This was my final paper that I had to write for high school. It was written for my AP English 4 class on April 30, 2004.  My apologies if the citations are done incorrectly, but I don't think I'll be going back to fix them as the reader can get the gist of where to find them.  Also of note, I got a 97% for this effort. 

"War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength (Orwell 7)". This is the motto of the government run by Big Brother in author George Orwell's classic novel 1984. This fantastic work deals with many issues that could become real in the future, such as constant surveillance, the desire for power, and the emergence of psychic abilities in humans. Other themes that are brought up are propaganda, altering history, children turning on their parents, the shortening of language, and world domination. All of these themes are, if the reader knows anything about it, very similar to a conspiracy theory that has been around for hundreds of years. This theory is that there is a secret society, called the Illuminati, whose goal is to control the world. However, like all good conspiracy theories, there is never enough concrete proof to expose it to the public. There are numerous sources available for information either for or against the Illuminati, and as such it is hard to determine exactly what the Illuminati is, if it even still exists at all.

The Illuminati (also called "The Order of the Illuminati" or simply "The Order") did exist at some point in history. There are many different stories as to how it came to be. Perhaps the most common story is that of Adam Weishaupt. Weishaupt was a professor at Ingolstadt University in Bavaria, Germany in the mid-1700s. He was also studying to become a Jesuit priest and was fascinated with Jesuit theology. When Pope Clement XIV banned the Jesuit order, Weishaupt formed the Illuminati in 1776 with the ideals of one-world government, the destruction of religion, and the use of reason instead of faith in mind. He also, like most humans, had a strong desire for power. He based this secret society on the Freemason society with a unique twist: the pyramid leadership scheme. This allowed for rule by secrecy, as only the man at the top knew who was truly pulling the strings.

Another common story that people hear is that the Illuminati is the exact same as the Freemasons secret society. This theory is both correct and incorrect, depending on how it is told. That Freemasonry and the Illuminati are similar cannot be argued. However, the two societies were separate at one point. Under Weishaupt, the Illuminati were able to infiltrate and convert many Freemason lodges, maybe even all of them. So while the Illuminati and Freemasonry in some places may be the same thing, it doesn't have to be.

The Illuminati itself has an explanation about how it came into being, if the reader believes the source. A man named Solomon Tulbure wrote a book, titled The Illuminati Manifesto, which he claims he wrote on behalf of The Order. He writes that the Illuminati started in ancient Egypt with a mason named Lidius, who was the son of Pharaoh Sesostri the First. Lidius was the first to discover the human ability now commonly known as telepathy. He found that he was able to transmit his thoughts to animals, and later to his masonry teacher Yaber, with whom he was good friends. The two spread this ability to those willing to pay for it. This also became the main secret of the Freemasons as time went on.

By the late 1600s, the Freemasons were falling apart. The Catholic Church had infiltrated it with Jesuit priests. In 1701 a group of 13 wealthy friends decided to revive it under a new cause. The goals were to eradicate religion and free mankind from the chains of superstition. They gathered up the remnants of the Freemasons who were atheists, deists, agnostics, and freethinkers and taught them the art of telepathy. Adam Weishaupt was called upon to lead this form of "Illuminated Freemasonry." Again, it all comes down to if you believe what Tulbure is saying. However, for the sake of argument, it will be assumed that this man actually speaks for the Illuminati for the rest of this writing.

A more recent theory is that the Illuminati is just another form of a secret society that dates back to the 11th century. This discovery came about 20 years ago when evidence surfaced that a group called the Priory of Sion existed as far back as 1178, perhaps even earlier.

The Priory of Sion was a society that formed the infamous Knights Templar secret society, which was a very powerful group in Europe in its day and, strangely enough, is not even talked about in most European history books. While not much is truly known about Priory, it has been shown that their primary goal was a world government ruled by the Merovingian bloodline, which is the bloodline of Jesus or of David, depending on who you ask. With such a goal, it is conceivable that the Illuminati grew out of this secret society.

No matter how the Illuminati started out, the fact is that it did exist at one point in history. At one point it was not just a conspiracy theory. Documents show that, in Germany, the government outlawed the practice of illuminated masonry (the Illuminati). The government even issued the statement "[. . .] that from the beginning of the year 1790, every concern of the Illuminati has ceased, and no lodge of Free Masons in Germany, has, since that period, taken the least notice of them" (Payson 97). Collections of letters written between wealthy members were found in their estates, such as those of counselor Zwack and Baron Bassus. Even George Washington, the first President of the United States, is quoted in a letter in 1782 to a friend saying "It was not my intention to doubt that the doctrines of the Illuminati, and the principles of Jacobism, had not spread in the United States. On the contrary, no one is more fully satisfied of this fact that I am” (Marrs 203). Their symbol, the all-seeing eye atop the pyramid (the Eye of Horus), is even on the back of the US one dollar bill.

Perhaps the biggest piece of evidence that the Illuminati existed is the evidence that proves that they started the French Revolution. It is common belief that the people rose up to start the French Revolution, but it was the Illuminati that caused them to do so. The Duke of Orleans, who was a grand master of the Grand Orient Lodge of Freemasons, bought up all the grain in 1789 and hid it away or exported it. This brought the people to revolt against the upper class. Then the Jacobins, a group formed by known French illuminated Freemasons, took over and directed the revolution. The ties are there, and it cannot be just a series of coincidences.

So what exactly is the Illuminati? Most researchers consider it to be an evil organization which tries to enslave the public for the advantage of the select few. According to them, the Illuminati is a group of rich families who control the world through the economy and other techniques, which are discussed later. They already control just about everything, and take down those who oppose what they represent, which is a one-world government. However, in order to accomplish their goals, they must create events which make the public believe that it is what the people want, or risk a public backlash.

Those opposite of the Illuminati also claim that they are a group of Satanists bent on destroying all other religions in the world. Stories run rampant about how they construct events to get followers of separate religions to fight each other. "Former Illuminati members" have described satanic rituals involving human sacrifice and large orgies. One of these people even describes that, in the basement of the Mothers of Darkness castle in Belgium, a book of the true world history is written around the clock using the blood of sacrificed infants. While hard to believe that such things would actually happen, researchers would say that because it is hard to believe, the Illuminati is safe in its secrecy.

According to researchers, Illuminati leadership is said to be based around 13 top families, or bloodlines (which is eerily similar to the fact that 13 friends started The Order, according to Tulbure). The Illuminati places a large importance on a person's bloodline, as it is believed that only through the blood is occult power transferred. Again, it is the blood that is important, not the family name. There are charts that show how important people in the world, who no one would ever believe to be a part of the family, are connected by blood. Author Fritz Springmeier published a chart showing how 12 American presidents are directly related by the blood of Edward I (known as Longshanks in the movie Braveheart), and how 15 more are related by Edward's grandson Edward III. It is also said that families often have children raised by other Illuminati families in order to throw off people who trace bloodlines like this.

The top 13 bloodlines at the head of the counsel, for now, are Astor, Bundy, Collins, DuPont, Freeman, Kennedy, Li, Onassis, Rockefeller, Rothschild, Russell, Van Duyn, and the Holy Merovingian. This changes over time, as new families are established and old ones fall, and there is a constant power struggle. It is hard to believe that under these circumstances any organization could accomplish anything as sophisticated as world control, but apparently the top bloodlines have learned that the agenda is primary and everything else is secondary.

Apparently, the Illuminati is in almost total control of the government. Fritz Springmeier puts their control this way: "Don't think for a moment you are going to vote the Illuminati out of office. They control the major and minor political parties. They control the process of government, they control the process of information flow, they control the process of creating money, and finally they control Christendom" (Springmeier 2). Others say that they have already voided the Constitution of the United States due to Presidential emergency decrees since before World War II. Still others claim that all the Founding Fathers were Illuminati and wrote the Constitution, pointing to bloodlines and the quotes from letters, such as George Washington's from 1782. Today, it is easy to see how the Illuminati could be behind the scenes, with the Patriot Act taking freedom for safety. It is especially disturbing when the details of the Bush bloodline are known, which is too detailed to get into here.

In addition to satanic rituals and powerful political positions, the Illuminati has other tools they use for evil. Common methods are assassinations (JFK, obviously), blackmail, mind control (Marilyn Monroe apparently was a gift to all those men she dated), and abduction (the most bizarre of which was abducting Howard Hughes and replacing him with a double). They also use the illegal drug industry for a good sum of extra cash.

To explain how no one knows about the Illuminati, researchers have found three main reasons. The first is what will be called "the money factor." Take a look at those top 13 bloodlines again. Not including the Holy Merovingian (which no one really knows who belongs in that group) all of them have large amounts of money. They have the money to bribe themselves out of any situation they get into. And if they can’t do that, they can hire the best lawyers in the world to defend them. They can practically do whatever they want.

The second factor will be called "the power factor." The 13 bloodlines have so much power in their industries that no one would cross them. Just think of the DuPonts. Does anyone go through a day without using some sort of product made by them? That is power. Whether the industry be chemicals, energy, or plain old banking, each has a share in something which gives them power.

The third factor will be called "the unknown factor." How much does anyone really know about such rich and famous people like the Rockefellers or the DuPonts? Who knows what the Astors and Rothschilds do in their free time? Know one really knows. For all the people know, they could be participating in satanic rites.

The fourth factor is "the 'advisor' factor." This is perhaps the most important factor of all. Many world leaders have cabinet-type organizations to get suggestions from. However, it has been documented that world leaders also arrange meetings with other people not affiliated with the government. Many people that are consulted are from the 13 bloodlines, most notably the Rockefellers, Freemans, Collins', and Astors. This is where they get instructions from the Illuminati: in these secret meetings. This is important, as it keeps top Order personnel out of the spotlight, yet allows them to run the show.

These are all items that those opposite of the Illuminati accuse it of. Solomon Tulbure, however, paints a different picture of The Order in The Illuminati Manifesto. He confirms the ultimate goal of a one-world government, but argues that it is a good thing. The Illuminati is not an evil organization, but one which only wishes to improve the lives of the people. The organized religions, especially the Catholic Church, have tried to put down The Order because of what it represents: The use of logic and reason instead of faith.

Tulbure claims that the Illuminati only has one religion: Reason. The Illuminati wishes to do away with religion and have no blind faith, only reason and logic. This is evident in some of the Illuminati Protocols. Some examples are "42. An Illuminati must never claim a theory as truth. Every theory must withstand the test of the scientific method"(Tulbure 207) and "45. The Law of Logic is absolute. Any person who does not recognize this does not belong amongst us" (208). He also uses reason to claim other things, namely that selfishness is the driving motivator and should not be given up. Tulbure makes some persuasive arguments, but most of his energy is focused on using reason to show the evils of religion.

The word that Tulbure uses to describe Christianity is "uncivilized." He accuses Christianity of helping to spread poverty by glorifying it in the Bible (and when those poor people have children, it creates more poverty). He reasons that since Jesus was God, and God knows everything, Jesus knew about all sorts of technological advancements. Yet he didn't teach the people how to use them and improve the quality of life. According to Tulbure:

What Jesus did teach them is to remain stupid. He taught them the dumbest thing possible; that being poor is noble and virtuous. He told them that to seek self-improvement is evil. [. . .] He taught them that     that being educated is for the proud, and the proud are to be burnt in hell. [. . .] He taught them collectivism, which is communism. [. . .] He taught them, in other words, nothing of any value" (Tulbure 27).
 

He also uses passages from the Bible involving God-endorsed raping of women to show how Christianity is against equality of the sexes. Tulbure even clarifies the mystery about how much power the Illuminati has: It is the Catholic Church that controls things, and it is the Illuminati that is trying to retake it. In summary, Christianity is evil.

Tulbure still makes room to show how evil Islam is. He quotes all of the verses of the Koran which lead Muslims to become radical terrorists, such as " 'Oh believers! the non-Muslims are unclean.' (Repentance IX:27)" (Tulbure 79) and others describing how man's duty to Allah is to kill and be killed for Him. Tulbure expresses his theory that Mohammed used sex to attract male followers, citing that men in wedlock are allowed to have as many concubines as they wish, as well as how Allah's followers are given 72 Houris (perfect virgins) in the afterlife. He also points out the lack of rights women have, i.e. they are property of their husbands, men can beat them in order for them to obey, they must consent to sex whenever the man wishes, etc. All of these claims are backed up by numerous Koran verses.

Tulbure talks at length about how people see the Illuminati as evil because of some of its Prime Directives (rules that supersede all others). These include "4. The most intelligent and educated humans are superior to all others and they must reproduce with others at all costs and must be protected at all cost" (Tulbure 189), "7. The population of planet earth must be reduced to 3 billion and maintained at approximately that number [. . .]" (190), "11. Politics and politicians must be eliminated at all costs" (191), and of course "20. Anyone who is against the Prime directives must be neutralized at all costs" (193).

The reason that most people see these as evil, Tulbure says, is because people are thinking according to religious morals and not using reason and logic. He explains that number 4 means that the Illuminati wants to have a hybrid human race devoid of racism and full of intelligent people. Number 7 is meant to promote prosperity and the well-being of the planet. Number 11 means that it will be the people who hold the power, not the government and politicians. On number 20, Tulbure has this to say: "This is an internal matter, and for the digestion of the Illuminati Order, and its senior members" (Tulbure 193).

This is how the Illuminati, through Solomon Tulbure, describes itself. However, which side of The Order is to be believed, the opposition or the organization? Each side has factors going against it. For one thing, the Illuminati is a secret society based on a pyramid-leadership scheme. No one really knows for sure what they do, as The Illuminati Manifesto could be an outright lie. A secret society is SECRET, so what are they hiding? The satanic rituals perhaps? If they really are trying to make the world better, then why hide in secrecy?

Another factor going against the Illuminati supporters is that there are holes in The Illuminati Manifesto, which is supposed to speak for them. For one thing, there are many places throughout the work that tells the reader to vote for the Libertarian party in order to help the Illuminati. It almost sounds like a propaganda machine at times. Also, the book puts an importance on bloodlines, one that some people might even miss. Illuminati Protocol 49 states "All those how do not vote and do not vote Libertarian, their bloodline will be wiped off the face of this planet"(Tulbure 208). The other reference comes later, stating "[. . .] if you do not join the fight for true freedom as we had intended from the beginning when we created and fashioned the US and France, you and your bloodline will be tormented by what is to come" (259). Fritz Springmeier, mentioned earlier, showed how the bloodline is important for occult reasons, and this sort of reference almost confirms that evil part of them. One must wonder that if the bloodline part is true, what else is the opposition right about?

The Illuminati has ways of discrediting those who oppose it, though. Many writers, including Springmeier, claim to have interviewed former Illuminati members in order to get more personal and closely-guarded information. However, The Order states that the Catholic Church controls everything and is out to destroy them. Therefore it is not Illuminati members spreading information about satanic rituals, but members of the Catholic Church trying to discredit them.

Also, the Illuminati claims that most people who write out against them are religious fanatics, and are willing to accept anything the Church says about The Order. This seems to have some truth to it, as most people who write about the evil Illuminati talk about how God will eventually destroy all evil, and others are former “men of the cloth.

When it comes right down to it, the Illuminati is still just a conspiracy theory. There is no solid evidence either way to prove it’s existence, as those opposite of it make some rather improbable jumps of information, and those for it seem to use it as a way to gain attention for the Libertarian party. Adam Weishaupt is quoted in a letter to another Illuminati member as saying,

"It is very proper to make your inferiors believe, without telling them the real state of the case, that all other secret societies, particularly that of Free Masonry, are secretly directed by us. Or else, and it is really the fact in some states, that potent monarchs are governed by our order. When any thing remarkable or important comes to pass, hint that it originated with our order. Should any person by his merit a great reputation, let it be generally understood that he is one of us" (Payson 92).

Perhaps that is why the Illuminati is believed to be around today. The founder of The Order of the Illuminati made it so that no matter what, people would still believe in its existence, even if it didn't exist anymore. But perhaps that is part of the fun of the Illuminati: Knowing that it cannot possibly exist, yet still tying everything together in such a neat package.

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Works Cited
Gilgoff, Dan. "Devil in a red fez." U.S. News and World Report. 26 August 2002. Gale InfoTrac. 23 April 2004.
"Illuminati." Columbia Encyclopedia. 2004 ed.
Marrs, Jim. Rule by Secrecy. New York, New York: Harper-Collins Publishers, 2000.
Melanson, Terry. Conspiracy Archive. 23 April 2004. <HTTP: www.conspiracyarchive.com>
Orwell, George. 1984. New York, New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc., 1987.
Payson, Seth. Proof of the Illuminati. Woodbridge, Virginia: Invisible College Press, 2003.
Springmeier, Fritz. Bloodlines of the Illuminati. USA: Ambassador House, 2002.
Tulbure, Solomon. The Illuminati Manifesto. Lincoln, Nebraska: Writers Club Press, 2001.

StretPharmacist is a lot like the Undertaker:  A gimmick that should have never gotten over, but was taken to unbelievable heights.  Also, he is constantly injured.