Holy or not, they tend to be obeyed (6)
I believe the answer is:
orders
'tend to be obeyed' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this definition defines the answer.
'holy or not they' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'or' is within the answer.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for orders that I've seen before include "Dictates, commands" , "Groups living under particular religious rules" , "Dictates, decrees" , "Commands the religious ones?" , "Arranges" .)