Evangelical Truth response to Independent Orange

INTRODUCTION

We are submitting this evangelical response to the Independent Loyal Orange Institution’s response to Behind Closed Doors. The Independent Orange’s reply to the book was made by the late Grand Master George Dawson in the form of a sermon in Tandragee, County Armagh to fellow Independent Orangemen. In our response, we have deliberately chose to concentrate upon the issues relating to the Independent’s ritualistic Royal Arch Purple degree rather than to directly reply to Mr Dawson’s many unfair personal insults and libellous comments against the author of Behind Closed Doors.

Whilst the Independent Orange desperately tries to portray itself as a more evangelical institution than the Orange Order, it is in reality much more Masonic in character than its older sibbling the Orange Order. Unlike the Orange Order in Ireland, it employs the highly degrading ritualistic Royal Arch Purple degree as an integral part of its Order.

We make no apology for our strong anti-Masonic position, believing Freemasonry to be a blatant anti-Christian organisation. In maintaining such, we hold NO bitterness towards any individual involved in Masonry or any other similar secret body. We believe our position to be scriptural and in keeping with the broad evangelical family which has always resolutely opposed the evil existence and encroachments of Freemasonry.

THREE GREAT LIGHTS

Behind Closed Doors challenges the Independent Orange teaching that there are three great lights, arguing that Scripture only outlines two. It explains that this “teaching is seen to have no biblical foundation. Scripture speaks of only two great lights, the sun and the moon, which were created to provide natural light to the earth. Genesis 1:16 says: ‘God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also’.”

Notwithstanding, former Grand Master of the Independent Orange insists on defending this blatant Masonic teaching, stating at the commencement of his sermon, “We read today Psalm 136; the reason we read that Psalm is because that judgmental self-professed expert doesn’t know of the existence of verse 9 of this Psalm. According to Paul Malcomson, this verse does not exist in the Scripture. Verse 8 ‘The sun to rule by day. The moon and stars to rule by night’. According to him because we have those words in our institution we are adding to Scripture. Well, they are here in Scripture, no addition from us. But this expert doesn’t know the plain words of Scripture.”

Nowhere in Psalm 136 or in the comments Mr Dawson advances does he prove that there are anything more than two great lights as the Bible says. In his argument he fights with Scripture rather than any comment in Behind Closed Doors.

In his initiation, the Independent Orange candidate is faced with a mystical three-branched candlestick flickering before his eyes after his blindfold has been removed. He is told that it represents ‘the three great lights’, and taught:

Q. “What did you next behold?
A. Three great lights in the east.
Q. What did these three great Lights represent?
A. Spiritually, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, co-equal and co- eternal; but carnally, the Sun, Moon and Stars, and the Worshipful Master.
Q. Why the Sun, Moon and Stars, and the Worshipful Master?
A. First – The Sun, the greater light, to rule the day. Second – The Moon and Stars, the lesser lights, to rule the night. Third – The Worshipful Master standing in the midst with a drawn sword in his hand. He also carried the Bible, and the book of rules and regulations, and the seal of the Chapter placed thereon. The Bible to be the rule and guide of his faith and practice. The book of rules and regulations to enable him to rule and govern his Royal Arch Purple Chapter, or, in his unavoidable absence, cause the same to be done by some fit and qualified brother. The seal teaches me that should I receive a summons or document whereon that seal is legally affixed, I am in duty bound to attend thereto, as well as to keep the secrets of my Royal Arch Purple brethren within my breast, as well as my own, murder and treason excepted.”

The Independent Loyal Orange Institution here blasphemously throws the blessed Trinity into an unholy alliance with the sun, moon and stars, and the ‘Worshipful Master’. (Such profanity!) It is only at this juncture that the full significance of the Order’s (earlier) coupling of Genesis 1:14-18 with John 1:5 is understood.

The Independent Orange lecture explains that these ‘three great lights’ have a dualistic meaning. Spiritually, they represent “Father, Son and Holy Ghost, co-equal and co- eternal; but carnally, the Sun, Moon and Stars, and the Worshipful Master.”

However, contrary to what the “Grand Master” asserts, Behind Closed Doors is here condemning his Order’s erroneous teaching that there are ‘three great lights’ – carnally represent the “(1) Sun, (2) Moon and Stars, and (3) the Worshipful Master.” Whereas, Genesis 1:16 clearly says: “And God made two great lights’; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.”

Here we see the Sun, Moon and stars mentioned and yet we are told “God made two great lights.”

Psalm 136:7-9 says, in complete agreement with Genesis 1:16, “To him that made great lights: for his mercy endureth for ever: The sun to rule by day: for his mercy endureth for ever: The moon and stars to rule by night: for his mercy endureth for ever.”

These two passages are not surprisingly in complete agreement.

How many great lights are there? Two as the Bible says, or three as Freemasonry and the Independent Loyal Orange Institution say?

Maybe the Independent Orange could show us anywhere in Scripture that teaches that the “Worshipful Master” is elevated to the GREAT LIGHT Trinity?

If the Independent Orange had analyzed Behind Closed Doors properly they would have seen that the issue in question was not the “moon and stars” but the “Worshipful Master.”

Behind Closed Doors rightly says, “the teaching that accompanies this superstitious practice involves both an attack upon the Godhead and also the infallibility of God’s Holy Word. The Royal Arch Purple here blasphemously throws the blessed Trinity into an unholy alliance with the sun, moon and stars, and the ‘Worshipful Master’. (Such profanity!)…The Royal Arch Purple lecture explains that these ‘three great lights’ have a dualistic meaning. Spiritually, they represent “Father, Son and Holy Ghost, co-equal and co- eternal; but carnally, the Sun, Moon and Stars, and the Worshipful Master.” In its recent book, the Chapter state that they represent the “Greater Lights” and “lesser lights,” respectively.

This Independent Loyal Orange Institution teaching is here seen to have no biblical foundation! Scripture speaks of only two great lights, the sun and the moon, which were created to provide natural light to the earth. Genesis 1:16 says: “And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.”

Read a detailed exposure of the Royal Arch Purple by W P Malcomson:

 

 

BLOOD-CURSES

The Independent Orange candidate subjects himself to one of the most blatant forms of bondage, binding his conscience and spirit, by a devilish blood curse, to this sinful counterfeit body.

Two lecturers converse to explain the penalties as follows: “Can you explain to me the three great and solemn penalties of a Royal Arch Purpleman?

First – That I would suffer my throat cut across from ear to ear, my tongue torn out by its roots, and with my body buried in the rough sands of the sea, two and a half cable tow lengths from where the tide ebbs and flows, about twice in a natural day, before I would divulge.

Second – That I would suffer my left breast torn open, my heart and vitals taken therefrom, and with my body given to the vultures of the air, or the wild beasts of the field, as a prey, before I would divulge.

Third and last – That I would suffer no less a penalty than that of having my body severed in two, one part carried east, the other west, taken to the top of some high hill or mountain, the parts thereof burned to ashes, the ashes scattered to the four winds of heaven, so that not a vestige of such a vile or perjured wretch as I should remain amongst men, more especially Royal Arch Purple men, should I divulge, part or parts, secret or sign, sign or token, of anything I had received, or was about to receive, or may hereafter be instructed in, unless to a brother Royal Arch Purpleman, well knowing him to be such, after strict trial and due examination, or upon the word of a well-known brother.”

Mr Dawson defend these Masonic curses by saying, “I would refer him also to Jeremiah chapter 34 v 20 which he might find some things that are very similar to some of the penalties which he attacks within the institution.”

Jeremiah 34:18-20 simply reveals God’s dealing with the rebellious among the house of Israel. God’s objection was with “the men that have transgressed my covenant, which have not performed the words of the covenant which they had made before me, when they cut the calf in twain, and passed between the parts thereof. He said of these rebellious, I will even give them into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of them that seek their life: and their dead bodies shall be for meat unto the fowls of the heaven, and to the beasts of the earth.”

For the Independent Loyal Orange Institution to assume the same supreme authority as the Lord possesses, who alone has the right to condemn men’s souls, borders on the blasphemous, and is deeply concerning. To compare the violating (or betraying) of the secrets of a man-made neo-Masonic structure like the Independent Orange to the breaking of God’s eternal covenant is a delusionary.

Moreover, to elevate the transgressing of the rules of the Independent Order to the same level as the transgressing of God’s holy law is flagrant attack upon truth.

Moreover, to view such a contravention as worthy of the same sentence as that of God’s law, i.e. death, is appalling. To compare and compel a Christian to take such a curse for no other reason than the fact that he simply wants to join a (so-called) Christian organisation is outrageous.

Former Grand Master of the Independent Orange says, “He (Paul Malcomson) talks of the penalties and he claims they come directly from Masonry, and he quotes them. But even in the quote, which he outlines, it is quite clear that they are different. And even assuming that his quotations from Freemasonry are correct, and that is a big assumption to make given what we have already heard this afternoon, it’s clear that the Arch Purple is absolutely different from what he is quoting in Masonry. Because what the Arch Purple is saying is that a member will be faithful in defence of his beliefs even though he is attacked by those who are his enemies.”

It is important to first of all establish, these blood-curses have absolutely nothing to do with a man’s Protestant/evangelical beliefs; rather, they are the sinister secret curses that the Independent Loyal Orange Institution bestows upon the ignorant blindfolded candidate when he joins the institution. Moreover, he has absolutely no idea of the content or the nature of the penalties prior to their bestowal nor to the serious spiritual implications of submitting one’s self to them.

Notwithstanding, the Independent Loyal Orange Institution inherited such savage curses directly from the iniquitous pit of Freemasonry, an Order that has always marked its evil influence with this satanic bond. Whilst the Independent Orange places her vulgar penalties into one monstrous abominable concoction, Freemasonry spreads hers over her first three degrees. Nevertheless, both orders threaten the same penalties for divulging their teaching and practices.

The obligation of a first degree Freemason (Entered Apprentice degree) says: “Binding myself under no less a penalty than that of having my throat cut across, my tongue torn out by its roots, and buried in the rough sands of the sea at low-water mark, where the tide ebbs and flows twice in twenty four hours, should I ever knowingly or willingly violate this my solemn oath and obligation as an Entered Apprentice Mason. So help me God, and keep me steadfast in the due performance of the same.”

The obligation of a second degree Freemason (Fellowcraft degree) says: “Binding myself under no less a penalty than that of having my left breast torn open, my heart plucked out, and given as a prey to the wild beasts of the field and the fowls of the air as a prey.”

The obligation of a third degree Freemason (Master Mason degree) says: “Binding myself under no less a penalty than that of having my body severed in two, my bowels taken from thence and burned to ashes, the ashes scattered to the four winds of heaven, so that no more trace or remembrance may be had of so vile and perjured a wretch as I, should I ever knowingly or willingly violate this my solemn obligation as a Master Mason. So help me God, and keep me steadfast in the due performance of the same.”

In reality, no Christian has the right to bind himself to such wickedness. He is the Lord’s unique possession and his body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. The Bible says, “Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

The believer is under Divine ownership, being the peculiar possession of the Lord Jesus Christ. He has therefore no right to subject himself to such mutilating curses. 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 says, “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.”

Like every other word of instruction and every aspect of ceremony within the Independent Orange, the penalties are designed to instil great fear within the candidate, so binding his conscience to the Order. The Bible says, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love” (I John 4:18).

Questions that Christian Independent Orangemen should consider
Is the Independent Orange Order a secret society?
Biblical doctrine on its deathbed!

We recommend The Secret Teachings of the Masonic Lodge by John Ankerberg and John Weldon

 

 

OATH

Mr Dawson states, “There is no conflict between our obligations to the Gospel and our obligations to the Order. They harmonise completely.”

To make such an affirmative statement without supporting it with facts undermines the veracity of it. The reality is, at the commencement of the ceremony the candidate is required to take a binding oath upon himself known within secret societies as an obligation (this is normally performed in a side room). In this oath he commits himself to the Independent Orange, its secrets, mysteries and members.

Before the initiation, the candidate is asked to agree to participate in a ceremony he, as yet, knows nothing about. The nature of the obligation is deceptively described to the candidate, in the following terms. “There is nothing in that obligation that may prove detrimental to you in life, or hinder you in the duty you owe to God, your country, or yourself. Are you therefore willing to take upon yourself that voluntary obligation?”

Here the Order unfairly demands adherence to an oath the contents of which the initiate knows nothing about. No Christian has the right to pledge in advance to keep a vow, the substance and conditions of which he is ignorant. The Reformed Presbyterian Church attacks this sinful practice in the testimony of its church saying, “Membership in Secret Societies involves taking an oath before being aware of the obligation. No man is at liberty to bind his conscience by oath without knowledge of the nature and extent of his obligation.”

The solemn obligation begins: “I ——- ———— do most voluntarily, solemnly and sincerely declare that I will never reveal unlawfully, but will ever conceal, the proceedings of my brother Royal Arch Purple men in Chapter assembled, nor will I disclose any matter or thing therein communicated to me, unless to a brother Royal Arch Purple man, well knowing him to be such, or until I have been duly authorised so to do by the proper and legal authorities, . . . And I furthermore do most solemnly and sincerely declare that I will not write, nor indite, cut, carve, stamp, stain, emboss, or engrave upon anything movable or immovable, whereby the secrets of this degree may become unlawfully known through my unworthiness…”

The wording of this bond has been taken directly from the first degree of Freemasonry where the candidate swears to “always hale, conceal and never reveal any part or parts, point or points, of the secrets and mysteries of, or belonging to, free and accepted Masons in Masonry, which have been, shall now, or hereafter may be, communicated to me, unless it be a true and lawful brother or brothers…I further solemnly promise, that I will not write those secrets, print, carve, engrave, or otherwise them delineate, or cause or suffer them to be done so by others, if in my power to prevent it, on anything movable or immovable… that our secrets, arts, and hidden mysteries, may improperly become known through my unworthiness.”

The Arch Purple candidate then swears: “I will not have any unlawful carnal knowledge of a brother Royal Arch Purpleman’s wife, mother, daughter, sister, or any of his near or dear female relatives.”

Here, the Royal Arch Purple selectively proscribes one sin, that of unlawful carnal knowledge and then hypocritically applies limits to its extent, namely the female relatives of its own members.

We again find the source of such error in Freemasonry where the third degree Mason refers to the female relatives of his brethren in his oath. He vows to “support a Master Mason’s character… and strictly respect the chastity of those who are most dear to him, in the persons of his wife, sister, or his child: and that I will not knowingly have unlawful carnal connexion with any of them” (Masonic Manual p. 66).

Not only does the Royal Arch Purple obligation break the Law of God, but it also breaks the law of the land. After earlier vowing to “aid and assist” his new brethren in “all just and lawful actions” he is forced to hypocritically swear, “I will obey the five points of fellowship, and keep and conceal the secrets of my Royal Arch Purple brethren within my breast, as well as my own, murder and treason excepted.”

This illegal vow, where the Royal Arch Purple candidate binds himself to conceal the secrets of his fellow Arch Purple brethren “murder and treason excepted” is both morally and scripturally wrong. The extent and scale of such concealment is mind-boggling and must be viewed with the greatest concern and abhorrence. So extreme are the legal implications that one wonders how a child of God can offer any justification for such bondage. From manslaughter to rape, incest to robbery, a brother’s sin and crimes must be covered up.

The origin of such language is again found within the third degree of Freemasonry when the candidate affirms: “I promise and swear, that I will not speak the Master Mason’s word… except… on the five points of fellowship. I promise and swear that a Master Mason’s secrets… shall remain secure… murder and treason excepted.” Charles G. Finney says of this sinful Masonic oath, “It is self-evident that this Master’s oath is either a conspiracy against the execution of law, or Master Masons care nothing for the solemnity of an oath” (Character and Claims of Freemasonry p. 44).

The Independent Orange candidate concludes his obligation by blasphemously asking God’s blessing upon his unholy vow: “O help me, Almighty God, and keep me steadfast in this my solemn vow.”

Some apologists for the Independent Orange Royal Arch Purple degree have sheepishly argued that the contents of the obligation are not to be taken literally. Nevertheless, to invoke the name of Almighty God in an oath is a very serious matter, and something that is not to be taken lightly. To treat an oath in such a flippant manner clearly contravenes the third commandment, which states: “Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain” (Exodus 20:7).

God’s Word refers to the subject of oath taking in general in James 5:12, stating, “But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.”

Jesus said, “Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil” (Matthew 5:34-37).

Many evangelicals have argued over the years that these verses are evidence that all oaths are wrong. Others assume the traditional Reformed position on oaths which is outlined in the Westminster Confession of Faith (Ch 22 sec 3): “Whosoever taketh an oath, ought duly to consider the weightiness of so solemn an act, and therein to avouch nothing but what he is fully persuaded is the truth. Neither may any man bind himself by oath to anything but what is good and just, and what he believes so to be, and what he is able and resolved to perform. Yet it is a sin to refuse an oath touching any thing that is good and just, being imposed by lawful authority.”

Mr Dawson wrongly says of the statement ‘In all just and lawful actions’: “You see he leaves the word before and he ignores the word before, and I’m glad that there are those who understand what the word before means.”

The word “before” is not remotely used in this obligation but is found in the penalties of the Royal Arch Purple. Notwithstanding, page 27 of Behind Closed Doors advances and comments upon the statement “in all just and lawful actions” saying, “The Royal Arch Purple then introduces the Protestant cause, as if to ‘Christianise’ the obligation. They say: “I will to the utmost of my power support and maintain the Protestant religion, and glorious Constitution of 1688, against all foes, foreign and domestic. I will aid and assist all true and faithful Royal Arch Purple men in all just and lawful actions, and I will not wrong, nor see any of them wronged or defrauded, if in my power to prevent it.”

Protestant/Evangelical opposition to the Loyal Orders

United Protestant Council exhaustive report into the Royal Black Institution application -new!
The Association of Baptist Churches in Ireland report on Loyal Orders
A Theological Report by the Church of Ireland – on the RBI
United Protestant Council reject Royal Black Institution
Reformed Presbyterian Church and the Orange Order
The Covenanter Witness (Reformed Presbyterian)
The Burning Bush – A Publication by Rev Ivan Foster, a Free Presbyterian minister.
Baptist Magazine
Rev. Norman W McAuley (Presbyterian Church in Ireland)
Independent Methodist Pastor Paul Johnston
The English Churchman (Rev Dr Paul Ferguson)
Church of Ireland General Synod Sub Committee
Ulster Christian
Take Heed Ministries (Cecil Andrew)
British Churchman (Johnny Larner)

We recommend a sound compelling book written by the great revivalist Charles Finney who was a former Freemason (The Character, Claims And Practical Workings Of Freemasonry):

RIDING THE GOAT

The former Grand Master attempts to rubbish the very idea of the existence of the riding the goat ceremony by dismissively saying, of Mr Malcomson, “he talks about riding the goat. And it is patent and utter nonsense.” Yet, this degrading part of the ceremony is the very zenith of the initiation.

In reality, and after the gravity of his obligation is impressed upon the Arch Purple candidate, the assembled Chapter gather at the back of the steps (‘Jacob’s ladder’) and unfold a large canvas blanket. The blindfolded initiate, who has his back to the blanket is then told to cross his arms whilst still kneeling upon a representation of a coffin. He then receives a violent push backward unto the blanket. Here he undergoes one of the most painful and humiliating experiences within the Royal Arch Purple ceremony, when he is brutally kicked and tossed upon the blanket by the assembled Chapter for a number of minutes. This practice is known as “riding the goat.”

There is no greater proof of the counterfeit nature of the Royal Arch Purple Order than this demeaning farce. How anyone could interpret it as anything other than an organised disgrace defies belief. One wonders how any Christian could defend such an irreligious sham and explain how it at all promotes holy living or respect for one’s fellow man.

This ceremony, of “riding the goat” is shared by other institutions involved in the mysteries including the masons and the white witches. Former thirty-second degree Mason and Wiccan Witch High Priest, William Schnoebellan testifies to his own experience within Freemasonry: “I was kept in an anteroom. The fellow who was in charge of keeping an eye on me said that I should not worry about riding the goat in the initiation – most guys did it and never fell off. Another fellow came in and said that I shouldn’t believe any of ‘those stories’ about riding the goat. A third fellow winked at me and said they’d only lost a couple of candidates in the last year through death by violence, so I shouldn’t worry. It was all done in the manner of good-natured teasing.”

Schnoebellan then reveals the foul pagan origins of this blasphemous ceremony, stating: “In the many initiations I observed or actually took part in, I saw a lot of variations of this kind of fraternity house humour. The only common thing in the many jokes and disturbing allusions was this business about riding the goat. That is interesting when one recalls Albert Pike’s teaching about the he-goat of the witches’ sabbat, and the way witches in the Middle Ages demonstrated their allegiance to Satan. They had to consent to sexual intercourse with ‘the goat’; (usually a high priest rigged up with a goat’s head, but occasionally a real demonic form which looked goat-like). Or they had to perform the so-called osculum infamum (obscene kiss) which involved kissing the goat’s backside to show their fealty to Satan” (Beyond The Light p. 87).

The ‘Romanistic’ Knights Templar were known to have introduced such practices into their order after the Crusades had been completed. They were widely accused of practising black magic, blasphemy and homosexuality during their many initiations. Such wickedness was too much even for Rome who began to persecute the Templars. When interrogated the Templars told of strange occultic rituals wherein they worshipped a goat-headed demonic apparition called ‘the Baphomet’.

This manifestation, ‘the Baphomet’, seems to have been regarded with idolatrous reverence amongst the Knights Templar. Some authorities on the subject associate ‘the Baphomet’ with the Arabic abufihamet, pronounced in Moorish Spanish as bufihmat. This name meaning ‘Father of understanding’ or ‘Father of Wisdom’. The word ‘father’ in Arabic is taken to imply ‘source’. The ‘source’ in this case being clearly the devil.

We would recommend a very compelling book written by Masonic authority E. M. Storms called Should a Christian be a Mason?:

FIVE POINTS OF FELLOWSHIP

Mr Dawson denies the five-points-of-fellowship resurrection rite in his sermon, saying, “There is no rebirth simulation in the Royal Arch Purple degree. The degree plainly states what the falls are, and those of you who have been through it and understand it will know what the degree says the falls are, and it is not death.”

On the third and final lap round the Chapter room, the initiate sustains his third and final fall, which results in him being blasphemously raised to a figurative new birth by the five points of fellowship. This practice involves the candidate being raised from the floor by a lecturer or office bearer, who is assisted by some of the assembled brethren. The ‘brother’ raising the candidate then embraces him and acts out each individual point of fellowship; so as to leave a deep impression upon the candidate.

As the candidate is raised he is taught:

“First – Foot to foot. That I would not be afraid nor ashamed to go a foot or two out of my way to serve a brother Royal Arch Purple man in his time of need.

Second – Knee to knee. That I would not bend my knee in prayer, without remembering my Royal Arch Purple brethren in my prayers, as well as myself.

Third – Hand in hand. That I would go hand in hand with my Royal Arch Purple brethren in all just and lawful actions.”

Fourth – Breast to breast, that I would keep and conceal the secrets of my Royal Arch Purple brethren within my breast, as well as my own, murder and treason excepted.”

Here the hypocrisy of the Independent Loyal Orange Institution is once again exposed. In the one breath the candidate is told to go hand in hand with his brethren in “all just and lawful actions.” In the next he is admonished to conceal the secrets of his Royal Arch Purple brethren, “murder and treason excepted.” This sinful demand is carefully designed to further remind the candidate of his grave obligation of loyalty, which he undertook to his brethren at the commencement of the ceremony.

“Fifth and last – Left hand behind back. To testify that I would be as true and faithful behind a Royal Arch Purple man’s back as I would be before his face. I would allow no plots nor plans to be laid about him, without giving him due and timely warning of all approaching danger, as far as in my power lieth, so that, on the one hand, he can come manfully forward to meet it, or, on the other hand, step aside and avoid it.”

The Independent Loyal Orange Institution appropriated this sinful practice from pagan Masonry, changing the order of the five points of fellowship slightly. The Masonic sequence follows –

First – Hand in hand …

Second – Foot to foot …

Third – Knee to knee …

Fourth – Breast to breast…

Fifth and last – Hand over back …

That which the Arch Purple often conceals, Freemasonry normally reveals. Even allowing for Masonry’s veiled language, there is usually enough explanation given in their ceremony to give the discerning candidate some indication of the true significance of the Order’s practices.

After being raised on the five points of fellowship in the third degree, the Master Mason learns, “It is thus all Master Masons are raised from a figurative death to a reunion with the former companions of their toils…Yet even by this feeble ray you may perceive that you stand on the very brink of the grave into which you have figuratively descended” (Masonic Manual p. 70).

We clearly see that this corrupt Arch Purple practice, which is shared with many modern secret societies and cults, is in reality a grim mockery of the Christian new birth experience. In the ‘Manual of the Lodge’, by Albert Mackey (1862) we learn, “The Master Mason represents a man saved from the grave of iniquity, and raised to the faith of salvation.”

W.J. McK. McCormick in ‘Christ, the Christian and Freemasonry’ explains: “He [the candidate] falls under the blows of the ‘Assassins’ and, shamming death, is ‘buried’. Some Lodges are constructed with a grave in the floor, into which the candidate is lowered … Well, after death and burial comes the ‘resurrection’. Two attempts are made to raise ‘the corpse’ and ‘prove a slip’. The Worshipful Master then leaves the chair to show how it can be achieved. He embraces the ‘corpse’ with the ‘five points of fellowship’ (breast to breast, knee to knee, etc.) and the ‘corpse’ returns to life. The candidate’s baser nature is now dead and he rises a perfectly regenerated being” (p. 36).

We would recommend a revealing book written by David W Daniels – Should A Christian Be A Mason:

OCCULT ORIGINS

Despite the strong belief among most true evangelicals that Freemasonry, its teaching, practices, and symbols are integral to and directly appropriated from the occult, Mr Dawson states, “Even if some of our symbols and ceremonies are similar to Masonic symbols and ceremonies, it is their meaning within Orangeism that is important to me. It’s not their meaning to someone else, it’s their meaning within Orangeism that matters. What they mean to others has absolutely no relevance or no influence of what they mean to me.”

In the unpublished draft to the ‘History of the Royal Arch Purple Order’ book, the Order explains how the Royal Arch Purple degree was developed from the “three pre-1800 degrees.” They also outline the general content of the degree and compare it to that of Freemasonry. They state that: “There are at least twelve points in the one that can be found in the other.” They list them as (1) “The preparation of a candidate.” (2) “The taking of an obligation.” (3) “The penalties.” (4) “The method of gaining entrance.” (5) “The hostile reception.” (6) “The entrance pass.” (7) “The testing of a candidate.” (8) “The act of circumambulation.” (9) The “interruption on each circuit.” (10) “The five points of fellowship.” (11) “The three steps.” (12) “The revelation of the true light of understanding.”

It is however the blatant satanic roots of this initiation that is MOST shocking. In ‘The Dark Side of Freemasonry’ (pp. 165-167) former Wiccan Witch high priest and thirty second degree Freemason, and now evangelical authority on the cults and occult, William J Schnoebelen explains.

“A: Both are built on a foundation system of three degrees, with a few forms of Wicca offering some higher degrees after the third degree has been achieved.

B: Both are secret societies in that both membership rolls are secret, and secrets are kept from the general populace (to a greater or lesser degree) by both religions. Both generally meet in secret, except for rare open and public events.

C: Both have highly ceremonial initiations to pass from one degree to another, including sworn oaths.

D: Both have ceremonial purgings and purifications of their ritual space before commencing any ritual work.

E: The precise similarities between the two groups are that both groups

1. Cause candidates to strip off all secular clothing;
2. Cause the candidate to be divested of all metal;
3. Hoodwink (blindfold) the candidate and ceremonially tie ropes around him (though the form of the tying varies);
4. Cause the candidate to stand in the Northeast corner of the ‘temple’ in the first degree;
5. Challenge the candidate by piercing their naked chest with a sharp instrument (witches use a sword, Masons, the point of a compass);
6. Challenge the candidate with secret passwords;
7. Lead the candidate blindfolded in a circumambulation (walking round) of the temple; and
8. Require the candidate to swear solemn oaths of secrecy before being given custody of the secrets of the group…
9. Both have a ceremonial unhoodwinking of the candidate, following the oath, before lighted candles that is intended to bring ‘illumination’.
10. Both convey to the new initiate the “working tools” pertinent to that degree, and each of their uses are taught to them.
11. In both, the tools have correspondences both in the ceremonial realm and in similarities to human reproduction.
12. Both, in the higher degrees, take the initiate through a ritual death-and rebirth experience in which the initiate acts the part of a hero (heroine) of the craft.
13. Both cause the candidate to endure (while being blindfolded) being picked up, spun around, carried around, being jolted or struck from person to person. This is supposed to produce an ‘altered state of consciousness’.”

William J Schnoebelen states in ‘Beyond The Light’ (p. 215), “he [the Mason] is spiritually connected to an organisation whose rites can effortlessly slide into witchcraft and devil worship and fit beautifully! If Freemasonry is so godly, how can it possibly be interchanged by both witches and satanists so freely?”

Yet Mr Dawson exalts this satanic ceremony, saying, “it is a beautiful God glorifying thing … there is a beauty in the degree. There’s a majestic nature to the degree, there’s a sincerity in the degree, there is an inspirational character to the degree. I can recall meetings, coming out of meetings and talking to brethren and they were saying that it was like a sermon to their hearts.”

It is a sad indictment upon the caliber of men attracted to the Independent Loyal Orange Lodge if it takes stripping a brother, humiliating a brother, whipping a brother, and intimidating a brother to impress spiritual truth. If there is truly a beauty, a majestic, a sincerity, and inspiration to this religious brutality then Protestantism has reached a new low, and is in need of serious reformation.

This behavior is the complete opposite to that of Christ. It runs contrary to New Testament teaching. It is an anathema to classic Protestantism.

If the Independent Orange has the courage of its convictions, and truly believes what they argue, why don’t they propose the immediate introduction of this “majestic” ceremony to their own denomination as a religious ordinance, if it is so “God glorifying”? Or do they truly realize that it would be swiftly chased out of Presbytery or heretical?

For more information read Freemasonry: The Invisible Cult by Jack Harris

 

 

CONCLUSION

From the very commencement of the Royal Arch Purple initiation, the Independent Orange Institution candidate enters into a mystical world of secrecy, fear and spiritual bondage. The Order extricates a sinful oath of binding loyalty from the ignorant candidate before he is even initiated, requiring him to support his brethren in all their actions, never revealing and ever concealing the occult secrets of the Order, “murder and treason excepted.”

During the ceremony they even place the candidate on a representation of a coffin to show that he would rather suffer death and all its penalties before he would divulge anything he had received, or was about to receive. The candidate is semi-stripped, blindfolded and totally humiliated in the preparation. A hot sword is pierced into his skin upon his entry into the initiation. He is physically beaten, whipped and kicked during a prolonged ceremony – all supposedly in the name of Christ. Later in the ceremony the candidate learns the consequence of divulging the practices and teaching of the Royal Arch Purple to others – that of having his throat cut across from ear to ear, his tongue torn out by its roots and his left breast torn open, his heart and vitals taken therefrom, etc. etc.

The Bible clearly says, “The foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity” (2 Timothy 2:19).

Evangelist D.L. Moody once stated: “I do not see how any Christian, most of all a Christian minister can go into these secret lodges with unbelievers. They say they can have more influence for good; but I say they can have more influence for good by staying out of them, and then reproving their evil deeds. You can never reform anything by unequally yoking yourself with ungodly men. True reformers separate themselves from the world” (‘Should a Christian be a Mason?’ p. 77).

God’s Word strongly teaches separation, separation from ungodly fellowship, separation from false teaching, separation from sin. The child of God is admonished: “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons.”

Lodges Examined by the Bible by John R. Rice

Ulster Christian review of Behind Closed Doors
The response of George Dawson (Imperial Grand Master of the Independent Orange Institution).
Readers response (including the author of ‘Behind Closed Doors’ – Paul Malcomson).
Second response of George Dawson (Imperial Grand Master of the Independent Orange Institution).
Evangelical Truth reply to George Dawson

Bible-believing former members renouncing the Loyal Orders

Former Royal Black Deputy Grand Chaplain (Rev. Canon Brian T. Blacoe)
Former Royal Black Lecturer, Orange Worshipful Master and Royal Arch Purple Worshipful Master (Malcolm McClughan)
United Protestant Council Chairman (David Carson)
Former County Down Orange Treasurer, Worshipful Master, Deputy Master, and Chaplain – Jackson Blakely
Former County Londonderry Orange and Royal Arch Purpleman Andrew Evans
Former County Armagh Orange, Royal Arch Purple and (Red Cross) Blackman Alex Newell
Former County Tyrone Orange Chaplain and Orange/Small Purple Lecturer Paul Stewart (also former Red Cross Blackman)

Other Debate with Royal Arch Purple Defenders

Biblical response to Rev. Ron Johnstone (Royal Arch Purple Chapter spokesman): Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6

Grand Chaplain to the Grand Orange Lodge of England JRG Harvey book in response to Behind Closed Doors: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.

For more information, please William Schnoebelen’s enlightening book Masonry Beyond the Light