reply to post by pryed -eyed-one
Such a question belies a lack of knowledge and understanding, pertaining to the origins of secret societies, cadres, and organisations over the
course of the history of mankind.
The Knights Templar are a good example of what I am talking about. These were a band of warriors and financiers, who were more than capable of not
only face shanking hordes of persons considered enemies of Christendom (i.e. the enemies of nations which professed to having a state wide affiliation
to Christianity), but balancing their accounts as well. This lead to their order being disbanded after failing to save the Holy Land from occupation
by non Christian forces, and because they were owed a debt by the powerful French king, Philp the IV, who pressured the Pope of the period, Clement,
to scatter the organisation. Those who remained in France during this period, were rounded up, tortured and interrogated, and burned at the stake.
Rumours abounded as to the meaning of their secretive initiation ceremonies.
The only known remnant of the order, can be found in Freemasonry, which uses various Templar related symbology in its art and practices. Some people
believe that in Freemasonry, and in some other modern organisations, the influence of monastic sects like the Templars can be found, and therefore the
history of these orders, and the faith they professed to, is important for those who wish to navigate the murky depths of the time between their being
disbanded, and being reflected in more modern organisations.
Some modern secret societies (and by that, I mean societies which exist in the present day, although they may have existed for a very long time) are
said to play major roles in all manner of things, from global politics, to world finance, to the arms trade, and the media. Monitoring the potential
influence of these societies on our day to day lives, is a difficult enough proposition, without deliberately remaining ignorant as to the factors
which lead to their initial creation. The Templars are just one example, from one faith.
The truth is, that there are secretive orders which have issued forth from near enough every spiritual and philosophical, and ideological school of
thought, and knowing something about where they come from, what beliefs inspired their creation, and what drives them today, can only be achieved by a
full understanding of their origins, and the historical and religious context into which their origins fit. Otherwise any supposition one makes about
their activities in the here and now will be prone to being light on legitimacy, and will lack rigor at the research level.
Now, this site actually has a section for secret societies, and a section for religious matters, and so on and so forth, so there are going to be
posts and threads which touch on these subjects. Some people here are fundamentalist Christians, others are hedonists, some are atheists, others
agnostics, some are Muslim, and there are a plethora of other faiths, represented by the members of this community we all share. I for one am very
happy to be a part of such a thriving, multi-ethnic, and multi-faith community as this, and I think it is healthy for members to be allowed to
interact with one another, as people, and as persons of faith. Remember, you, as a member and reader of this site, are not forced to interact with any
particular subject matter represented here, if it offends you. You are responsible for the content you see on the site, and can choose at any time to
cease participation in a thread, or to choose not to view threads which have a religious connotation which you do not wish to explore, for what ever
reason. No one will think less of you for doing so, for discernment is crucial to enjoying the site in a way which appeals to you.
If you feel that a post WITHIN a thread is off topic, then by all means alert a moderator to the issue at hand, and let them deal with the matter.
Other than that, your experience on this site is for you to manage in a way that pleases you. However, you should not expect that all threads will be
to your taste, for an awful lot of reasons. There are many threads here on ATS, which pertain to matters which interest me greatly, but are created
with such ill attention that participation in them does not avail one of any benefit. Equally there are threads which have been very well crafted, but
relate to topics in which I have zero interest. It is all swings and roundabouts, and you can step off any time you need to
Take it easy !
edit on 29-1-2014 by TrueBrit because: Corrected grammatical error.