Why Orange...?

THEIR ONLY CRIME WAS LOYALTY:

We cannot go into the detailed history here - that you will get on other sites but it is suffice to say this.

The Glorious Revolution of 1688 saved this country from the nefarious deeds of the Stuarts. King James was bent on filling positions and the army with Papists and the Protestant State was in jeopardy by his intrigue. The invitation to Prince William of Orange to come from Holland was the right one as he was known as the Protestant Champion of Europe. He was also married to King James's daughter, Mary. James was to flee to France He later returned to Ireland but was defeated in every battle - Londonderry, Enniskillen, the Boyne and Aughrim. We remember too, the numbers killed in the Portadown massacre in an attempt by the romanist Church to rid Ireland of Protestants, In Scotland, the coming of William ended the nightmare of the Covenanters of whom in excess of 20,000 were murdered. The Siege of Derry is forever instilled in Protestant minds for the horror of starvation but they would not surrender and died in thousands. The cry they gave from those ancient walls is the cry of Orangemen today - "No Surrender"!

James fled again to France and was never to return. Over a century later when Protestants in Ireland were being harried again for their faith the skirmish in 1795 which is known as the Battle of The Diamond made Protestants determined to band together and defend the Protestant Monarchy and Constitution. In forming an Order they could not have take a better name than that of the Dutch House of Orange as tribute to William's memory. He had two great loves, his wife and his Protestant Faith. A man of tolerance but of determination. Truly a Protestant Champion.

There are some Christians who get confused and sometimes needlessly worked up about symbols, etc! Even the early Christians hiding from persecution in the Roman catacombs used secret signs.

The Orange Order had to have a system in those far off early days so that they could recognise each other in a time of much upheaval and rebellion. Signs, passwords, etc guaranteed that you were dealing with someone loyal to the Crown and Protestant ascendency. All the symbols in this arch are taken from the Bible. Degrees are totally based on the same Holy Book. The Orange Order unlike many other fraternities does not base itself on a vague Diety but directly to God. It's rituals, symbols etc., are all Biblical stories and Christian throughout. Signs and handshakes are purely a sign of the bond between members and of their loyalty to each other. It is unashamedly Protestant and loyal and this is shown by the Bible and Crown which also strongly figure in degrees which are a form of promotion through the Order.