Brown ripped off ideas from a couple of other authors that I have read in the past. I am not Catholic though I was raised in that faith. He did a real hatchet job on the Catholic Church which some might feel is deserved. I don't.
I was not aware about a connection between Masons and Mormons. That is intriguing. I may have to read his next book, but not certain yet.
I think that it would be quite optimistic for either Masons or Mormons to anticipate a fair shake from this guy.
I still can't believe how many books he has sold.
Mormons were expelled from Missouri. The ones who expelled them took over thier property.
They were later expelled from Navoo Illinois. At the time Navoo was the largest city in Illinois. The ones who expelled them took over the property there also.
That is why they ended up in the Salt Lake Valley. The Salt Lake Valley was part of Mexico until they had been there about a year.
It became part of the US I believe in 1848 at the end of the Mexican war that also included all the south west to SanDiego.
Interesting stuff in history.
Brown took some of the ideas about the feminine divine from the works of mythology expert Joseph Campbell.