The Faith Of America’s Founders On Trial

From the Preface of:

Apollyon Rising 2012: The Lost Symbol Found and the Final Mystery of the Great Seal Revealed

By Christian J. Pinto, Award-winning filmmaker of the documentary series, Secret Mysteries of America’s Beginnings

Many Christians are repeatedly told by their pastors, teachers, and church leaders that America was founded as a Christian nation. This assertion would not be so bad if it were confined to the arrival of the Puritans at Plymouth and the early development of the new world. If that were the case, it would be an accurate statement, in this writer’s opinion.

The problem arises when one marks the foundation of our country at the American Revolution and the establishment of the United States. It is at this point where all Bible-believing Christians should be very wary, since the working of occult societies during this era was at an unprecedented height. Some historians even argue that you simply cannot understand the history of the world for the past few hundred years if you do not take these societies into account. Their members have been the planners, leaders, and engineers of a global agenda, one that they do not readily share with the rest of the world. More importantly, they often use “religion” as an instrument to manipulate the masses, their belief being that the end justifies the means.

Thomas Paine

While often overlooked or marginalized by modern historians, the American Revolution, in many ways, begins with Thomas Paine. The Marquis de Lafayette said, “A free America without her Thomas Paine is unthinkable.” Paine wrote the famous pamphlet, Common Sense, which is called “by far the most influential tract of the American Revolution” by not a few historians, who also maintain that it influenced Jefferson’s writing of the Declaration of Independence. Paine also published The Crisis pamphlet series, some of which were read aloud by George Washington to his troops during the Revolution. John Adams is known for saying, “Without the pen of Paine, the sword of Washington would have been wielded in vain.” These words (sometimes attributed to Joel Barlow) are engraved on the very tombstone of the revolutionary author, whose words are said to have “stirred the American colonies to independence.” Another quote appears on his tombstone, saying: “History is to ascribe the American Revolution to Thomas Paine.” With these things in mind, consider that Paine wrote:

When I see throughout the greater part of this book [the Bible] scarcely anything but a history of the grossest vices and a collection of the most paltry and contemptible tales, I cannot dishonor my Creator by calling it by His name.

What is it the Bible teaches us?—rapine, cruelty, and murder. What is it the Testament teaches us?—to believe that the Almighty committed debauchery with a woman engaged to be married, and the belief of this debauchery is called faith.

It is the fable of Jesus Christ, as told in the New Testament, and the wild and visionary doctrine raised thereon, against which I contend. The story, taking it as it is told, is blasphemously obscene.

Thomas Jefferson

If there ever were a man utterly ruined and spoiled by vain philosophy, it was surely Thomas Jefferson. Along with Thomas Paine, he was America’s greatest deceiver and antichrist—if you judge him according to the Scriptures. Jefferson, perhaps more than any other, typifies the last-days “scoffers, walking after their own lusts” warned about in the Bible (2 Peter 3:3, KJV). Jefferson said this about the book of Revelation in a letter to General Alexander Smyth dated January 17, 1825:

It is between fifty and sixty years since I read it and I then considered it as merely the ravings of a maniac, no more worthy nor capable of explanation than the incoherences of our own nightly dreams.

Through the rest of his letter, Jefferson made it clear to the general that he had not repented of his formerly held view. Some have tried to whitewash Jefferson because he thought Jesus was a fine teacher of morality, but here is what he said in a letter to William Short dated October 31, 1819:

The greatest of all the Reformers of the depraved religion of his own country, was Jesus of Nazareth. Abstracting what is really His from the rubbish in which it is buried, easily distinguished by its luster from the dross of his biographers, and as separable from that as the diamond from the dunghill.

The above passage describes the approach Jefferson took in writing his so-called Jefferson Bible (properly titled The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth). What he claimed he was attempting to do (and wrote about extensively) was to separate the “true” sayings of Jesus from the things he believed had been added to the Gospel accounts. But he did not really believe in the authority of the Bible, Old Testament or New. In a letter to John Adams dated January 24, 1814, he wrote:

Where did we get the Ten Commandments? The book indeed gives them to us verbatim, but where did it get them? For itself tells us they were written by the finger of God on tables of stone, which were destroyed by Moses.… But the whole history of these books is so defective and doubtful, that it seems vain to attempt minute inquiry into it.… We have a right to entertain much doubt what parts of them are genuine.

As seen earlier, Jefferson’s view of the New Testament was no better. In the same letter to John Adams, he wrote:

In the New Testament there is internal evidence that parts of it have proceeded from an extraordinary man; and that other parts are of the fabric of very inferior minds. It is as easy to separate those parts, as to pick out diamonds from dunghills.

When one reads The Jefferson Bible, it becomes clear what Jefferson was referring to when he mentioned “dunghills.” He specifically removed the virgin birth, the miracles of Christ, the Lord’s resurrection, and His ascension into heaven. Needless to say, the entire book of Revelation was omitted. These were among the things Jefferson believed came from “inferior minds.” Concerning the Lord Jesus, Jefferson wrote in another letter to Short on April 13, 1920:

Among the sayings and discourses imputed to Him by His biographers, I find many passages of fine imagination, correct morality, and of the most lovely benevolence; and others, again, of so much ignorance, so much absurdity, so much untruth, charlatanism and imposture.… I separate, therefore, the gold from the dross…and leave the latter to the stupidity of some, and roguery of others of His disciples. Of this band of dupes and impostors, Paul was the…first corruptor of the doctrines of Jesus.

Benjamin Franklin

One of the most influential founding fathers, and the only one of them to have signed all of the original founding documents (the Declaration of Independence, the Treaty of Paris, and the U.S. Constitution) was Benjamin Franklin. Franklin was responsible for three important phases of America’s development: 1) Unifying the colonists in their rebellion against England; 2) Philosophy concerning the rights of mankind; and 3) Facilitating the American Revolution by publishing the writings of Thomas Paine. To Sir Walter Isaacson, Benjamin Franklin was “the most accomplished American of his age and the most influential in inventing the type of society America would become.”

Ben Franklin was, without question, deeply involved in Freemasonry and in other secret societies. He belonged to secret groups in the three countries involved in the War of Independence: America, France, and England. He was master of the Masonic Lodge of Philadelphia; while over in France, he was master of the Nine Sisters Lodge, from which sprang the French Revolution. In England, he joined a rakish political group founded by Sir Francis Dashwood (member of Parliament, advisor to King George III) called the “Monks of Medmenham Abbey,” otherwise known as the “Hellfire Club.” This eighteenth-century group is described as follows:

The Hellfire Club was an exclusive, English club that met sporadically during the mid-eighteenth century. Its purpose, at best, was to mock traditional religion and conduct orgies. At worst, it involved the indulgence of satanic rites and sacrifices. The club to which Franklin belonged was established by Francis Dashwood, a member of Parliament and friend of Franklin. The club, which consisted of “The Superior Order” of twelve members, allegedly took part in basic forms of satanic worship. In addition to taking part in the occult, orgies and parties with prostitutes were also said to be the norm.

Dead Bodies in London

On February 11, 1998, the Sunday Times reported that ten bodies were dug up from beneath Benjamin Franklin’s home at 36 Craven Street in London. The bodies were of four adults and six children. They were discovered during a costly renovation of Franklin’s former home. The Times reported: “Initial estimates are that the bones are about two hundred years old and were buried at the time Franklin was living in the house, which was his home from 1757 to 1762 and from 1764 to 1775. Most of the bones show signs of having been dissected, sawn or cut. One skull has been drilled with several holes.”

The article goes on to suggest that the bodies may have been the result of the experiments of Dr. William Hewson, who worked alongside the founders of British surgery and who was a friend of Benjamin Franklin. Hewson apparently ran his medical school from Franklin’s home from 1772 to 1774. The suggestion put forth is that the bodies were probably “anatomical specimens that Dr. Hewson disposed of,” but investigators admitted they were still “uncertain.” For the record, the Benjamin Franklin House currently presents the bones as “the remains of William Hewson’s anatomy school,” and even has them on display for the public.

The original Times article reported that the bones were “deeply buried, probably to hide them because grave robbing was illegal.” They said, “There could be more buried, and there probably are.” But the story doesn’t end there.

Science and Satan: Together Again?

Later reports from the Benjamin Franklin House reveal that not only were human remains found, but animal remains were discovered as well. This is where things get very interesting. From the published photographs, some of the bones appear to be blackened or charred, as if by fire. Needless to say, a number of researchers are doubtful about the “medical” explanation and have suggested that Franklin’s involvement with the Hellfire Club may be the real answer. It is well documented that Satanists perform ritual killings of both humans and animals alike. Could Franklin and his Hellfire friends have been working with Hewson to provide the doctor with fresh bodies?

The uncomfortable questions are these: If the humans were medical cadavers, why were they disposed of like so much trash beneath the house? Why not give them some kind of proper burial? If grave robbers could sneak into a graveyard to steal a body, they could also sneak in to put one back. Furthermore, why were the human remains mingled with those of animals? It is worth noting that Dr. Hewitt developed an infection from working on one of his cadavers and died from it.

Franklin and the Gospel

What was Franklin’s view of Christianity and of the Lord Jesus Christ? He answered that question directly shortly before he died. He wrote the following to Ezra Stiles, who was then president of Yale University. Stiles had inquired about Franklin’s views on religion and of the Lord Jesus Christ:

As to Jesus of Nazareth, my Opinion of whom you particularly desire, I think the System of Morals and his Religion, as he left them to us, the best the world ever saw or is likely to see; but I apprehend it has received various corrupt changes, and I have, with most of the present Dissenters in England, some Doubts as to his divinity.

From the first part of his response, Franklin’s views about Jesus seem very similar to those of Paine and Jefferson, making reference to “corrupt changes” in the Gospel record. Like many others, he compliments the “morality” of Christ while rejecting His authority. This was typical of the founding fathers.

John Adams

John Adams was America’s third president and a close friend of Thomas Jefferson. Adams, Jefferson, and Franklin worked together on the first committee to design the Great Seal for the United States. While it does not appear that Adams was a member of any secret group, he was a Unitarian and shared views of Christianity not unlike those of Paine, Jefferson, and Franklin. He wrote the following to Thomas Jefferson in a letter dated September 3, 1816:

I almost shudder at the thought of alluding to the most fatal example of the abuses of grief which the history of mankind has preserved—the Cross. Consider what calamities that engine of grief has produced!

George Washington

Undoubtedly, the most famous man to have survived the American Revolution is the veritable “father of our country,” George Washington; but was he a Christian? Many die-hard Christian patriots have insisted that he was, but history reveals that questions about his faith did not begin in the modern era. Even during his lifetime, there were many who sought out a clear answer as to what George Washington believed about God and the Lord Jesus Christ specifically. After more than twenty years of being a pastor to George Washington himself, Bishop James White was only able to give a vague testimony of Washington’s faith. For obvious reasons, many people sought this man, hoping he could give a clear description of Washington’s Christian beliefs. His reply on one occasion was:

I do not believe that any degree of recollection will bring to my mind any fact which would prove General Washington to have been a believer in the Christian revelation further than as may be hoped from his constant attendance upon Christian worship, in connection with the general reserve of his character.

In other words, beyond his generally moral character and the fact that he went to church regularly, there is no other proof that he was a believer.

The assistant to Rev. White was Rev. James Abercrombie, who also ministered to Washington for years. Years later, when questioned by Dr. Bird Wilson, Rev. Abercrombie arrived at the following conclusion:

Long after Washington’s death, in reply to Dr. Wilson, who had interrogated him as to his illustrious auditor’s religious views, Dr. Abercrombie’s brief but emphatic answer was: “Sir, Washington was a Deist.”

In Philadelphia, certain Christian clergymen had even tried to obtain a confession of faith, or a clear denial, from Washington during his farewell address as president. Thomas Jefferson commented on this in his journal, saying:

Feb. 1.—Dr. Rush tells me that he had it from Asa Green that when the clergy addressed General Washington on his departure from the Government, it was observed in their consultation that he had never on any occasion said a word to the public which showed a belief in the Christian religion and they thought they should so pen their address as to force him at length to declare publicly whether he was a Christian or not. They did so. However, he observed, the old fox was too cunning for them. He answered every article in their address particularly except that, which he passed over without notice.… “I know that Gouverneur Morris, who pretended to be in his secrets and believed himself to be so, has often told me that General Washington believed no more in the system [Christianity] than he did.”

The “Asa Green” mentioned by Jefferson was Dr. Ashbel Green, who was the chaplain to the Congress during Washington’s presidency. Dr. Green “dined with the President on special invitation nearly every week.” One of his relatives, A. B. Bradford (who was later appointed a consul to China by President Lincoln), gave the following testimony about the event Jefferson had described. Bradford related that what follows was “frequently” told to him by Dr. Green:

He explained more at length the plan laid by the clergy of Philadelphia at the close of Washington’s administration as President to get his views of religion for the sake of the good influence they supposed they would have in counteracting the Infidelity of Paine and the rest of the Revolutionary patriots, military and civil. But I well remember the smile on his face and the twinkle of his black eye when he said: “The old fox was too cunning for Us.”

Notice the reference to “Us,” as Dr. Green counted himself among the Christian clergymen who were trying to obtain a clear confession from President Washington. The quote continues, as Bradford says of Dr. Green:

He affirmed, in concluding his narrative, that from his long and intimate acquaintance with Washington he knew it to be the case that while he respectfully conformed to the religious customs of society by generally going to church on Sundays, he had no belief at all in the divine origin of the Bible, or the Jewish-Christian religion.

Sacred Fire?

In recent years, an attempt was made by authors Jerry A. Lillback and Jerry Newcombe, in their book, George Washington’s Sacred Fire, to prove that Washington was a Christian. They penned a thousand pages of seemingly endless speculation and suggestive possibilities, but the only confession they could produce was a single quote from Washington on “the Religion of Jesus Christ.” Moreover, the authors of Sacred Fire destroyed their entire hypothesis by revealing the following ecumenical quote from Washington to his fellow Freemason, the Marquis de Lafayette:

Being no bigot myself to any mode of worship, I am disposed to indulge the professors of Christianity in the church, that road to Heaven, which to them shall seem the most direct, plainest, easiest, and least liable to exception.

Notice how Washington referred to Christianity as “that road to Heaven,” as if it were one of many. Washington’s words are entirely Masonic, and the quote appears as if he were letting his hair down to a fellow Mason. Furthermore, the quote clearly shows that Washington viewed himself as an outsider to biblical Christianity, and suggests that he merely “indulged” the Christians by going to church, etc.

All who knew him would agree that in terms of moral conduct and his code of honor, the world viewed him (and he probably saw himself) as a man of Christian character. This did not, however, require that he believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, or that He died for our sins, and that by faith in Him alone we have eternal life.

Freemasonry and the Founders

In his book, The Question of Freemasonry and the Founding Fathers, author David Barton takes up the argument about whether or not the United States was founded by Masons. Despite the overwhelming evidence against him, he diminishes the role of Masonry, saying, “It is historically and irrefutably demonstrable that Freemasonry was not a significant influence in the formation of the United States” (emphasis in original).

Nevertheless, in January of 2007, the first session of the 110th Congress (when Nancy Pelosi became Speaker of the House) passed House Resolution 33, which recognized “the thousands of Freemasons in every State in the Nation.” The resolution goes on to say specifically:

Whereas the Founding Fathers of this great Nation and signers of the Constitution, most of whom were Freemasons, provided a well-rounded basis for developing themselves and others into valuable citizens of the United States [emphasis added].

Christian Masonry?

Furthermore, Barton makes the assertion that Freemasonry was a “Christian” organization during the time of the founding fathers, but was then later corrupted by men like Albert Mackey and Albert Pike. As shown in the documentary, Secret Mysteries of America’s Beginnings, American Masonry can be traced to England during the time of Sir Francis Bacon (1561–1626), who is considered the first grand master of modern masonry. Even at this time, the inner doctrine of embracing all the world religions alongside Christianity existed, but they did not publish such things in formal declarations, for fear of persecution. The outer and inner doctrine of secret societies is something overlooked by many researchers who attempt to marginalize the influence of Freemasonry. These same men would also know little of Rosicrucianism, which was the forerunner of Masonry.

Satanic Roots of Masonry

Sir Francis Bacon’s close associate during this time was Dr. John Dee, who was the court astrologer for Queen Elizabeth I. It is well known that Dee was a sorcerer who summoned demonic spirits to obtain secret knowledge; a practice used by Rosicrucians (of whom Dee was the chief in England) for centuries. The root word for “demon” means “a knowing one.” The Rosicrucians desired to know secrets of science (i.e., knowledge) and consulted demons to get information. Bacon also made contact with demonic spirits, including the goddess Pallas Athena, whom he claimed was his muse or inspiration. In time, Dee handed off the leadership of the Rosicrucian Society to Bacon, who would enfold the secrets of Rosicrucianism into the system of Freemasonry.

Little wonder that Sir Francis Bacon would become the father of the modern scientific method, and that men like Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson would follow his example in their scientific endeavors. Franklin and Jefferson are both claimed by modern Rosicrucians as being of their order.

Like the Gnostics, the Rosicrucians craved knowledge; it was this desire that led them to worship Lucifer. The secret orders regard Lucifer as the “angel of light” who, in the form of a serpent, bid mankind to partake of the “Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil” so that their eyes would be open and they could become as gods. This is the inner doctrine of Rosicrucianism, Freemasonry, and all the secret orders—and always has been. In the nineteenth century, when Masons like Pike and Mackey (along with leading occultists such as Eliphas Levi and Madame H. P. Blavatsky) described this doctrine in their writings, they were only admitting in print what had been secretly known for centuries. The difference was that with the revolutionary movements, freedom of religion allowed them to publish such things without fear of persecution.

Secrets in Stone

Centuries before all this, in 1492, Rosslyn Chapel was built by Scottish Freemasons. To this day, the chapel is considered a puzzle because it is filled with carvings and icons of Christian and Pagan religions. Why? The reason is because Freemasons have always had the inner doctrine of amalgamating religious beliefs. Much of this can be traced back to the Knights Templar, who are said to have fled to Scotland when they were persecuted in Europe (circa 1307). In fact, the red cross of the Templars is said to be a point of origin for the rose cross of Rosicrucianism. Furthermore, in the wake of the Scottish Jacobite rebellions of the early 1700s, many Scottish Masons and Rosicrucians fled to America, bringing their occult doctrines with them. One of their power centers was the Fredericksburg Lodge No. 4, whose members included George Washington, James Monroe, and eight of the Revolutionary War generals.

The practice of carving their doctrines in stone continued in the new world with the building of Washington DC. This is why one will find in our nation’s capital countless images of gods and goddesses, along with zodiacs, the Washington Monument Obelisk, reflecting pools, and a whole cacophony of pagan imagery. There are no monuments to Jesus Christ, the apostles, or anything having to do with the Christian faith.

The Reason for Masonic Deception

Manly P. Hall has been called “Masonry’s greatest philosopher” in America’s leading Masonic publication. In his book, The Secret Destiny of America, Hall says that in the past, secret orders intentionally made a pretense of Christian faith in order to avoid persecution. He writes:

The rise of the Christian Church broke up the intellectual pattern of the classical pagan world. By persecution…it drove the secret societies into greater secrecy; the pagan intellectuals then reclothed their original ideas in a garment of Christian phraseology, but bestowed the keys of the symbolism only upon those duly initiated and bound to secrecy by their vows.

The “initiated” who were “bound to secrecy” is an obvious reference to those in secret societies. Hall argued that these groups have been operating in America for centuries, and that they were the authors of the American Revolution. Before dismissing his assertion as a conspiracy theory, ask yourself a question: Did Christians erect a bunch of pagan monuments to various gods in Washington DC, and while doing it, just happen to omit Jesus Christ? Or was it done by men who outwardly pretended to be Christians, but who inwardly had a hidden agenda, just as their “greatest philosopher” tells us?

Classicism: The Veil of Lucifer

In his book on the founders and Masonry, David Barton defends the use of pagan symbolism with the following argument:

Americans in recent generations have not been trained in classical literature—a training that was routine in the Founding Era. Therefore, present-day Americans are not inclined to consider structures from the ancient empires (such as the pyramids), or to be familiar with their heroes (such as Cato, Cicero, and Aeneus), or even with their writers (such as Homer, Virgil, Herodotus, and especially Plutarch).

If you take the time to look up the works of Homer, Virgil, etc., you will find that these ancient writer/philosophers were writing about the gods and goddesses of the ancient world. All of these gods are called devils in the Bible (1 Corinthians 10:20). The same deception is used to describe the Statue of Liberty, where reference is made to “Liberty’s classical origins.” The placard on Liberty Island goes on to say that the statue was based on the Roman goddess Libertas. Were the statue judged from a biblical viewpoint, it would tell of Liberty’s demonic origins. The clever use of the word “classic” is simply more evidence of satanic duplicity. David Barton’s incredible delusion seems to be that if Satan and his demons are put in a book designated as “classical literature,” then they are somehow sanitized and no longer offensive to God. But in the Bible, God says, “Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens” (Jeremiah 10:11).

Why would any Bible-believing Christian want to build statues and monuments to exalt spiritual powers that God has condemned to destruction? Clearly, the modern references to “classical literature” by which demons become acceptable learning tools are a clever veil of deception. This danger was defined two centuries earlier by the sixteenth-century scholar Erasmus concerning “classical” studies. He said that, “under the cloak of reviving ancient literature, paganism tries to rear its head, as there are those among Christians who acknowledge Christ only in name but inwardly breathe heathenism.”

GAOTU and George Washington

To enable their members to embrace any god they wish, Masonry developed vague terminology when referring to deity. Their favorite title is “Great Architect of the Universe” (GAOTU). David Barton, in his attempts to call early Masonry a “Christian” organization, suggests that this idea developed after the founding era. He creates this argument in an attempt to justify the involvement of men like George Washington and others in early American Masonry.

In his book, Barton rightly states that in Christianity, “Only one God is worshipped—and that God is not the universalist deistic god that Masonry denotes as the ‘Great Architect of the Universe’ (GAOTU).” While saying this, he fails to tell his readers that George Washington (whom he insists was a Christian) referred to this same Masonic god when writing to the Massachusetts Grand Lodge on December 27, 1792, when he said, “I sincerely pray that the Great Architect of the Universe may bless you and receive you hereafter into his immortal Temple.”

Notice that the idea of GAOTU was not invented by Albert Pike or others who came later. It was well known among early American Masons. Could such a quote be the reason George Washington, in his thousands of pages of written correspondence, never made a clear confession of Jesus Christ? Or could it be that the only quote anyone can find from him makes mention of “the religion of Jesus Christ,” but not of faith in the Son of God according to the Scriptures? Could this be why Washington’s own pastor called him a Deist?

Pythagorean Masonry

While some patriot Christians will scoff at the idea that the Illuminati could have had anything to do with the design of Washington DC, they are simply unfamiliar with Illuminati symbolism. The Illuminists (an inner circle of Freemasons) were high-minded intellectuals who exalted the teachings of the Greek and Roman philosophers of the ancient world (i.e., the so-called classical authors Barton defends). Pythagorean philosophy was chiefly embraced by the revolutionaries of the founding era. The Pythagorean theorem is based on the right triangle of Pythagoras, and (according to Masonic author David Ovason) is the reason Federal Triangle in Washington DC was designed the way it was.

Dr. James H. Billington, in his book, Fire in the Minds of Men, writes about the revolutionary faith that was inspired by the Bavarian Illuminati. Bear in mind that Billington is not a “conspiracy writer,” but the thirteenth Librarian of Congress and a friend of the Bush family. He is as official a historian as you can find. President George W. Bush quoted Billington’s book in his 2005 inaugural address after he was elected for his second term. In his exhaustive work, Dr. Billington presents a whole section titled “The Pythagorean Passion,” in which he says: “A vast array of labels and images was taken from classical antiquity to legitimize the new revolutionary faith.”

Notice his reference to “classical” antiquity (i.e., pagan symbolism). He goes on to say that “Pythagoras, the semi-legendary Greek philosopher, provided a model for the intellectual-turned-revolutionary. He became a kind of patron saint for romantic revolutionaries.” Adam Weishaupt, the founder of the Bavarian Illuminati, even named his “final blueprint for politicized Illuminism…Pythagoras.”

Billington says that the “revolutionaries…repeatedly attached importance to the central prime numbers of Pythagorean mysticism: one, three, seven, and above all five.” The number five is significant because there are five points to a pentagram. Pythagoras called the pentagram the pentalpha, which is why there are so many Pentalpha lodges in modern Freemasonry. This is also why there is a pentagram in the street layout of Washington DC, as we detail in our documentary, Riddles in Stone.

The Washington DC Pentagram

All serious researchers contend that the controversy over the pentagram is not about whether or not it is truly there. Aerial photos clearly reveal it. Even the Masons, who deny that they are responsible for it, acknowledge its presence, but argue that Rhode Island Avenue does not extend all the way to complete the figure. As such, the debate is twofold: 1) Was the pentagram intentional, or simply the coincidence of geometric lines? 2) Why is the pentagram incomplete? The answer to the second part seems to reveal the first. As explained in Riddles in Stone, the unfinished pentagram is a well-known symbol in Freemasonry. As Manly P. Hall records in his writings:

The pentagram is used extensively in black magic, but when so used its form always differs in one of three ways: The star may be broken at one point by not permitting the converging lines to touch.… When used in black magic, the pentagram is called the “sign of the cloven hoof” or the “footprint of the devil.”

Of course, Hall was writing in the twentieth century, but was this symbolism known by Masons during the founding era? The answer is yes. One of the most famous Master Masons of all time was Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who made use of such a pentagram in the play, Faust, in which the character of Faust summons Mephistophiles (the Devil) to make a pact with him. As the Devil tries to leave, he is hindered. As a result, he and Faust have the following exchange: 

Mephistophiles

Let me go up! I cannot go away;

a little hindrance bids me stay.

The Witch’s foot upon your sill I see.

Faust

The pentagram? That’s in your way?

You son of Hell, explain to me,

If that stays you, how came you in today?

And how was such a spirit so betrayed?

Mephistophiles

Observe it closely! It is not well made;

One angle, on the outer side of it,

Is just a little open, as you see.

The “open” or “broken” pentagram was used by Faust to summon the Devil in a black magic ceremony. The famous author of the play, Goethe, was not only a Mason, but also a well-known member of the Bavarian Illuminati. To this day, Freemasons proudly acknowledge that his writings are filled with Masonic symbolism, while books have been written about his Illuminist involvement.

Goethe published his first edition of Faust in 1790 (called Faust: ein Fragment), and it was in the next two years that Pierre L’Enfant (with the possible help of Thomas Jefferson) came up with the street design for Washington DC (1791–1792). It is therefore provable that members of these secret orders were familiar with the idea of an unfinished pentagram before the street layout was complete. Admittedly, this does not, of itself, prove that the pentagram was intentional. Yet it is interesting that Goethe’s play and the DC design were done during the same period. Because of the close interaction between the Freemasonry of America and that of Europe, it is entirely possible (and likely) that L’Enfant and Jefferson were familiar with the symbol and placed it intentionally.

Were They Masons?

Both Pierre L’Enfant and Thomas Jefferson are thought to have been Masons. The reason for doubting it is because modern American Masonry cannot find the initiation records of these two men. Some believe they were initiated in France and their records were destroyed through the chaos of the French Revolution. Before believing those who deny their membership, bear in mind that Jefferson is listed among the Masonic presidents in the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library. Furthermore, the well-known European publication Freemasonry Today maintains unequivocally that Pierre L’Enfant was a Mason: “Washington DC can fairly be described as the world’s foremost ‘Masonic City.’ Its centre was laid out according to a plan drawn up by the French Freemason Pierre L’Enfant.”

Many other Masonic writers similarly state that Jefferson and L’Enfant were Masons, while some Masonic apologists debate the issue. When critics like David Barton or the History Channel insist that these men and others of the founding era were not Masons, and then blame the “conspiracy theorists” for passing on misinformation, they are either ignorant or deliberately withholding information.

America: The New Atlantis

In our documentary series, Secret Mysteries of America’s Beginnings, we show how Freemasonry and Rosicrucianism existed in England during the Elizabethan era, and were directly involved in the colonization scheme. Yes, there were most certainly Christians who came to this country through the Puritan/Pilgrim movement, but they were not alone. With them came the secret societies that saw America as “the New Atlantis” envisioned by Sir Francis Bacon. There is even a 1910 Newfoundland six-cent stamp (with three sixes on it, no less) with the image of Bacon that reads: “Lord Bacon, the Guiding Spirit in Colonization Scheme.”

Clearly, there were those who understood that the development of the new world was inspired by Bacon and his occult philosophies. It was Bacon who said, “Knowledge is power,” and the pursuit of knowledge through scientific discovery has guided the success of America. If one reads The New Atlantis, where Bacon describes a society with tall buildings, flying machines, weapons of mass destruction, health spas, the magnification of sound, and experiments with poisons on animals for the purpose of curing human beings, it becomes readily discernable that our country has followed his blueprint from the start.

Once you understand that Rosicrucianism (the inner doctrine of Masonry) is the mingling of Christianity with paganism, many of the founding fathers make more sense. A Rosicrucian can readily quote the Bible and make references to Christ, Jesus, the Savior, and so forth, but he will also exalt the teachings of Plato and the philosophers of old, and will look upon the gods of the ancient world as examples of virtue and justice.

Bacon’s New Atlantis has also been called The Land of the Rosicrucians (see A New Light on Bacon’s New Atlantis by Mather Walker), and that is exactly what America has become, thanks to the secret societies. The rise of paganism in our country is no accident; it was planned from the beginning. What author Tom Horn demonstrates in Apollyon Rising 2012 is that America’s great struggle—which is indeed the wound of the whole world—is not against terrorists, communists, or liberals, but is the spiritual war against the one true God, waged in the manifestation of this ancient pagan dream.