A few years back, Scott Adams released a book that was quite different than the Dilbert cartoons which made him famous. The book was called God’s Debris, essentially a ‘thought experiment’ that challenged the reader to consider the meaning of life from an illusive mentor who seems to arise from “a wrinkle in time.”

I read it. It’s good. Go read it. Download it free here.

Adam’s wrote a follow up book that portrays a different perspective, called The Religion War. This time, the protagonist is on a mission to stop the world’s two largest religions, Christianity and Islam, from starting a nuclear holocaust.

The subject matter has obvious parallels with the political climate today, with the world seemingly a hair-trigger away from an epic religious conflict. Or is it?

Mike Wooldridge, writing for the BBC, asked “Can religion be blamed for war?” and his conclusion, citing a “War Audit”, is surprising:

Although armed conflicts may take on religious overtones, their genesis invariably lies in factors such as ethnicity, identity, power struggles, resources, inequality and oppression – and one factor is often exacerbated by another.

So why is religion a factor in war at all when all the main faiths have little time for violence and advocate peace? Because, it is suggested, leaders use differences over faith as a way of sowing hatred and mobilising support for political wars.

This mirrors Adam’s book, The Religion War, as the protagonist discovers the leaders in power remain so by claiming they’re both on the side of God. The discerning reader realizes that God cannot be for or against the same thing at the same time.

And so a logical flaw emerges.

Down the Rabbit Hole

Upon finishing Adam’s book, I happened to flip back to the dedication. Though I’d read it before, I’d promptly forgotten about it. Now its mystery intrigued me once again.

The dedication reads:

I scoured my mind for any obvious references to “seven pointers” but couldn’t come up with anything. So I turned to Google.

I typed in: “seven pointers”

Nothing.

I tried: “seven pointed” religion

Now we’re getting somewhere. The first link reveals that “seven pointer” could be a reference to a septogram – a seven pointed star.

The article says:

“The septagram, a continuously drawn figure having seven points, is far less common than the pentagram. It is however important in Western kabbalah, where it symbolizes the sphere of Netzach, the seven planets, the seven alchemical metals, and the seven days of the week. It is a sacred symbol to Wiccans who follow the “Faery” tradition, where it is called the Elven or Fairy star.”

Seven seems to be coming up a lot. Further links reveal its connection to Stonehenge, the Great Pyramid, and a book The Secret Teachings Of The Ages.

But the last sentence in the article particularly caught my eye:

The seven pointed star is also an important part of the seal of the A.A., the inner order of Aleister Crowley’s OTO.

I decided to Google “OTO” and see what I could find.

The Plot Thickens

Turns out, OTO means “Ordo Templi Orientis” – and is an international fraternal and religious organization founded at the beginning of the 20th century.

Say’s the Wikipedia entry: “Similar to many secret societies, O.T.O. membership is based on an initiatory system with a series of degree ceremonies that use ritual drama to establish fraternal bonds and impart spiritual and philosophical teachings.”

Their US chapter website says they are “dedicated to the high purpose of securing the Liberty of the Individual and his or her advancement in Light, Wisdom, Understanding, Knowledge, and Power through Beauty, Courage, and Wit, on the Foundation of Universal Brotherhood.”

Their central philosophy, called Thelema, is based on the principle Do what thou wilt.

This Law is not to be interpreted as a license to indulge every passing whim, but rather as the mandate to discover one’s True Will and accomplish it; leaving others to do the same in their own unique ways. “Every man and every woman is a star.” The Law of Thelema can ultimately be fulfilled only through the individual efforts of each person.

Back to The Religion War

Armed with my newfound knowledge about the OTO, I now return to Scott Adam’s book The Religion War with an altered perspective.

Here is a book about saving humanity from cataclysmic destruction at the hands of religious fundamentalists (on both sides). What does he believe will stop this madness? Nothing short of complete and utter intellectual freedom.

Most importantly, freedom from the tyranny of religion. After all, God can’t be on both sides.

Spoiler alert: in the book, ultimately the protagonist fails to stop the war. But humanity lives on, only through breaking down the censorship barriers they willingly allowed to be built around them.

This corresponds with the OTO’s stated mission: to cultivate the ideals of individual liberty, self-discipline, self-knowledge.

Verdict: I’d say it’s quite likely Scott Adams is a member of Ordo Templi Orientis.

But that leaves one more question left unanswered.

Who is the other seven-pointer?