Masonic conspiracy theories are conspiracy theories involving Freemasonry; hundreds of such conspiracy theories have been described since the late 1700s.[1] Generally, these theories fall into three distinct categories: political (usually involving allegations of control of government, particularly in the United States and the United Kingdom), religious (usually involving allegations of anti-Christian or Satanic beliefs or practices), and cultural (usually involving popular entertainment). Many conspiracy theory writers have connected Freemasons (and the Knights Templar) with worship of the devil; these ideas were based on misinterpretations of the doctrines of those organizations.[2] Of the claims that Freemasonry exerts control over politics, perhaps the best-known example is the New World Order theory, but there are others. These mainly involve aspects and agencies of the United States government, but actual events outside the US (such as the Propaganda Due scandal in Italy) are often used to lend credence to claims. Another set of theories has to do with Freemasonry and religion, particularly that Freemasonry deals with "the occult".[3] These theories have their beginnings in the Taxil hoax.[4][5] In addition to these, there are various theories that focus on the embedding of symbols in otherwise ordinary items, such as street patterns, national seals, etc. There are Masonic conspiracy theories dealing with every aspect of society. The majority of these theories are based on one or more of the following assumptions: - That Freemasonry is its own religion and requires belief in a Masonic "god" that is different from that of mainstream Christian belief.
- That the 33rd degree of the Scottish Rite is more than an honorary degree, coupled with the belief that most Freemasons are unaware of hidden or secretive ruling bodies within their organization that govern them, conduct occult ritual, or control various positions of governmental power. [6]
- That there is a centralized worldwide body that controls all Masonic Grand Lodges, and thus, all of Freemasonry worldwide acts in a unified manner.
[edit] List of conspiracy theories associated with Freemasonry Notable conspiracy theories involving Freemasonry include: [edit] Political - That Freemasonry overlaps with, or is controlled by, the Illuminati, especially in the higher degrees, and that they secretly control many major aspects of society and government and are working to establish the New World Order.[7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] Some conspiracy theories involving the Freemasons and the Illuminati also include the Knights Templar and the Jews as part of the supposed plan for universal control of society. This type of conspiracy theory was described as early as 1792 by multiple authors, beginning in France and Scotland.[1]
- That Masons have secretly plotted to create a society based on the revolutionary ideals of liberty, equality, fraternity, separation of church and state and (in Nazi Germany) a Jewish plot for religious tolerance.[16]
- That the Freemasons were involved in the JFK assassination. Some conspiracy theorists say that Freemasons had JFK killed.[17][18]
- That Freemasonry is a Jewish front for world domination, or is at least controlled by Jews for this goal. An example of this is the notorious (and widely noted as fraudulent) The Protocols of the Elders of Zion. Hitler outlawed Freemasonry partially for this reason.[19] The covenant of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas claims that Freemasonry is a "secret society" founded as part of a Zionist plot to control the world.[20]
- That Freemasons hold meetings with influential politicians and businessmen at Bohemian Grove and that a statue of an owl (allegedly a masonic symbol) is worshiped at these meetings.[21][22]
[edit] Religious [edit] Cultural [edit] See also [edit] Notes and references - ^ a b Hodapp, Christopher; Alice Von Kannon (2008). Conspiracy Theories & Secret Societies For Dummies. For Dummies. pp. 174,178. ISBN 0470184086.
- ^ a b Addison, Charles G.; David Hatcher Childress (1997). The History of the Knights Templars: The Temple Church and the Temple. Adventures Unlimited Press. pp. 19-20. ISBN 0932813402.
- ^ Here used to denote a particular range of the occult involving Satanic or anti-Christian beliefs.
- ^ S. Brent Morris, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Freemasonry (2006), pp. 171-172; ISBN 1592574904
- ^ Christopher Hodapp, Freemasons for Dummies (2005), pp. 160-161; 298-299; ISBN 0764597965
- ^ Freemasonry - Conspiracy Within
- ^ Why the NSA tried to recruit me by James Casbolt in St Ives, UK – October 31 2006
- ^ "The Road to Heart Mountain? Rumors, FEMA and the Future"
- ^ [1]
- ^ United States Presidents and The Illuminati / Masonic Power Structure
- ^ United States Presidents and The Illuminati / Masonic Power Structure Pt.4
- ^ Freemasons at Freedomdomain.com
- ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20040606100924/http://www.freedomdomain.com/neworder.htmNew World Order] at Freedomdomain.com (hosted at Internet Archive)
- ^ Berlet, Chip; Matthew Nemiroff Lyons (2000). Right-wing Populism in America: Too Close for Comfort. Guilford Press. p. 258. ISBN 1572305622. "...Robertson resuscitated the Freemason conspiracy.... 'In earlier chapters we have traced the infiltration of Continental Freemasonry by the new world philosophy of the order of the Illuminati...'"
- ^ a b Pugh, Joye Jeffries (2006). Eden: The Knowledge of Good and Evil 666. Tate Publishing. p. 244. ISBN 1598862537.
- ^ Hitler, Adolf. Mein Kampf: Volume One - A Reckoning. Chapter XI: Nation and Race. 1924 (trans. 1943). - "Finally, the Jewish influence on economic affairs grows with terrifying speed through the stock exchange. He becomes the owner, or at least the controller, of the national labor force. To strengthen his political position he tries to tear down the racial and civil barriers which for a time continue to restrain him at every step. To this end he fights with all the tenacity innate in him for religious tolerance-and in Freemasonry, which has succumbed to him completely, he has an excellent instrument with which to fight for his aims and put them across. The governing circles and the higher strata of the political and economic bourgeoisie are brought into his nets by the strings of Freemasonry, and never need to suspect what is happening."
- ^ a b Hodapp, Christopher L. and VonKannon, Alice, Conspiracy Theories & Secret Societies For Dummies, Wiley, 2008, ISBN 978-0470184080
- ^ James Shelby Downard, and Michael A. Hoffman II. "King-Kill/33°: Masonic Symbolism in the Assassination of John F. Kennedy", 1987. Website excerpt, 1998. Retrieved 16 July 2007.
- ^ Hitler, Adolf. Mein Kampf Volume Two - The National Socialist Movement. "Chapter XIII: German Alliance Policy after the War", 1924, trans. 1943. - "The fight which Fascist Italy waged against Jewry's three principal weapons, the profound reasons for which may not have been consciously understood (though I do not believe this myself) furnishes the best proof that the poison fangs of that Power which transcends all State boundaries are being drawn, even though in an indirect way. The prohibition of Freemasonry and secret societies, the suppression of the supernational Press and the definite abolition of Marxism, together with the steadily increasing consolidation of the Fascist concept of the State – all this will enable the Italian Government, in the course of some years, to advance more and more the interests of the Italian people without paying any attention to the hissing of the Jewish world-hydra."
- ^ 'The Covenant of the Islamic Resistance Movement (HAMAS)-Palestine', articles seventeen, twenty-two and twenty-eight, 18 Aug 1988.
- ^ Bohemian Grove Exposed!
- ^ Freemasons, Illuminati and Associates
- ^ Robinson, John. A Pilgrim's Path: Freemasonry and the Religious Right. M. Evans, 1993. ISBN 087131732X
- ^ Freemasonry The worship of Lucifer, SATAN Part 1 of 5
- ^ DO FREEMASONS WORSHIP SATAN/LUCIFER ?
- ^ The Masonic Fairy Tale Known As The Leo Taxil Confession
- ^ Freemasonry: Midwife to an Occult Empire
- ^ G.A.O.T.U.
- ^ Freemasonry is a Non-Christian Occult Religion
- ^ Islamic Party of Britain: What then is Freemasonry
- ^ Satanic Voices: UNMASKING JEHOVAH JAH-BUL-ON
- ^ Name of Deity (MasonicInfo.com)
- ^ Corporate Logos
- ^ George Washington
- ^ Masonic Symbols in Washington
- ^ Hodapp, Christopher L., Solomon's Builders: Freemasons, Founding Fathers and the Secrets of washington D.C., Ulysses Press, 2007, ISBN 1569755795
- ^ United States Presidents and The Illuminati / Masonic Power Structure.
- ^ "NASA Masonic Conspiracy - Apollo Missions Masonic Symbols"
- ^ Jack the Ripper, Masonic conspiracy
- ^ Freedomdomain.com
- ^ Trosch - Masonry exposed
- ^ "Who's the Enemy: -- The End of Days Begun?" "What is not commonly known is that the roots of modern Freemasonry extend far beyond the mid-eighteenth Century, all the way back to ancient Egypt, and more importantly; through a Middle Ages movement commonly known as the "Knight's[sic] Templar. It is, we now suspect, the remnants of this Templar/Masonic/American axis that were the true target of these attacks -- in other words, September 11th was a direct thrust at the heart of the American Revolutionary Experiment … in the critical year of 2001."
[edit] External links - Conspiracy of Hate – A Christian Perspective on the un-Christian Tactics of the anti-Masons, A.W.Harper, 1995.
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