Chapter 8

The God Conundrum

PLAGUES HAVE RAVAGED TOWNS and villages, fire and molten rock have swept like waves over cities and buildings, floodwaters have drowned families by the hundreds of thousands — but even these in all their destructive glory have failed to end as many lives as those taken in the name of a god.

[illegible]ity is one of the human species’ greatest mysteries. In the majority of cases, a human relies upon physical evidence to prove or change a belief that exists in their subconscious. A person will smell an item of food to prove if they will enjoy it or look at a fire to prove if it is burning. If a person believes that a pool of water is cold, they will touch it with a hand to prove their belief — or to change their belief if the water turns out to be warm.

However the belief in a power greater than human understanding relies entirely on invisible, mental verification referred to as faith.

Faith is the belief in something that cannot be proven. Most religious belief is based upon information received from an outside source that cannot be verified, sometimes known as hearsay. Millions will follow the commandments of a religious text without ever having spoken to its author, and billions will believe in a deity because of miracles they were told of by someone who wasn't even present nor alive at the time. But denouncing faith is true folly.

Faith is not limited to religious believers. While even the most devout pontiff cannot provide irrefutable evidence of his god's existence, neither can the scientist who claims that no deity resides in the universe. Both rely upon their own faith to explain things they will never understand.

There is no proof of God. There is no proof of no God, either. If science cannot definitively prove that there is no God, then science has no choice but to accept a possibility of a god's existence.

THOSE WHO REFUSE THEIR FALLIBILITY ARE BLINDED BY THE GLARE OF THEIR OWN PRIDE.

Many humans stare at the path of life with blinders covering the sides of their eyes, facing forward, choosing to ignore any possibility that they are traveling toward the edge of a cliff. But the true believers question every aspect of their faith, forcing themselves to find answers instead of simply following the lead of others.

THE DEEPEST DOUBT BUILDS THE STRONGEST FAITH.

The Illuminati's religious foundation is based upon this universal conundrum of faith and doubt. We do not question whether a god does or does not exist, but rather focus on the betterment of the human people living on this planet.

For if a god does exist, then surely its power has allowed the Illuminati to continue our operations, and we have survived centuries of time through its approval. Our decisions are made by the study of data and evidence — factors that can be easily altered by an omniscient creature in order to guide our actions and the future of mankind.

If no god exists, our actions still benefit the human species as a biological whole. If a god does exist, then our work for the betterment of all creation will be pleasing to its creator.

BE WARY OF EVILS COMMITTED IN OUR NAME.

A multitude of individuals have operated under the name of the Illuminati — some for good, but many more for their own profit. Their deceit clouds public perception of our organization, causing many citizens to believe that wrongdoings are committed by our command.

Choose carefully where you place your belief. Be wary of anyone who claims to represent the Illuminati but whose actions go against our core beliefs. These are merely impostors seeking to confuse you.

For anyone to claim that the Illuminati is affiliated with a religious belief — be it God or Satan, Baphomet or Baal — undermines the very purpose of our independence from human divisions. We neither accept nor deny any deity and hold none to be higher than any other.

We operate solely for the benefit of the human species we have been entrusted to protect. There is no reason for our organization to swear fealty to any deity because we operate independently of all that separates and divides the people we govern.

Even more heinous rumors have been attributed to our organization, including human sacrifices and violent rituals. While our individual members are allowed to serve any deity they choose, the Illuminati as a whole is only dedicated to the preservation of the human species.

Therefore, human sacrifices or any practice that does not serve the betterment of mankind would counter everything we represent, and are thus prohibited in all circumstances. While many have attributed such actions to our members, such connections are false.

IF YOU ARE WILLING TO SELL YOUR SOUL, YOUR SOUL IS NOT YET WORTH ENOUGH TO SELL.

There is no requirement to sell one’s soul to join our organization — as if such a thing were even possible. Anyone offering to trade their soul to us is not ready for membership.

Miracles, witchcraft, and the belief in unseen powers that can alter the physical world have some basis in truth. We have confirmed the existence of unseen powers on this planet, though these energies emanate from the minds of each human in the form of invisible waves powered by the subconscious.

For centuries, many paranormal occurrences have been attributed to the supernatural. Closer study reveals that the human mind contains energies that have not yet been discovered by traditional science, and have been decried in modern-day society.

This skepticism is needed: if all people knew of the power living inside themselves, havoc would befall a population that has not yet been prepared for such a responsibility.

Do not concern yourself with questions that cannot be proven. Must a god exist for you to do what is right? Would an all-intelligent, all-knowing, all-powerful god have any care for the name used in its worship? Would a god command the harm of another when its justice can be served without your aid? Simply do what is right and good for the benefit of your species, and whatever higher power exists will reward you for your stewardship.

When measuring the eternal vastness of the universe, there is a mathematic probability that a being exists that is more intelligent than us, who sees what we do and whose powers we can never understand. Whatever name this being is called, we are its servants, and will hail it as our highest king.