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 Secret societies often present information to the outside world that is virtually impossible for non-members to corroborate. Even the members of each specific secret body have no means of verifying the claims made by their superiors. Details like the numeric size of a specific institution is normally kept to a small tight-knit trust-worthy inner-circle of higher echelon members who scrupulously guard the facts from the rest. The troops on the ground are largely ignorant. They must either trust their leaders or not. One thing all secret societies are guilty of is a gross exaggeration of their numbers. They often present inflated figures that give a false sense of influence and strength. Being unacquainted with the true facts, the onlooker finds it virtually impossible to verify or rebut such claims. Orangemen in the past have blindly followed their leaders and trusted statements from the top regarding their numeric size. However, in recent years that has all changed. There has been great disaffection within Loyal Orders ranks. The members have lost a lot of confidence in their weak leaders with numerous embarrassing PR debacles over recent years. This has caused them to question many of the leadership's unsubstantiated boasts. For years Orangemen were repeatedly assured that the membership of the Orange Order in Ireland was around 100,000, 100,000 in Canada , 85,000 in Scotland, and 15,000 in England. This in turn was also presented to the media as fact (as can be verified from the archives of most local papers over recent decades).The only problem is, these numbers were actually fictional. As these figures became increasingly questioned from within estimations started to drastically retreat. Ireland's numbers suddenly dropped to 85,000, and then readjusted to 65,000. But insiders continued to even question these smaller figures, arguing they were totally unachievable. One of the first to challenge the Orange inner circle reference their exaggerated figures was Joel Patton, who incidentally sat on the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland. Whilst the exact figures were even hidden from most Grand Lodge members, he highlighted the erroneous numbers being presented by the Orange hierarchy. Paton highlighted the inaccuracies as far back as 1995. He was the leader of the Spirit of Drumcree (a pressure group within the Order pushing for greater change and transparency). He believed the membership numbers being publicly presented were false and the real decline was being covered over. Ironically, an arch-opponent of the Spirit of Drumcree back then – Rev. Brian Kennaway (who was convenor of its Education Committee at the time) – has since come out and corroborated these claims (adding actual meat to the bones of what most people actually suspected). He suggested that the Orange Order had collapsed to around 30,000 by 2006 in his book The Orange Order: A Tradition Betrayed. This book obviously created embarrassment at the top, who were forced in 2009 to admit its membership had fallen to 35,700 by 2006. This is in marked contrast to the 93,447 Orangemen it claimed in 1968. Whilst even these numbers conflict with that of insider Kennaway; they certainly reveal the peril Orangeism is in. Now that the cold truth is out in the open for all to see the Orange Order has suddenly (and conveniently) changed its approach. Numbers are now totally irrelevant! They suddenly feel compelled to caution its member on number-counting. They sheepishly argue in the November 2009 edition of the Orange Standard: “The Orange Order does not, for one moment, seek to argue that numbers are the most important aspect of its work. On the contrary, while very pleased at the membership totals, Grand Lodge, and all concerned with the wellbeing of the Order, would argue that quality is much more important than quantity ... These days there are some people, including Orangemen, who seem to adopt the attitude that numbers are all-important, and they are not backward in writing to the media, suggesting that the Order is in decline, and quoting membership totals in support of their case ... Instead of harping on about what they perceive to be a declining membership, would those who claim Orange allegiance and write to the media, not be better employed working hard to persuade more men to join the Orange ranks? "... Surely there are enough nationalist and republican opponents of the Orange Order without 'friends' of the Order sniping at the organisation?” Can we remind the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland, who have been forced to reluctantly admit the Orange Order is in severe decline, that they are the ones that promoted the numbers game for years? They are the ones that yearly cooked the books to give the impression of strength and popularity. Now that the real numbers are out in the open it suddenly seems expedient to view their shrinking Order as irrelevant. If “quality is much more important than quantity,” as they allege, why are they swinging their doors open to Protestant men today that would never have been welcome years ago? Why are they accepting countless men into the Order that are steeped in paramilitary sympathies, immoral behaviour and drunkenness? This is not a society that has raised the spiritual or moral pole but one that has kicked the pole away and that is desperate for numbers to prop this ailing secret body. Grand Lodge of Scotland reluctantly dropped its estimate over recent times to 50,000. Despite these institutional boasts the reality was the numbers were in free fall throughout the world. The Orange membership had fallen globally to less than 100,000 Orangemen. Ireland today has in fact less than 30,000 members (and falling), Scotland has probably less than 15,000 active members (and falling), England is now down to hundreds rather than thousands (like the Independent Institution), and is currently fighting for its very survival. Forced Rebranding Orangeism Since the Drumcree debacle at Portadown a few years ago the Orange image has been severely damaged. Protestants who would normally have loyally supported the Loyal Orders were disgusted at the street disorder the Orange leaders encouraged and defended throughout Northern Ireland. The 12th of July became associated with tension, violence and blocked roads. Whther the Orange Order see this or not, this is still very fresh in the minds of most people today. Instead of staying for the parades over the July fortnight, many Protestants leave the country in their thousands to escape the parading season. Because of the dilapidated state the Orange Lodge sunk to, Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland has desperately tried to re-brand Orangeism, giving it a more appealing user-friendly face. It is trying to encourage younger people into its largely aging ranks. As part of the planned rebranding of the July marches, it has instituted a cultural 'Orangefest', something that has created great internal opposition from many traditionalists. Involves a programme of music, dance and drama to entertain and educate local people and tourists including highland dancing, local bands, poetry, drama and storytelling. For those watching on, it seems like an attempt to resuscitate a terminally declining patient. They invented a superhero “Diamond Dan" who was named after 18th century Diamond (County Tyrone) pub owner and one of Orangeism’s founding members, Dan Winters. The Diamond refers to the place where his bar was located, outside which different Masons agreed to form a new secret society of Protestants in 1795. Orange Order education officer David Scott claimed “Diamond Dan will be the kind of person who offers his seat on a crowded bus to an elderly lady. He won't drop litter and he will be keen on recycling. He will also be very committed to the Orange Order and to the Junior movement and will make efforts to know all he can about the history and culture of his community.” Work to be done Whilst the Orange Order in Ireland has been forced to admit its decline, the Orange Order in Scotland is still misleading its members and outsiders with its official figures. It is time for the Grand Orange Lodge of Scotland to come clean and give us exact figures. Its website still boasts: “The Orange Order has now been part of Scottish life and culture for over 200 years. That makes it a well established organisation. Yet, with an estimated membership of 50,000 and investment in a new headquarters and heritage centre, the Order is remarkably more buoyant than most religious denominations and bodies in Scotland today” Grand Orange Lodge of Scotland. Even the pro-Orange Ulster Scots website contends: “Scotland has the largest number of Orangemen outside of Ulster with about 300 Lodges and a total membership of 20,000. Orangeism was first introduced to Scotland through a military Lodge in 1798 and has steadily maintained an Orange band tradition” - Ulster Scots website. The reality today is that there are probably less than 15,000 Orange members in Scotland (a figures used by the Newsletter in July 09). As for the smaller Independent Orange, they are in greater decline to the regular Orange Order. In fact, they are fighting for their actual survival. Their numbers have crashed to well under a thousand members today. Maybe we are starting to see real transparency and honesty among these Orange bodies (that are by their very nature consummed with mystery, concealment and secrecy) as to their real strength (or weakness). General Internal Book Rocks the Orange Order - from within View the overall Orange degree system A Biblical Analysis of the Royal Arch Purple degree The Orange Order and their False B.I. Gospel A biblical response from Evangelical Truth to the Royal Arch Purple Chapter's response (by Rev. Ron Johnstone) to Behind Closed Doors - Behind Closed Minds The Royal Arch Purple compared to Freemasonry The Royal Arch Purple compared generally and
exactly to Freemasonry
The Royal Arch Purple compared to Wiccan Witchcraft
Biblical Doctrine on its
Deathbed!
The Orange Order and British Israelism
The Royal Black Institution and British Israelism
A Biblical Analysis of the Royal Arch Purple degree
Wiccan Witchcraft revealed and compared
to Freemasonry.
Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland
opposition to the RAP and Black degrees
Questions for Christian Orangemen to consider
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