UI,
It may be that niggardly post is due to your reasoning capacity being diminished today from eating too many barbecued leprachauns but I am very pleased to see this type of enhanced participation by the Orange Order in the wider cultural life of the island, and also its marking the contemporary spiritual concerns common to all the Christian and other religious communities.
Frank,
They're an all-Ireland organisation so I don't see what your point is. My point is that they're bigots and that they should get their own house in order (no pun intended) before passing judgement on other matters.
UI,
what is the relevance of your opinion that the Orange Order 'are bigots' (sic) to the fact that it has issued a St. Patrick's Day message?
'Judge not, lest you be judged.' is another bible message that pops into mind.
Frank,
The St Patrick's Day message is full of hypocrisy. Do you dispute that?
Interesting Bible quote you cite. Who are they to judge others when they are a bigoted organisation by nature?
UI,
Teh message is not on their website http://www.grandorange.org.uk/pr...ess/
recent.html so I can only comment on what breakingnews reported. I don't find it offensive as reported, and I believe it is good to have them expressing their views. They are from Ireland after all, and St Patrick name is attached to many Church of Ireland churches and schools. They need to be heard.
Actually, the Orange Order are more true to the Bible than you might think. Read the Old Testament; God condones, in fact encourages, Moses to arbitrarily rape and pillage whatever native population happens to be in the way. Orange Order - true christians. 
"Sadly they continue to ban Catholics from joining the Order"
As an exclusively Protestant organisation, who celebrate the reformed (Protestant) faith, I suspect that might be the case for a few years to come.
Did the Hibs have a good day out in Rasharkin yesterday?
Are they still banning Prods after all these years?
Peace
Should we not ban both those organisations from public displays of religious triumphalism?
Peace
"As an exclusively Protestant organisation, who celebrate the reformed (Protestant) faith, I suspect that might be the case for a few years to come."
Do you think they'll ever drop that sectarian mindset?
Or perhaps this requirement for entry to the Orange Order:
"An Orangeman...should strenuously oppose the fatal errors and doctrines of the Church of Rome, and scrupulously avoid countenancing (by his presence or otherwise) any act of ceremony of Popish worship."
We all remember the calls for David Trimble to be banned from the OO when in 1998 he attended a funeral mass for a child murdered by a Real IRA bomb on the grounds he had attended a "Papist ceremony".
"Did the Hibs have a good day out in Rasharkin yesterday?
"Are they still banning Prods after all these years?"
Typical whataboutery. They probably do ban Protestants. As far as I'm concerned they're just as bad as the OO.
UI,
The politics of the last outraged innocence.
United Irelander,
"An Orangeman...should strenuously oppose the fatal errors and doctrines of the Church of Rome, and scrupulously avoid countenancing (by his presence or otherwise) any act of ceremony of Popish worship."
You should have gone on to finish the relevent paragraph, where "The Qualifications of an Orangeman" state Orangemen and women should be - "ever abstaining from all uncharitable words, actions and sentiments towards Roman Catholics".
They should concentrate wholly on upholding this part of their rules.
"As far as I'm concerned they're just as bad as the OO"
Why? Because the AOH wish to celebrate their brand of Christianity?
How absurd.
"today should be a day of Christian reflection and re-dedication to Biblical standards and morality.
Can you believe this garbage?"
Indeed, what garbage. Why should celebrating the life of a patron saint have anything to do with Biblical standards, morality or Christian principles...(Readers, please adopt an ironic tone reading my comment )
Peace
"You should have gone on to finish the relevent paragraph, where "The Qualifications of an Orangeman" state Orangemen and women should be - "ever abstaining from all uncharitable words, actions and sentiments towards Roman Catholics"."
You shouldn't have focused on a different paragraph but rather you should have given your views on the paragraph I cited!
"Why? Because the AOH wish to celebrate their brand of Christianity?"
The AOH and the OO are sectarian organisations. The KKK also wished to celebrate their own brand of Christianity - no blacks allowed.
United Irelander,
"You shouldn't have focused on a different paragraph but rather you should have given your views on the paragraph I cited!"
I put the selective piece you cited into proper context.
In the round, I have no major issues with the Qualifications, on the proviso that the words I cited are adhered to.
"The AOH and the OO are sectarian organisations."
By definition then you are saying that the Roman Catholic charitable organisations, for example, are sectarian.
Commenting by HaloScan
