WORSHIPFUL MASTER

The traditional title of the presiding officer of a lodge of Freemasons. The Worshipful Master of a Masonic lodge sits in a chair on the eastern end of the lodge room, presides over lodge meetings, and acts for the lodge when it is not meeting. In most jurisdictions he is elected for a one-year term. See Freemasonry; lodge.

The term “Worshipful Master” has been the subject of a great deal of speculation and innuendo in recent years. Religious opponents of Freemasonry have argued that it implies the master of the lodge is supposed to be worshipped by the other members, even though the word has this sense nowhere else in the English language. The word’s original sense, preserved in Freemasonry and several other traditional uses in Britain, is “worthy” or “respected,” and its modern sense, also appropriate in a Masonic context is “giving worship or reverence.” Ironically, the word “reverend” – used as a title by many of Masonry’s harshest critics – literally means “revered, worthy of reverence,” and could be subjected to the same arguments as “Worshipful Master” with ease. See Antimasonry.

SOURCE:

The Element Encyclopedia of Secret Societies : the ultimate a-z of ancient mysteries, lost civilizations and forgotten wisdom written by John Michael Greer – © John Michael Greer 2006

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