Who Are The Illuminati?
The Illuminati is an elite organization of world leaders, business authorities, innovators, artists, and other influential members of this planet. Our coalition unites influencers of all political, religious, and geographical backgrounds to further the prosperity of the human species as a whole.
Many who have found success by following our tenets voluntarily incorporate our symbology into their artwork, architecture, and design. By scattering our messages throughout society, members can never forget the purpose of their lives, and even the lost can be led to the truth.
Millions of people from all walks of life have committed themselves to the Illuminati’s global work for the betterment of the human species. By forgoing all divisions of religious, geographical, or political beliefs, followers of Illuminatiam strive to form a planet where all people, in all places, can live in Abundance
Who Are The Freemasons?
The Freemasons are a fraternal organization with over 300 years of history. They are one of the world’s oldest social and charitable organizations, rooted in the medieval stonemason tradition.
They have no political or religious affiliations and encourage their members to lead moral lives and value the qualities of tolerance, charity, honor, and equality. Core to their members is a belief in a Supreme Being.
Smaller units of members are called Lodges, united under one Grand Lodge. Their ceremonies are based on three core principles: to look after those less fortunate, self-improvement, and living life well so they are remembered for the right reasons.
Freemasonry is a global organization with more than 6 million members worldwide. Although traditionally a society for men over 18, women’s masonic orders also exist.
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Weishaupt founded the Illuminati with five members—Weishaupt (Spartacus), Franz Anton von Massenhausen (Ajax), Max Elder von Merz (Tiberius), Bauhof (Agathon), and Andreas Sutor (Erasmus Roterodamus). The members were called “Areopagites,” which was the highest degree. He was installed as the chief, and the Order was named the Order of Illuminees. This was the first of May 1776. You might recall that there is an Areopagus of Greece, and there was a conversion of “Dionysius the Areopagite” to Christianity by the apostle Paul in Acts 17:34.
Ten months after the founding of the Illuminati, Weishaupt was initiated into Freemasonry in the Strict Observance Lodge. This was the start of the “link” between the two organizations and the beginning of this “great conspiracy” to take over the world.
None of the five founders of the Illuminati were Freemasons at the time the Order was founded. After Weishaupt became a Freemason, he invented other degrees for his Order, and soon all “Insinuators” (equivalent to Entered Apprentices) could not go beyond a certain degree until they became Freemasons.
This gave way to the concept of “A Lodge within a Lodge” because it was believed that the members of the Illuminati, once they became Freemasons, would approach certain Freemasons to be part of this objective. These Freemasons would be admitted into the secret plans of the Illuminati while the other members remained oblivious to the existence of this inner grouping. This plan succeeded so quickly that by 1781—just four years after Weishaupt became a Mason .
When, in 1785, somewhat by accident, documents concerning the Illuminati and their plans got into the hands of the Bavarian authorities, all hell broke loose. Weishaupt was dismissed from his post at Ingolstadt, ostensibly on the grounds of trying to procure “ungodly books” for the university, such as Pierre Bayle’s Historical and Critical Dictionary and Richard Simon’s writings, “which were critical of the Old and New Testaments.”
By March 1785, with the second edits of Karl Theodor, the ban specifically naming the Illuminati and Freemasonry was complete, and that was the effective end of the public existence of the Bavarian Illuminati.
The newly discovered secret papers were interpreted as a conspiracy to dethrone monarchs and to bring in a new world order with the Illuminati or their agents as the new rulers. This, together with their “subversive” behavior of meeting in private and keeping their deliberations secret, was used as justification for all the actions taken against the Freemasons from the days of the Papal Bull.
The Illuminati has continued in various forms (in keeping with its mode of operation) in many parts of the world
Similarities Between The Illuminati and Freemasonry
The main similarity is that the Bavarian Illuminati recruited heavily from Freemason lodges, even using them as a model for its structure and borrowing symbols. Both societies used similar symbols, such as the Eye of Providence. The Illuminati also infiltrated Masonic lodges to gain members and influence, though their ultimate goals were more political and anti-establishment than Freemasonry’s focus on moral and personal developmen
Shared organizational features and symbols
- Recruitment and infiltration: The Illuminati’s founder, Adam Weishaupt, joined Freemasonry to recruit its members into his society. This was a key strategy because Freemason lodges already had a large network of members that the Illuminati wanted to attract.
- Organizational structure: The Illuminati’s structure was influenced by Freemasonry, and it adopted a similar system of degrees and rituals.
- Symbolism: Both groups used symbols such as the Eye of Providence (or All-Seeing Eye). The Eye of Providence is a symbol found in both Masonic buildings and on items associated with the Illuminati.