4 INTRODUCTION

In recent years the question of the Christian's relationship
to Freemasonry has come under the strict scrutiny of the churches. The major
denominations have made statements concerning lodge membership.

These statements have varied from the 'incompatible' of the Church of
England, Church of Scotland, and the Methodist Church to the more recent
conclusion of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland
that they 'disapprove' of involvement in Freemasonry. With the popularity of
such anti-cult writers as the late W.J. McK.McCormick, whose book "Christ,
The Christian & Freemasonry" has gone into its third edition, many are of
the opinion that what applies to the Masonic Lodge also applies to the
Orange Lodge.

There is the tendency to lump all 'lodges' together - 'one is as bad as the
other'! The points of criticism of the Orange Order raised by Mr McCormick,
and dealt with in "Appendix 2", stand in stark contrast to the statement of
Rev. F. Rupert Gibson, a former Moderator of the General Assembly of the
Presbyterian Church in Ireland (1971) and Superintendent of "The Irish
Mission" of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland; - "Probably there is no
human institution claiming to he based on the Bible and professing to
maintain the principles of the Reformed Faith, which has been more bitterly
maligned by its avowed foes and more falsely represented by those who
profess to he its friends, than the Orange Order".

(1)In many walks of life today people come to their own conclusions on the
basis of very little evidence. Often people are persuaded to come to firm
convictions after watching one television programme or reading one newspaper
article. There is a general reluctance to research a subject thoroughly -
after all that takes time to say nothing of hard work! We are persuaded that
this is the case with reference to the Orange Order today.

Many have come to their own conclusions on the basis of hearsay, limited
knowledge, or in some cases no knowledge at all. The writer of Proverbs
warns us "He who answers a matter before he hears the facts, it is folly and
shame to him." (Proverbs 18:11 Amplified Bible) The purpose of this study is
to make it clear that, contrary to the popular belief of some, there is no
connection between the Freemasons and the Loyal Orange Institution.We hope
by setting the record straight, we will inform the mind, correct such
misunderstandings as exist, and present an honest assessment of the purpose
and place of the Loyal Orange Institution.

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5 LODGES AND THE CHRISTIAN

Today millions of men, and women, belong to societies styled "lodges". In
Britain, the largest is the Freemasons (Masons). Similar organisations
include the Foresters and the Buffalos. For many years no one knew much
about them. However, things changed in the 1960's and '70's when the
Freemasons' hitherto secret rituals and beliefs became public knowledge,
through books like James Dewar's "The Unlocked Secret" (2)and Stephen
Knight's "The Brotherhood". (3)The initiation rites were considered bizarre;
the secrecy gave rise to suspicion, and the accusation that lodge membership
secured promotion and business deals hinted at corruption.

The secular attack was soon followed in the 1970's and '80's by condemnation
from the Christian press. Writers (4)attacked "lodges" as being no place for
Christians. Former Masons gave testimony as to why they had rejected the
lodge after their conversion. The charismatic renewal, with its abhorrence
of the occult, also felt that lodge membership opened one up to possible
demonic influence and had to be renounced. Furthermore, several mainline
denominations like the Church of England (5), the Church of Scotland and the
Methodist Church brought out reports suggesting that Freemasonry was
incompatible with Christianity. More recently, in 1992, the General Assembly
of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland stated that they "... . . ..
disapprove of communicant members of the Church being involved in
Freemasonry."

(6)Research into lodge beliefs and origins has indeed caused many to
question. But it also has to be admitted that some of the motives for
condemnation have been less than worthy. Ministers can often be jealous of
lodges, which seem to offer more fraternity and opportunities than their own
churches. Often disgruntled former members have distorted their past
experiences. Myths and silly stories abound and it is difficult to get to
the truth. Moreover, the reluctance of the Freemasons to discuss their
beliefs and practices only gives more ammunition to those who seek to
discredit them "THERE ARE LODGES AND THERE ARE LODGES" Let us explain. It
has to be said at the outset that we are not defending lodges in general.

We are not members of the Masons, the Oddfellows or any similar
organisation. Many of the arguments against lodges would find an echo in our
own hearts. On the other hand, we are not out to attack them in this
booklet. Where we emphasise the differences between the Orange Order and
other lodges, we do so, not to condemn but simply to compare. The first
thing we would like the critics of the Orange Lodge to realise is that just
as there are churches and churches so there are lodges and lodges.
Evangelical believers would view groups like the Mormons and the
Spiritualists as unscriptural.

However both groups call themselves "churches"- The Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter Day Saints and The Christian Spiritualist Church. Do we therefore
condemn all churches ? No, that would be silly. Yet when it comes to lodges,
why should people condemn all lodges ? Obviously we approve or disapprove of
a church on the basis of its beliefs-not what it is called. Unfortunately
the Orange Lodge is often condemned, simply because of what it is called, by
people who know nothing of its beliefs! We have read most of the
denominational reports against Freemasonry and have read many anti-Masonic
books by Christian writers. The main arguments against Freemasonry cannot be
used against the Orange Order. Although there may be similarities in
organisation and style, the basic

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Page 6

6 philosophies and theologies are as "chalk and cheese". Rev. W. Martin
Smyth, Grand Master of the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland is quoted in
response to a question as saying; - "As a Christian I come to the Father
through Christ in prayer etc. Therefore I would have to give muted testimony
to my Lord if I accepted Masonic ritual".

(7)The Orange Lodge is based on an entirely different system of belief. In
this booklet we will look at the similarities but we wish to concentrate
mainly on the differences, so that you can judge our society on its own
merits and beliefs. SIMILARITIES BETWEEN ORANGE LODGES AND OTHER LODGES The
Orange Order was founded in Ireland in 1795. Its background was the conflict
between Roman Catholics and Protestants, which exists sadly to this day. The
history and nature of this conflict would take a book in itself to explain.
In Ireland as a whole, Protestants have always been the minority and have
suffered much for their faith under the Roman Catholic majority.

In the year 1641 for instance, there was a terrible massacre in Ireland in
which it is estimated that up to 100,000 Protestants were brutally murdered
by their Catholic neighbours, who were in many cases encouraged by their
priests. It was partly the fear of acts like this recurring, which led the
Protestants in the 1680's to look to the Prince of Orange, later King
William III, for protection. William's victory in 1690 secured civil and
religious liberty for all and was the beginning of western democracy. One
hundred years later however there was still tension.

In the 1790's around the time of the French Revolution, Protestants living
in rural areas of Ireland were suffering attack. There was a general air of
fear and a heightening of tension with the foundation of the United Irishmen
in 1791. After a disturbance in Benburb on 24th June 1794, in which
Protestant homes were attacked, the Freemasons' organisation was appealed to
by one of its members, James Wilson, to organise themselves to defend the
Protestant population. The Masons refused, whereupon Wilson, indignant at
their lack of help, left them and prophesied that he "would light a star. .
. . which would eclipse them forever". (8)He had already organised the
Orange Boys at the Dian (County Tyrone) in 1792, as is evidenced by the
notice in the Belfast News Letter on 1st February 1793, which referred to a
meeting of the 138 members of the Orange Boys held on 22ndJanuary 1793.
After the Battle of the Diamond (near Loughgall, County Armagh), on 21st
September 1795, the Protestants vowed to adopt means to defend themselves.
Thus a new organisation was formed - the Loyal Orange Institution of
Ireland, into which James Wilson brought his Orange Boys, for which he was
awarded the first Orange Warrant - LOL 1.

While James Wilson was at the Battle of the Diamond and involved in the
origins of the Orange Institution, a more prominent figure was James Sloan
of Loughgall who issued Warrants for the formation of the first Lodges.
Because of the hostile environment, the new society had to maintain some
structure of secrecy for the preservation of life, yet it is worthy of note
that the first public demonstration took place with the full approval of the
authorities in 1796, the year after the Order was founded. This new
Institution found a wide acceptance among the beleaguered Protestants of
Ireland, and grew rapidly in the early years. Because some of the founders
had been Masons they used the Masonic system, which they knew worked.
However, this new society was not Protestant Freemasonry but an organisation
with a totally different philosophy and motivation.

There were and are some similarities, the local branches or clubs of both
are known as 'lodges', but the word

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7 lodge is quite neutral. It simply means a club or meeting of men (or
women). Moreover the governing body in each country is known as the Grand
Lodge. The members are known as "brother" and "sister". There are also
similar aspects of decorum and ceremony but there are important differences.

As we have already said, there are churches and churches; there are chapters
and chapters; and there are lodges and lodges! THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN
ORANGE AND ALL OTHER LODGES Having considered some similarities, we now move
to the main part of our argument, which is the differences. We need to
consider these very seriously and in so doing we will compare our Orange
Lodges with the other lodges in order to bring out the differences. I
PURPOSE The very reason for our existence is completely different. Some
lodges like the Oddfellows, Buffalos and Foresters, while using the system
of secrecy, ritual and symbolism, are in the main "friendly societies".

In the days before life insurance, poorer people pooled their money in order
to help each other out in times of illness, death and burial. In addition,
there is friendship and works of charity. Ritual initiation provides a bit
of fun, colour and mystery. Freemasonry however is "A peculiar system of
morality, veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols". (9)It exists, as
we understand it, to promote universal brotherhood, uplift morality and
engage in works of charity. Sometimes donations may be given to churches by
lodges, but the purpose would certainly not be to promote any religion as
such; certainly not Christianity and most definitely not Protestantism.

The Orange Order by contrast exists to defend and promote the Protestant
faith. We believe that Protestantism is purer and closer to the New
Testament in doctrine and practice than any other form of Christianity. The
"Laws and Constitution of the Loyal Orange Institution of Scotland" state:
"The Orange Brotherhood is formed of Protestants desiring, to the utmost of
their power, to uphold the interests of Protestantism throughout the world."
(10)The Irish "Constitution" adds: "The Institution is composed of
Protestants, united and resolved to the utmost of their power to support and
defend . . . . . . . the Protestant Religion. It is exclusively an
Association of those who are attached to the religion of the Reformation."