-Caveat Lector- from personal archives Om K ----- Subject: Re: Bavarian Illuminati Primer From: al sanderson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Thu, 06 Feb 1997 02:30:40 -0600 Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Trevor W. McKeown wrote: > > A Bavarian Illuminati Primer > April 22, 1995 > > Adam Weishaupt founded the Illuminati of Bavaria on May 1, 1776 on the > principles of his early training as a Jesuit. Originally called the Order > of the Perfectibilists, "its professed object was, by the mutual > assistance of its members, to attain the highest possible degree of > morality and virtue, and to lay the foundation for the reformation of the > world by the association of good men to oppose the progress of moral > evil."(1) > > Adam Weishaupt was born February 6, 1748 at Ingoldstadt and educated by > the Jesuits. His appointment as Professor of Natural and Canon Law at the > University of Ingoldstadt in 1775, a position previously held by an > ecclesiastic, gave great offense to the clergy. "Weishaupt, whose views > were cosmopolitan, and who knew and condemned the bigotry and > superstitions of the Priests, established an opposing party in the > University.... This was the begining of the Order of Illuminati or the > Enlightened...."(2) Weishaupt was not then a Freemason; he was initiated > into Lodge Theodore of Good Council (Theodor zum guten Rath), at Munich in > 1777. > > Most information regarding the rituals and objectives of the order is > derived from papers and correspondence found in an illegal search of > Xavier Zwack's home in 1786 and a search of Baron Bassus's house in 1787. > (3) > > Status as a Mason was not required for initiation into the Order of > Illuminati since the fourth, fifth and sixth degrees of Weishaupt and > Baron Von Knigge's system practically duplicated the three degrees of > symbolic Freemasonry. Although Knigge claimed to have a system of ten > degrees, the last two appear never to have been fully worked up.(4) > > "The Order was at first very popular, and enrolled no less than two > thousand names upon its registers.... Its Lodges were to be found in > France, Belgium, Holland, Denmark, Sweden, Poland, Hungary, and Italy. > Knigge, who was one of its most prominent working members, and the auther > of several of its Degrees, was a religious man, and would never have > united with it had its object been, as has been charged, to abolish > Christianity. But it cannot be denied, that in the process of time abuses > had crept into the Institution and that by the influence of unworthy men, > the system became corrupted; yet the course accusations of Barruel and > Robison are known to be exaggerated, and some of them altogether false.... > The Edicts (on June 22, 1784, for its suppression) of the Elector of > Bavaria were repeated in March and August, 1785 and the Order began to > decline, so that by the end of the eighteenth century it had ceased to > exist.... it exercised while in prosperity no favorable influence on the > Masonic Institution, nor any unfavorable effect on it by its > dissolution."(5) > > Coil describes the Order as a "short lived, meteoric and controversial > society"(6) while Kenning refers to it as a "mischievous association".(7) > In his own defence, Weishaupt did say: > > "Whoever does not close his ear to the lamentations of the miserable, nor > his heart to gentle pity; whoever is the friend and brother of the > unfortunate; whoever has a heart capable of love and friendship; whoever > is steadfast in adversity, unwearied in the carrying out of whatever has > been once engaged in, undaunted in the overcoming of difficulties; whoever > does not mock and despise the weak; whose soul is susceptible of > conceiving great designs, desirous of rising superior to all base motives, > and of distinguishing itself by deeds of benevolence; whoever shuns > idleness; whoever considers no knowledge as unessential which he may have > the opportunity of acquiring, regarding the knowledge of mankind as his > chief study; whoever, when truth and virtue are in question, despising the > approbation of the multitude, is sufficiently courageous to follow the > dictates of his own heart, - such a one is a proper candidate." (8) > > "The tenor of my life has been the opposite of everything that is vile; > and no man can lay any such thing to my charge." (9) > > As regards any information derived from celebrated anti-mason, John > Robison (10): "In the (London) "Monthly Magazine" for January 1798 there > appeared a letter from Böttiger, Provost of the College of Weimar, in > reply to Robison's work, charging that writer with making false > statements, and declaring that since 1790 'every concern [sic] of the > Illuminati has ceased.' Böttiger also offered to supply any person in > Great Britain, alarmed at the erroneous statements contained in the book > above mentioned, with correct information." (11) > > Following is a short list of the more notable members (12): > Adam Weishaupt Professor > Adolph Von Knigge Baron > von Zwack Lawyer, judge and electoral councillor > Nicolai Bookseller > Westenrieder Professor > Hertel Canon > Bassus Baron > Dietrich Mayor of Strasbourg > Mirabeau > Tallyrand de Perigord Abbé > Johann Bode Privy councillor > William Baron de Busch > Saint Germain > de Constanzo Marquis > > In the following year, 1785, Weishaupt was deprived of his professorship > and banished with pension from the country. He moved to Gotha where he > died in 1811. > > The Encyclopædia Britannica refers to the Illuminati "cells" in an article > on eighteenth century Italy as "republican freethinkers, after the pattern > recently established in Bavaria by Adam Weishaupt."(13) and as a > "rationalistic secret society" in an article on Roman Catholicism.(14) > Depending on your perspective, the lack of any detailed information on the > Illuminati in the current edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica can be > ascribed to their current power and secretiveness or to the much simpler > explanation that the editors found the order to be of little importance in > the flow of history and social development. > > John M. Roberts claims that "The Illuminati were the first society to use > for political subversion the machinery of secret organization offered by > free masonry ... through the craft they began to spread."(15) while Robert > Gilbert feels that Christopher McIntosh "overestimates the strength and > significance of the Illuminati."(16) > > Serious researchers are directed to the following partial list of the many > books and pamphlets written by Weishaupt: > > A Picture of the Illuminati, 1786. > A Complete History of the Persecutions of the Illuminati in Bavaria, 1786. > An Apology for the Illuminati, 1787. > An Improved System of the Illuminati, 1787. > > The United Grand Lodge of England Library catalogue includes: > > P.4. Adam Weisshaupt' "Uber den allgorischen Geist des Alterthums". > Regensburg, 1794. 8vo. > > Documented evidence would suggest that the Bavarian Illuminati was nothing > more than a curious historical footnote. Certainly, this is the opinion of > Masonic writers. Conspiracy theorists though, are not noted for applying > Occam's razer and have decided that there is a connection between the > Illuminati, the Freemasons, the Trilateral Commission, British > Emperialism, International Zionism and (if you read the writings of Jack > T. Chick of Chino California) communism that all leads back to the Vatican > in a bid for world domination. Believe what you will but there is no > evidence that the Illuminati survived its founders. > > As an aside: the Alumbrados (Spanish for 'enlightened') were members of a > mystical movement similar to the French Guerinets, in 16th century Spain; > for the most part they were reformed Jesuits and Franciscans. They > believed that the human soul could enter into direct communication with > the Holy Spirit and, due to their extravagant claims of visions and > revelations, had three edicts issued against them by the Inquisition. > Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits in 1534 and composer of the > 'Constitutions" of the Society of Jesus, has written nothing that would > suggest he was in sympathy with the Alumbrados.(17) The name translates as > 'illuminati' in Italian but the name is the only similarity with the later > Bavarian Illuminati. > ___________________________ > (1) Albert G. Mackey, "Encyclopedia of Freemasonry", Richmond, Virginia: > Macoy Publishing. 1966, p.474. > (2) Albert G. Mackey, "Encyclopedia of Freemasonry", Richmond, Virginia: > Macoy Publishing. 1966, p.1099. > (3) Charles William Heckethorn, "The Secret Societies of all ages and > Countries" [in two volumes], London: George Redway. 1897 p.310. > (4) Albert G. Mackey, "Encyclopedia of Freemasonry", Richmond, Virginia: > Macoy Publishing. 1966. p.475. > (5) Albert G. Mackey, "Encyclopedia of Freemasonry", Richmond, Virginia: > Macoy Publishing. 1966. p.1099. > (6) Henry Wilson Coil, "Coil's Masonic Encyclopedia", New York: Macoy > Publishing. 1961 p. 545. > (7) "Kenning's Masonic Cyclopaedia and Handbook of Masonic Archealogy, > History and Biography", ed. Rev. A.F.A. Woodford. London: 1878. p. 326. > (8) Adam Weishaupt, "An Improved System of the Illuminati", Gotha: 1787. > (9) Adam Weishaupt (1748 - 1811), "An Apology for the Illuminati", Gotha:1787. > (10) John Robison (1739 - 1805), "Proofs of a Conspiracy against all the > Religions and Governments of Europe carried on in the Secret Meetings of > the Freemasons, Illuminati. and Reading Societies, collected from Good > Authorities", printed by George Forman for Cornelious David, Edinburgh: > 1797. (531 pages). > (11) Heckethorn, p.314. > (12) Heckethorn, pp. 305 - 316. > (13) "Encyclopaedia Britannica", 15th edition. Vol. 22, p. 223, 2b. > (14) "Encyclopaedia Britannica", 15th edition. Vol. 26, p. 937, 2b. > (15) J.M. Roberts, "The Mythology of Secret Societies", New York: Charles > Scribner's Sons. 1972, pp. 123-4. > (16) Christopher McIntosh, "The Rose Cross and the Age of Reason", Leiden, > E.J. Brill, 1992, reviewed by Robert Gilbert in the "Transactions of > Quatuor Coronati Lodge No. 2076", London: Butler & Tanner Ltd.1993 p. 241. > (17) "The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius", trans. by L.J. Puhl > (1951); "The Constitutions of the Society of Jesus; Translated with an > Introduction and a Commentary", by G.E. Ganss:1970. > ___________________________ > Additional references: > "Illuminism and the French Revolution". Edinburgh review vol. 204 pp35-60 > July 1906. > > "Jebedidiah Morse and the Bavarian Illuminati: An Essay on the Rhetoric > of Conspiracy" > > Central States Speech Journal Fall/Winter 1988. pages 293-303. > > "New England and the Bavarian Illuminati". Vernon L. Stauffer. 1918. > -- > Trevor W. McKeown Editor, Mensa World "The heart may conceive and the head devise in vain, if the hand be not prompt to execute the design." ----- Aloha, He'Ping, Om, Shalom, Salaam. Em Hotep, Peace Be, Omnia Bona Bonis, All My Relations. Adieu, Adios, Aloha. Amen. Roads End Kris DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. 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