Appendix Article 2:

Golden Rules

IOSJ  Knights of Malta

Initial Concept for the Golden Rules

Faith:

A brother or sister must put their faith in God. Their trust and allegiance to The Imperial Order of St. John Knights of Malta is paramount above all else.

Loyalties:

You are always obligated to assist your brothers and sisters.

Only within the parameters of the law that are effective within the country.

A loyal brother and sister will stand up for you when you need it, also when you don’t ask them to. Loyal brothers and sisters are not for sale and will never do anything that will compromise your success or happiness.

Honesty:

It is your duty to tell the truth. You must always be honest no matter what.

If you are in doubt, always ask yourself if what you are contemplating is you would do it if Jesus was sitting next to you.

Respect:

Always respects your brothers' and sisters' and The Imperial Order of St. John Knights of Malta time, property and beliefs.

Time is respected by not wasting it. Be punctual for appointments. You must always inform your brothers and sisters if you will be late or if you cannot make it at all.

Property is respected by not damaging it. Treat other people’s belongings with care and love.

Beliefs are respected by never judging others.

What happens within The Imperial Order of St. John Knights of Malta stays within the order.

Selflessness:

True brothers and sisters will sacrifice their own comfort or happiness and put you and the order first. You must be selfless and not do something for financial or material gain if you know that it would have a negative effect on the life of your brothers and sisters or on The Imperial Order of St. John Knights of Malta.

Patience:

You must be patient with your brothers and sisters. Show understanding when things need time to change or get better and never judge your brothers or sisters even if they make the same mistake over and over as long as they are making the effort to get better.

Forgiveness:

You must have the ability to forgive. Everyone is human and we all make mistakes at times. We may even break one or more of these Golden Rules. But, as long as your brothers and sisters realize that they have erred and they really show that they are sorry and try to make things right, then you must be willing and able to forgive them. (However, they must not mess up in the same way again. You can always be forgiven but there is a limit for how many of The Golden Rules you can keep on breaking. So even we forgive does not equalize the brother or sister is allowed to stay in The Imperial Order of St. John Knights of Malta).

Togetherness:

You must not be a Fair-weather Brother or Sister, neither to The Imperial Order of St. John Knights of Malta nor in between. You must always be there for your brothers and sisters and the Order in good times and in bad times. A true brother or sister also shares their own success with you and The Imperial Order of St. John Knights of Malta when they achieve it.

Constructive Criticism:

You must not be scared to tell your brothers and sisters what they are doing wrong. You must not be scared to seriously intervene if you see that something is seriously bad for your brothers and sisters or The Imperial Order of St. John Knights of Malta, or if they are headed down the wrong path. But, you must always support your brothers and sisters' criticism with advice that can help them to improve.

Reliability:

You must be someone your brothers and sisters and The Imperial Order of St. John Knights of Malta can rely on. When you make a promise to your brothers and sisters and the Order you will always honors it, and when you know you won’t be able to uphold your promise you must be honest and inform your brother or sister or The Imperial Order of St. John Knights of Malta that you cannot keep to the promise. However, your reasoning must sound. When you tell your brothers and sisters that you’ll do something or be somewhere at a certain date and time, then be there no matter what.

Obligation to Christianity:

Being a Knight/Dame of The Imperial Order of St. John Knights of Malta obligates you defend the faith of Christianity. This is not negotiable. If you have knowledge that could cause harm to this faith, then it must stay within the Order.

Obligation to Help Others:

A Knight within the order is obligated always to help the weak and the poor no matter what their faith may be.

Humbleness:

Show daily your gratitude for the blessings that have been bestowed upon you. Never be afraid to ask God, your brothers and sisters or The Imperial Order of St. John Knights of Malta for help.

Thou shall pray:

One must pray, if not for oneself, then for others who may need it.

Praying is a very important asset for the spiritual mindset, which keeps the faith and unity towards God Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. One must honor and remember, that because of Jesus we are now allowed to communicate directly with God.

Thou shall be proud of the Faith:

One must be Proud of the faith in God, His son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, never be embarrassed of it.

Thou shall visit the house of God:

We advise all members to attend a church ceremony once every month as minimum.

Members who can’t find time for visit the house of God and the Christian community, they are considered weak in the faith and the priorities.

(Some people have health conditions which don’t allow that, we respect that).