I read through the Qualifications of an Orangeman, and they appear to me to be Binitarian and not Trinitarian. Am I correct in this, or am I missing something important? They mention the heavenly Father and Jesus Christ - the Savior of mankind (a good Calvinistic term used frequently by John Calvin in his evangelistic sermons). But there is no mention of the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Blessed Holy Trinity.
Can anyone help me unravel this?
3 comments:
The Holy Spirit is mentioned in the prayers of the Order and during the Initiation, though I believe the Orange is not exclusively trinitarian. The Royal Arch Purple and the Royal Black Preceptory on the other hand are exclusively trinitarian with a belief in the trinity necessary before one can join those orders.
This is helpful, thank you. Orangism has always been portrayed as a Christian organisation, but when I examined afresh the stated qualification for membership, you did not have to be a biblical Christian to join. One elderly member told me that what can be said by way of criticism of the order can also be said of the church. While largely true, the church wins in that it believes that God revealed Himself as a trinity of Persons, each equal in power and glory. How sad it is that the Orange is not fully Christian, despite the Holy Spirit being mentioned in the prayers and during an initiation ceremony. This begs the question, Why was He not considered glorious enough to be included in the necessary qualifications for membership in this order?
I dont' know what you mean, God is mentioned and surely as the Holy Spirit is God (in Trinity with the Father and the Son) He is mentioned though not explicitly.
A question that may be asked is... to be a Biblical Christian must one believe in the Trinity?
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