Lucifer has not been a name for Satan, especially in Biblical times. It has only been a few hundred years since it entered the lexicon as a word for
the devil or a demon, and was not popularized until it was used by Milton in his
Paradise Lost. There is only one Biblical mention of Lucifer
and it has nothing to do with the devil. In
Isaiah 14:12 Lucifer is used as a synonym for the Morning Star, or the appearance of Venus in the
morning sky. The parable is about how King Tiglath-pileser III thinks that he, in his arrogance, is equal to the Morning Star, something obviously
vaunted and sacred. The Lord brings the king low and shows that those who exalt themselves as being great, while persecuting the chosen people of the
Lord (Israelites) shall be punished. In this sense the Morning Star is seen as something mighty, something a king would try to emulate, not an
embodiment of darkness and evil. Indeed, Lucifer was used as a word for light or knowledge and truth, something you would think would be the opposite
of the devil. Lucifer was used as a surname for goddessess such as Aurora and Artemis, reknowned for their beauty and learning. There is no true
agreeance on what Lucifer is thought of currently. Sometimes Lucifer is regarded as a seperate entity from satan, and sometimes as having nothing to
do with him.
Lucifer, the Luciferian Path, or the energies of Lucifer are rarely mentioned in Masonic writings, the only instances where they come up are in the
works of Albert Pike and other Masonic Scholars a century ago. Back then, the word Lucifer had not become synonymous with the Devil and was used as a
reference to the Light Bearer or in a Quest for Light. They seek the opposite of what the devil wants, Truth, Knowledge, Learning, Light, and
Honor.
As for your Masonic "quote," I am not sure where it is and who it is attributed to. And as for the passage about Satan, it seems to be a blend of
the stories of satan's fall and Prometheus myths and in all, quite fictional. Actually, come to think of it your quote has a Gnostic ring to it, a
story of a god who was cast away, and created humanity, in which case Masons would seek the truth of the higher reality, rather than live in the lie
that is the world.
And now to good old Adam Weishaupt, founder of the Bavarian Illuminati. Dead for two hundred years along with his cult. And while the group, in its
short lived history was known as a mischevious and controversial society, Weishaupt did say
"Whoever does not close his ear to the lamentations of the miserable, nor his heart to gentle pity; whoever is the friend and brother of the
unfortunate; whoever has a heart capable of love and friendship; whoever is steadfast in adversity, unwearied in the carrying out of whatever has been
once engaged in, undaunted in the overcoming of difficulties; whoever does not mock and despise the weak; whose soul is susceptible of conceiving
great designs, desirous of rising superior to all base motives, and of distinguishing itself by deeds of benevolence; whoever shuns idleness; whoever
considers no knowledge as unessential which he may have the opportunity of acquiring, regarding the knowledge of mankind as his chief study; whoever,
when truth and virtue are in question, despising the approbation of the multitude, is sufficiently courageous to follow the dictates of his own heart,
- such a one is a proper candidate." 5
No tell me, where in that passage is satanism? Hmmm? The charter of it was to, and I quote, "by the mutual assistance of its members, to attain the
highest possible degree of morality and virtue, and to lay the foundation for the reformation of the world by the association of good men to oppose
the progress of moral evil."
Once again, I ask you: How is that Satanic? In my opinion it is quite the opposite, but some people have different opinions on attaining morality and
virtue, and opposing moral evil.
All this aside, the Illuminati had little to do with Masons, and after 1785 pretty much went extinct. It's lack of existance did little to dissuade
conspiracy theorists and anti-masons that there was a secret satanic organization controlling the world, a laughable notion surely. The Illuminati
were nothing more than a short-lived group of men who, for some reason, garnered the hate and prejudice of many.
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