Why do people need to believe in evil secret societies?

You know, after kick around ATS a few weeks, it looks to me like some people have a need to believe in evil secret societies. If it isn't the Masons or the Illuminati, it's the Catholics, or the Bilderbergers, or the Jews, or the Republicans, or the Muslims.

Any one willing to talk about why they believe there are evil secret societies with thousand year old agendas? Please try to keep your posts general, if possible, and don't target a specific society.

Its the boogeyman when we are kids, its the law when we are teenagers, our boss, the IRS, and fill in the blank when we are adults. In a vain way we provide our own Shakespearean drama by finding our nemesis, our made to order, personal antagonist, the thing we fear most whatever it is. I personally want an explanation for all the cute, cuddly furry stuffed animals; I mean they're EVERYWHERE! WHY? And what's with the adorable little faces? HUH! and why are they so cheap? Something�s going on here... and me and the rest of the guys on the ward want to know what it is.

It seems to me that these centuries-long conspiracies are more than simple boogeymen. I think people who believe in them maybe have more complex reasons than it appears from the outside.

don't talk about themselves because they are secret
and wouldn't be secret if they did talk!?

Sometimes it appears that what we feel is a conspiracy of a secret society is nothing more than familiarity of a person or thought with another.

For example, if you were elected President in November, you would have certain people that you felt 1) comfortable to be around, 2) had the best interests of the country in mind, 3) were capable of acting to the interest you felt strongly about. These are the people most likely to hold posts in your administration. And would suddenly become part a conspiracy in your honor.

Too, if you didn't have in mind individuals that you were comfortable with, parties with connections to corporate thought could provide you with the information you requested to ensure you made the right decisions in your nominations. This is also conspiratorial.

Yet in either case, it is especially hard to determine a true collective mindset working behind the scenes to bring about events with an indifference to the masses.
Without mentioning secret societies (like the Masons, Bilbenberg, Illuminati, and the Egyption Eight) it is hard to conceptionualize what constitutes the hidden agenda.

In other words, did a certain thing occur innocently because the party who brought it about was familiar with the party who asked it be done. Or did the event occur because it furthered the ideas of one group, tipping the power scale in their favor?

(I know I didn't sit here and say I wouldn't mention secret societies, then name them. This is a conspiracy.)

I am looking forward to seeing the responses you get.


G

By a hair and keeping it simple, the winner is... what do you know? Fear of the unknown, vilification through ignorance, the Barcolounger of the masses.

glee,

Here�s an interesting sight I�ve come across, and may help to answer your question. It is written from an evangelical Christian viewpoint, but nevertheless aptly examines the psychology behind conspiracy theories. www.acts17-11.com...
It is also a breath of fresh air to see a Christian website exposing the misinformation, hypocrisy, and inconsistencies of conspiracy theories, instead of promoting them. And the authors of this site have shown their intelligence by distinguishing the fact that Freemasonry is non-Christian, as opposed to anti-Christian. This is an important point; our Fraternity is likewise non-Dairy Farmers Association, but that doesn�t mean we are anti-Dairy Farmers.
Another interesting point made is that the conspiracy theorists seek to become what they supposedly oppose, which results in hypocrisy. They pretend that they themselves are in possession of special knowledge, and are �in the know�, while we �sheep� are not intelligent enough to jump on their conspiracy bandwagon (or Titanic, as the case may be). This special knowledge of a world-wide conspiracy transforms the average burger flipper at Wendy�s into sort of an �illuminati.�
Sorta ironic.

Fiat Lvx.

[Edited on 10-5-2004 by Masonic Light]

[Edited on 10-5-2004 by Masonic Light]

I think that conspiracies are good for alot of people. It gives us a reason to go on. gives us things to think about. I mean if we had or could do anything and everything we wanted we would get bored. Unknown Unknown ... that is what we do not like and that is what we are afraid of, curious about, and if we cannot join them, then beat them...... Opposite of the old saying, but true. I think we need a good consipiracy or something secret to keep us going. Hey, it gives me motivation to search the internet and learn new things... (like my relentless search for the Angelic Order of fairy bells... ha ha )

Please no one take this personal, we are all on this board looking for a good conspiracy. I myself am hoping to find one myself.......

to you, too, Mirthful Me!

ML, that link was very interesting. If I were Christian, I'd definately be put off fooling around with conspiracies.

Jon, we are just going to have to find out more about your favorite conspiracry!

I think you are all right, in part. But since none of you believe in conspiracies, we need input from the experts.

So far, it doesn't look like any of the real believers are responding to this thread. Please, if you do believe in a conspiracy theory and you read this thread, do answer. We'll numb Mirthful Me's tongue, so you can answer without being made fun of. I would truly like to understand how you came to your belief.

Me tongue I wish not to be numb,

'Tis the depths of knowledge I wish to plumb,

Escape the mad oppressors thumb,

Makes me think I'm more than dumb,

Life's bread is more than a crumb...

For some, like me, it has nothing to do with there actually being conspiracies, but more a ploy to expand my mind--not in belief, but in the way I think. If I go into every situation like a sheep, I will die with the masses.

Now, some conspiracies are real. I believe it was the depression in the 1920's, in which some darned group of fools scheming was to increase their own wealth by messing with the gold on the open market, which causes a stock-market crash, right about the same time as the dust-bowl (dry-farming and a drought left the mid-west looking more like a desert than anything else). anyway, this was a major backfire.

Now, other conspiracies are actually in the opposite direction of what we are looking at, or close enough, at least--someone is trying to misdirect people, at that point.

Hell the only really fanatical conspiracies I have any belief in, I haven't seen any information on here, and it has more to do with the early sections of plan parenthood and their design on controlling the minorities. I won't be posting that for a while...

The majority of "power", is in the hands of the few; whether it has any thing to do with "secret societies" or not. An example of this would be how the top 1% of Amerikkka's population has more wealth than the bottom 95%, or something close to that anyway.

And it just so happens that many of these 'elite' men, are usually a member of some sort of secretive order.




1

Originally posted by Tamahu
The majority of "power", is in the hands of the few; whether it has any thing to do with "secret societies" or not. An example of this would be how the top 1% of Amerikkka's population has more wealth than the bottom 95%, or something close to that anyway.

And it just so happens that many of these 'elite' men, are usually a member of some sort of secretive order.

1

Now, tamahu, this is exactly the kind of serious response I was hoping for. And the motivations you discuss are completely understandable.

It's true that wealth and power are concentrated in the hands of a few; and it is true that many of these few belong to a society, like Masons, or Skull and Bones, or a fraternity.

And it is also true, although tamaru didn't say it, that some of these few show little or no real ability to do much of anything on their own.

Originally posted by Mirthful Me
Me tongue I wish not to be numb,

'Tis the depths of knowledge I wish to plumb,

Escape the mad oppressors thumb,

Makes me think I'm more than dumb,

Life's bread is more than a crumb...

I am speechless with admiration!

I think there are a lot of similarities in what JC and JL have posited. Conspiracy as a way to keep our minds agile, occupied, and amused. Conspiracy as a way to keep from being mindless and overly believing.

Originally posted by glee
I think there are a lot of similarities in what JC and JL have posited. Conspiracy as a way to keep our minds agile, occupied, and amused. Conspiracy as a way to keep from being mindless and overly believing.

I have to disagree. From what I�ve seen, conspiracy theorists do indeed often fall into the �mindless and overly believing� category. Many seem ready to believe the most outrageous absurdities without even a hint of documented proof at whatever theory they happen to be taken with at the moment (the Icke reptilian rich folks are a good example).
I believe that knowledge begins with skepticism. Not a nihilistic skepticism, but a healthy one, where we apply the scientific method, keeping in mind the aforementioned Occam�s Razor. This of course is only my personal opinion, but I think the individual who seeks personal growth would be much more rewarded by occupying his/her time to the study of philosophy, history, science, and mathematics rather than conspiracy theories.

Fiat Lvx.

philosophy, history, science, and mathematics rather than conspiracy theories.

Studied philosophy: found out that too much of it leads to circular thinking, that mixing different unrelated philosophies made for global conspiracies--especially in the areas of Evolution. I came out burned, tired and with the feeling that if I'd pull myself out of the the philosophical box that I wound up putting myself in, that it all ammounted to nothing.
Studied history: covered conspiracy theories hundreds of years old, in history classes, had to bend what actually happened AWAY from the teacher's beliefs.
studied science: has laws, has theories that are being taught one year as acceptable and the next, are being thrown out the window as a bunch of crock--and do you ever listen to scientists squabble? We haven't seen the likes of it here.
Was a Mathe Ed. Major: Have you ever had to PROVE that 2+2=4? It doesn't balance me as a person; in fact, it drove me quite nuts.

Please, a well rounded person usually has one or two areas that they are expert in , and a whole bunch of other areas that they have a smattering in. They do offer Conspiracy theories as history courses at some colleges.

My dad worries that I'm here, as well, but not because it's just a waste of time, but more becuase he worries that I'll become unreasonably paranoid.

My personal opinion is that when you get too far into ANY FIELD, you're asking to become stagnant.

Seriously, though, some people's minds DO work differently, and they grasp concepts that other's cannot. conspiracies, as there will inveritably BE, are too viable as a mental stretch, some covering history, philosophy, and science, when done well...