8 scary questions about the Illuminati

It is about shadow groups that control the world, sooner or later we reach the Illuminati. They are the ones who lead the list of every self-respecting conspiracy theorist.

The Illuminati Facebook page has 3.4 million likes. Random coincidence? Get that way.

Madonna plays songs in this band, and YouTube channels, appealing to almost every famous person illuminated, have 200,000 subscribers ...

Mark A. Fenster, a law professor at the University of Florida and author of the book "Conspiracy Theories: The Secret and Power in American Culture," sums up the long-standing presence of the Illuminati in the mass consciousness:

"It is absurd that there is a secret partnership that existed more than 300 years ago, and to this day there are still arguments for its adequacy." The very fact that the discussion about the Illuminati is still maintained is striking.

The Illuminati were not always a foolish chimera - they were a real group with ambitious goals.

Indeed, the Illuminati no longer exist, but the fact that many people still have paranoid convictions for them reveals a lot - not so much about their power as about our modern culture.

1. Who are the Illuminati?

Historically, the term "Illuminati" is related to the Bavarian Illuminati - a secret society that lasted only a decade - from 1776 to 1785.

This organization was founded by Adam Weisshaus, a German professor of law who believed deeply in the ideals of the Enlightenment. His "Illuminati Order" was designed to popularize these ideals among the elites.

Weisshaus wanted to enlighten the Illuminati members in the field of logic, philanthropy, and other secular values ​​- so that they could influence political decisions when they came to power.

"Quite ambitious for a group of 6-9 people, but there is evidence that they wanted to control the world," says Chris Hodap, co-author of "Conspiracy theories and secret societies: A Beginner's Guide," written by him and Alice von Cannon .

The goals and reputation of the Illuminati are often beyond their real potential, Hodapp notes.

At first, the group was composed of just a handful of people. And even in its greatest flourish, the Illuminati were between 650 and 2500.

The Illuminati's beliefs have spread, and among other groups, the Illuminati, for example, have become members of Masonic lodges and thus have drawn members into their own, competitive, secret society.

1. What were the Illuminati believing?

There is interesting historical evidence of the strange rituals of the Illuminati, as well as of their ideals.

It seems that they have done unusual things, that they used symbols (of the Owls) that they perceived aliases to avoid identification that they had complex hierarchies such as Novice, Minerval and Illuminated Minerval that distinguished the elite of the masses.

At first, according to Hodap, the Illuminati did not trust anyone who is younger than 30 years (as opposed to our health minister). It is also known that the members of this secret society were extremely paranoid and used a spy-like protocol to keep the identity of their members secret.

Although they have kept many strange rituals, they have in fact asserted views of the world reflecting the ideals of the Enlightenment - ideas of rational thinking and self-management.

Settled against the church and the monarchical power, the Illuminati were closer to the revolutionaries than to the rulers of the world, as they tried to undermine mighty institutions such as the monarchy.

1. Have the Illuminati succeeded in conquering the world?

Historians tend to think that, at best, the Illuminati have had modest, not to say insignificant success, in their attempts to influence. Of course, many people today believe that the Illuminati control the world. The proof of their conspiracy is obvious: if an omnipotent secret organization dominates the world, we would never know about it. No?

Another point in the knowledge of the Illuminati is that it is often difficult to distinguish it from what we know about the Masons - the levels at which they penetrate and the power with which they mingle.

It is equally difficult to distinguish the influence they have actually had. One can, however, argue - along with people's perceptions of their influence - obviously much less.

We know that among the Illuminati there were more prominent representatives of society - Dukes and other leaders, personalities, influential in their time but forgotten now. Some sources argue that writer Johan V. Goethe was a member of the group, although others dispute these allegations.

Of course, the influence of the Illuminati depends on what assertions you believe in them.

If you think their revolutionary ideals have spread to other groups like the Jacobins during the French Revolution, then the Illuminati have obviously been successful.

If you think these ideals would have been imposed anyway - obviously and completely in the spirit of rational thinking that the historian Illuminati professes, you agree that the organization was just a curious, short-lived phenomenon.

1. Why do the real Illuminati disappear?

Significant how powerful an organization is if a single person manages to put an end to its existence.

"The Illuminati are liquidated," Hodap said. "And after them they tried to revive the organization over the years, but more like a money-making scheme."

In 1785, Duke of Bavaria, Carl Theodor, banned secret societies, including the Illuminati, and introduced serious penalties for anyone who joined them. (In Bulgaria, there was a recent experience of banning members of the judiciary and politicians from joining secret societies - unsuccessful.)

Most of the group's secrets are revealed and publicized.

If you believe most historians - the end of the Illuminati comes to an end.

From the moment of breaking the secret order, however, their myth is growing.

As described in The Encyclopedia of Conspiracy Theories in American History, papers found in the homes of senior Illuminati members such as Xavier von Zwak confirm some of the most sinister theories about the Illuminati, such as their dreams of world domination and cult behavior , although these documents may well exaggerate the truth about the group.

1. When the Illuminati are gone, how does the legend of them continue to exist?

Almost immediately after the dissolution of the Order, conspiracy theories for the group arose.

The most famous conspiracy theories are physics-based John Robison, who in 1797 accused the Illuminati of penetrating the ranks of the Masons. Abbot Augustine Barwell contributes to the "conspiracy" by further developing the theory that secret societies, including the Illuminati, are behind the French Revolution.

Later some of the founders of the United States managed to increase interest in the Illuminati on the other side of the ocean.

In 1798, George Washington wrote a letter discussing the threat of the Illuminati. He himself believes that this threat is avoided, but their mention of them in fact only reinforces the myth of them.

In the panic triggered by anti-Illuminati books and sermons, Thomas Jefferson appears to be (unjustifiably) accused of being a member of the group.

Though these early panic around the Illuminati passed quickly, they created a legitimacy for the group, which later gave the thesis of a centuries-old conspiracy even greater conviction.

1. Are the Illuminati connected with the Masons?

Conspiracy theories have always been popular in the United States, but for centuries the Illuminati have caused less fear of the Masons.

In 1828 an anti-Masonic party was set up to fight the secret organization. Although it soon ceases to exist, Masons remain a favorite source of paranoia in America.

Since the Illuminati have recruited many of their members in Europe through the Masonic lodges, the two groups are often confused.
To some extent, the paranoia surrounding Freemasonry stems from the real influence of the Lodge in the United States.

Many of the founders of America, proven, are members of Masonic lodges. Some basic American symbols also come from the Masons: there are convincing arguments that the All-seeing eye over the pyramid on the dollars derives from the Masonic symbolism. There are, however, arguments that it is a Christian symbol; what we know for sure is that it has nothing to do with the Bavarian Illuminati.

Early paranoia with regard to the Masons can help us understand conspiratorial theories about the Illuminati these days.

"People use the term" Illuminati "to define everything that they dislike or that is against their values," says Joseph Uchinski, a political scientist at the University of Miami and co-author of "American Conspiracy Theories," along with Joseph Parrant.

1. Why do people still believe in the Illuminati in the 21st century?

The Illuminati have never disappeared completely from the mass culture - they have always been spoken under a sourdine, against the background of events.

But in the mid-1970s, they came back with bangs and bangs for the literary trilogy that gives the group the frightening and ridiculously ridiculous image it now has.

The Illusionism Trilogy by Robert Shia and Robert Anton Wilson presents the Illuminati with ironic impartiality.

This trilogy is becoming a fundamental element of counterculture and intertwining real-world research with fantastic elements, returning the Illuminati back to the center of public interest.

"It was an excellent example of the style of ironizing the elite forms of power since the 1960s," says Mark Fenster. "This ironic vision of conspiracy theory is extremely widespread, and you can be a serious conspiration but also joking with it."

From then on, the Illuminati become periodically a protagonist in popular culture - for example, in Dan Brown's overbearing novel "The Sixth Tag". In a variety of subcultures, the group is often combined with satanism, alien myths, and other ideas that were totally alien to the first Bavarian Illuminati.

Uchinski explains that most Americans do not really believe in the Illuminati right now.

In a study of conspiracy theories he holds in 2012, there are no people who openly declare that groups of the Masons or Illuminati control politics.

However, they remain lasting in the collective human consciousness, serving as a reason for jokes and a source of rumors.

1. Will the Illuminati kill me because I have read this material?

Surely you already know too much if you have read this material. Be careful and look carefully for hidden symbols!