Why do Masons insult non-Masons as being 'profane'?
(Last edited: Sunday, 20 December 2020, 2:42 PM)
Answer:
Again, this is a misunderstanding over the use of archaic language. The
word “profane” comes from two Latin words, “pro,” meaning “before,” and
“fanum,” meaning “temple.” In earlier usage, “profane” had a more
literal meaning of “outside the temple.” It was simply an antonym for
the term “sacred,” just as “secular” still is. (Classical music lovers
will note, for example, the Debussy work, “Danses sacrees et profanes,”
as a use of the same word in French with this meaning.)
In more
recent usage, dating from well after the language of Masonry became
fixed, the term “profane” was most often coupled with the term
“language,” to denote speech which would not have been uttered inside a
temple or other sacred precincts. Gradually, this became the most common
application of “profane” and, in the popular mind, became its only
meaning. “Profane” became a synonym for swearing, cursing, and
blasphemy, all of which are now called “profanity.”
But when a
Mason refers to “profanes” or the “profane” world, he means only those
who are not initiated into Masonry and thus must remain “outside the
temple.” Nothing more; no insult is intended.
