Secret societies

Secret societies are groups of individuals who gather in a way that is concealed from those who are not members of the group. Some of these societies are structured as clubs, while others are hereditary, meaning that membership is passed from parent to child. The level of secrecy varies between different secret societies. Some secret societies are only rumored to exist. The existence of other secret societies is well known to the public, but secrecy remains regarding precisely what activities are undertaken by members. Other secret societies are made up of a small group of members of a much larger organization. This small group has privileged access to a specific set of texts or activities that are kept secret from both the larger membership and the public. The obscure nature of secret societies, real or imagined, makes them common objects of conspiracy theories.

Background

Secret societies are known for hiding their aims, rules, rituals, memberships, or existence. The rationale for this secrecy differs with each organization, and not all experts agree on what groups are considered secret societies. Some are motivated by a desire to keep trade or political secrets among a small number of individuals. Others believe that they have access to knowledge that would be incomprehensible, overwhelming, or dangerous to the general public. Still others organize simply to provide exclusive benefits to a limited group of members. Historically, many religious groups have become secret societies after they were banned or persecuted by a government. Some of these groups eventually return to public life, while others either remain secret or disappear. Other secret societies, such as the Italian Carbonari of the 1880s, exist to plot religious, political, or social uprisings. They use strict measures to ensure that their plans remain secret until they can be carried out.

Secret societies often have a high level of suspicion of outsiders who attempt to join or infiltrate the group. As such, many scholars and researchers have difficulty determining what secret societies do or verifying membership. Even after a secret society has disappeared, it can be difficult to uncover or translate documents to understand how the group operated and what goals it attempted to achieve. As such, many conspiracy theories exist regarding the activities and future plans of secret societies.

In order to maintain the group’s secrecy, secret society members typically pledge not to speak about group activities with nonmembers. Punishments for those who break this pledge may be severe, ranging from banishment from the group to, in extreme cases, death. These punishments aim to keep secrets within the group. They also create problems for individuals who want to leave a group, as they may not be able to seek protection from the government or police without revealing their membership, thus risking retribution. In some countries, membership in secret societies is prohibited by law. However, owing to the secret nature of these societies, it is often difficult to know how well these laws are enforced.

The labeling of a group as a "secret society" is frequently taken to be pejorative, insulting, or as a sign of distrust, and movements opposing secretive groups have arisen throughout history. Many organizations that have been labeled as secret societies reject that label. Instead, they argue that they are religious, humanitarian, or political organizations that simply limit their membership in certain ways. Many spokespeople for groups labeled secret societies claim that those who apply the label are either fearful of what they do not fully understand or are upset that they have been excluded from a group.

Overview

Secret societies take many forms and appear in cultures around the world. One of the largest and oldest groups which has been called a secret society is the Freemasons, also known as Masons, which emerged from medieval stonemason’s guilds. The oldest textual reference to the Masons is the 1390 "Regius Poem." However, it is believed that the Freemasons existed before that time. Freemasons played a part in the European Enlightenment and later in the founding of the United States. The group had famous members, such as George Washington and Benjamin Franklin, who openly acknowledged that they were practicing members. What is secretive about the Freemasons is that they have a hierarchical system of membership, with rituals and texts that are only accessible to a select number of members.

There were many secret and semi-secret societies in Europe during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and some of their actions were recorded in public journals. For example, the Mittwochsgesellschaft was a German secret group closely affiliated with the Berlinische Monatsschrift, a journal published in Berlin, Germany. From these publications, German intellectuals promoted the ideals of the Enlightenment among government and academic elites. Revolutionary secret societies were also common at this time, such as the Bavarian Illuminati, who allegedly participated in the French Revolution of 1789. At the time, the Bavarian Illuminati attempted to break away from traditional religious and government authorities to support a liberated French public; the group eventually died out, and it was not until much later that the term "Illuminati" would come to be associated with a legendary secret society bent on world domination. Another secret society emerging from seventeenth-century Europe was the Rosicrucians. This group was not overtly political but aimed to promote esoteric texts and establish modern links with ancient knowledge. Like the Illuminati, the group would inspire many later organizations, both real and alleged.

In the United States, many secret societies are centered in political or academic centers. College fraternities, and to a lesser extent sororities, may be considered secret societies due to their exclusive nature and obscure rituals. This is especially true of the oldest and most elite such organizations. For example, Skull and Bones is a secret society based at Yale University. While some activities of this group are publicly known, it is a common belief among the general public that it carries out secret rituals or that group members have great influence in US or world politics. Members of Skull and Bones, however, have claimed that their group is only a college club and does not have any secret rituals.

The development of the Internet has facilitated the formation of new secret societies, which often only meet online. One example is Anonymous, an Internet-based group that aims to uncover political and social injustices and make those acts known to the public. The Internet has also enabled the dissemination of a wide variety of conspiracy theories and other unproven information regarding secret societies, typically linking real or alleged groups to efforts to create a New World Order or global government. An additional example of an Internet-based secret society is Cicada 3301 which first appeared in 2012 after an anonymous post on social networking platform 4chan. Cicada 3301 used sophisticated puzzles, riddles, and questions in an effort to recruit members for an unknown reason.

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