We have made the point time and time again that the basis
of Orangeism is commitment to the Protestantism of Reformed
Christianity and that the practice of that faith is a primary
duty of Orangemen. We were expressing no new thinking on an
old subject, but repeating that that is what we subscribed
to when we were initiated as Orangemen. What is required of
us is stated clearly in "The Qualifications of an Orangeman."
While this old statement lacks the warranty of Holy Writ it
is in that category of thought and action which binds us to
principles which must not be disputed or distorted to make
Orangeism other than what those true to the philosophy of
the Orange Institution intended. It should not be necessary
to be reminded of how much the movement is centred on the
Christian faith. Every Lodge uses a ritual which is Christ-centred,
Bible-based, with its prayers enunciating devotion to the
Saviour, fellowship of the brotherhood, and intercession for
those who need our prayers and the benefits of our faith.
Our Orange Order principles have their concentration on truth
with the practices ancillary to them - tolerance, goodwill
and concern for the well being of those with whom we share
our lives as fellow citizens. Martin Luther said: "Men
must have righteous principles in the first place, and then
they will not fail to perform virtuous actions." Dr.
Sharp, with that thought in mind, added: "It is in vain
to expect any advantage from our profession of the truth,
if we be not sincerely just and honest in our actions."
Dr. R.R. Kane, that doughty champion of the Orange Order,
claimed that a good Orangeman was a good Christian. Because
a person's religion has its effect on everything he says and
does it was the case from the beginning that Orangemen involved
themselves in the total life of society. That meant having
concerns for its welfare and being involved in all attempts
to make it well-governed and efficiently administered. This
meant that Orangemen used the franchise to vote for those
who were regarded as competent to represent them in the councils
of power and influence, and to provide from their number those
equipped for the task of representing the people in government
and local government. The contributions of Orangemen in politics
and other spheres of life in this country have not always
been properly recognised and rationally valued, certainly
not by those who have been the largest beneficiaries from
them. The religion and politics of Orangemen, of which the
one is the outworking of the other, has not always been kept
in balance. Overplay of politics in Orangeism has been a charge
levelled against the Institution. To admit that there are
Orangemen who do not take their religious obligations as seriously
as they should is to regret that the Institution has in its
membership those whose purposes are alien to true Orangeism.
They bring the Order into dispute when they are motivated
by aims and objectives which are other than its constitution
allows. What is needed is a recognition by every Orangeman
that the purpose of the Institution is to encourage a united
Protestant witness to the Christian faith; to persuade others
to share that faith and to enjoy its benefits; and concentration
on the Christian emphases in Orangeism. The plea is not for
the kind of religion which makes someone so heavenly-minded
as to be no earthly use, but for Christian attitude which
regards the wholeness of life and participates fully as a
good citizen. It is to live the kind of life that makes living
with other people in peace, and sharing the responsibility
and opportunities of citizenship with them a necessity. It
is wanting and working for a good society which cares for
the well-being of its people whatever their needs, free from
the intolerances and injustices from which we suffer because
of the animosities and antipathies which have long afflicted
us.
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