Faith as Foundation

The Religious Basis of The Order

The Independent Orange Institution is a Christian Organisation. Our trust is in God and our faith and dependence is in Jesus Christ, the saviour and Lord of mankind. Our purpose is to maintain the Christian faith by word and deed: to propagate and defend that faith which we have received from the Church of the New Testament through the faithfulness of the Protestant Reformers.

It is Christ-centred Bible-based, Church-grounded. By it we are moulded in character and conduct. The Orange Institution is set for the defence of Protestantism. This is true to the intention of Orangemen who are committed to the Christian faith with its Reformation emphasis on a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as the Lord and Saviour of mankind.

The lasting legacy of the Reformation with its emphasis on freedom of conscience, the priesthood of all believers and the primary place and purpose of the Holy Bible in Christian faith and conduct, has translated into social and political benefits we all enjoy. These include democracy, human rights, capitalism, social welfare, charity, missionary endeavour, as well as the very unique Ulster evangelical tradition we see here.

We proclaim “Civil and religious liberty for all.”. We do not deny to others their civil and religious ; we expect the same tolerance from them. While remaining  strong for truth, and outspoken in opposition to Romanism and ecumenism peace, we do so out of love and a genuine belief that it is for the practical and spiritual welfare of our fellow man that we expose error. Our Christian faith is the foundation of our Orangeism and that in turn is the basis for out citizenship . We hope that the outworking of that faith involves our contribution to the making of a good, fair and just society to which we shall contribute.

The founding fathers of Orangeism encapsulated these ideal in what has become the

The Coronation of William and Mary

 

Basis of our Institution.

The Institution is composed of Protestants, united and resolved to the utmost of their power to support and defend the rightful Sovereign, the Protestant Religion, the Laws of the Realm, and the Succession to the Throne in the House of Windsor, BEING PROTESTANT; and united further for the defence of their own Persons and Properties, and the maintenance of the Public Peace. It is exclusively an Association of those who are attached to the religion of the Reformation, and will not admit into its brotherhood persons whom an intolerant spirit leads to persecute, injure or upbraid any man on account of his religious opinions. They associate also in honour of King William III. Prince of Qrange, whose name they bear, as supporters of his glorious memory.

 

 

In this site we hope to explain the historical background to these ideas and the reason why we believe they are important and relevant today.