A magazine on religious liberty and human rights
New conspiracy theorists have revamped an old story about Freemasonry, the Illuminati, and Satanists, accusing among others Pope Francis and Queen Elizabeth.
The first national Illuminati scare in the U.S. was in 1798–99. The most recent one is still going on.
After World War II, the Illuminati order survived in Switzerland and remained in Outer Appenzell until 2008.
In 1902, before becoming “international,” the “second” Illuminati met a much more famous esoteric organization, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.
In 1901, the second real Order of the Illuminati was founded by Reuss and Engel. But its claims of historical continuity with the Bavarian Illuminati quickly collapsed.
The defunct Illuminati of Bavaria were revived by esoteric author Leopold Engel, who injected in the order references to Austrian visionary Jakob Lorber.
Calvinist Scottish author John Robison and French ex-Jesuit Augustin Barruel falsely argued that the Illuminati were behind the French Revolution.
In the 1780s, the Illuminati tried to promote a political conspiracy. They were quickly discovered and liquidated by the Bavarian police.
Thanks to a new adept, Baron von Knigge, the Bavarian Illuminati grew into a substantial Masonic organization, recruiting princes and leading intellectuals.
