Is there really a group Illuminati?

Answer 1

Frankly, this is difficult to answer. Here's why:

Back in 1776, a gentleman from Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany named Adam Weishaupt started up an organization. One of the names he gave this organization was the Order of Illuminati. Weishaupt strove to overthrow the oppressive monarchy and to end the control the Catholic Church had over the government. The problem came when the Church and monarchy became aware of Weishaupt and his agenda. The organization was disbanded, and Weishaupt ran away to another region where he died in 1830.

Since then, the Illuminati has been used as a boogeyman to scare the gullible and disenfranchised into believing the government (various governments) was out to kill them. The Illuminati have been accused of everything from starting the French Revolution to weather control to contact with and hiding extraterrestrials. Essentially any conspiracy theory can now fit neatly within the phantasmal tormentor of the Illuminati.

Now, with all that in mind, a number of organization have sprung up in recent years, many of which claim ancestry with the original Illuminati, but who cannot provide any even remotely conclusive evidence to support the claim. Many of these organizations seek membership fees and other funds from those seeking to become affiliated with an organization that promises success to its members. The only thing that those organizations I've found claiming connection to the Order of Illuminati are capable is separating the gullible from their money, and the only success they can guarantee is their own as long as people line up to give them money.