Category Archives: Protestant History
Remember Remember
Today we mark the Great Protestant Anniversary of 5th November which marks both the birth on the 4th as well as the landing of William of Orange and the preservation of the Crown and Parliament against the Catholic terrorist plot known as the Gunpowder Plot.
Members of McNeillstown ILOL 46 joined with other lodges at Lisnagaver Installation Night, Rasharkin to mark the traditional Thanksgiving Day when our Protestant Crown and Parliament were saved from the greatest act of religious terrorism the world has ever seen. Forget ISIS the Gunpowder plotters planned to topple the government of the day in a 5/11 Plot.
REMEMBERING OUR DELIVERANCE
Such was the miraculous deliverance of the government that they passed a law to annually mark the day with acts of religious devotion and thanks giving. This developing into a national day of celebration and thanksgiving, know more commonly as Guy Fawkes night or Bonfire night.
Sadly in the last century in Ireland the event which also marked the landing of William of Orange, has been forgotten by both church and state. While it remains popular in England we wish to see its revival here in Ireland. It is a day unlike any other in a nations history. While America and other new nations can look to an Independence day when their state was created or secured, we in the UK can llok to this this day on which not once but twice in history God saw fit to deliver this nation from its greatest foe.
The day is still marked by the Independent Orange institution, and an act of devotion was carried out when the Worshipful Master of Lisnagaver Bro. William Fenton read from our Laws and Ordinances the decree to remember and give thanks. Sadly a nation which forgets so marvelous a deliverance will be forced to repeat the peril from which it was once preserved. Today as terrorism still threatens democracy we remember that it was the Church of Rome which first created the concept of political terrorism in Europe. Sadly we see that while in those days such Catholic terrorists were punished as traitors, today they appear to be rewarded.
Tonight our Grand Master spoke of the significance of this great memorial and announced that we would be making special efforts to mark it in the years to come with plans already in motion to make next years event a bigger and more prominent event. We intend to see how the Day is marked in England and how historically it was used as a holiday for the entire community.
Reformation Sunday Service
Brethren from ILOL 46 joined colleagues at the annual Reformation Sunday service.
The occasion was marked
The Protestant Reformation
On October 31, 1517 Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses on to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. His actions sparked the Protestant Reformation and his teachings emphasized mans sinfulness, God’s grace and salvation through faith alone. Martin Luther wasn’t the only man to protest what was going on in the Catholic churches though. Men like Huldreich Zwingli (Switzerland), John Calvin (a French theologian), and John Knox (Scotland) were also influential in the Reformation.
From these reformers comes the Five Solas:
- Sola Scriptura: Scripture alone
- Sola Fide: faith alone
- Sola Gratia: grace alone
- Solus Christus: Christ alone
- Soli Deo Gloria: to the glory of God alone
Orange Banner commemorating Luther’s Stand against the Church of Rome
Luther’s Stand Against Rome
It was Luther’s defiance of Papal Authority which challenged the largest and richest organisation in the world at that time. He denounced its errors and ignored the orders of the Pope known as ‘Papal Bulls’, burning them publicly.
He famously nailed his 95 Theses or Points exposing the error of Rome to a church door. This sparked the debate and action which led to the Protestant Reformation. As a Lodge we feel that this great event has been erased from our history, it is neither taught in school or sadly in church, and we trust through our work that it may once more inform and inspire Protestant action in successive generations.
McNeillstown True Blues ILOL No. 46 