Their rumored membership includes nearly every public figure in the world, including Beyoncé, Paris Hilton, Barack Obama, Bob Barker, Adolf Hitler, and many many more.

傳聞他們的成員包含世界上幾乎所有公眾人物，包括碧昂絲、芭黎絲·希爾頓、巴拉克·歐巴馬、鮑勃·巴克，阿道夫·希特勒等等。

This supposedly powerful cabal has been implicated in the Kennedy assassination, 9/11, the death of Whitney Houston, and the Ice Bucket Challenge,

據說這強大的秘密組織與甘迺迪遇刺案、9/11 事件、惠尼·休斯頓的去世和冰桶挑戰有關，

and has been said to be pulling the strings that make the world go round.

且也被稱作對於世界的發展極為重要。

So, what do we know about the Illuminati?

我們對光明會了解多少呢？

Back in 1776, a secular college professor in Bavaria, Germany was feeling ostracized by his Jesuit colleagues, and decided to start a society to spread Enlightenment-era ideas.

回朔到 1776 年，德國巴伐利亞州的一位世俗學院教授被他的耶穌會同事排擠，並決定建立一個社群來傳播啟蒙時代的想法。

This was an attempt to shift the pro-monarchy, Catholic supremacy movement into a rational, scientific, and somewhat more secular movement.

這個行動嘗試將親君主制、天主教至高無上的運動轉變為理性、科學和更世俗的運動。

Since knowledge of this group would have had serious consequences for the professor, he gave himself and other members nicknames and shrouded the group in secret rituals and symbols.

由於讓外人知曉該群體會對教授產生嚴重的影響，因此他給自己和其他成員取了暱稱，並用秘密的儀式和符號來隱藏這個團體。

The order of the Illuminati specifically excluded Jews, Pagans, women, and members of other religions or cults.

光明會的成員特別排除了猶太人、異教徒、婦女和其他宗教或邪教的人員。

After some time, the Illuminati, looking to expand their membership base, joined forces with the longstanding Freemasons group.

一段時間後，希望擴大其會員基礎的光明會與存在已久的共濟會組織聯手。

The Freemasons were an intricate fraternal organization of laborers; seemingly mysterious for their religious-like use of symbols and ceremonies as well.

共濟會是一個複雜的勞工兄弟會組織，似乎也因宗教上使用的符號和儀式對外界保持神秘感。

After securing their own Freemason Lodge, the higher-order Illuminati members attempted to recruit from the higher-order Freemasons.

在確保自己的共濟會分會之後，高層的光明會成員試圖從共濟會的高層中招募人員。

However, as a newer sect with different allegiances, they commanded less respect than existing groups.

但是，作為一個具有不同忠誠的新教派，他們對共濟會的尊重不如現有群體。

Still, despite significant infighting over the origins of various rituals, political and social focus, and other petty differences,

儘管如此，雖然因各種儀式、政治和社會焦點以及其他瑣碎差異造成重大的內鬥，

the Illuminati managed to recruit between 650 and 2,500 members in Bavaria, at their height around 1784.

但光明會成功在 1784 年左右在巴伐利亞招募了 650 至 2500 名成員。

Around this time, an obscure Christian cult, known as RōzekrooSHənism [Rosicrucianism], infiltrated the Illuminati.

大約在這個時候，一個默默無名的基督教邪教，被稱為 RōzekrooSHənism [玫瑰十字會]，滲透到光明會中。

They were very religious and opposed the idea of an enlightened, philosophical, scientific, rational movement.

他們非常虔誠，反對開明、哲學、科學、理性運動的想法。

After infighting and further attacks by outside groups, as well as too high a membership to keep the order secret, knowledge of the group got out.

在遇到內鬥和遭到外部團體的進一步攻擊，以及門檻過高的會員資格以至於無法讓成員的身份保密，讓外界知曉了這個團體的存在。

Many members were exposed, and a number actually held fairly high positions of power.

許多成員的身份被曝光，其中有些擁有相當龐大的權力。

After being accused of publishing anti-religious literature, the Bavarian government banned all secret societies, and seized and published a large number of important documents from the Illuminati’s founders.

在被指控出版反宗教文學之後，巴伐利亞政府禁止所有秘密組織，並從光明會的創始人手中奪取並出版了大量重要文件。

This effectively ended the existence of the group, and their original founder fled Germany.

這成功地終結了該團體的存在，其創始人逃離了德國。

In the few years after the end of the Bavarian Illuminati, a number of books were written,

在巴伐利亞光明會結束後的幾年中，有許多書籍被撰寫出來，

purporting that not only did the Illuminati still exist in secret, but that they were conspiratorily responsible for many international events, including the French Revolution.

聲稱光明會不僅仍然秘密存在，而且還必須對包括法國大革命在內的許多國際事件負責。

These books gained significant popularity, and the ideas therein have survived into modern times.

這些書籍大受歡迎，且書中的觀點留存至今。

In recent years, the idea of a resurgent, or surviving Illuminati order that is in control of world events through underlying iconography and ritualism has been a popular conspiracy theory.

近年來，再次復興或是一直存活的光明會成員透過隱藏的圖像學及儀式學掌控世界上發生的事件的陰謀論一直很受歡迎。

However, there is literally no evidence of the existence of this group, nor any connection between current groups and the Bavarian Illuminati.

但是，其實沒有證據表明該團體的存在，當前也沒有團體與巴伐利亞光明會之間有任何關聯。

Still... isn’t that exactly what they’d want you to think?

不過...他們不就是希望你這樣想嗎？

Another secretive society that has a considerable amount of power is the so-called "Church" of Scientology.

另一個具有相當龐大權力的秘密組織是所謂的山達基教會。

Are they a religion, or a cult? Watch our video here.

他們是宗教還是邪教？點這裡查看影片。

And thank you for watching TestTube! Don’t forget to subscribe!

感謝收看 TestTube！不要忘記訂閱！