New World Order (conspiracy theory) – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Conspiracy theories

No longer a theory http://www.breitbart.tv/?p=311353

There are numerous secular and religious conspiracy theories through which the concept of a New World Order is viewed. The following is a list of the major ones in relatively chronological order:^[11]

[edit] "Illuminati" theory

The Order of the Illuminati was an Enlightenment-era secret society, founded on May 1, 1776, in Ingolstadt (Upper Bavaria), by Jesuit-taught Adam Weishaupt (d. 1830),^[12] who was the first lay professor of canon law at the University of Ingolstadt.^[13] The movement consisted of militant freethinkers, secularists and republicans recruited in the Masonic Lodges of Germany.^[14] In 1785, the order was infiltrated, broken and suppressed by the Bavarian government for allegedly plotting to overthrow the monarchies and state religions of many European states.^[15]

From the late 18th to the mid 20th century, many reactionary conspiracy theorists speculated that the Illuminati survived their suppression and became the masterminds behind major historical events such as the American Revolution, the French Revolution, and the Russian Revolution. The Illuminati were believed to be orchestrating a world revolution in order to create a secular, anarcho-communist utopia, but that a fatal flaw would pervert it into a dystopia.

From the late 20th to the early 21st century, the term "Illuminati" has come to be used by both far-right and far-left conspiracy theorists to describe any cabal which acts as a shadowy power behind the throne, allegedly controlling world affairs through moles in governments and corporations, in order to create a cryptocratic New World Order. Some, however, speculate that the Yale University-based secret society Skull and Bones is in fact an incarnation or continuation of the historical Bavarian Illuminati.^[16]

[edit] "Novus Ordo Seclorum" theory

The phrase "novus ordo seclorum", appearing on the reverse side of the Great Seal of the United States since 1782 and on the back of the United States one-dollar bill since 1935, means "New Order of the Ages" and only alludes to the beginning of an era where the United States is an independent nation-state, but is sometimes improperly translated as "New World Order" or "New Secular Order".^[17]

Many Anti-Masons believe that high-ranking Freemasons are involved in conspiracies to create a Novus Ordo Seclorum – an occult New World Order. These theorists claim that some of the Founding Fathers of the United States, such as George Washington and Benjamin Franklin, had Masonic symbolism interwoven into American society, particularly in the Great Seal of the United States, the one-dollar bill, the architecture of National Mall landmarks, and the streets and highways of Washington, D.C., in order to magically bind their planning of a government in conformity with the will of the Great Architect of the Universe, whom they believe has tasked the United States with the eventual establishment of a hermetic "Kingdom of God on Earth".^[18]

Freemasons rebut these claims of Masonic conspiracy. They assert that Freemasonry, which promotes natural theology through esotericism, places no power in occult symbols themselves. It is not a part of Freemasonry to view the drawing of symbols, no matter how large, as an act of consolidating or controlling power. Furthermore, there is no published information establishing the Masonic membership of the men responsible for the design of the Great Seal or the street plan of Washington, D.C.^[19]^[20]

More broadly, Freemasons assert that a long-standing rule within regular Freemasonry is a prohibition on the discussion of politics in a Masonic Lodge and the participation of lodges or Masonic bodies in political pursuits. Freemasonry has no politics, but it teaches its members to be active citizens. The accusation that Freemasonry has a hidden agenda to establish a Masonic government ignores several facts. While agreeing on certain Masonic Landmarks, the many independent and sovereign Grand Lodges act as such, and do not agree on many other points of belief and practice.^[21]

Also, as can be seen from a survey of Freemasons who were great men, individual Freemasons hold beliefs that span the spectrum of politics. The term "masonic government" has no meaning since individual Freemasons hold many different opinions on what constitutes a good government, and Freemasonry as a body has no opinion on the topic.^[22] Ultimately, Freemasons argue that even if it were proven that influential individuals have used and are using Masonic Lodges to engage in crypto-politics, such as was the case with the covert Italian Lodge Propaganda Due, this would represent a cooptation of Freemasonry rather than evidence of its hidden agenda.