Despite the uproar mucked up with "The Da Vinci Code," Dan Brown has no intention of retiring to a life of peaceful authoring.

Instead, Brown's sequel, "The Solomon Key," is scheduled to be released in early 2007.

While specific plot details of "The Solomon Key" have not been fully disclosed, Brown has issued statements saying the thriller mystery will now focus on another group, one full of ancient symbols and secret rites, the oldest fraternity in the world: the Freemasons.

With Brown possibly examining the mysteries of the Masons and their connection to Mormons, codebreaker fanatics anticipate another gripping ride.

"It will be interesting to see what Dan Brown has to say or 'uncover' about Masons and Mormons," said Alex Baugh, BYU associate professor of church history. "I just hope he presents his information in an accurate manner that will not slander the church or demean its sacredness."

Masonry and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints do seem to run on parallel tracks with a bit of a tangled past, particularly during the Nauvoo time period.

Joseph Smith Sr. joined a Masonic lodge when the family moved to Palmyra, N.Y., in 1816, and was followed by Joseph's brother Hyrum Smith. The Freemasons' connection with many of the founding fathers, including eight signers of the Declaration of Independence and 13 presidents, among them George Washington, attracted many members of the LDS Church to the organization.

Joseph, however, did not join until 1841, when the church members in Nauvoo opened up a lodge with the sponsorship of an existing Masonic lodge in Quincy, Ill.

While Smith and his counselors sought out Masonry as a means to develop friendship and fellowship with other groups in the state, the opposite happened, and many of the Masons were angered by the exploding growth of the Nauvoo lodge.

According to the "Encyclopedia of Mormonism," nearly 1,500 LDS men became associated with Illinois Freemasonry, including many members of the church's governing priesthood bodies - at a time when the total number of non-LDS Masons in Illinois lodges barely reached 150.

By 1842, negative feelings from other Masons compelled the Grand Lodge of Illinois to suspend Masonic activities in Nauvoo while an investigation proceeded. Although the investigation did not find any inaccuracies or irregularities in the lodge, the Masonic community never gave full support to the lodge and contributed to the some of the ant-Mormon sentiment in the area.

Currently, faithful members of the church have no impediments to becoming Masons except for being able to devote enough time to their other responsibilities.

"You have to be careful about devoting your time," said Craig Ostler, associate professor of LDS Church history and doctrine at BYU. 'The Masons are known for being a good, benevolent organization, but they do require time."

Most controversy and discussion about the Masons and the Mormons centers around the supposed similarities found in symbols and rituals, including parallels between ceremonies in LDS temples and those in Masonic temples. Some anti-Mormon literature cites the similarities as proof that Joseph Smith did not receive revelation. However, a look at the history of Masonry casts doubt on those theories.

"The Masons adopted familiar symbols, symbols you can find in Egyptian texts, on papyrus scrolls." Ostler said. "They obviously want to prove their order goes back as far possible. The original temple ordinances, restored from antiquity, predate those Masonic symbols and rituals."

While Freemasonry is not a religion and does not espouse any religious devotion, the fraternity demands ethical behavior from its members and a common belief in a supreme being.

The LDS Church has not issued any official statements concerning the novel and Alex Baugh said he doubts they will.

"This is just one novel in a sea of thousands; it won't shake the testimonies of truly converted Latter-day Saints," Baugh said.

Copyright Brigham Young University 19 May 2006