I somehow expected to be the phrase “humanistic Freemasonry” to be akin to “continental Freemasonry”. This did not prove to be entirely true. Then again, it is not entire untrue either.
In the beginning of the book the author says (in my translation):
The humanism of modern Freemasonry for me is a secular, worldly humanism.
And:
Humanistic Freemasonry is open for people of all faiths and religions and also for people without faith or religion.
“Continental Freemasonry”, right? Not entirely, because in the Freemasonry of the author there is still room for a Grand Architect and a Bible. The “humanist” German tradition within Freemasonry is not exactly the same as the secular tradition in for example France.
The author appears to be a member of a men-only organisation, but he also mentions women and “Freimaurerinnen”. I guess we can place him in a ‘modern German direction’, but not as ‘radical’ as Belgium and France where references to ‘religion’ have been entirely removed.
In basis the book is about the investigation of Masonic ritualism in which the author is not so much interested in the history of the symbols or the esoteric explanation of them, but rather in the “individual psychological and group dynamic aspects of masonic ritual”.
An alright read, if you can read German, about an approach to Freemasonry that I think falls within the scope of this website, but still differs in some ways.
2016 Salier Verlag, isbn 9783943539424
Available from Amazon in paperback and for Kindle.