Why secret societies

When the Washington Post broke the story last month that Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia spent his final hours in the company of members of a secret society for elite hunters, people instantly wanted to know more about the group.

The fraternity in question, International Order of St. After the organization denied membership to Nazis, notably military leader Hermann Goering, Hitler dissolved it , but the order reemerged after World War II, and an American chapter was founded in the late s. The order is just one of many clandestine organizations that exist today, though the popularity of these secret clubs peaked in the 18th and 19th centuries, writes Noah Shachtman for Wired.

Back then, many of these societies served as safe spaces for open dialogue about everything from academia to religious discourse, removed from the restrictive eye of the church and state. As Schatman writes:. These societies were the incubators of democracy, modern science, and ecumenical religion.

They elected their own leaders and drew up constitutions to govern their operations. The emphasis on secret was what inspired so much distrust in the exclusive clubs.

Many religious leaders felt at the very least conflicted about secret orders. In , Reverend T. While The Da Vinci Code novelist Dan Brown and his contemporaries have shined a light upon some of the bigger secret fraternal organizations like the Order of Skull and Bones, Freemasons, Rosicrucians and the Illuminati, there are still other, lesser-known groups that have compelling stories of their own.

Here are just a few:. In , the Seattle Republican reported on the Order of Elks , writing that "it is claimed by members and officers that it is one of the most thriving secret societies among Afro-Americans of this city. Formally called the Improved Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the World, the order was once considered to be at the center of the black community. During the era of segregation, the lodge was one of the few places where black men and women could socialize, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote.

In recent years, however, the Post-Gazette commented that the secret organization has struggled to retain its relevance. Still, the secret society continues to sponsor educational scholarship programs, youth summer computer literacy camps, parades as well as community service activities throughout the world. That is, until they were no longer robe-clad.

In sheer Midwestern Catholic shock, I found myself staring open-mouthed at a nude woman propped up on the altar, apparently a key element of the ritual. No one else seemed alarmed. As my turn approached, my mind frantically raced: How could I escape?

Seconds before all eyes were fixed on me, I mumbled to the man next to me that he could take my spot. Nodding casually at no one in particular, I avoided all eye contact until the ceremony ended then backed out of the room and raced to my car. Like most Americans, I have a mild obsession with secret societies.

Instead of a foreboding, secretive-looking structure, I came upon an out-of-service gas station. Well played, Illuminati. This particular lead was a dead end. But it prompted my first discovery in my quest to uncover the secrets of secret societies: Most of them have an online presence.

The Illuminati is just one example of a no-longer-really-secret society that attracts online attention with a website and a PR firm albeit a fake one. Turns out the true webmasters are the Freemasons , one of the oldest and most famous international fraternal organizations.

Today in Minnesota and across America, the Masons operate like a public corporation that just happens to have some weird rituals. They need to keep the organizations going. Especially because of the Internet, secret societies like the Masons are doomed.

Filmmaker Aaron Franz echoes that idea. In short, the Masons need to seem rational and relevant. Once upon a time, this image problem would have been unthinkable. Since the 15th century, the Freemasons have been the most influential international society with the longest membership list. The group was founded by the most talented British stonemasons, who banded together to charge premium prices for their superior techniques. The American Masons are older than the country itself.

The first branch was founded in Boston in , and it expanded rapidly from there. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the organization became a political machine, connecting networks of powerful people to pull strings and influence decisions. The allure of power and political gain was so intense, in fact, that fraternal organizations became controversial for their ability to entice men to obsessive loyalty.

Harwood posited in To combat this, the organization has actively attempted to dissolve any association with underhandedness by opening its doors and spilling its secrets. Today, Mason wannabes still need to be nominated by an existing member, but any man can petition to join.

But these days, Masons are less likely to be railroad tycoons and more likely to be airline pilots like Minneapolis Lodge Master Peter Fakkeldij , consulting firm associates like Alexander Oftelie and entrepreneurial CEOs like Bram Vollebregt. Another difference between then and now? These names are public, their ranks are searchable, and membership is no longer and can no longer be a mystery.

Bush and his son, George W. The symbol of Skull and Bones is, appropriately, a skull with two crossbones. Yale Alumni Magazine points to a popular theory that it represents the year B. The first Bilderberg Meeting was in and held at the Hotel de Bilderberg in the Netherlands, from which the organization gets its name. Convened by Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, it was a gathering of powerful politicians from North America and Europe designed to foster warmer relations between the two continents among fears of growing anti-Americanism in Europe.

Journalists are barred from reporting on it. Meeting minutes are not released. Bilderberg attendees are selected by a dedicated international committee. Every year, about people are invited, with about two-thirds coming from Europe and one-third from North America. The Washington Post reports that while backgrounds in government and politics are the most common, attendees from fields like academia, finance and media have also been included.

The level of secrecy surrounding the Bilderberg Meeting have given rise to many rumors, including unproven theories that Bilderberg attendees are behind the creation of the European Union, the invasion of Iraq and the bombing of Serbia, reports the New York Times. Conspiracy theorists have painted the group as plotting a new world order. What happens behind the closed doors of these secret societies has caused debate for centuries.

But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Twice a week we compile our most fascinating features and deliver them straight to you. Live TV. This Day In History. History Vault. The Knights Templar.