Illuminati

Adam Weishaupt, founder of the Bavarian Illuminati.

The Illuminati (plural of Latin illuminatus, "enlightened") is a name given to several groups, both real (historical) and fictitious. Historically the name refers to the Bavarian Illuminati, an Enlightenment-era secret society founded on May 1, 1776. In more modern contexts the name refers to a purported conspiratorial organization which is alleged to mastermind events and control world affairs through governments and corporations to establish a New World Order. In this context the Illuminati are usually represented as a modern version or continuation of the Bavarian Illuminati.

Contents  [hide]  1 History 2 Barruel and Robison 3 Modern Illuminati 4 Popular culture 4.1 Modern conspiracy theory 4.2 Novels 5 References 6 Other reading 7 External links

History

The movement was founded on May 1, 1776, in Ingolstadt (Upper Bavaria) as the Order of the Illuminati, with an initial membership of five,^[1] by Jesuit-taught Adam Weishaupt (d. 1830),^[2] who was the first lay professor of canon law at the University of Ingolstadt.^[3] It was made up of freethinkers as an offshoot of the Enlightenment and seems to have been modeled on the Freemasons.^[4] The Illuminati's members took a vow of secrecy and pledged obedience to their superiors. Members were divided into three main classes, each with several degrees, and many Illuminati chapters drew membership from existing Masonic lodges.
Originally Weishaupt had planned the order to be named the "Perfectibilists".^[1] The group has also been called the Bavarian Illuminati and its ideology has been called "Illuminism". Many influential intellectuals and progressive politicians counted themselves as members, including Ferdinand of Brunswick and the diplomat Xavier von Zwack, the second-in-command of the order.^[5] The order had branches in most European countries: it reportedly had around 2,000 members over the span of ten years.^[3] It attracted literary men such as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Johann Gottfried Herder and the reigning dukes of Gotha and Weimar.
In 1777 Karl Theodor became ruler of Bavaria. He was a proponent of Enlightened Despotism and his government banned all secret societies including the Illuminati. Internal rupture and panic over succession preceded its downfall, which was affected by the Secular Edict made by the Bavarian government.^[3] The March 2, 1785 edict "seems to have been deathblow to the Illuminati in Bavaria." Weishaupt had fled and documents and internal correspondences, seized in 1786 and 1787, were subsequently published by the government in 1787.^[6] Von Zwack's home was searched to disclose much of the group's literature.^[5]

Barruel and Robison

Between 1797 and 1798 Augustin Barruel's Memoirs Illustrating the History of Jacobinism and John Robison's Proofs of a Conspiracy both publicized the theory that the Illuminati had survived and represented an ongoing international conspiracy, including the claim that it was behind the French Revolution. Both books proved to be very popular, spurring reprints and paraphrases by others^[7] (a prime example is Proofs of the Real Existence, and Dangerous Tendency, Of Illuminism by Reverend Seth Payson, published in 1802).^[8] Some response was critical, such as Jean-Joseph Mounier's On the Influence Attributed to Philosophers, Free-Masons, and to the Illuminati on the Revolution of France.^{[citation needed]}
Robison and Barruel's works made their way to the United States. Across New England, Reverend Jedidiah Morse and others sermonized against the Illuminati, their sermons were printed, and the matter followed in newspapers. The concern died down in the first decade of the 1800s, though had some revival during the Anti-Masonic movement of the 1820s and 30s.^[1]

Modern Illuminati

In addition to the supposed shadowy and secret organization several modern fraternal groups claim to be the "heirs" of the Bavarian Illuminati and have openly used the name "Illuminati" in founding their own rites. Some, such as the multiple groups that call themselves by some variation on "The Illuminati Order",^[9][10] use the name directly in the name of their organization, while others, such as the Ordo Templi Orientis, use the name as a grade of initiation within their organization.

Popular culture

Main article: Illuminati in popular culture

Modern conspiracy theory

Main article: New World Order (conspiracy theory) - Illuminati

Writers such as Mark Dice,^[11] David Icke, Texe Marrs, Jüri Lina and Morgan Gricar have argued that the Bavarian Illuminati survived, possibly to this day. Many of these theories propose that world events are being controlled and manipulated by a secret society calling itself the Illuminati.^[12][13] Conspiracy theorists have claimed that many notable people were or are members of the Illuminati. Presidents of the United States are a common target for such claims.^[14][15]
A key figure in the conspiracy theory movement, Myron Fagan, devoted his latter years to finding evidence that a variety of historical events from Waterloo, The French Revolution, President John F. Kennedy's assassination and an alleged communist plot to hasten the New World Order by infiltrating the Hollywood film industry, were all orchestrated by the Illuminati.^[16][17]

Novels

The Illuminati (or fictitious modern groups called the Illuminati) play a central role in the plots of novels, such as The Illuminatus! Trilogy by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson; in Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco; and Angels and Demons by Dan Brown. A mixture of historical fact, established conspiracy theory, or pure fiction, is used to portray them.

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Stauffer, Vernon (1918). New England and the Bavarian Illuminati. NY: Columbia University Press. pp. 133–134. OCLC 2342764. http://books.google.com/books?id=nvY7AAAAIAAJ. Retrieved 27 January 2011.
2. ^ Stauffer, p. 129.
3. ^ ^{a b c} McKeown, Trevor W. (16 February 2009). "A Bavarian Illuminati Primer". Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon A.F. & A.M.. Archived from the original on 27 January 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/5w47O6KyR. Retrieved 27 January 2011.
4. ^ Goeringer, Conrad (2008). "The Enlightenment, Freemasonry, and The Illuminati". American Atheists. Archived from the original on 27 January 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/5w47xrh7p. Retrieved 27 January 2011.
5. ^ ^{a b} Introvigne, Massimo (2005). "Angels & Demons from the Book to the Movie FAQ - Do the Illuminati Really Exist?". Center for Studies on New Religions. Archived from the original on 27 January 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/5w48I6YlH. Retrieved 27 January 2011.
6. ^ Roberts, J.M. (1974). The Mythology of Secret Societies. NY: Charles Scribner's Sons. pp. 128–129. ISBN 978-0-684-12904-4.
7. ^ Simpson, David (1993). Romanticism, Nationalism, and the Revolt Against Theory. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0-226-75945-8.88.
8. ^ Payson, Seth (1802). Proofs of the Real Existence, and Dangerous Tendency, Of Illuminism. Charlestown: Samuel Etheridge. http://books.google.com/books?id=ZEMAAAAAYAAJ. Retrieved 27 January 2011.
9. ^ "The Illuminati Order Homepage". Illuminati-order.com. http://illuminati-order.com. Retrieved 2011-08-06.
10. ^ "Official website of The Illuminati Order". Illuminati-order.org. http://www.illuminati-order.org/index2.html. Retrieved 2011-08-06.
11. ^ Sykes, Leslie (17 May 2009). "Angels & Demons Causing Serious Controversy". KFSN-TV/ABC News. Archived from the original on 27 January 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/5w48xQyH7. Retrieved 27 January 2011.
12. ^ Barkun, Michael (2003). A Culture of Conspiracy: Apocalyptic Visions in Contemporary America. Comparative Studies in Religion and Society. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-23805-3.
13. ^ Penre, Wes (26 September 2009). "The Secret Order of the Illuminati (A Brief History of the Shadow Government)". Illuminati News. Archived from the original on 28 January 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/5w4qN1B4d. Retrieved 28 January 2011.
14. ^ Howard, Robert (28 September 2001). "United States Presidents and The Illuminati / Masonic Power Structure". Hard Truth/Wake Up America. Archived from the original on 28 January 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/5w4mwTZLG. Retrieved 28 January 2011.
15. ^ "The Barack Obama Illuminati Connection". The Best of Rush Limbaugh Featured Sites. 1 August 2009. Archived from the original on 28 January 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/5w4nMHN4J. Retrieved 28 January 2011.
16. ^ Mark Dice, The Illuminati: Facts & Fiction, 2009. ISBN 0-9673466-5-7
17. ^ Myron Fagan, The Council on Foreign Relations,. Council On Foreign Relations By Myron Fagan

Other reading

• Engel, Leopold (1906) (in German). Geschichte des Illuminaten-ordens. Berlin: Hugo Bermühler verlag. OCLC 560422365. http://books.google.com/books?id=v72fDHzuMf0C.
• Gordon, Alexander (1911). "Illuminati". In Hugh Chisholm. Encyclopædia Britannica. 14 (11 ed.). NY: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.. http://www.archive.org/details/encyclopaediabri14chisrich. Retrieved 2011-01-27.
• Le Forestier, René (1914) (in French). Les Illuminés de Bavière et la franc-maçonnerie allemande. Paris: Librairie Hachette et Cie. OCLC 493941226.
• Markner, Reinhold; Neugebauer-Wölk, Monika; Schüttler, Hermann, eds. (2005) (in German). Die Korrespondenz des Illuminatenordens. Bd. 1, 1776–81. Tübingen: Max Niemeyer. ISBN 3-484-10881-9.
• Melanson, Terry (2009). Perfectibilists: The 18th Century Bavarian Order of the Illuminati. Walterville, Oregon: Trine Day. OCLC 182733051. http://books.google.com/books?id=fOrjPAAACAAJ.
• Mounier, Jean-Joseph (1801). On the Influence Attributed to Philosophers, Free-Masons, and to the Illuminati on the Revolution of France. Trans. J. Walker. London: W. and C. Spilsbury. http://books.google.com/books?id=LLNCAAAAYAAJ. Retrieved 27 January 2011.
• Robison, John (1798). Proofs of a Conspiracy Against All the Religions and Governments of Europe, Carried on in the Secret Meetings of Free Masons, Illuminati, and Reading Societies (3 ed.). London: T. Cadell, Jr. and W. Davies. http://books.google.com/books?id=t-lAAAAAcAAJ. Retrieved 27 January 2011.
• Utt, Walter C. (1979). "Illuminating the Illuminati". Liberty (Washington, D. C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association) 74 (3, May–June): 16–19, 26–28. http://www.adventistarchives.org/docs/LibM/LibM19790301-V74-03__C.pdf#view=fit. Retrieved June 24, 2011.
• Burns, James; Utt, Walter C. (1980). "Further Illumination: Burns Challenges Utt and Utt Responds". Liberty (Washington, D. C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association) 75 (2, March–April): 21–23. http://www.adventistarchives.org/docs/LibM/LibM19800201-V75-02__C.pdf#view=fit. Retrieved June 25, 2011.
• Coleman, John (1997). Committee of 300.pdf. London: Global Insights Publications, 4th edition. pp. 15–18.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Illuminati

• Gruber, Hermann (1910). "Illuminati". The Catholic Encyclopedia. 7. NY: Robert Appleton Company. pp. 661–663. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07661b.htm. Retrieved 2011-01-28.
• Melanson, Terry (5 August 2005). "Illuminati Conspiracy Part One: A Precise Exegesis on the Available Evidence". Conspiracy Archive. Archived from the original on 28 January 2010. http://www.webcitation.org/5w4m7HAAW. Retrieved 28 January 2010.

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