Alfred_Dunhill
12-11-2005, 05:30 PM
Lodge head promises an Orange Revolution
CATHERINE DEVENEY
THE most senior official of the Orange Lodge of Scotland has admitted the organisation is "old-fashioned" and needs to be radically overhauled.
Ian Wilson, Grand Master of the Lodge for the past decade, said the Order should revise its anti-Catholic language, pay more attention to public "sensitivities" about marching and give women full membership status and voting rights.
"It is time to modernise," he told Scotland on Sunday in an outspoken interview. "I am for pulling the organisation into the 20th century, and then we'll have a go at pulling it into the 21st."
The Orange Lodge of Scotland, which has an estimated 50,000 members, dates back to 1798 and its stated aim is to "uphold and defend the Protestant religion".
But an Orangeman is also instructed "to strenuously oppose the fatal errors and doctrines of the Church of Rome and scrupulously avoid countenancing (by his presence or otherwise) any act or ceremony of Popish worship".
Admitting that some of the language used by the Order "would make your hair stand on end", Wilson says it no longer accurately reflects the relationship between the Catholic and Protestant churches, or the multicultural nature of Scotland.
"The Order is a bit out of step. As recently as 20 years ago, its attitude would not look quite so bizarre. But society has moved on, and to some extent the Catholic church has moved on, and we are now living in a pluralist society where it's not just them and us.
"We've now got in our midst people with Hindu backgrounds, Sikh backgrounds, Muslim backgrounds... and people who don't believe anything at all. It's a very secular society, so the enemy of people who see themselves, as we do, having a particular faith, is a lot more disparate than it was."
Wilson blames outdated language for the Order's sectarian reputation.
"Expressing ourselves in quite such florid language about what we are is why fingers are pointed at us. We're accused of being anti-Catholic, we say we're not, and people quite rightly say, 'Hang on a minute, this is what you say'. We leave ourselves wide open."
Wilson believes most members would welcome change, but the historic nature of the documents, and the fact that international agreement would be needed, might make it difficult.
"It's a bit like the Church of Scotland which has famously had grief over the Westminster Confession which goes on about the Pope being the anti-Christ. It's still there. They are uncomfortable with it but can't make up their minds what to do because it is an important and historic document."
The Order's marching tradition is also an historical legacy. "Our people love the parades and we are a parading organisation at the end of the day, but it comes from an era when that's how people expressed their views."
http://news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=2384112005
CATHERINE DEVENEY
THE most senior official of the Orange Lodge of Scotland has admitted the organisation is "old-fashioned" and needs to be radically overhauled.
Ian Wilson, Grand Master of the Lodge for the past decade, said the Order should revise its anti-Catholic language, pay more attention to public "sensitivities" about marching and give women full membership status and voting rights.
"It is time to modernise," he told Scotland on Sunday in an outspoken interview. "I am for pulling the organisation into the 20th century, and then we'll have a go at pulling it into the 21st."
The Orange Lodge of Scotland, which has an estimated 50,000 members, dates back to 1798 and its stated aim is to "uphold and defend the Protestant religion".
But an Orangeman is also instructed "to strenuously oppose the fatal errors and doctrines of the Church of Rome and scrupulously avoid countenancing (by his presence or otherwise) any act or ceremony of Popish worship".
Admitting that some of the language used by the Order "would make your hair stand on end", Wilson says it no longer accurately reflects the relationship between the Catholic and Protestant churches, or the multicultural nature of Scotland.
"The Order is a bit out of step. As recently as 20 years ago, its attitude would not look quite so bizarre. But society has moved on, and to some extent the Catholic church has moved on, and we are now living in a pluralist society where it's not just them and us.
"We've now got in our midst people with Hindu backgrounds, Sikh backgrounds, Muslim backgrounds... and people who don't believe anything at all. It's a very secular society, so the enemy of people who see themselves, as we do, having a particular faith, is a lot more disparate than it was."
Wilson blames outdated language for the Order's sectarian reputation.
"Expressing ourselves in quite such florid language about what we are is why fingers are pointed at us. We're accused of being anti-Catholic, we say we're not, and people quite rightly say, 'Hang on a minute, this is what you say'. We leave ourselves wide open."
Wilson believes most members would welcome change, but the historic nature of the documents, and the fact that international agreement would be needed, might make it difficult.
"It's a bit like the Church of Scotland which has famously had grief over the Westminster Confession which goes on about the Pope being the anti-Christ. It's still there. They are uncomfortable with it but can't make up their minds what to do because it is an important and historic document."
The Order's marching tradition is also an historical legacy. "Our people love the parades and we are a parading organisation at the end of the day, but it comes from an era when that's how people expressed their views."
http://news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=2384112005