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Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland
  Orange Standard

Orangeism Is A Cornerstone For Christianity

Article 2 ~ September 2003

As Orangemen we have a contribution to make to the progress of the Christian religion in this society. Ours is a Christian organisation committed to the practice of the faith in the worship, words and deeds expected from us on our possession and profession of that philosophy for life and living. Because of this commitment we must have a holistic approach to what is important to ourselves, and to the people with whom we share our lives. Christians are encouraged by the example of Christ, the selfless Saviour, to live for others and not just for themselves and their own. We are required on the persuasion of Christ to live out our faith in the worship of God, and in the service of our fellowmen. There is the pattern for living a life with these dimensions, the spiritual and the material. This has to mean a duality of concentrations - on the profession of the faith in worship privately and publicly, individually and collectively; and in being citizens who take seriously our duties and responsibilities in community. The Orangeman is at once a religious man and one concerned for the quality of life for people in the place where he lives. This is why there has always been in Orangeism the emphases on religion and politics. In life there is no separation the one from the other. It is inclusive of both, the spiritual and the practical, for the practical is the outworking of the spiritual in everyday living. As a man believeth so is he. We use "politics" in that wider sense for everything that matters to people in their lives from birth to death. It includes all that concerns people and politicians about how their country is governed, what they want to do with it and to get from it. It means getting involved, contributing, to the making of a good society in which everyone is valued, respected and cared for, equal in opportunity and in responsibility for ensuring that things are done decently and in order. There is the ideal of a society, peaceful, prosperous and safe for people who go about their legitimate business without let or hindrance. This is the one we want, what we have is very different. We see around us the evidence of a changing, evolving, progressive society. We can be proud of its fine achievements in so many facets of life. Many now enjoy living standards very much better than what was available to their parents. There are the positive, and the negatives. When we are proud of the positives, we are shamed by the negatives. There is an indictment on us when in our comparative affluence there are those whose poverty prevents them from having what are the ordinary necessities of life in a caring society; when the safety of the citizen is insecure with the break down of law and order, lack of discipline in some homes and schools, and the horrific activities of muggers, vandals, gangsters, who prey on the most vulnerable of our people. It is a most unhealthy and unhappy situation when in some areas of the country the lives of people are controlled by paramilitaries on the make. Their evil deeds, killings and maimings, are the continuing evidence of a terrorism which is still with us, and a threat that remains while a political party retains a private army.

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