The term Illuminati generally refers to a secretive group of extraordinary individuals who are intellectually and spiritually enlightened. A lot has been said, written, rumored and sensationalized about who these individuals are but till date, there is no clear explanation of the mystery surrounding these people, their whereabouts or where and how they meet and coordinate. Most of the discourse on the Illuminati revolves around speculation about their grandiose universal agenda of saving mankind from a looming destruction visualized only by them; their secretive methods, or how they manage to protect their members and their secrets.
A conspiracy theory
Most normal and ordinary people would be intrigued by the supposed rationale, objectives and methods of the Illuminati. Nonetheless, they continue to discuss about this mysterious group of intellectuals with an intensity that indicate a certain amount of intrigue and paranoia about this group. Those who are passionate about the Illuminati in the present day, try to connect numerous events with a global impact, to the Illuminati that is operational even today, as they believe.
There is even a best seller novel, titled ‘The Illuminati – Facts and Fiction,’ written by Mark Dice where he paints the Illuminati as a harmful and dangerous group of secretive and controversial people (The Illuminati: Facts & Fiction. Illuminatifacts.com.) There is hardly any definite or empirical evidence suggesting the existence of the Illuminati and most of what is available is at best, opinion of certain conspiracy theorists. Any study of the Illuminati therefore, would have to be a balanced and unbiased summary of all that is known about this secretive group of individuals.
History
Going strictly by the term ‘Illuminati’, the generally accepted view is that this organization or network of individuals began operations sometime between 1765 and 1780 in the Bavaria region of present day Germany, which was known as Prussia during that time. This period corresponded to the enlightenment movement in Bavaria when a Jesuit cleric named Adam Weishaupt, broke ranks with the Catholic Church and went his own way to establish this organization of like-minded individuals which they called the Order of Illuminati. The professed objective of this organization was to replace the existing order and power structure with a new world order through secrecy, conspiracy and control of the levers of power.
Over a period of time, their network grew far and wide to include many eminent individuals who generally upheld the code of secrecy that the members were known to swear by. There have been numerous theories about who exactly are the Illuminati and since when they are in existence. For instance, certain theorists say that the desire to overturn the existing order and replacing it with a new world order, which the Bavarian Illuminati wanted, have existed since the dawn of civilization. As it was specifically documented in Bavaria where the group with this very name and style emerged merely two and a half centuries ago, it is known today by the name it was known at that time – Illuminati (“The Historical Bavarian Illuminati.” BavarianIlluminati.com.)
However, the secrecy and intrigue surrounding the what, when, where, who and why of the Illuminati is enormous and most of the material connected to their objectives and assumed involvement in conspiracies shaping major events, are at best, speculation. Most of what have been written about the power of the Illuminati and how they control everything from heads of states around the world to the biggest business empires, doesn’t qualify as historical data. For instance, there are stories doing the rounds about how the Illuminati supposedly got rid of pop legend, Michael Jackson, who they say, was letting out too much about the group. Such theories would never be accepted as historical data unless empirical evidence is provided to substantiate them.
Objectives of the Illuminati
The founder of the Bavarian Illuminati, Adam Weishaupt, was a liberal of the French school of thought and he visualized a much more liberal order not just for the people of Bavaria but far beyond. The basic objective of the Illuminati was to overthrow the existing autocratic dispensation in Bavaria and replace it with a more liberal system of society and government where people would be free to follow their thoughts and speak about them without any fear. The movement was barely a few years old when the Bavarian monarch, Karl Theodor, ordered the closure of all secret societies and Weishaupt had to run away from Bavaria as he was unwilling to sacrifice personal freedom for a peaceful but subservient life (“The Bavarian Illuminati” 18 Oct. 2012. Seceret Society News.)
The Bavarian Illuminati apparently didn’t achieve much before the movement withered away but it did fire an unintentional parting shot on the way out that spiraled into a never-ending string of conspiracy theories lasting to this day and looks good to last longer. This was literature containing all that the group stood for and intended to do. It comprised letters left behind by one of the members that created alarm and anxiety among the ruling dispensation and the elites of Bavaria during that time. The Illuminati would truly have been buried in the depths of history had it not been for the French Revolution that broke out barely 3 years after the movement was outlawed in Bavaria.
The events of the French Revolution shook up the powers that be, in Bavaria as it did elsewhere in Europe and around the world. The conspiracy theorists, of course, lost no time in concluding that the Illuminati had a major role to play in fomenting the revolution that crushed the French monarchy and overturned the existing order. There were striking similarities between what the Bavarian Illuminati expounded and what influential sections of the French revolutionaries especially the Jacobins, stood for. However, it must not be forgotten that all schools of radical revolutionary thought converge at a certain point because their eventual objectives are similar – overwhelm the existing order. In the case of the Illuminati, the conspiracy theories never stopped from this point, and continue to this day (Muirden, G. IHR.org.)
The Illuminati – are they real?
As a metaphor, the Illuminati and their likes would always exist in the imaginations of conspiracy theorists not merely because they make for good story telling but also because certain events that happen in the world are occasionally thought to be orchestrated by some mysterious force. If we consider the opinion of the different conspiracy theorists spinning tales about who really are the Illuminati, then we cannot just confine this group to the Bavarian Illuminati of the 18th century. They probably existed from the time humans began living organized social lives under a powerful authority. Going by the adage, “Power corrupts,” it is not unlikely that the authorities that be, throughout the ages, misused or abused their power and triggered anti-establishment feelings among certain sections of the people they ruled.
There has clearly been an overkill of the theory about the existence of the Illuminati in the contemporary world and it has now taken on outrageous proportions with literally every person of eminence being branded as a member of the Illuminati. These concocted theories attach totally unfounded “connections” of this elusive group with every major incident that impacts the world (Shearer, S.R. AntipasMinistries.com.) The new media has made publishing easier than ever before and the conspiracy theorists have taken full advantage of it by publishing a whole lot of absurdities about the Illuminati triggering events around the world. However, it cannot be denied that there are self-interest groupings of influential people like business and industrial cartels, strategic think tanks and numerous other entities that influence events to a certain extent.
Why this matter is still relevant
To say that the people giving shape to all major incidents are all part of a single entity (Illuminati that continued from historical times) wherever they are, and operate as per laid down rules formulated ages ago, would be untrue without empirical evidence to substantiate the theory. There have been attempts to expose the inadequacies of the Illuminati story with a certain amount of success but it is necessary to tackle this issue with more intensity at the academic level. The barrage of conspiracy theories cannot be tackled by counter propaganda alone as it will lack credence. Few other issues have generated as much controversy as the Illuminati continuing to this day and influencing all major events around the world. I would like to look into the reasons why such conspiracy theories are finding a ready audience that is gobbling up every piece of unsubstantiated insinuation directed against leaders and eminent personalities who are condemned to be the Illuminati. It is necessary to get to the bottom of this issue and the more it becomes a subject of research, the closer we will get to the truth about the what, when, where, who and why of such conspiracy theories.
A conspiracy theory
Most normal and ordinary people would be intrigued by the supposed rationale, objectives and methods of the Illuminati. Nonetheless, they continue to discuss about this mysterious group of intellectuals with an intensity that indicate a certain amount of intrigue and paranoia about this group. Those who are passionate about the Illuminati in the present day, try to connect numerous events with a global impact, to the Illuminati that is operational even today, as they believe.
There is even a best seller novel, titled ‘The Illuminati – Facts and Fiction,’ written by Mark Dice where he paints the Illuminati as a harmful and dangerous group of secretive and controversial people (The Illuminati: Facts & Fiction. Illuminatifacts.com.) There is hardly any definite or empirical evidence suggesting the existence of the Illuminati and most of what is available is at best, opinion of certain conspiracy theorists. Any study of the Illuminati therefore, would have to be a balanced and unbiased summary of all that is known about this secretive group of individuals.
History
Going strictly by the term ‘Illuminati’, the generally accepted view is that this organization or network of individuals began operations sometime between 1765 and 1780 in the Bavaria region of present day Germany, which was known as Prussia during that time. This period corresponded to the enlightenment movement in Bavaria when a Jesuit cleric named Adam Weishaupt, broke ranks with the Catholic Church and went his own way to establish this organization of like-minded individuals which they called the Order of Illuminati. The professed objective of this organization was to replace the existing order and power structure with a new world order through secrecy, conspiracy and control of the levers of power.
Over a period of time, their network grew far and wide to include many eminent individuals who generally upheld the code of secrecy that the members were known to swear by. There have been numerous theories about who exactly are the Illuminati and since when they are in existence. For instance, certain theorists say that the desire to overturn the existing order and replacing it with a new world order, which the Bavarian Illuminati wanted, have existed since the dawn of civilization. As it was specifically documented in Bavaria where the group with this very name and style emerged merely two and a half centuries ago, it is known today by the name it was known at that time – Illuminati (“The Historical Bavarian Illuminati.” BavarianIlluminati.com.)
However, the secrecy and intrigue surrounding the what, when, where, who and why of the Illuminati is enormous and most of the material connected to their objectives and assumed involvement in conspiracies shaping major events, are at best, speculation. Most of what have been written about the power of the Illuminati and how they control everything from heads of states around the world to the biggest business empires, doesn’t qualify as historical data. For instance, there are stories doing the rounds about how the Illuminati supposedly got rid of pop legend, Michael Jackson, who they say, was letting out too much about the group. Such theories would never be accepted as historical data unless empirical evidence is provided to substantiate them.
Objectives of the Illuminati
The founder of the Bavarian Illuminati, Adam Weishaupt, was a liberal of the French school of thought and he visualized a much more liberal order not just for the people of Bavaria but far beyond. The basic objective of the Illuminati was to overthrow the existing autocratic dispensation in Bavaria and replace it with a more liberal system of society and government where people would be free to follow their thoughts and speak about them without any fear. The movement was barely a few years old when the Bavarian monarch, Karl Theodor, ordered the closure of all secret societies and Weishaupt had to run away from Bavaria as he was unwilling to sacrifice personal freedom for a peaceful but subservient life (“The Bavarian Illuminati” 18 Oct. 2012. Seceret Society News.)
The Bavarian Illuminati apparently didn’t achieve much before the movement withered away but it did fire an unintentional parting shot on the way out that spiraled into a never-ending string of conspiracy theories lasting to this day and looks good to last longer. This was literature containing all that the group stood for and intended to do. It comprised letters left behind by one of the members that created alarm and anxiety among the ruling dispensation and the elites of Bavaria during that time. The Illuminati would truly have been buried in the depths of history had it not been for the French Revolution that broke out barely 3 years after the movement was outlawed in Bavaria.
The events of the French Revolution shook up the powers that be, in Bavaria as it did elsewhere in Europe and around the world. The conspiracy theorists, of course, lost no time in concluding that the Illuminati had a major role to play in fomenting the revolution that crushed the French monarchy and overturned the existing order. There were striking similarities between what the Bavarian Illuminati expounded and what influential sections of the French revolutionaries especially the Jacobins, stood for. However, it must not be forgotten that all schools of radical revolutionary thought converge at a certain point because their eventual objectives are similar – overwhelm the existing order. In the case of the Illuminati, the conspiracy theories never stopped from this point, and continue to this day (Muirden, G. IHR.org.)
The Illuminati – are they real?
As a metaphor, the Illuminati and their likes would always exist in the imaginations of conspiracy theorists not merely because they make for good story telling but also because certain events that happen in the world are occasionally thought to be orchestrated by some mysterious force. If we consider the opinion of the different conspiracy theorists spinning tales about who really are the Illuminati, then we cannot just confine this group to the Bavarian Illuminati of the 18th century. They probably existed from the time humans began living organized social lives under a powerful authority. Going by the adage, “Power corrupts,” it is not unlikely that the authorities that be, throughout the ages, misused or abused their power and triggered anti-establishment feelings among certain sections of the people they ruled.
There has clearly been an overkill of the theory about the existence of the Illuminati in the contemporary world and it has now taken on outrageous proportions with literally every person of eminence being branded as a member of the Illuminati. These concocted theories attach totally unfounded “connections” of this elusive group with every major incident that impacts the world (Shearer, S.R. AntipasMinistries.com.) The new media has made publishing easier than ever before and the conspiracy theorists have taken full advantage of it by publishing a whole lot of absurdities about the Illuminati triggering events around the world. However, it cannot be denied that there are self-interest groupings of influential people like business and industrial cartels, strategic think tanks and numerous other entities that influence events to a certain extent.
Why this matter is still relevant
To say that the people giving shape to all major incidents are all part of a single entity (Illuminati that continued from historical times) wherever they are, and operate as per laid down rules formulated ages ago, would be untrue without empirical evidence to substantiate the theory. There have been attempts to expose the inadequacies of the Illuminati story with a certain amount of success but it is necessary to tackle this issue with more intensity at the academic level. The barrage of conspiracy theories cannot be tackled by counter propaganda alone as it will lack credence. Few other issues have generated as much controversy as the Illuminati continuing to this day and influencing all major events around the world. I would like to look into the reasons why such conspiracy theories are finding a ready audience that is gobbling up every piece of unsubstantiated insinuation directed against leaders and eminent personalities who are condemned to be the Illuminati. It is necessary to get to the bottom of this issue and the more it becomes a subject of research, the closer we will get to the truth about the what, when, where, who and why of such conspiracy theories.
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