How was Voltaire involved in the Illuminati exactly? I am interested as from what I know Voltaire was the exact opposite of the suppossedly evil Illuminati. Thanks!

I do know that Voltaire was a Mason. However, I do not believe that the Masonry is part of the Illuminati so.....

Originally posted by HALLOWEEN78
I do know that Voltaire was a Mason. However, I do not believe that the Masonry is part of the Illuminati so.....

Pretty sure Weishaupt was a Freemason and that most of the members Weishaupt got were Freemasons.

I've been reading 'History of Freemasonry, its legenday origns', its from the 19th century I beleive, and the author, who seems to know what he is talking about, notes that the Illuminati required members to have gone thru the three 'symbolic' degrees in masonry, before joining the Illuminati.

As far as being evil, what makes you say that Weishaupt's Illuminati were evil, and, if Voltaire was a member, wouldn't that indicate that they were not, infact evil?

Perhaps voltaire's prayer was answered then, with respect to people saying that the Illuminati still exist and are evil?

Originally posted by Born
Pretty sure Weishaupt was a Freemason and that most of the members Weishaupt got were Freemasons.

No, I believe they were clandestine, or rather IRREGULAR, masons. They could not obtain recognition from the Grand Lodge for some reason or another.

Yeah you do have to go through the degrees of Freemasonry to be selected for the Illuminati.... the initiation and illumination into the ultimate knowledge.

It's mainly Illuminati bloodlines members that get selected because the Illuminati like the keep their members blood related to ensure security.

[edit on 17-5-2005 by Driver]

Another intersting bit from that book, re:the illuminati, was that they were sort of competing with the freemasons, in terms of getting people to take their higher degrees, rather than the recent masonic ones. So they'd say that the masonic higher degrees were fraudulent or corrupted, even, apparently, corrupted by jesuits, which is odd, since weishaupt was a preist (a jesuit in fact no?). So, somewhat ironically, the Illuminati would engage in something like anti-freemasonry, a vein of suspicion that they themselves fell under and were destroyed by.

But, again, keep in mind that this is a book that is rather old.

What makes you say that Voltaire's views didn't coincide with the Illuminaiti? In Candide he strikes me as fairly liberal.

I'd think that Voltaire and the Bavarian Illuminati mesh together nicely, as far as I know either. I don't think Voltaire and the 'Secret World Destroying Cabal' Illuminati of conspiracy theory mesh at all tho. Then again, since they don't exist, not much of a problem.

Voltaire, what a classic deceiver.

I mean, he has a good public image to this day, you would have to be a good deceiver.

Voltaire was the person who tried to kill God, and say "I think, therefore I am"

This is classic denial of the mind, and it is obviously subversive in making people think their mind and body are one. This teaching/"wisdom" has survived to this day.

" When its a question of money, everybody is of the same religion."

Another classic lie.

"It is lamentable, that to be a good patriot one must become the enemy of the rest of mankind. "

Classic.

"If God did not exist it would be necessary to invent Him."

Lies.

"As long as people believe in absurdities they will continue to commit atrocities. "
Pretty clear what he is trying to do here. If you believe that there is a higher power, you are absurd. Because look at the crazy things other people have done, who claim to have believed the same as you!

I am not Christian, but it is clear what his methods are.

"Superstition is to religion what astrology is to astronomy; the mad daughter of a wise mother."

"There are truths that are not for all men, nor for all times. "

"One great use of words is to hide our thoughts."

And finally, you know hot to prove Voltaire invented all these quotes for fun...
Voltaire
I Love Art

It was not his real name, and now you know how he came to choose it. There are no accidents. If you trust this guy, it is up to you. Personally, he makes me think, but not always what he feels is 'worth' thinking.

Trust yourself.

Robert Anton Wilson doesn't seem to believe in God either does that make him a deceiver? I think there is a God but that doesn't mean that Great Thinkers like RAW and Voltaire are deceivers. I also think that George Orwell did not believe in God either. If I recall in Animal Farm he bashed religion when he talked about, I think it was "Sugarcandy Mountain". Was he a deceiver?

[edit on 17-5-2005 by Born]

[edit on 17-5-2005 by Born]

Voltaire's name crops up almost as frequently in Barruel's "The Illuminati" as Weishaupt - he appears to be one of the driving forces behind the society and his idea that "The Universe is Creating God" not the other way around seems a fundamental part of their overall philosophy.
His dogmatic anti-christian consiparcy to turn regal and political figures in Europe to his brand of athiesm is poured over at length in the book.
From what I have read, you had to have completed a lot more than the bottom 3 degrees of the Scottish Rite in order to join, it was a very exclusive "inner circle" - I believe it was manditory for you to have been made at least a Knight Rose Croix and probably a lot higher, these people consorted with royalty after all.

I only wish I had more time to read this work, it is extensive to say the least - I don't suppose anyone else out there is reading it also?


[edit on 18-5-2005 by MrNECROS]

Could you explain Barreul's reasoning for why this was a requirement? I'd be interested to hear.

Chapter 9 of his memiors breifly deals with "Of the General Secret, or Lesser Mysteries, of Free-masonry." (Although it is not the sole reference to this theme.)
As is a common thread in most disections of the cult, it is that the lower members are the unwitting dupes of the "Adepts" of the order and that the bottommost degree confer no "real" secrets at all.
In order to be brought into the Illuminati one had to already be privy to the higher mysteries of Freemasonry.
His choice of England a place of refuge from the the Illuminati he claims in part is due to the overall primitive condition of English Masonry, apparently at that time very few English craftsmen had been initiated into the higher degrees.
The higher mysteries are steadily infused with Jacobinism which in turn provide an avenue to the Illuminati's own teachings.

[edit on 18-5-2005 by MrNECROS]

[edit on 18-5-2005 by MrNECROS]

"Scottish Rite" Masonry IS "Stuart" Masonry, hence the "Scottish" bit.
It is an adaptation of the original French Rite that fitted in better with the localized objectives of Freemasonry in Britain, to undermine and overthrow both the King and Church by the exiled Stuarts.
The only real contention amongst the seminal works is as to whether or not both rights were coined by The Chevalier Ramsey, on the other hand if he did not then there is no one else that can be identified as a possible author.

The Stuarts objectives were not very different to those of the other Masonic schisms of the time (arguably even today) and they were willing accomplices of the Illuminati.
Freemasonry provided a means to destabilize the reigning monarchy and church which they gleefully took to.
But the whole affair faded out when the French failed to send the promised troupes to aid them in battle and they never really came close.

It is an interesting aside that I have noted in McClenechan, Pike and Barruel’s writings that English craft Masonry appeared to consist of only 3 Degrees in its entirety until after Ramsey (probably) introduced the higher mysteries formally into the UGLE at a much later date

Barruel seems particularly bemused to realize that most Brethren seem not to even be aware of the higher mysteries existence.

It may have been that when Freemasonry was introduced into England it was originally intended as a ruse to create a front very much like so called “Regular Freemasonry” it is today.

After all seeing that the one of its main sponsors appears to have been an exiled Scottish king one would say they would have had good reasons to keep the English in the dark!

Originally posted by akilles

Voltaire was the person who tried to kill God, and say "I think, therefore I am"

That was Descartes, not Voltaire.

This is classic denial of the mind, and it is obviously subversive in making people think their mind and body are one.

That may be true, but it was Descartes.

Your whole premise for asserting Voltaire was Illuminati is faulty.