Illuminati order
The Illuminati Order
The subject of conspiracy theory from its birth on May 1st, 1776, in Ingolstadt, the group originally known as the Bavarian Illuminati, has become the stuff of legend.
The brain child of the Jesuit schooled German philosopher, Adam Weishaupt, often referred to within the order of the illuminati as Brother Spartacus, it originally held a membership of five. Though the order was known to neither be internally structured as egalitarian or democratic, it promoted freedom and equality as being central to the structure of an ideal society.
The Clash With Free Masonry
In 1777, As an initiate into the Masonic Lodge, "Theodor zum guten Rath", located in Munich, Weishaupt attempted to bring in ideas that he hoped would spark reform within the Masonic order. Among the ideas he promoted was the idea that "Illumination", which is the notion of enlightenment through allowing the sun of reason to dispel the clouds of prejudice and superstition, was a central theme of his message. When the reformation he was bringing in was not well received, Weishaupt and fellow contributor, Adolph Freiherr Knigge, began to promote their new philosophy as a form of Pure Masonry.
They taught that through reeducation the nature of man could be perfected, making it possible to better commune with nature, free of the restrictions imposed on individuals by church and government authority alike. Many outsiders to the movement viewed Weishaupt and Knigge, as promoting little more than a form of radical rationalism. Aside from calling into question the influence and abuses of church and state on society, the Illuminati also promoted the idea of educating women and gender equality.
The Fall Of The Order
When it became understood that the writings of Weishaupt were seditious, the governing authority of Bavaria, Karl Theodor, placed a ban on the Illuminati. In response to the political move of the government, Weishaupt was let go from his professorship and sought to flee the country. It is believed by many that the disbanding of the Illuminati around this time left it with little or no trace of further influence. Weishaupt spent the rest of his life in exile, and wrote a number of books on the subject of the Illuminati before his death in 1830.
Critics Of The Fall
Many modern critics of the historical account argue that the Illuminati still exists and operates behind the scenes of the fabrics of society, directing and manipulating key global and historical events even today.
However, this is not a new trend. Many conservative and religious critics argued that the Illuminati played a role in sparking the French Revolution after they were supposedly outlawed and banned in the mid 1780's. Though it is easy to argue that such ideas are simply the ideas breeding within the imagination of conspiracy theorists, it is equally easy to find numerous pop culture references to the legendary order and modern groups that claim a link with or to have descended from the original Illuminati sect.
Consequently, although the original order may have been banned in the mid 1780's in Bavaria, this does not prevent the possibility that the social ideas the order were spreading have not permeated into numerous other groups that support and sympathize with the original movements core teachings.
Although, it does beg the question that if these modern groups use the name of the Illuminati as a means to attract others into their ranks, then how secret can the order truly be, if any of these groups represent the original movements actual survival? Whether the Illuminati still exists and is involved in planting people in key positions of power, as some suspect, may be a mystery that will never be resolved with any degree of conclusiveness. Maybe that is what makes a secret order like the Illuminati live on despite what historians claim.
