Conspiracy theorists are right about 1 thing:
secret societies do exist and they are pretty scary! Watch your back, your neighbor just might
be one of them! We start off our top five list with the Freemasons. They are the secret society that discovered a huge treasure and hid it in historical monuments
around the United States. That's also the plot to National Treasure. Keep watching if you want to know what they really do… Number 5
The Freemasons Did you know that the Masons actually faked
the moonlanding? And they were also responsible for murdering Abraham Lincoln? Well
of course this has never been proven but these are just some of the theories surrounding
this powerful and secret society. But who are they? I of course have some real
and factual things to tell you although i know the theories are way more exciting…
Freemasonry is the world’s oldest and largest fraternity. It’s not really ‘secret’
obviously, since we’re here talking about it, but the group is very exclusive and uses
secret handshakes to recognize each other. I read in an article the other day by a journalist
who was allowed into a Mason meeting, but not the whole thing. The members told him
it’s nothing like in the movies, they get together to talk about community service and
promote intellectual and cultural activities. They told the journalist that they can’t
actually talk about politics or religion in the meetings. BUT- then they kicked him out
so we’ll never really know what happens. The Freemasons started in medieval Europe
as a guild for stonemasons, the people who designed buildings and cut stone. They started
becoming more and more powerful and copied some of the symbols and traditions from the
Knights Templar from the crusades. The meetings are full of symbols, signs, and ancient rituals.
The All- Seeing- Eye on the dollar bill is said to be a masonic symbol but did you know
that it actually comes from the ancient Egyptians and Hebrews? However, there are a couple of
odd things about the dollar that I’ll tell you about in a little bit. Just wait until
we get to the Illuminati… So the question is, how did a group that was
created by stonemasons become a secret society that is now blamed for masterminding global
events? Well the symbolism and lessons that they supposedly
teach and the fact that they don’t share what they actually do of course is going to
make them seem suspicious. In the past they were trying to bring education to the general
public and were probably forced to meet in secret because they were going against the
teachings of the Catholic Church. In fact, the Roman Catholic Church actually forbids
Catholics from joining the society under pain of excommunication. Ooooooo. A long time ago
Pope Clement found out about the Masons and how they were trying to spread knowledge and
freedom among the people-probably because somebody blabbed. I’m sure it wasn’t all
as innocent as it seems and the Pope didn’t like that at all. He said it was some sort
of Satanic cult that went against God. I could probably also go on and on about the Conspiracy
theories surrounding the Catholic Church so I’ll save that for another video…
The main symbol for the Freemasons are the square and compasses which are tools used
by masons and architects. The letter G stands for God or Geometry, possibly both. Each tool
and shape is used to teach a lesson but don’t ask me what they are because I have no idea.
Let me know if you do! That my friends, is probably how conspiracy
theories arise with all the symbols, secret handshaking, and what not. The Masons have
been a powerful force in American history and people say that the Masons were responsible
for causing the American Revolution, especially since most of the founding fathers were members.
Over the years the Mason’s power started becoming more noticeable since many famous
and wealthy people were members and proud of it. Fun fact- The first third party in
the United States was actually the anti-masonic party who was getting worried that the Masons
were taking over. The actually lost the 1828 presidential election to Andrew Jackson, who
was a proud Mason. It actually started when a man from New York broke his vow of secrecy
to the Masons and then disappeared… Andrew Jackson is the president they are taking off
the $20 bill and replacing with Harriet Tubman. What’s interesting to me is that for a secret
society, the Masons were pretty famous. Everyone knew about them and a lot of politicians and
famous people were members and proudly talked about it. It’s like they have to let everyone
know they are in a secret society but you’re not allowed to join. They have to talk about
it a little bit, otherwise no one would care… Here are some famous members: Mozart, Theodore
Roosevelt, Mark Twain, Winston Churchill, Henry Ford, John Wayne, Houdini
Number 4 Skull and Bones
Now this one is pretty cool I have to say. The Order of Skull and Bones holds the title
of the oldest student secret society in the United States. People say that it is a branch
of the Illuminati and also controls the CIA. Pretty powerful accusations which the CIA
denies of course. The CIA always denies everything whether it’s true or not so that doesn’t
really mean anything. In the 2004 U.S. Presidential election, both
the Democratic and Republican nominees, George Bush and John Kerry, were alumni of Skull
and Bones. George W. Bush wrote in his autobiography, "[In my] senior year I joined Skull and Bones,
a secret society; so secret, I can't say anything more”. When someone asked John Kerry what
it meant that he and Bush were both Bonesmen, he said, "Not much, because it's a secret."
Wonderful! It’s been around since 1832 which is pretty
old for the US- not if you’re from anywhere else in the world where old is over 1000 years
or something… Skull and Bones does a good job of keeping
quiet, about what they do. In any secret society it always depends on how
well they can keep a secret. They select new members every spring as part of Yale University’s
Tap Day. This is when Skull and Bones members (and other secret societies) go around literally
tapping people on the shoulder as an invitation to join the society. I think this could get
confusing really fast. How do you know which secret society is tapping you?
Anyway, Skull and Bones also uses Masonic rituals during the meetings they hold in the
building that they call the ‘Tomb’. Just what I picture- very cloak and dagger.
They started keeping the names of the members a secret in the 1970’s. In their spare time
apparently they like to steal the skulls of famous people, like the Apache Warrior Geronimo,
and hiding them somewhere inside the tomb- nice guys, super classy. Yale is quick to
reply that The Tomb is not on University Property so they don’t know anything about it….
Famous Members: John Kerry, George H W Bush, George W Bush, and William Howard Taft. Fun
fact, Taft was the 27th and fattest president of the United States-
whose father co-founded Skull and Bones. Hmmm notice a pattern of fathers and sons here?
And presidents…? I’ll just leave it at that.
Number 3 The Rosicrucian Order
Who?? Exactly. You probably haven’t heard much about this
group but they are the sworn enemy of the Illuminati. Shyeah! They are believed to have
emerged in the 1600’s (or earlier, it’s hard to say.) They love the powers of the
occult and bring together elements of Egyptian and Hebrew wisdom and symbolism, like the
Masons. This group is super-secret and the stories
and theories can get kind of confusing so bear with me. Ok, originally the group was
so secret that only 8 people knew about it so in the 1600s somebody published some anonymous
manifestos to let people know about this group. Supposedly there was a German Doctor and mystic
named Christian Rosenkreuz (get it Rosenkreuz, Rose- cross) who travelled and studied in
the Middle East learning medicine and alchemy, things like that. He tried to bring his knowledge
back to Europe but the years went by and travelling wasn’t what it is now. It took years to
get around back then. Since he couldn’t get back to Germany he
created the Rosicrucians with the 8 members that I was telling you about. Each member
was a doctor and a sworn bachelor, and they undertook an oath to heal the sick for free,
maintain a secret fellowship, and to find a replacement for himself before he died.
That way they could keep the knowledge safe from the Catholic Church and the rest of society
who probably wouldn’t be able to handle it. Since it is likely that much of the knowledge
about hospitals and bathing came from the Moors, medieval European society would probably
have killed them first, asked questions later. Their symbol is a rosy cross, used by the
Templars before them, and it is said to even predate Christianity. The symbol, I mean.
Not the secret society. So you know all the rumors surrounding the
Illuminati of murders and plots to destroy the government and religion, it was actually
the Rosicrucians who were the first ones to start spying on the members of the Illuminati
and accused them of all of their crimes. Which is when all the conspiracy theories of the
illuminati started, coincidence? I think not. When the manifestos came out, people tried
to contact the secret society from the pamphlets, including Rene Descartes, William Shakespeare,
and the philosopher and scientist Sir Francis Bacon.
In fact, by some accounts, Sir Francis Bacon was not only actually one of the secret society
members, but he may have written the manifestos himself. Confused yet??? Some Rosicrucians
claim he wrote Shakespeare's works as well- whaaaa?
Famous Members (we think): Isaac Newton, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Benjamin Franklin,
Walt Disney, Napoleon Bonaparte Number 2
The Bilderberg Group This secret organization is different from
the others since it isn’t really a club or official secret society. The Bilderberg
Group is a name given to a circle of around 120 highly influential people who meet each
year in private, with strong government sponsorship and military security, to discuss global issues.
According to the Bilderberg Conference website it is the annual forum for informal, off-the-record
discussions about global trends and the major issues facing the world. Wow that really clears
it up… doesn’t it? Attendance at these world-class conferences is strictly by invitation only. Invitation
by whom?? The first meeting was held in 1954 at the
Hotel Bilderberg in the Netherlands to help improve relations between Western Europe and
the US. See, here is the hotel. Now the Hotel changes and as you can see they
would rather be a little bit more isolated: Right there.
European politicians, princes, and prime ministers organized the event along with the CIA and
the US presidential advisers. There were 2 guests from each nation, each representing
a liberal and conservative point of view and 11 Americans. Everyone had a great time and
they decided to make it an annual event. Yay! I think it’s a good thing right?
Well everyone that’s invited thinks it’s great since they all say they can finally
speak honestly to one another- which is kind of a scary thought. But since it’s so secret,
how do we know what they’re doing? They might be planning future assassinations or
playing croquet for all we know… Who knows what exactly happens? Especially
since the press is prohibited from entering. The attendees are forbidden, under oath, to
share any details. Soooooo, conspiracy theorists can have a field
day with this one. Some accuse the Bilderberg group of conspiring to impose capitalist domination,
others of using the opportunity to establish a world government.
Here are some famous attendees: Bill Clinton, Bill Gates (what is Bill Gates doing there?),
and officials from the World Bank. Hmm maybe they all planned the sex scandal with Strauss-Kahn
and the hotel maid….If you don’t know what I’m talking about you should Google
it. Now for the most dangerous and powerful secret
society, but first, which secret society would you rather belong to? Number 1: The Order of the Illuminati
I saved the best for last! If anyone is to blame for the murder of JFK and John Lennon,
it’s the Illuminati. Ok, not really but, the Illuminati has been blamed for almost every unexplained event
in history as well as wars and revolutions. Many US presidents, Warren Buffet, Madonna
and even Katy Perry, are alleged to be part of the modern day Illuminati. Recently they
have also been accused of murdering Prince. Why? I’m not sure to tell you the truth.
There are many groups called Illuminati throughout history, but what most people refer to is
the Order of the Illuminati that was an elite organization founded in Bavaria focused on
enlightenment. It was originally founded as a secret society in 1776, keep this date in mind, with the goal of bringing about spiritual and political change. The organization’s members included forward
thinking influential leaders from the top tiers of society who opposed general superstition,
religious oppression, and political abuse. So far sounds good to me!
The group grew quickly as progressive politicians and influential intellectuals joined and it
became a powerful political force throughout the world. That is of course until the Pope
ordered they disband (yes, the same Pope that hated the Masons too) and the Bavarian government
made it a criminal offense to join or support the Order of the Illuminati.
Many conspiracy theorists claim that there are many symbols on the dollar bill that represent
the Illuminati. Let’s look first at the great seal with the eagle.
The coat of arms above the eagle’s head has 13 stars. The number 13 is supposed to
represent the original 13 colonies of the United States.
From a darker point of view the number 13 is evil and the 13 stars are formed in the
shape of a hexagram, a demonic symbol. Remember that most of these societies are accused of
trying to destroy religion and control all things from the shadows.
The number 13 is repeated all over the dollar bill: 13 stars in the constellation over the
eagle's head, 13 stripes in the shield, 13 arrows held in the eagle's left talon, 13
letters in e pluribus unum on the scroll carried by the eagle, and 13 layers to the unfinished
pyramid. Theorists believe this repetition of the number
13 also demonstrates the power of 13 American families that dominated politics – among
them Washington, Solomon, and Jefferson – during the time of the Seal's creation. Each of these
families allegedly contained members of the Illuminati.
Back to the unfinished pyramid, at the bottom is the year 1776 in Roman Numerals. Again
this refers to the year the Declaration of Independence was signed. Theorists believe
this is a reference to the year the Bavarian Illuminati was founded. Crazy coincidence?
Floating just above the unfinished pyramid sits the most notorious of all symbols associated
with the Illuminati… The Eye of Providence watching over everything. You can also see
in Latin NUVUS ORDO SECLORUM —New order of the ages. What do you guys think?
Some of the conspiracy theories swirling around the Illuminati include that they were responsible
for the French Revolution, multiple disease outbreaks, and in general mastermind events
to control the world and gain political power to establish a New World Order.
Since they are so secretive and no one really knows for sure what happened to them, conspiracy
theorists maintain that the Illuminati survived and the organization still exists today.
