The Illuminati is a secret society founded in May 1776 which has become synonymous with conspiracy theories about world domination under a unified global government, more commonly known as the new world order. Historically the name refers to the Bavarian Illuminati, an Enlightenment-era group founded by Adam Weishaupt, a philosophy and law professor at the University of Ingolstadt.

Its goals were clear: to oppose superstition, obscurantism, religious influence over public life, and abuses of state power. In their own words, “The order of the day is to put an end to the machinations of the purveyors of injustice, to control them without dominating them”.

Although historical evidence points to the society’s demise at the hands of prince-elector and Duke of Bavaria Charles Theodore roughly 10 years after its formation, some believe the organisation to have originated into other groups which aim to fulfil the Illuminati’s original goals.

Since then, conspiracy theories have accused the Illuminati of influencing the course of the world in many different ways. In this article, we’ll look at the 20 most shocking conspiracy theories to have been linked with the Illuminati.

20. A New World Order

By and large, this is the most popular conspiracy theory associated with the Illuminati. It’s also the original theory from which the vast majority of other conspiracies are weaved. The simplicity of this conspiracy goes some way towards explaining its popularity.

We all intuitively feel there’s something wrong with the world we live in. Millions of people die from poverty, famine and curable diseases and we assume such misery has to be orchestrated by the elites to keep the middle and the lower classes fighting each other while they run off with all the money.

This conspiracy clearly states the Illuminati are pursuing a new world order under a global totalitarian government and influence world events to serve this agenda.

19. Banking Conspiracy

Some of the most powerful people who are believed to be in the Illuminati belong to select families. The most notable of which are the Rothschilds who’ve played a crucial role in the banking conspiracy for hundreds of years. Specialized in funding both sides of the same war to hedge their own bets, the Rothschilds were financially involved in the American Civil War and the French Revolution.

Other famous families include the Chase, Morgan, Carnegie, Ford, and Rockefeller, who, together with the Rothschilds, are supposed to control most countries’ central banks, which have the power to print money, unbacked by any precious metals.

With some international cooperation happening supposedly through organisations like the International Monetary Fund, this conspiracy paints a scary picture of incredible power gathered at the very top.

18. They are everywhere

This theory aims to instil in our hearts the feeling that the Illuminati are present in every department that matters, and it is so all throughout the globe. Their people have infiltrated every room where important decisions are made, from the Oval Office to 10 Downing Street, as well as the boardrooms of the most successful companies and the most influential government agencies.

From politics to business and even religion, the Illuminati are everywhere. They lead religions and have corrupted the highest levels of the Freemasonry. They also exert their influence in the realms of media, thereby controlling the information transmitted to the general public and the films and TV shows they watch.

17. The French Revolution was their first staged event

The Illuminati are also accused of having orchestrated the French Revolution, in what would have been their first attempt to influence a major event on a global scale. Looking back on the Revolution that started in 1780, we can recognise it for the seminal event that it was.

According to this conspiracy, after having survived their suppression by Charles Theodore, the Illuminati became the masterminds behind the French Revolution as they secretly orchestrated the revolutionary wave that would later sweep through Europe and the rest of the world. Their ultimate goal was to spread their values of anti-clericalism, anti-monarchism, and anti-patriarchalism throughout the world.

16. JFK assassinated by the Illuminati

You were probably expecting this one. In another spin-off of the New World Order conspiracy theory, the Illuminati are associated with the assassination of United States President John F. Kennedy. The suspicious circumstances surrounding this event have provided fertile ground for conspiracy theorists.

The lack of credible evidence supporting the official version has led proponents of the ‘Illuminati did it’ club to claim that the secret society looked at JFK (and other Kennedy family members) as a political obstacle to their totalitarian goals that simply had to be removed. They also claim JFK was shot by his driver, instead of Lee Harvey Oswald.

15. The Illuminati rely on Satanic Rituals

Goat symbols and devil worship are some of the satanic rituals associated with the Illuminati. This theory goes back to the origins of the organisation, claiming their anti-clericalism was merely cover for their satanic intentions. According to this theory, through the cult of Lucifer, the Illuminate derive their power to influence world events and carry out their agenda.

The Pope and the Catholic Church are claimed to also be closeted-Satanists, working with the Illuminati to bring about the new world order which will be led by the Anti-Christ. Obama was the latest to be named as the Anti-Christ by advocates of this theory.

14. 9/11 Illuminati involvement

After the JFK assassination, 9/11 was probably next on your list of conspiracy theories you were likely to find as soon as you got past the title of the article. Well, you’re right! The rubble was still shifting and everyone already had a theory regarding who’s behind it, which can be easily attributed to the dissonance between facts and the official version.

The Illuminati conspiracy theory behind 9/11 claims Bush was just a puppet pandering to their interests. According to these claims, this is very common as governments often attack their own people in order to serve the Illuminati. This type of ‘false-flag’ attack is used in order to push through legislation that restricts the citizen’s liberties. Have you heard this before?

13. Pearl Harbour – another Illuminati job

The Pearl Harbour attack was the most destructive blow ever inflicted to the American military, and conspiracy theories about the United States President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s foreknowledge of the attack have been around ever since.

Theorists backing this claim suggest there is ample evidence pointing to the fact Pearl Harbor had been foreseen. President Roosevelt, who led America at the time of Pearl Harbor, is credited with the following eerie statement: “In politics, nothing happens by accident. If something happens, you can bet it was planned that way.”

With any major world event, suspicions of an Illuminati hand guiding proceedings are never too far behind.

12. Boston Marathon bombings

In April 2013, two homemade bombs were made to detonate 12 seconds and 210 yards shortly before 3 pm, close to the finish line of the annual Boston Marathon. Hundreds were injured with several people losing limbs and three individuals paying with their lives.

Following the false-flag attack logic, conspiracies emerged surrounding the presumed Illuminati involvement in the attacks. The only difference is that, in this case, there is more circumstantial evidence linking this case to the Illuminati – the finish line was at 666 Boylston Street Boston while there is a Masonic lodge on the same street. 666 is the number associated with the satanic cult and the Freemasonry is claimed to have strong links to the Illuminati.

Due to this, the Boston Marathon bombings are referred to by these conspiracy theorists as a human sacrifice.

11. Government planes poison the atmosphere

When regular planes cross the sky, they leave behind something called a condensation trail. These condensation trails dissipate within a few minutes. Illuminati conspiracy theories accuse the secret society of having gotten involved with a new type of condensation trail in the 1990s.

This new type of condensation trails is known as chemical trails or chemtrails. Chemical trails take a long time to dissipate as they frequently expand into artificial clouds which hover in the sky for longer periods throughout the day. These are heavily linked with higher levels of aluminum and other heavy metals.

Overexposure to this causes a multitude of illnesses which theorists claim the Illuminati use to weaken the masses. Don’t beat yourself up for wanting to stay in every now and then.

10. The Illuminati love drugs

It is no accident that most suspected mass shooters are found under the influence of some sort of psychoactive drug. Fans of this theory claim these people are deliberately drugged in order to get them to perform tasks they wouldn’t do in regular condition. A prime example of this type of task would be a mass killing of members of your species.

These unstable minds don’t usually remember being kidnapped and drugged, which only excites proponents of this theory. The Illuminati use psychoactive drugs that are used to manipulate people into doing their bidding and to distort perception at the level of the masses.

9. The Great Depression

The Great Depression is believed by some to have been the work of the Illuminati. These people claim that when the Federal Reserve was created, this gave the Illuminati the tool they wanted – a central bank unaccountable to the people.

With this move, conspiracy theorists claim the Illuminati’s banking cartel captured full control of the money and credit machinery of the United States. They claim the unplanned shortage of call money in the New York money market wasn’t unplanned after all.

They believe it to have been a mechanism of the impoverishment of the American people, transferring more wealth to the very top.

8. Whitney Houston is an Illuminati sacrifice

I’m supposed to be unbiased in my account of these conspiracy theories but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have a favourite in every list. This entry is my favourite on this list and I think it’ll be yours too. Several celebrities such as Madonna, Jay-Z, Beyonce, Rihanna are claimed to belong to the Illuminati, who value their exposure and use their music videos to spread their society’s imagery.

This theory claims Whitney Houston was a member of the Illuminati. Nothing shocking up until this point. Advocates of this conspiracy claim Whitney Houston was sacrificed by the Illuminati for two reasons: 1) to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee. Queen Elizabeth II is presumed to be an honoured member of the secret society who perhaps had a long-standing beef with Whitney Houston. 2) To make room in the society for Blue Ivy Carter. You heard it here first.

7. Blue Ivy – Illuminati chosen one?

You may have been left wondering ‘Who is Blue Ivy Carter?’ after the last conspiracy theory. Well, Blue Ivy Carter is the daughter of Jay-Z and Beyonce Knowles in case you’ve been living under a rock and have missed the obscene levels of media coverage this baby has received.

Blue Ivy is a child who already has an Illuminati conspiracy theory built around her, which is pretty impressive when you account for the fact she probably can’t do her taxes or go to the potty without help. The theory claims her name has a hidden meaning. Blue Ivy stands for “Born Living Under Evil Illuminati’s Very Youngest.”

6. Reptilian Aliens

A British conspiracy theorist named David Icke has defended the existence of reptilian humanoids who are shape-shifting, blood-drinking aliens who seek to take control of our planet by adopting a human form with the sole purpose of gaining political power to manipulate humanity.

Icke has claimed on several occasions that many of the world leaders are, or are possessed by, these so-called reptilians. These leaders include former United States President George W. Bush and Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. According to his Wikipedia page, Icke has given lectures in 47 countries to crowds of up to 6,000.

A 2013 poll suggests that 4% of American voters agree with Icke’s ideas.

5. American citizens to be gathered in FEMA concentration camps

The FEMA camps conspiracy defends that the Illuminati will use one of the organisations they control – the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency – to imprison American citizens in concentration camps. Why? Advocates of this theory maintain this will be one of the final steps taken by the secret society in their relentless pursuit of a totalitarian government.

In order to achieve a totalitarian government, you need to get rid of the dissidents, which is precisely where FEMA comes into the fray. Large numbers of United States citizens will be imprisoned as a prelude to their certain extermination, thereby allowing the Illuminati to establish the New World Order they so desire.

4. H1N1 pandemic orchestrated by the Illuminati

According to this conspiracy theory, the Illuminati have been testing viruses for several generations and epidemics such as the Spanish flu of 1918, SARS or the H1N1 virus were consequences of their work in this field.

An online testimony guarantees the H1N1 pandemic resulted from tests conducted by Illuminati in a desolate part of Brazil’s forests. The surrounding locals had to be quarantined but a traveller escaped and carried the virus into Mexico.

This report states the Illuminati were displeased with the lack of effectiveness of the virus as they were after a virus that could kill the entire population of a country in a matter of days.

3. An Illuminati-run machine which can produce natural catastrophes

HAARP stands for High-Frequency Active Auroral Research Program and is the cornerstone of several conspiracy theories. The program was started in a joint effort of several branches of the United States Military to investigate the ionosphere.

However, conspiracy theorists have had a field day with this program’s creation. They claim this program has produced a machine with the capability of “weaponizing” weather and the Illuminati have already tested it out with Hurricane Katrina.

This machine is supposed to be kept in a highly secretive underground bunker in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. More on this topic in the next entry.

2. The Illuminati’s network of underground bunkers

This incredible conspiracy theory claims the Illuminati run a network of over 400 underground bunkers spread throughout the world, the largest of which being in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Apparently, there are 57 of these underground bases and bunkers in the United States alone.

These bunkers are claimed to be 5-star hotels built underground to hold members of the Illuminati in the case of a massive catastrophe. In addition, they also serve as meeting rooms for some of their more numerous gatherings, as well as to deposit large amounts of food, money and recreational drugs. Where else would you rather be when the world ends?

1. Martin Luther King assassinated by the Illuminati

Much like the 9/11 attacks, Pearl Harbour and the JFK assassination, Martin Luther King Jr’s assassination has been used by several conspiracy theorists as yet another liquidation carried out by the interests which serve the Illuminati. Martin Luther King is claimed to have been killed by the secret society due to his stance against the Vietnam War but mostly because of what he stood for as a whole.

The Illuminati do not want a society of equals and MLK’s inspiring message posed a grave threat to their ultimate goal of uniting the nation’s of the world under one global totalitarian government.

Sources: gawker.com, telegraph.co.uk