The Orange Order Blood Curdling Penalties

After the candidate has sustained a painful “ride on the goat” (which in essence is a ritual lodge kicking) he is rolled up in a bundle and carried in the canvas or sackcloth sheet to the north-west corner of the Chapter room, where he is informed of the consequences of disloyalty to the Royal Arch Purple. Here the Arch Purple candidate subjects himself to one of the most blasphemous and grossly repulsive forms of bondage imaginable, 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.”

One must ask, how a believer could be part of an Order that confers such evil spiritual bondage upon its members. One wonders what pathetic defence they could give for bestowing such barbaric penalties on the initiate in the light of Holy Writ, or what shred of contrived justification could be uttered to explain how such repugnant rhetoric in any way promotes the Protestant Faith?

The Lord Jesus Christ, in His teaching, revealed the source of such curses when he says, “The thief [Satan] cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

Clearly, 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 Royal Arch Purple, 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).

Professing believers within the Royal Arch Purple must repent of this bondage and separate themselves from such sin, renouncing any fear or anxiety that may develop from addressing such a crucial decision. The Bible states, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father” (Romans 8:14-15).

The Royal Arch Purple 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 Royal Arch Purple 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.”

William Brown describes these threats in his 2003 book An Army With Banners as “a barbarous three-fold blood curse.” He then concludes: “This ridiculously gruesome blood curse is a direct plagiarism from freemasonry.”

Read a detailed exposure of the Royal Black Institution:

English Freemasonry has been so embarrassed, over recent years, with the public exposure of its wicked curses that it has now omitted these penalties from its Order. The debate started in 1979 when the head of English Masonry, the Duke of Kent, confessed his own “definite sensation of repugnance” over the penalties, and “the distasteful aspect of calling upon God to witness an Oath which is scarcely practical and certainly barbarous.” In May 1986 the Masonic Grand Lodge of England reluctantly dropped these penalties, stating they gave “ready material for attack by our enemies and detractors” (‘Inside the Brotherhood’ p. 64). This decision seemed enforced and was certainly not repeated throughout the Masonic world.

As one compares the penalties of the Royal Arch Purple to those of Freemasonry, we see the same vulgar curses and the same common blood bond. Believers must surely see that for a child of God to submit himself to such profane bondage is sin, and sin clearly dishonours Christ. The Bible admonishes the Christian: “Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt” (Colossians 4:6). The debased language in these curses clearly violates the teaching of Scripture. Ephesians 4:29-30 says, “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”

The revival preacher Charles G. Finney in his book ‘Character and Claims of Freemasonry’ alludes to such curses, stating: “The penalty for violating this oath is monstrous, barbarous, savage, and is utterly repugnant to all laws of morality, religion or decency” (p. 35). He then pointedly addresses those involved in such sin: “If they can see no sin in taking and administering such oaths under such penalties, they have succeeded, whether intentionally or not, in rendering themselves utterly blind, as regard the moral character of their conduct…they have put out their own eyes” (p. 59).

No Arch Purple lecturer or administrator involved in this ceremony can shirk his responsibility in imposing these awful curses. He can never argue that they are just mere words. Such barbarous, bloodthirsty language is an anathema to holy living and an offence to a thrice-holy God.

Jesus said “every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgement. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned” (Matthew 12:36-37).

Those men who are charged with conferring these penalties are responsible, before God, for placing curses upon many individual lives. James 3:8-10 declares, “The tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.”

Those within the Order who confer such curses must carefully analyse the damage they are inflicting upon others. For those who profess the Name of Christ they must reflect upon the obvious spiritual injury they are causing themselves. Separated believers must ask if it is right to have fellowship with such people, since Scripture gives the clear instruction: “If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself” (1 Timothy 6:3-5).

The true child of God can have nothing to do with such profane behaviour. I Peter 1:15-16 says, “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy, for I am holy.”

HOT AND COLD TEST

As the ceremony continues the Arch Purple candidate receives a cold and hot test. This entails a very cold and a very hot instrument been forced into his chest, this practice is obviously intended to shock the initiate, keeping him in an unsettled state.

This continual unsettling of the nervous candidate is deliberately designed to maintain fear. Evangelical authority on Freemasonry, Tom C McKenney, testifies to his own experience, when initiated into Freemasonry. In his book ‘The Deadly Deception’ he relates: “I began to experience fear. I couldn’t see, didn’t know where I was, was half-naked among an unknown number of strangers…I certainly didn’t know what would happen next. There was a sense of unreality and helplessness and a rising groundswell of disorientation, insecurity and fear” (p. 22). This experience is one that nearly every Royal Arch Purple man can closely identify with.

Fear is one of the devil’s great weapons that he wields against mankind. Fear is his trump card as it struggles with our faith. The believer must say in the words of Scripture: “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?…Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident” (Psalms 27: 1&3).

Tom C McKenney, reveals the real significance of such a degrading experience in his book ‘Please Tell Me’, in which he states: “The effect, and its apparent purpose, is humiliation. The candidate is ‘reduced to nothing’, in this way; he is poor, blind, naked, helpless, confused, and afraid. In addition, he has no idea of where he is, who is watching him, or how many there are. It is a powerful means of subjugation and mind control and may have a permanent detrimental effect on the man, binding him mentally and spiritually to the Lodge and its authority.”

It is only at this stage of the ceremony, after being emptied of self, that the Arch Purple candidate is ready to receive.

For more on the internal debate within the Orders we recommend The Orange Order by Brian Kennaway:

Topics

red_dot The History of the Orange Order
red_dot The Royal Arch Purple oath
red_dot Properly Prepared
red_dot A hostile reception
red_dot The Five Points of Fellowship
red_dot Riding the goat
red_dot The Orange Order Blood Curdling Penalties
red_dot Mystical enlightenment
red_dot A false hope
red_dot Symbolism

Appendices

Royal Arch Purple push-back

Evangelical Truth response to Former Independent Orange Grand Master’s attack on Behind Closed Doors.
Biblical response to Rev. Ron Johnstone (Royal Arch Purple 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.

Evangelical Truth debate with Independent Orange Institution

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

A book every interested observer should read on this subject is Hidden Secrets of the Eastern Star by Cathy Burns. It goes into extraordinary detail and shows the meaning and true origins of the teaching and practices of the order. See attached link: