About the Illuminati

When you talk of religious conspiracy, or world-domination conspiracy, one of the most notorious organizations that come to mind is The Illuminati. Based on research and historical accounts, the Illuminati was "a secret society in Bavaria in the late 18th century. They had a political agenda that included republicanism and abolition of monarchies, which they tried to institute by means of subterfuge, secrecy, and conspiracy, including the infiltration of other organizations."

"They fancied themselves to be 'enlightened' but they had little success and were destroyed within fifteen years of their origin (Pipes 1997)." (Source: Skeptic's Dictionary)

Believed to be already defunct, the novel by Dan Brown and the movie by Ron Howard, 'Angels and Demons' presupposes that they survived their apparent dissolution and have lain in wait for the most appropriate time of their return.

There is also some discussion on their apparent tie in to the Freemasons, another organization that is a well-known mover in religious circles, a frequent target of religious and political conspiracy and a very old and long-thriving organization. "Because of Freemasonry's inadvertent involvement and misuse by its founder, Adam Weishaupt, the legends of its continued existence (and influence) persist into the twentieth century. (Weishaupt founded the organization and then tried to get the Freemasons involved.)" (Source: MasonicInfo.com)

What's cool about the Illuminati in the novel and in the upcoming movie is their apparent flair for symbols and symbolisms! Just the way the name of their organization is written already shows a lot in the ways of symbols and cryptic clues. (Image borrowed from TheOpenCritic.com)



For more info on the Illuminati, click here and here:

For more info on the novel, Angels and Demons by Dan Brown, click here:

Angels and Demons looks to be a very interesting and trivia-infused movie! It's showing in the Philippines on May 15, 2009. Hope you've already reserved tickets!

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