And I am one of the old timers at the Lodge even if some are older than me but we have a few younger ones and I think they are the ones that also prefer it to be called the Temple and so far haven't heard any of the old timers say anything either way.......maybe I will have to bring that up now that you mention this.
But I'm not worried at all that the public would have a problem with that and no matter what we called the Temple there will always be plenty of them on websites making bizarre comments telling others about the typical fairy tales they have been telling since the beginning and the only difference is they are texting and posting every few seconds as soon as they wake up until they fall asleep with the cell phone in their hands these days >;-P
Who wants to join a club just to have business meetings?
I’ve been disappointed at a number of meetings in different Lodges. On the other hand, they’re at least keeping some embers glowing in the fireplace, waiting for someone to come along to make it blaze again.
“Tradition is not the worship of ashes but the preservation of fire.” — Gustav Mahler
I actually dislike the word "temple" for our building. Not for the reasons given though. To me, Temple denotes a religious function, more specifically a jewish one. If we want to assure churches and church members that we're not a religion, then we shouldn't take on airs of one.
Masonry is a course of symbolic and moral instruction. It is called a temple for many reasons. Indeed, a rose may smell less sweet in this instance, because the symbology is part of the course and details matter. It is our duty and privilege to hand off this Fraternity, unimpaired, to the next generation. What we need are fewer changes and more proficiency in the Craft.
A lodge is a certain number of Masons duly assembled with the Holy Bible, Square and Compasses and a Charter or Warrant empowering them to work. It doesn’t say it has to be in a beautiful building or church, temple, or any religious building. I am proud and pleased to refer to the building they are in as Lodge. Plain and simple there isn’t Masonry without the Lodge. Why not call attention to the Lodge instead of making it sound like another religious intuition? Religion is under attack in this country with the removal of God from many of our legal systems and the majority is being governed by the minority in many of the longstanding values of our past history. I believe the word Temple has a different meaning to our younger generation than we did at that age and will shy away from anything religious.
Words and labels are constantly changing in the context and meaning and now more than ever. The word Temple use to mean a place of worship that was a masterpiece of architecture i.e.: King Solomon’s Temple. When I go to a Masonic meeting, I go to a Lodge building of the common man where all are equal not to a Temple with a cast system that only a few determine what can be done. Do we have to be in a Temple to be with our deity? I am and always will be a Mason first and foremost in my heart and my Lodge Building is every bit as holly as the church I attend.
i agree with every word. Freemasonry used to be dangerous. Dangerous to the tyrant, the despot and the intolerate expression of some religons. We tyled our doors so we coudl speak freely, and we sealed out lips so that what was said in lodge stayed on Lodge. In short, it was a safe place for men of good consciennce to explore all aspects of what it means to be a good man. We invoke the blessing and guidance of divinity, using the universal form of God rather than the demoninational version. We accepted men of all races, creeds and nationalities. We were the best expression of the Divine in the Western World. We changed the world. Then we lost our way. The space between the Master and the Altar is meant to never be blocked, so that the Divine can influence the man that leads us. In essence, by allowinng outside influences to affect us, we have allowed them to step between the Altar and the Master. Once we did that, we stopped being our best selves as a fraternity. Locked in our ritual is the method of spiritual evolution, which is a powerful force for good, and the worlld badly needs that force to balance the darkness creeping in.
Many of our Lodges now stand like ruined Temples of the ancients, their former glory still visible in the remnants of ancient stone. There is still time to repair and restore that temple, but time is slipping away. We must once again take up the SPIRITUAL QUEST to find the Lost Word, and if we do our Lodges will become Temples again and our numbers will again grow, or we can allow our descent into becoming a supper club continue and the world will be all the lesser for it. Its our choice.
I think it's worth adding the definition to each, as defined by an online dictionary.
TEMPLE- A temple is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice.
CHAPEL- A small building for Christian worship, typically one attached to an institution or private house.
CENTER- A building or part of a building used as a meeting place or having facilities for activities. A place where a particular activity or service is concentrated: i.e., a medical center.
LODGE- A branch or meeting place of an organization such as the Freemasons. "the foundation of the Grand Lodge of England"
In my opinion based on the definitions above, is that a 'center' is disparaging for a Masonic gathering place. Temple has the true meaning as a tenet, as we are all temples of the Holy Spirit (or can be); a temple not made by human hands. I personally prefer 'Lodge', as it is in line with Masonic history, as even the oldest known gathering building is called the 'Lodge' of Edinburgh, which was also Mary's 'Chapel'.
A business center is someplace you bring the mundane ordinariness of everyday life. A temple is a place of divinity where you bring your best. It is not an ordinary place. Men certainly do not become Masons for something ordinary.
The flood of men who joined the Masonic Lodge after 1945, I believe were looking for extraordinary Brotherhood akin to those they knew in the military. As I was. I was about 4 decades late for that but none the less it was foremost among the many treasures I found at the Masonic temple. And of course there were the philosophies of Masonry as another treasure. Another reason I became a Mason was following the road my father traveled, to share some of his life experience .
I have a few thoughts about our Masonic Temples. The Temples deserve our best and received very little of that over the years. Not all but many buildings turned into dumps from neglect and even from comfort. Like a well worn chair, very comfortable but looks like a wreck. This requires balance. No one wants to do away with something as beloved as that. No one wants to look at it either.
When I became a Mason one of the older Brothers who became a great friend of mine told me a Brother could drop his wallet on the floor of the lodge and it would still be there when he came back to look for it or another Brother who found would get it back to him intact. The kind of thing that happens in a Temple, very Masonic, abounding with brotherhood.
Now a days, such an item would be scooped up, its contents examined, any compromising items exploited, and the owner would never see it again. All very businesslike, not Masonic at all. The kind of thing that happens at a business center. The brothers involved will congratulate themselves on a job well done.
I could offer many examples of this sort. Far to many.
Hence I have never liked the idea of turning a special place into an ordinary place. I am a nautical person and think in those terms. The bridge of a ship or its pilot house is a sacred place, it is not like any other place. I have to bring my "A" game, nothing else will do.
The Temple invokes the extraordinary. The business center invokes the same old thing.
Masonry should never be the same old ordinary thing.
The Brotherhood should always be extraordinary. That to me is where it starts and ends.
Practicing Brotherhood makes a Temple shine. Business centers merely exist.
I'd also comment that using the term temple for a masonic building has to be a relatively recent invention. I would assume they didn't refer to their meeting place as a temple when they met at a tavern, or above a business, or when they met in someone's home. We also don't tell our wives/significant others or friends we're "going to temple". We say we're going to lodge.
But I can see where this can be a pretty heated debate.
Funny thing and it happens to me often so I should be used to this but I am at home thinking about this subject and what the comments have been.
So first thing that happens is I turn on the History channel and the topic is Freemasons , religion, and George Washington and how they won the Revolution.
And one of the guests on the program is Arturo DeHoyos and he calls them "Temples"
First time I actually heard him talk but I sure would not think I could say MW Cameron or Arturo DeHoyos are saying the wrong word.
Perhaps with my current Masonic Standing (which to me was overkill) , I shouldn't be commenting on this subject but I am compelled do so anyways. The Masonic Temple in Centralia, WA has over both outside doorways, "Masonic Bldg". I am wondering if those signs are original which would date them back to 1920 so they would not be a new change. Should they be changed to Masonic Temple? Would that offend the tenants on the first and second floor if that change was made? In addition I doubt very much that the original four taverns in England were called temples.. Just food for thought.
I agree with you 100% MW
And I am one of the old timers at the Lodge even if some are older than me but we have a few younger ones and I think they are the ones that also prefer it to be called the Temple and so far haven't heard any of the old timers say anything either way.......maybe I will have to bring that up now that you mention this.
But I'm not worried at all that the public would have a problem with that and no matter what we called the Temple there will always be plenty of them on websites making bizarre comments telling others about the typical fairy tales they have been telling since the beginning and the only difference is they are texting and posting every few seconds as soon as they wake up until they fall asleep with the cell phone in their hands these days >;-P
Goodnight MW Brother
District 11
Excellent as usual, MW.
Who wants to go to a Masonic Blandness Center?
Who wants to join a club just to have business meetings?
I’ve been disappointed at a number of meetings in different Lodges. On the other hand, they’re at least keeping some embers glowing in the fireplace, waiting for someone to come along to make it blaze again.
“Tradition is not the worship of ashes but the preservation of fire.” — Gustav Mahler
I've thought about this subject before.
I actually dislike the word "temple" for our building. Not for the reasons given though. To me, Temple denotes a religious function, more specifically a jewish one. If we want to assure churches and church members that we're not a religion, then we shouldn't take on airs of one.
Well many religions use the word "Temple" and in Judaism it is usually Synagogue or Shul but Temple is mainly used in Israel as far as Judaism
And when I go to a Masonic Temple or Lodge I don't think religion but then we have the Book in front of us on an Alter
ברוך השם
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple
Masonry is a course of symbolic and moral instruction. It is called a temple for many reasons. Indeed, a rose may smell less sweet in this instance, because the symbology is part of the course and details matter. It is our duty and privilege to hand off this Fraternity, unimpaired, to the next generation. What we need are fewer changes and more proficiency in the Craft.
A lodge is a certain number of Masons duly assembled with the Holy Bible, Square and Compasses and a Charter or Warrant empowering them to work. It doesn’t say it has to be in a beautiful building or church, temple, or any religious building. I am proud and pleased to refer to the building they are in as Lodge. Plain and simple there isn’t Masonry without the Lodge. Why not call attention to the Lodge instead of making it sound like another religious intuition? Religion is under attack in this country with the removal of God from many of our legal systems and the majority is being governed by the minority in many of the longstanding values of our past history. I believe the word Temple has a different meaning to our younger generation than we did at that age and will shy away from anything religious.
Words and labels are constantly changing in the context and meaning and now more than ever. The word Temple use to mean a place of worship that was a masterpiece of architecture i.e.: King Solomon’s Temple. When I go to a Masonic meeting, I go to a Lodge building of the common man where all are equal not to a Temple with a cast system that only a few determine what can be done. Do we have to be in a Temple to be with our deity? I am and always will be a Mason first and foremost in my heart and my Lodge Building is every bit as holly as the church I attend.
i agree with every word. Freemasonry used to be dangerous. Dangerous to the tyrant, the despot and the intolerate expression of some religons. We tyled our doors so we coudl speak freely, and we sealed out lips so that what was said in lodge stayed on Lodge. In short, it was a safe place for men of good consciennce to explore all aspects of what it means to be a good man. We invoke the blessing and guidance of divinity, using the universal form of God rather than the demoninational version. We accepted men of all races, creeds and nationalities. We were the best expression of the Divine in the Western World. We changed the world. Then we lost our way. The space between the Master and the Altar is meant to never be blocked, so that the Divine can influence the man that leads us. In essence, by allowinng outside influences to affect us, we have allowed them to step between the Altar and the Master. Once we did that, we stopped being our best selves as a fraternity. Locked in our ritual is the method of spiritual evolution, which is a powerful force for good, and the worlld badly needs that force to balance the darkness creeping in.
Many of our Lodges now stand like ruined Temples of the ancients, their former glory still visible in the remnants of ancient stone. There is still time to repair and restore that temple, but time is slipping away. We must once again take up the SPIRITUAL QUEST to find the Lost Word, and if we do our Lodges will become Temples again and our numbers will again grow, or we can allow our descent into becoming a supper club continue and the world will be all the lesser for it. Its our choice.
I think it's worth adding the definition to each, as defined by an online dictionary.
TEMPLE- A temple is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice.
CHAPEL- A small building for Christian worship, typically one attached to an institution or private house.
CENTER- A building or part of a building used as a meeting place or having facilities for activities. A place where a particular activity or service is concentrated: i.e., a medical center.
LODGE- A branch or meeting place of an organization such as the Freemasons. "the foundation of the Grand Lodge of England"
In my opinion based on the definitions above, is that a 'center' is disparaging for a Masonic gathering place. Temple has the true meaning as a tenet, as we are all temples of the Holy Spirit (or can be); a temple not made by human hands. I personally prefer 'Lodge', as it is in line with Masonic history, as even the oldest known gathering building is called the 'Lodge' of Edinburgh, which was also Mary's 'Chapel'.
A business center is someplace you bring the mundane ordinariness of everyday life. A temple is a place of divinity where you bring your best. It is not an ordinary place. Men certainly do not become Masons for something ordinary.
The flood of men who joined the Masonic Lodge after 1945, I believe were looking for extraordinary Brotherhood akin to those they knew in the military. As I was. I was about 4 decades late for that but none the less it was foremost among the many treasures I found at the Masonic temple. And of course there were the philosophies of Masonry as another treasure. Another reason I became a Mason was following the road my father traveled, to share some of his life experience .
I have a few thoughts about our Masonic Temples. The Temples deserve our best and received very little of that over the years. Not all but many buildings turned into dumps from neglect and even from comfort. Like a well worn chair, very comfortable but looks like a wreck. This requires balance. No one wants to do away with something as beloved as that. No one wants to look at it either.
When I became a Mason one of the older Brothers who became a great friend of mine told me a Brother could drop his wallet on the floor of the lodge and it would still be there when he came back to look for it or another Brother who found would get it back to him intact. The kind of thing that happens in a Temple, very Masonic, abounding with brotherhood.
Now a days, such an item would be scooped up, its contents examined, any compromising items exploited, and the owner would never see it again. All very businesslike, not Masonic at all. The kind of thing that happens at a business center. The brothers involved will congratulate themselves on a job well done.
I could offer many examples of this sort. Far to many.
Hence I have never liked the idea of turning a special place into an ordinary place. I am a nautical person and think in those terms. The bridge of a ship or its pilot house is a sacred place, it is not like any other place. I have to bring my "A" game, nothing else will do.
The Temple invokes the extraordinary. The business center invokes the same old thing.
Masonry should never be the same old ordinary thing.
The Brotherhood should always be extraordinary. That to me is where it starts and ends.
Practicing Brotherhood makes a Temple shine. Business centers merely exist.
I'd also comment that using the term temple for a masonic building has to be a relatively recent invention. I would assume they didn't refer to their meeting place as a temple when they met at a tavern, or above a business, or when they met in someone's home. We also don't tell our wives/significant others or friends we're "going to temple". We say we're going to lodge.
But I can see where this can be a pretty heated debate.
Funny thing and it happens to me often so I should be used to this but I am at home thinking about this subject and what the comments have been.
So first thing that happens is I turn on the History channel and the topic is Freemasons , religion, and George Washington and how they won the Revolution.
And one of the guests on the program is Arturo DeHoyos and he calls them "Temples"
First time I actually heard him talk but I sure would not think I could say MW Cameron or Arturo DeHoyos are saying the wrong word.
OK back to work......... ברוך השם
>:- )
Perhaps with my current Masonic Standing (which to me was overkill) , I shouldn't be commenting on this subject but I am compelled do so anyways. The Masonic Temple in Centralia, WA has over both outside doorways, "Masonic Bldg". I am wondering if those signs are original which would date them back to 1920 so they would not be a new change. Should they be changed to Masonic Temple? Would that offend the tenants on the first and second floor if that change was made? In addition I doubt very much that the original four taverns in England were called temples.. Just food for thought.
I don't think that they are original, as they are both wooden.