The Spanish artist was the first to react to Hiroshima, and to conclude that the new “atomic era” had something to do with religion.
Massimo Introvigne
The Ninth Circle, QAnon, and Clotilde Bersone: A New-Old Conspiracy Theory. 6. Old Hoaxes Never Die
While we can speculate on who really authored the story of Bersone and the Ninth Circle, its most surprising feature is that it is still mentioned after one century.
In Search of China’s Secret Societies. 4. “Primitive Revolutionaries”?
Both Sun Yat-Sen and some Marxists interpreted at least certain societies as forms of political or social rebellion.
In Search of China’s Secret Societies. 3. The Tiandihui Goes Criminal
By the 19th century, the society operated a wide range of criminal enterprises in several continents. But esoteric rituals were never forgotten.
The Ninth Circle, QAnon, and Clotilde Bersone: A New-Old Conspiracy Theory. 5. Debunking a Hoax
What is known about the American President Garfield is enough to conclude that “The Elected of the Dragon” is just a work of fiction.
The Ninth Circle, QAnon, and Clotilde Bersone: A New-Old Conspiracy Theory. 4. The Fall of Garfield and Clotilde
The is no happy end in “The Elected of the Dragon.” Both Clotilde and her lover, American President Garfield, incur the wrath of the Ninth Circle.
The Ninth Circle, QAnon, and Clotilde Bersone: A New-Old Conspiracy Theory. 3. The Early Adventures of a Reluctant High Priestess
The first part of “The Elected of the Dragon” describes how a chaste girl was turned into a sex magic initiate and a lover of Satan.
In Search of China’s Secret Societies. 2. The Origins of the Tiandihui
The most famous “secret society” was discovered in Taiwan in the 18th century. It was probably born as a group saving funds for weddings and funerals.
The Ninth Circle, QAnon, and Clotilde Bersone: A New-Old Conspiracy Theory. 2. The Book “The Elected of the Dragon”
A key source of contemporary Ninth Circle conspiracy theories, “L’Élue du Dragon” had a convoluted story leading to its publication in 1929.
In Search of China’s Secret Societies. 1. Matgioi and the Esoteric Connection
The old Western notion of “Chinese secret society” owes much to a French esoteric author who died in 1939, Albert de Pouvourville.
Massimo Introvigne
Massimo Introvigne (born June 14, 1955 in Rome) is an Italian sociologist of religions. He is the founder and managing director of the Center for Studies on New Religions (CESNUR), an international network of scholars who study new religious movements. Introvigne is the author of some 70 books and more than 100 articles in the field of sociology of religion. He was the main author of the Enciclopedia delle religioni in Italia (Encyclopedia of Religions in Italy). He is a member of the editorial board for the Interdisciplinary Journal of Research on Religion and of the executive board of University of California Press' Nova Religio. From January 5 to December 31, 2011, he has served as the "Representative on combating racism, xenophobia and discrimination, with a special focus on discrimination against Christians and members of other religions" of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). From 2012 to 2015 he served as chairperson of the Observatory of Religious Liberty, instituted by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in order to monitor problems of religious liberty on a worldwide scale.