The Illuminati Versus the Skeptics

Captivating and confusing, a conspiracy that dates back thousands of years and has no clear answer. The Illuminati, a mysterious secretive society with plans to conquer the world and rule with force, has fascinated conspiracy theorists since before modern times. Though the idea has been around for thousands of years, plaguing the minds of the easily convinced and threatening world domination, the question remains: is the Illuminati really a group of tight-lipped masterminds, secretive enough to hide their identities and existence? Or is this yet another easily arguable conspiracy theory created to shock the masses and instill hysteria in the general public? Before we can delve into that question, it is important to first attempt to understand the facts (or lack thereof) surrounding this “society”, by exploring the origin of the Illuminati, its members, and the “evidence” (or lack thereof) that proves its existence.
As interesting or compelling as one set of facts may be, there are hundreds of other websites, documentaries, and books claiming to have found truth in another, entirely different, set of facts. For the sake of argument, several of the most prominent theories will be brought up and investigated. These sets of facts occasionally conflict with one another even on the most basic of topics. As is clearly visible when simply discussing the origin of the society, many different people hold onto very different ideas.
Perhaps one of the most entertaining theories explaining the origin of the Illuminati is proposed by many separate theorists. A Virginia resident puts it best when she explains that the members of the Illuminati are not humans at all, but instead a mix that resulted from “inbreeding between extraterrestrials and humans.” (People.Virginia.edu). While she is not alone in this thought, the argument here does not concern whether or not the Illuminati are half-bred aliens. Even with this allegation set aside, numerous websites and theorists do agree that the members of the Illuminati are inbred in an effort to keep the bloodlines as pure as possible. According to an alleged “Ex-Illuminati programmer and trainer”, most members believe that they are descendants of ancient Egyptian kings (theForbiddenKnowledge.com) and inbreed to keep the royal blood within the family.
An issue arises when discussing the members of this secretive society, as no one seems to agree on who they might be. One source, Wes Penre of “Illuminati News”, claims that this malicious society is formed of thirteen key players, all from the richest and most influential families dating back thousands of years. He evens goes so far as to name these thirteen families, the most renowned of those being the Kennedys, the Rockefellers, and the Freeman family. Penre asserts that these 13 families have gone unchanged since before the founding of the Illuminati, saying “They are the same families, but under different names”. According to Penre, these men were born wealthy, as their families have been financially successful for centuries and the families often interbreed to ensure purity within the organization (Penre).
The majority of other theorists, however, still stress that the members of this secret society are unknown. While Penre holds strong to his claim that there are only thirteen key members, the general consensus is that, while the secret society is incredibly small in comparison to others, the number of members reaches to a few hundred. Of course, there are levels to their society, and not every member has the same influential power, which helps add to the secrecy, as some members are not even aware of their “brothers” in the society.
While the origins of the modern day Illuminati are hotly contested, the facts that most believers seem to agree on do very little to support their conspiracy theories. According to several theorists, the Illuminati was founded by Adam Weishaupt in the 1760s. His “master plan” was finished on May 1st, 1776, a date many say is celebrated to this day under the “false” pretenses of “May Day”. His plan, the “Order of Perfectibilists” (Illuminati News), was financed by International Bankers and put into action immediately. This plan calls for a New World Order, a singular government controlling the entire world. However, according to armageddonconspiracy.co.uk, Weishaupt did not found the modern day Illuminati, but rather simply claimed responsibility to avoid questions about the society’s past, which dates back thousands of years. Apparently, Weishaupt’s lies do not end there according to The Illuminatus! Trilogy by Robert Shea and Robert Wilson. It is claimed that Weishaupt killed George Washington, posed as an impostor and acted as America’s first president, and is, in fact, the face of the one dollar bill.
Conspiracy theorists seem to use a variety of the stories above to help fit their explanation. Their favorite piece of evidence is, undoubtedly, the one dollar bill. There are numerous places at which conspiracy theorists point to on the bill when attempting to provide evidence that our country was founded, basically, by the Illuminati. Many theorists assert that Ben Franklin, Jefferson, and many other founders were actually members of the Illuminati, bent on creating a New World Order. When faced with the question of how exactly the Illuminati plan in installing this “New World Order” into modern day society, many theorists point to the simple, and apparently “obvious” answer: black magic (Illuminati News). As Wes Penre stated, "it's a breath-taking thought that this planet, as a matter of fact, is run with Black Magic". Of course, he made this statement with absolutely no evidence to prove the existence of such “magic”.
Their first attempt at solid proof comes with the illuminated, “all-seeing” eye at the top of the pyramid, said to represent the “great architect, Lucifer.” In fact, according to Truthorfiction.com, “all-seeing eye” was never used to describe the image and instead of representing Lucifer, the Franklin committee was designing a seal that included a reflection of “divine providence”. While theorists perpetually claim that the men on Franklin’s committee were all Freemasons (said to be ruled and infiltrated by the Illuminati), the truth is that Franklin was the only Mason of the group, and the Masons adopted the symbol almost 15 years after it had been used by congress.
Second, theorists often point to the three Latin phrases that grace the bill. The first, according to theorists and websites such as Advent of Deception, is translated to “announcing conception” (annuit coeptis). The second, found below the pyramid, is claimed to mean “secular New Order” (novus ordo seclorum) and the third, found near the eagle, is said to mean “one of many” (e pluribus unum). None of these interpretations are correct. In fact, the first phrase actually translates to “God has favored our undertaking”, the second means “a new order for all ages”, and the third actually means “one nation from many people”. Many of these translations can even been seen in America’s “pledge of allegiance” and is hardly a secret at all.
Finally, theorists point out the abundant use of the number thirteen on the bill. 13 stripes on our flag, 13 steps on the Pyramid, 13 letters in the Latin above, 13 stars above the Eagle, 13 feathers on each of the Eagle's wing, 13 leaves on the olive branch, 13 berries, and 13 arrows, among other examples. Some theorists claim that this was done to honor the 13 most influential members of the illuminati; others claim that because 13 is known as an “; unlucky” number, the committee was purposefully cursing America and its currency. In reality, these men and women are overthinking the simple answer. At its founding, America was proud of its 13 colonies, and looked for ways to symbolize as much, hence the 13 stripes and, originally, 13 stars on our flag. Unfortunately for those who buy into the Illuminati hype, this is where the ”proof” ends. Examples of the Illuminati’s influence, which usually involves the claim that the society started a war or controlled an election, have little to no valid proof to support their assertions. Though some people claim that they started wars ranging from the Revolutionary War to the French Revolution, and even planned 3 World Wars, the support simply isn’t there. The French Revolution was a bloody, violent, uprising in which the rich gained little to nothing and the theorists have no reasoning for why the Illuminati would initiate such a rebellion. Many say that the Revolution was sparked to distract the masses, just as all other Illuminati –instigated wars are meant to do. (The Illuminati) However, these aren’t the only wars that the Illuminati allegedly instigated. They are also blamed for the War on Terror, supposedly in an attempt to divert the public’s attention from the real issues, as well as in an attempt to decimate ourselves by war, so that the Illuminati will have less work to do when they “take over the world.” Another distraction created by the Illuminati? Aliens and extraterrestrials are simply products of the Illuminati (though some theorists believe that Illuminati members are actually half-alien). The society created an outside threat in order to encourage all countries to come together as one. To explain how exactly they could create and instigate such massive conflicts, believers assert that the Illuminati control all aspects of our lives, including but not limited to mass media, Wall Street, and the government. The society is actually in power when it comes to elections and choosing a president for the US. “Elections are really not necessary, but they let us vote so we can have a game, and by letting us do so, they pretend to follow the Constitution. It gives us the illusion of choice.” (Illuminati News) It is said that the Illuminati always chooses to support the candidate with the darkest past, so that they can control them by blackmail if necessary. In the case of JFK, it is said that the Illuminati had his assassinated due to his lack of devotion. But if you recall, the Illuminati News claimed that the Kennedys were members of the Illuminati, making it hard to believe that JFK was going against their orders. Then again, they also claimed that all of the Illuminati names were born into wealth and followed royal bloodline for centuries. It is interesting, then, that Rockefeller was considered a member of the Illuminati, considering he was born into average financial standing, worked many minimum wage jobs and “rose from humble beginnings” before becoming an entrepreneur and making his own fortune, according to biography.com. Conspiracy theorists claim that further proof of this secret society exists within pop culture references, as the Illuminati control everything from Hollywood to the music industry and everything in between. Their favorite example lies in pop culture icon and multi-million dollar couple Jay-Z and Beyoncé, who are constantly “alluding” to their involvement in this secret society. The 2013 Superbowl halftime show shocked the nation and will go down in history as one of the most infamous endorsements of the Illuminati. During Beyoncé’s halftime performance, she placed her thumbs and forefingers together, forming a triangle/diamond shape, which she held to the sky. While supports of hers will quickly tell you that this is the symbol of her husband’s record company, many theorist claim this is a reference to the Illuminati symbol (the same one they claim can be seen on the dollar bill). Even if Jay-Z had chosen his symbol to correlate with the Illuminati’s symbol, it is still hard to explain why Beyoncé chose to flash this symbol and “expose her involvement” to the world. It doesn’t take Webster’s dictionary remind us that the purpose of a “secret” society is to remain a secret, so therefore Beyoncé acted “in direct defiance to its core tenets” (Discovery News). It can be safely assumed then, that Beyonce would have received some sort of punishment for defying the society, however her career, dignity, and general livelihood have seen only prosperity in the recent months. Then again, one of these blessings the has been bestowed upon the couple is their daughter, named Blue Ivy. Could it be that Jay-Z and Beyonce, being incredibly rich and popular, have bought into the celebrity trend of strange names? Of course not, say theorists. Instead, Blue Ivy is a code word said to mean Born Living Under Evil, Illuminati’s Very Youngest, and, perhaps even more incriminating, Blue Ivy spelled backwards (Eulb Yvi) allegedly translates from Latin to mean “Lucifer’s Daughter” (IlluminatiWatcher.com). Oddly enough, “Elub Yvi” actually doesn’t translate to anything; these words have absolutely no meaning in Latin, according to the online Latin dictionary. And so the pop culture references continue, but with increasingly unrealistic “proof”. Without considering this blatant lack of evidence, we are led to believe that the world is run by a group of 13 extremely wealthy and influential inbred men, descendants of half-breeds with extra-terrestrial blood coursing through their bodies, who control our world through the use of Black Magic. If that doesn’t convince you, “proof” can be seen in everyday occurrences such as the dollar bill and the Superbowl halftime show, as well as countless other examples.
Of course, once we bring into considerations the explanations behind the “proof” that theorists use and the lack of proof that theorists tend to ignore, it is relatively easy to conclude that there are more realistic explanations for the way the world is run. And with such powers as “black magic” added to their influence and wealth, if these men had intended on taking over society, they are clearly much more incompetent than they let on, considering they’ve had thousands of years to complete their task and have yet to truly accomplish much of anything.

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