"The Illuminati"
Latin meaning "enlightened" this is a name that refers to several groups.. Historical and modern..Both real and fictitious. Apparently this is a secret society founded on May 1, 1776. Many people believe that the Illuminati are the masterminds behind events that will lead to the establishment of such a New World Order!!
The movement was set up by freethinkers. Writers at that time such as Seth Payson believed that the movement represented a conspiracy to infiltrate and overthrow the governments of European States. Some writters believe that the Illuminati were behind the French Revolution.
The Illuminati's members pledged obedience to their superiors, and were divided into three main classes, each with several degrees. The order had its branches in most countries of the European continent it reportedly had around 2,000 members over the span of ten years. Illuminati chapters drew membership from existing Masonic lodges. Internal rupture and panic over succession preceded its downfall, which was effected by the Secular Edict made by the Bavarian government in 1785.
In the 1950s and 1960s, members of the John Birch Society made much of this supposed 'shadow' organization, using it as an effective substitute for their anti-Semitism. Perhaps some of the confusion regarding the organization is due to the fact that over time, the word illuminati came to be used more expansively for many enthusiasts of Enlightenment, including but not limited to the followers of Emmanuel Swedenborg. The Illuminati's connection with Freemasonry was date-specific (the late 1700s) and place-specific (what is now Germany) it had no involvement in Freemasonry elsewhere despite fanciful claims. Even the oft-mentioned 'Proofs of A Conspiracy' written in 1797 by Robison notes that the Illuminati's brand of Freemasonry was not the same Freemasonry as found in England and from which all other legitimate Masonic lodges today can trace their ancestry.
No comments:
Post a Comment