. Sarah who went to Westford. But even with everything put in, this all looks fishy. There are links on the right-hand side of the article that dispute its assertions about Mary Magadalen and about the Earl of Sinclair. And both convinced Freemasons and committed anti-Masonists would probably find the claim that 85% of America's Founders were Masons or crypto- or quasi- or semi-Masonic on the high side, to say the least.
What is the Templar connexion to the Draconian Lizard People?
National Treasure:
Has been the top-grossing movie in America for the last two weekends, even though it was largely panned by reviewers. But movie-goers are apparently drawn to the plot line, which goes like this: An order of European Knights, called the Knights Templar, amassed a huge amount of treasure originating in the Temple of Solomon. Their treasure is rumored to contain artifacts of spiritual significance retrieved by the order during the Crusades, including the genealogies of David and Jesus and documents that trace their descendants to French royalty.
The Knights Templar inspired the Freemasons, who inspired the Skull and Bones Society of which George W. Bush is a member. What do you think was the real purpose of the President's impromptu visit to Nova Scotia, anyway? < / tinfoil >
Now, will I roast in hell for that? Only God knows.
I too think Mary Magadalene was a disciple of Jesus who loved Jesus and they loved each other not in the sense of a romantic love, but a pure love like the perfect love that Jesus has for us...
Ah, just more rubbish about the Knights Templar. They were created to defend pilgrims in the Holy Land after Jerusalem was liberated from the Saracens who took it after defeating the Christians who had lived there for centuries. (not the other way around) And then the Knights grew wealthy in Europe until the King of France decided to seize their wealth. Since that time, they have grown in myth and legend and been seen as nefarious in countless ways.
It sounds like the writer of this article did its research using "holy blood, holy grail" and the other book written by the same person....whom Brown lists as his "factual source" for the DaVinci Code.
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