Jared Nieves Prof. Presnell Engl.

1103 15 November 2012 Zero Draft Since the beginning of time, mankind has sought out groups in which they could express themselves freely and share the same ideas. In early history, free thinkers or basically anyone that didnt follow the normal way of life was considered a threat to society. In order to prevent being persecuted for their beliefs, many people got together and formed secret societies. As the name implies, secret societies are groups of people that share similar interests and operate in complete secrecy. Some of the worlds most notorious secret societies include: the Templars, Free Masons, Illuminati, Skull and Bones, and the Bilderberg group. The Templars were one of historys earliest secret organizations. They started off as a group of nine religious knights that would travel with on pilgrims and protect them on their journeys. When they werent on the battlefield, they lived simple lives comparable to that of a monk or priest. They had strong values and were well known for their faith and good deeds. However, interest in joining the Templars began to grow rapidly. It went from the small group of nine to thousands in a short period of time. With the expansion of their membership, came the astonishing growth in wealth and power. Many nobleman donated to their cause or became Templars themselves thus bringing more money to the organization. People all over Europe began to question the Templars motives accusing them of acts of blasphemy and conspiracy.

The king of France during that period put some of the leading members of the Templars on trial and found them guilty. They were burned at the stake for their crimes and the king took all of the groups wealth for himself. Many claim that the king of France made up a conspiracy theory just so he could take the Templars massive amounts of money. Others think there was some validity to the accusations and that the Templar movement stayed alive by imbedding themselves in the newly emerging group called the Free Masons. As the name implies, the Free Masons were originally a society of stone masons that came together to keep their business techniques a secret from other members of the trade. Like the Templars, they started off small and ended increasing heavily in numbers and wealth. Many prominent members of society were part of the Free Masons which lead to growing suspicion of what their true motives were. Just to give an idea of exactly how many important figures were members of the society, more than fifty of the men who signed the Declaration of Independence had some sort of affiliation with the group. That was their membership in America alone; in Europe it was just as great especially since the Free Masons began in England. The Masons opened up a system of lodges where they would conduct their business. The lodges werent necessarily buildings where they would meet; they referred to the groups of Masons that would meet together. Now I know large masses of the worlds most powerful figures in history meeting together to discuss stonework seems a little farfetched which is why so many conspiracy theories involving the Free Masons have spawned throughout the years. What could they be planning? Many claim they seek government takeover by having members of their society in key positions of power all over the world. This seems believable considering the fact that so many of the Masons were powerful figures in society. Others believe that the Free Masons themselves have

pure intentions but the strings are being pulled by members of the illusive group known as the Illuminati. The Illuminati, or the illuminated ones, was a group of rationalistic thinkers founded by a man named Adam Weishaupt in Germany. The groups purpose was to instill a new world order in which all religion was obsolete and instead people were all rationalists. The group was formed in 1776 and was under much scrutiny by the Bavarian government. Weishaupt believed that the world should be united under one central government and that people should think rationally and logically rather than have faith in religion. The ideas that they were trying to spread at the time were widely frowned upon especially with the tight grip that religion had on people during the 1700s. However Weishaupt press on in search of new members and increased support in his cause. The Bavarian government grew concerned with the groups motives and had them banned from the area. They also sent out letters warning surrounding nations that the Illuminati were dangerous and should not be allowed to continue to carry out their hidden agenda. The Illuminati disbanded but it is widely believed that they simply ran from the country and continued their practices elsewhere. It is believed that Adam joined the ranks of the Free Masons and started spreading the ideas of the Illuminati to some of the members in order to create a following of people within the group. Many conspirators believe that the Illuminati are still around today pulling the strings behind the Free Masons but no one is able to realize it. The Illuminati communicated frequently through symbols which are said to be seen all over society today. One of the most commonly mentioned symbols is the All Seeing Eye. The eye can be seen on the back of the American dollar bill and is a key piece of evidence linking members of the American government to the Illuminati. A burning torch is also a symbol adopted by the Illuminati and many speculators claim that the torch held by the Statue of Liberty

is simply another symbol of the Illuminati. The statue was given to America by French Free Masons and if the claims that the Illuminati are imbedded in the Free Masons are true than it seem possible that the statue could be a symbol of Illuminati control. The Illuminati and their plan for the new world order may seem hard to believe but another secret society that is very prominent in the America today is the Yale Skull and Bones society. Skull and Bones is a secret society that was from on Yale Universitys campus. They are a very prestigious group that only accepts the most promising students in the university. Its membership includes American presidents and other powerful members of society. The group conducts meetings in a crypt-like building on campus. The building has no windows and has an eerie gothic style to it. Everything that goes on inside the crypt is entirely secret. The Bonesman, as the members are called, are sworn to secrecy and they even resort to threatening reporters who drive to dig up some dirt on their motives. The groups initiation ceremony alone is enough to make you think that the group is questionable. During the initiation ceremony, senior bonesman dress up as Don Quixote, the Pope, and the Devil. They carry out a portion of the ceremony outside and then lead the new members into the crypt. People claim to walk by the building and hear screaming and weird moans. To think that both George Bush and George W. Bush came from this society and lead our country is unsettling to say the least. Many people wonder why the Skull and Bones society is so secret and why have some many members take up positions of power. With their extreme levels of secrecy, they could very easily be carrying out a secret agenda right under our noses. The final secret society that I would like to mention is the Bilderberg Group. The Bilderberg group is literally the largest gathering of powerful figures the world has ever seen. All of these powerful men and women meet together to discuss something top secret. The security at

these meetings is virtually impenetrable. What so many authoritative people be discussing that is so important that it has to be kept top secret?