The secret society - illuminati Essay Example for Free

The obscure society illuminati EssayThis article is about the secret society. For the film, see Illuminata (film). For the Muslim esoteric school, see Illuminationism. For some former(a) uses, see Illuminati (disambiguation). Adam Weishaupt (17481830), founder of the Bavarian Illuminati.The Illuminati (plural of Latin illuminatus, enlightened) is a name given to several groups, twain real and fictitious. Historically the name refers to the Bavarian Illuminati, an discernment-era secret society founded on May 1, 1776 to oppose superstition, prejudice, unearthly influence everywhere public life, abuses of state force-out, and to support womens education and gender equality. The Illuminati were outlawed along with other secret societies by the Bavarian government leadership with the encouragement of the Roman Catholic Church, and permanently disbanded in 1785.1 In the several years following, the group was vilified by conservative and religious critics who admited they had regrouped and were responsible for the French Revolution.In subsequent use, Illuminati refers to various organizations aiming or purported to have unsubstantiated links to the original Bavarian Illuminati or same secret societies, and often alleged to conspire to control world affairs by masterminding events and planting agents in government and corporations to establish a New World Order and gain further political power and influence. Central to some of the most widely known and elaborate conspiracy theories, the Illuminati have been depicted as lurking in the shadows and pulling the strings and levers of power in dozens of novels, movies, television shows, comics, video games, and music videos.The endeavour was founded on May 1, 1776, in Ingolstadt (Upper Bavaria) as the Order of the Illuminati, with an initial membership of five,2 by Jesuit-taught Adam Weishaupt (d. 1830),3 who was the graduation lay professor of canon law at the University of Ingolstadt.1 It was made up of freethinkers as an offshoot of the Enlightenment and seems to have been modeled on the Freemasons.4 The Illuminatis members took a vow of secrecy and pledged obedience to their superiors. Members were divided into ternary main classes, each with several degrees, and many Illuminati chapters drew membership from existing Masonic lodges.The goals of the organization include trying to eliminate superstition, prejudice, and the Roman Catholic Churchs domination over government, philosophy, and science trying to reduce despotic state abuses of power, and trying to support the education and treatment of women as intellectual equals.1 Originally Weishaupt had planned the parade to be named the Perfectibilists.2 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 o f the order.5 The order had branches in most European countries it reportedly had around 2,000 members over the span of ten years.1 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 counselor-at-law of Enlightened Despotism and his government banned all secret societies including the Illuminati. Internal rupture and panic over succession preceded its downfall.1 A March 2, 1785 government 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 Zwacks home was searched to disclose much of the groups literature.5 Barruel and RobisonBetween 1797 and 1798 Augustin Barruels Memoirs Illustrating the history of Jacobinism and John Robisons Proofs of a Conspiracy both publicized the theory that the I lluminati 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 others7 (a prime caseful 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 Mouniers On the Influence Attributed to Philosophers, Free-Masons, and to the Illuminati on the Revolution of France.citation neededRobison and Barruels works made their way to the United States. crossways NewEngland, 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 go of the 1800s, though had some revival during the Anti-Masonic movement of the 1820s and 30s.2 Modern IlluminatiSeveral recent and present-day fraternal organizations claim to be descended from the or iginal Bavarian Illuminati and openly use the name Illuminati. Some such groups use a variation on The Illuminati Order in the name of their organization,910 while others such as the Ordo Templi Orientis use Illuminati as a level within their organizations hierarchy. However, there is no evidence that these present-day groups have amassed significant political power or influence, and they promote unsubstantiated links to the Bavarian Illuminati as a means of attracting membership instead of trying to remain secret.1