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In recent times, a rumour has been circulating, growing ever stronger, about a secret society that controls the world from behind the scenes: The Illuminati. Theories and conspiracies surrounding the secret fraternity of the Illuminati are wildly varied, but all point towards the same end result. This end result is the formation of a world government. Whether the theory is based on fact, or if it is devised using little or no evidence, every Illuminati theory tells the reader of a grand, unified world government, for better or for worse.

The Illuminati, translated from Latin as “The Enlightened Ones”, is a secret society that originated from the Bavarian Illuminati that was active in the 1770s and 1780s. As of today, the group could be seen as in a state of semi fictitiousness, with many conspiracy theories published on the Internet regarding both its existence and the extent of the group’s powers. The extent of the conspiracy theories based on the secret Illuminati knows no bounds, these theories include terrorist attacks, satanic rituals, constant surveillance of everyone on Earth, control over the world’s banking system, and the cause of various major world events. In addition to the world events they are reportedly involved in, they are also suspected to have ties to various other secret societies including, but not limited to, the Freemasons, the Ordo Templi Orientis and the Ancient Knights of the Templar. Some of these conspiracy theories are quite obviously the work of maniacs; others paint a more convincing picture for the existence of such a secret world power.

I urge you to take everything you read here with a grain of salt. By definition, a secret society is secret. The facts about whether or not the Illuminati exists, and if they do the extent of their power, will never be conclusive. This article intends to detail some of the more interesting facts and conspiracy theories surrounding the Illuminati whilst being completely unbiased towards either side of the argument.

5. The Secret Illuminati Weren't Always This Secret

While the Illuminati are now seen as either the most secretive group in the world or as a nonexistent society that has come from the minds of paranoid conspiracy nuts, they were actually once a well known group.

On the 1st of May, 1776, Adam Weishaupt of Ingolstadt, Bavaria formed a society named the Order of the Illuminati. At first, the group was comprised of a mere 5 members and led by Professor Adam Weishaupt, who taught canon law at Ingolstadt University. It is thought to be modeled on the famous society of the Freemasons, with distinct orders and classes that each member would progress through. The Order of the Illuminati was founded on the premise of fighting against superstition, prejudice, and abuse of power from religious bodies and governments. It also supported gender equality and advancement in female education.

The Bavarian Illuminati’s stature grew over the next decade, having branches in many major European cities and gathering up a member's list of over 2,000 people. However, the Bavarian rules Charles Theodore didn't particularly like secret societies. He saw them as a threat to his power (rightly so probably) and, with the Roman Catholic Church standing firmly beside him, he banned all societies that did not have authorization from the government. This led to the disbandment of the Bavarian Illuminati and the exile of Adam Weishaupt in 1785. That was the last time the Illuminati’s acknowledged their society’s existence.

Whilst there is no longer an official group that goes by the name Illuminati, there are a number of secret societies that exist now that reference the word ‘Illuminati’. These are thought to have links back to the original Bavarian Illuminati group in some way or another. Whether members of these groups have members that are part of the semi fictitious modern Illuminati is a question very few, if any, people have the answer to.

Some of the groups that reference the Illuminati and are thought to have ties back to the original Bavarian group are Ordo Templi Orientis (Order of Oriental Templars), the Freemasons, and those who are part of the ‘New World Order’. These are just the major societies, there are countless other smaller societies that use the word ‘Illuminati’ simply in order to recruit new members and progress their popularity. How many of these groups actually have ties back to the original Bavarian Illuminati is unknown and subject to lots of speculation. Is it possible that all of these groups are related in some way? That many of the leaders of these groups are part of the all powerful, all seeing, all secretive Illuminati that pulls the world’s puppet strings?

3. The Illuminati Are, In Some Way, Linked To Every Major Earthly Event That Has Happened

This is obviously pure speculation, but many conspiracy theorists believe that the Illuminati group is linked to pretty much every major event that has happened in the last few centuries. If you go to Google, type in a random major event and add on the word ‘Illuminati’ I guarantee that you will find a conspiracy theory surrounding it. Many of these are just ridiculous, and when the valid question of “But why would they do that?” is asked, many conspiracy theorists use their go-to response of “Well who knows, but they did!”

To name but a few of the events that the Illuminati group were allegedly behind, they have apparently been involved in the French Revolution, the Battle of Waterloo, John F. Kennedy’s assassination, and the terrorist attacks of September 11th ,2001.

As you can probably guess, many of these are absurd, for example, why would the Illuminati crash planes into the World Trade Center? What would they ever have to gain from that? However, some of them can be backed up by more credible theories, such as the French Revolution. According to Illuminati theorists, after the Bavarian Illuminati were exiled in 1785 they migrated to France and joined up with the French Masons. Here, they sought to overthrow the Catholic regime of King Louis XVI and throw Europe into anarchy, hoping to re-emerge under a unified government. The theory goes that they fed discontent into the masses by pointing out (fairly so) that the monarchy they were under was unfair to the working class. Whilst this theory has a lot more evidence than most, it is still pure speculation, and should be taken with a grain of salt.

2. Everyone Powerful Is In the Illuminati

This is a common theme among conspiracy theorists. Everyone you see on TV, they’re all Illuminati. This is because the Illuminati want to infiltrate the masses and the best way of going about this is by controlling the world’s media. Once again, pure speculation, but it makes for interesting and humorous reading.

Such celebrities that are apparently part of the Illuminati group are Jay-Z, Beyonce (obviously the high profile couple of the Illuminati), Celine Dion, Lady Gaga, LeBron James, Emma Watson, Angelina Jolie, Barack Obama, John F. Kennedy, and Ben Franklin. Why are these people suspected of being in the Illuminati? As far as the musicians and actors go, it’s because of vague hand signals that apparently show they are part of the society. Presidents are simply there because they are powerful. That’s just to name a few; the list of supposed insiders to the world’s most secretive group is longer than your arm. It’s surprising how a group with so many members manages to keep it so locked down on the secrecy front isn't it?

Whether the secret Illuminati exist or not, I think we can all agree when I say that linking random celebrities to the most powerful society on Earth because they made a triangle with their hands once does nothing but discredit the claims that the Illuminati are still thriving.

1. As Well As Everybody Being In The Illuminati, Barely Anyone Is In The Illuminati!

Yep, despite hundreds (literally hundreds) of celebrities being linked to the giant secret society of the Illuminati, many other conspiracy theorists claim that their members list is really quite small. Apparently, the Illuminati refers to a small group of very powerful people who are actively working towards the creation of a world government along with a single world currency and language.

These very powerful people belong to but a few families, according to author Fritz Springmeier. In his book “Bloodlines of the Illuminati” Springmeier claimed that the modern Illuminati is comprised of members descending from just 13 powerful families that had ties to the original Bavarian Illuminati group. These 13 all powerful families are the Astors, the Bundys, the Collins, the DuPonts, the Freemans, the Kennedys, the Li, the Onassis, the Reynolds, the Rockefellers, the Rothschilds, the Russells, and the Van Duyns.

Indeed, these are very powerful and wealthy bloodlines. However, to be honest, there is very little they have done that merits them being put in this group that conspires to take over the world. Yes, they were all wealthy and powerful and, to some extent, still are, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they sold their soul to the devil, does it? Just like it doesn't mean Beyonce is in the company of Satan because she is world famous.