# Ask the conspiracy theorist **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 27, 2012, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012 "2012-10-27T05:07:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 37
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2013, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012/721 "2013-03-01T19:47:44Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > Like Queen Elizabeth II. > Unlike Queen Elizabeth II. You’re beginning to grasp just how complex this whole thing is. It’s a riddle, wrapped in an enigma, and covered in nougat. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2013, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012/722 "2013-03-01T19:51:21Z")
> [@Kozmik](#): > > My hypothesis is that the Illuminati are ancient, elite, and unknown. The Rothschild family is obviously well-known. The Rothschild family introduces the Anarch. I was just pointing out that you are wrong about Queen Elizabeth. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2013, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012/723 "2013-03-01T19:57:59Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > I was just pointing out that you are wrong about Queen Elizabeth. He’s not the first. He won’t be the last. There’s a reason she’s been the monarch for so long. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2013, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012/724 "2013-03-01T20:19:28Z")
> [@Kozmik](#): > > . . . > Because, for one thing, the Emperor of Japan is on good terms with Elizabeth II. He is a member of the Order of the Garter. > > . . . . Yes, but that does not obligate him to follow her leads any more than President Truman was indebted to the Seminoles because they gave him gifts. And I see you side-stepped the Chinese question entiorely. ---
**Author:** ![Steken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Steken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steken)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2013, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012/725 "2013-03-01T20:50:01Z")
Hey **Kozmik** , do you believe that the Illuminati are religious? If so, which religion do they belong to? ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Wiggler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/red_wiggler/32/13190_2.png) [@Red\_Wiggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Wiggler)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2013, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012/726 "2013-03-01T21:15:37Z")
Did I ever ask about the Rooneys? They’ve been given the western Pennsylvania Illuminati franchise, haven’t they? ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2013, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012/727 "2013-03-01T21:46:39Z")
> [@Kozmik](#): > > Yes. All these are comparatively recent. They may all have direct or indirect knowledge of the Illuminati. Think more ancient. Think Egypt. You lost me on the last two sentences. Are the Illuminati somehow related to the Pharaohs? Is that somehow connected to the symbol of the pyramid with the eye at the top? I thought that was a Masonic thing. Are the Illuminati and the Masons related? ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2013, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012/728 "2013-03-01T21:52:56Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > You lost me on the last two sentences. Are the Illuminati somehow related to the Pharaohs? Is that somehow connected to the symbol of the pyramid with the eye at the top? I thought that was a Masonic thing. Are the Illuminati and the Masons related? Here, let me give this a try. Ahem… Ah, now you’re getting into the right groove! But not so chunky - think smoother…smooooother. Soon your rabbit will steer the Titanic nicely. ---
**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2013, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012/729 "2013-03-02T06:06:46Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > The CIA operates in secret, and it has a history of nearly-illegal operations. Plus, it covers (or tries to) its tracks well. So why isn’t the CIA more represented in these conspiracy theories? Yes, the CIA operates in secret; however, the CIA itself is not secret. The CIA is at the same level as the MI-6 [and all the other intelligence agencies for countries that have them](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_intelligence_agencies). All intelligence agencies will be represented by the world leaders at the summit. Furthermore, during the summit, the Anarch will inform the world leaders that there is an intelligence agency that does not monitor its citizens or citizens from other countries - it monitors all world leaders, all intelligence agencies, and an unspecified number of the world’s population! Yes, the CIA has a history of nearly-illegal operations; however, at this point, for _this_ intelligence agency, it is no longer a question of legality. > [@Steken](#): > > Hey **Kozmik** , do you believe that the Illuminati are religious? If so, which religion do they belong to? They can belong to any religion. > [@Ravenman](#): > > Are the Illuminati somehow related to the Pharaohs? Yes. > [@Ravenman](#): > > Is that somehow connected to the symbol of the pyramid with the eye at the top? Yes. > [@Ravenman](#): > > Are the Illuminati and the Masons related? Yes, but the Illuminati is related to other organizations besides the Masons. ---
**Author:** ![Steken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Steken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steken)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2013, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012/730 "2013-03-02T09:27:00Z")
Were there Illuminati _before_ the Pharaohs? And what’s the Illuminati “origin story” anyways? When and where did they first pop up, exactly? ---
**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2013, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012/731 "2013-03-02T16:34:45Z")
> [@Steken](#): > > Were there Illuminati _before_ the Pharaohs? Yes. > [@Steken](#): > > And what’s the Illuminati “origin story” anyways? When and where did they first pop up, exactly? Atlantis. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2013, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012/732 "2013-03-02T16:51:08Z")
> [@Kozmik](#): > > Yes. > > Atlantis. Well that settles that, then. Sorry to have wasted so much or your time with pointless trivialities. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2013, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012/733 "2013-03-02T17:17:35Z")
So it sounds like the Illuminati are more like a society or even a race, rather than an organization that one can join? Are people born into the Illuminati? ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2013, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012/734 "2013-03-02T17:18:28Z")
Donovan is that you? ---
**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2013, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012/735 "2013-03-02T18:38:04Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > So it sounds like the Illuminati are more like a society or even a race, rather than an organization that one can join? Are people born into the Illuminati? That is a good description of the Illuminati. You can’t join the Illuminati - you are either born into it or invited. ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2013, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012/736 "2013-03-02T19:32:44Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > Well that settles that, then. Sorry to have wasted so much or your time with pointless trivialities. Heeeee! Why didn’t he just say Atlantis in the original post? Would have explained everything. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2013, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012/737 "2013-03-02T20:38:10Z")
> [@Nzinga\_Seated](#): > > Heeeee! Why didn’t he just say Atlantis in the original post? Would have explained everything. For certain. Because there is just no point in continuing to try to reason with a person who actually believes that “Atlantis” is a legitimate explanation for the current political state of the world. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2013, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012/738 "2013-03-02T21:58:45Z")
> [@Kozmik](#): > > That is a good description of the Illuminati. You can’t join the Illuminati - you are either born into it or invited. We go full circle back to what we have been saying all along. It’s not a theory. You are just making shit up without a shred of fact. Unless you are the Anarch. It’s either fiction or delusion. ---
**Author:** ![42fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/b487fb/32.png) [@42fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/42fish)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2013, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012/739 "2013-03-03T03:37:43Z")
> [@Kozmik](#): > > Because, for one thing, the Emperor of Japan is on good terms with Elizabeth II. He is a member of the Order of the Garter. King Victor Emmanuel was also a member of the Order of the Garter. (And Mussolini was a member of the Order of Bath.) This explains why England and Italy got along so well during the 1940s. ---
**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2013, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012/740 "2013-03-03T17:00:14Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > Because there is just no point in continuing to try to reason with a person who actually believes that “Atlantis” is a legitimate explanation for the current political state of the world. What about a person who actually believes that “_sede vacante_” is a legitimate explanation for the current political state of the world? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012.md?page=36) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012.md?page=38)