THE OCCULT INDEX

THE APOCALYPSE

2008-12-02T16:14:00.000-08:00

APOCALYPTIC PROPHECIES, PARTICULARLY CHRISTIAN APOCALYPTIC AND ESCHATALOGICAL CLAIMS ABOUT THE END TIMES, THE LAST JUDGMENT, AND THE END OF THE WORLD HAVE INSPIRED A RANGE OF CONSPIRACY THEORIES. MANY OF THESE DEAL WITH THE ANTICHRIST. THIS ANTICHRIST, ALSO KNOWN AS THE BEAST 666, IS SUPPOSED TO BE A LEADER WHO WILL CREATE A WORLD EMPIRE AND OPPRESS CHRISTIANS (AND, IN SOME READINGS, JEWS AS WELL). IN APOCALYPTIC CONSPIRACY THEORY, SOME PERSON FROM CURRENT EVENTS IS ALLEGED TO BE THE ANTICHRIST, AND SOME SUPRANATURAL ORGANIZATION IS ALLEGED TO BE THE ANTICHRIST'S WORLD ORGANIZATION OF EVIL.

COUNTLESS HISTORICAL FIGURES HAVE BEEN CALLED "ANTICHRIST" IN THEIR TIMES, FROM THE ROMAN EMPEROR NERO TO RONALD REAGAN TO JAVIER SOLANA. AT TIMES, APOCALYPTIC SPECULATION HAS MIXED WITH ANTI-CATHOLICISM TO YIELD THE INTERPRETATION THAT THE REIGNING POPE IS THE BIBLICAL ANTICHRIST. A MORE RECENT CONSPIRATORIAL INTERPRETATION SEES THE ANTICHRIST AS A WORLD LEADER INVOLVED WITH THE UNITED NATIONS, WHO WILL CREATE A ONE WORLD GOVERNMENT (AKA NEW WORLD ORDER) AND ESTABLISH A SINGLE MONETARY SYSTEM. THE LATTER IS IDENTIFIED WITH THE MARK OF THE BEAST, WHICH THE BIBLE STATES THAT PEOPLE IN THE END TIMES WILL NEED IN ORDER TO CONDUCT TRADE.

TWO NATIONS OFTEN INVOLVED IN APOCALYPTIC CONSPIRACY THEORIES ARE ISRAEL AND IRAQ. THE FORMER IS THE LOCATION OF BOTH THE TEMPLE MOUNT AND ARMAGEDDON (MEGIDDO), PLACES SEEN AS IMPORTANT IN PROPHECY. THE LATTER IS THE ANCIENT LOCATION OF BABYLON, WHICH ALSO FIGURES IN THE BOOK OF REVELATION. DURING THE GULF WAR, SOME SUGGESTED THAT SADDAM HUSSEIN HAD ORDERED THE EXCAVATION AND REPOPULATION OF THE CITY OF BABYLON, THUS CASTING SADDAM AS AN ANTICHRIST FIGURE. OTHER INTERPRETATIONS HAVE HELD THAT "BABYLON" IN THE BOOK OF REVELATION REFERS TO ANOTHER MIGHTY NATION, SUCH AS THE ROMAN EMPIRE, THE VATICAN (IN ROME) AND THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, OR MORE RECENTLY THE SOVIET UNION OR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

THE LOCHNESS MONSTER

2008-12-02T15:59:00.000-08:00

THE LOCH NESS MONSTER IS AN ALLEGED CREATURE PURPORTEDLY INHABITING LOCH NESS IN SCOTLAND. POPULAR INTEREST AND BELIEF IN THE ANIMAL HAS FLUCTUATED SINCE IT WAS BROUGHT TO THE WORLD'S ATTENTION IN 1933. EVIDENCE OF ITS EXISTENCE IS LARGELY ANECDOTAL, WITH MINIMAL AND MUCH DISPUTED PHOTOGRAPHIC MATERIAL AND SONAR READINGS. THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY REGARDS THE LOCH NESS MONSTER AS A MODERN-DAY MYTH, AND EXPLAINS SIGHTINGS AS A MIX OF HOAXES AND WISHFUL THINKING. DESPITE THIS, IT REMAINS ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS EXAMPLES OF CRYPTOZOOLOGY. THE LEGENDARY MONSTER HAS BEEN AFFECTIONATELY REFERRED TO BY THE DIMINUTIVE NESSIE SINCE THE 1950S.

THE SKULL & BONES SOCIETY

2008-12-02T15:51:00.003-08:00

SKULL AND BONES IS AN ELITE SECRET SOCIETY BASED AT YALE UNIVERSITY, IN NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT. THE SOCIETY'S ALUMNI ORGANIZATION, WHICH OWNS THE SOCIETY'S REAL PROPERTY AND OVERSEES THE ORGANIZATION'S ACTIVITY, IS KNOWN AS THE RUSSELL TRUST ASSOCIATION, AND IS NAMED AFTER GENERAL WILLIAM HUNTINGTON RUSSELL[1] FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE BONES' ORGANIZATION ALONG WITH FELLOW CLASSMATE ALPHONSO TAFT. IN CONVERSATION, THE GROUP IS KNOWN AS "BONES", AND MEMBERS HAVE BEEN KNOWN AS "BONESMEN".
THE SECRECY SURROUNDING SKULL AND BONES HAS BEEN A FERTILE GROUND FOR SPECULATION, AND ALL SORTS OF CONSPIRACY THEORIES INCLUDE SKULL AND BONES. THE SOCIETY IS SUPPOSED TO HAVE ILLICIT CONNECTIONS TO THE CIA, ILLUMINATI, BILDERBERGERS, AND/OR FREEMASONS.
IT WAS ONCE REFERRED TO AS THE BROTHERHOOD OF DEATH, BUT A MORE COMMON ALTERNATIVE NAME WAS EULOGIA. THE ONLY "CHAPTER" OF SKULL AND BONES CREATED OUTSIDE YALE WAS A CHAPTER AT WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY IN 1870. THAT CHAPTER, THE BETA OF SKULL & BONES, BECAME INDEPENDENT IN 1872 IN A DISPUTE OVER CONTROL OVER CREATING ADDITIONAL CHAPTERS; THE BETA CHAPTER RECONSTITUTED ITSELF AS THETA NU EPSILON.
THE EMBLEM OF SKULL AND BONES IS A SKULL WITH CROSSED BONES, OVER THE NUMBER "322". SOME HAVE SPECULATED THAT 322 STANDS FOR "FOUNDED IN '32, 2ND CORPS", REFERRING TO A FIRST CORPS IN SOME UNKNOWN GERMAN UNIVERSITY WHICH HAS NEVER BEEN FOUND. OTHERS SUGGEST THAT 322 REFERS TO THE ERA OF DEMOSTHENES AND THAT DOCUMENTS IN THE SOCIETY HALL HAVE PURPORTEDLY BEEN FOUND DATED TO "ANNO-DEMOSTHENI".

9/11 TERRORIST ATTACKS

2008-12-02T15:51:00.001-08:00

CONSPIRACY THEORIES PROPOSED BY SOME GROUPS CLAIM THAT 9/11 WAS PART OF AN INTERNATIONAL ZIONIST CONSPIRACY. ACCORDING TO THE ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE, "ANTI-SEMITIC CONSPIRACY THEORIES HAVE NOT BEEN ACCEPTED IN MAINSTREAM CIRCLES IN THE U.S.," BUT "THIS IS NOT THE CASE IN THE ARAB AND MUSLIM WORLD." THE ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE HAS PUBLISHED A PAPER, UNRAVELING ANTI-SEMITIC 9/11 CONSPIRACY THEORIES, IDENTIFYING THE CLAIMS MADE AND RESPONDING TO THEM.

ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR CLAIMS IN THESE THEORIES IS THAT 4,000 JEWISH EMPLOYEES SKIPPED WORK AT THE WTC ON SEPTEMBER 11. THIS WAS FIRST REPORTED ON SEPTEMBER 17 BY THE LEBANESE HEZBOLLAH-OWNED SATELLITE TELEVISION CHANNEL AL-MANAR AND IS BELIEVED TO BE BASED ON THE SEPTEMBER 12 EDITION OF THE JERUSALEM POST THAT STATED "THE FOREIGN MINISTRY IN JERUSALEM HAS SO FAR RECEIVED THE NAMES OF 4,000 ISRAELIS BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN IN THE AREAS OF THE WORLD TRADE CENTER AND THE PENTAGON AT THE TIME OF THE ATTACKS.".[158] BOTH TURNED OUT TO BE INCORRECT; THE NUMBER OF JEWS WHO DIED IN THE ATTACKS IS VARIOUSLY ESTIMATED AT BETWEEN 270 TO 400. THE LOWER FIGURE TRACKS CLOSELY WITH THE PERCENTAGE OF JEWS LIVING IN THE NEW YORK AREA AND PARTIAL SURVEYS OF THE VICTIMS' LISTED RELIGION. THE US STATE DEPARTMENT HAS PUBLISHED A PARTIAL LIST OF 76 IN RESPONSE TO CLAIMS THAT FEWER JEWS/ISRAELIS DIED IN THE WTC ATTACKS THAN SHOULD HAVE BEEN PRESENT AT THE TIME. [163] FIVE ISRAELI CITIZENS DIED IN THE ATTACK, INCLUDING ONE WHO WAS KILLED FIGHTING HIS AIRPLANE'S HIIJACKERS.

SEVERAL WEBSITES OF THE 9/11 TRUTH MOVEMENT HAVE WORKED TO DEBUNK THE ANTI-SEMITIC CLAIMS AND EXPOSE WEBSITES AND INDIVIDUALS ENGAGING IN ANTI-SEMITISM AND HOLOCAUST DENIAL.[165] ON THE INTERNET, AL-QAEDA LEADER AYMAN AL-ZAWAHIRI HAS INDIGNANTLY DENIED THE RUMOUR AND ATTACKED SHIAS, HEZBOLLAH AND IRAN FOR SPREADING IT, CLAIMING, “THE OBJECTIVE BEHIND THIS LIE IS TO DENY THAT THE SUNNIS HAVE HEROES WHO HARM AMERICA AS NO ONE HAS HARMED IT THROUGHOUT ITS HISTORY.” AND THAT IRAN'S AIM IS TO COVER UP ITS INVOLVEMENT IN THE INVADING OF IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN

THE JFK ASSASINATION

2008-12-02T15:42:00.000-08:00

ANOTHER POSSIBLE CULPRIT WAS THE MAFIA, IN RETALIATION FOR THE INCREASING PRESSURE PUT UPON THEM BY ROBERT KENNEDY (WHO HAD INCREASED BY 12 TIMES THE NUMBER OF PROSECUTIONS UNDER PRESIDENT DWIGHT EISENHOWER). DOCUMENTS NEVER SEEN BY THE WARREN COMMISSION HAVE REVEALED THAT THE MAFIA WAS WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH THE CIA ON SEVERAL ASSASSINATION ATTEMPTS OF FIDEL CASTRO.[70] FRANK SINATRA HAS BEEN ACCUSED OF BEING A "GO-BETWEEN" FOR THE MAFIA AND THE KENNEDYS.[71] IN ADDITION, ALLEGEDLY THE MAFIA HAD FUNNELED THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS TO THE KENNEDY PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN THROUGH BACK CHANNELS, SUPPOSEDLY IN EXCHANGE FOR INFLUENCE IN THE WHITE HOUSE; IN ONE INSTANCE, THE MONEY WAS SUPPOSEDLY USED TO PAY OFF COUNTY SHERIFFS IN THE STATE OF WEST VIRGINIA SO THAT THE PUBLISHED SLATE OF LOCAL CANDIDATES INCLUDED KENNEDY FOR THE WEST VIRGINIA PRIMARY, DESPITE THE FACT THAT THE WHITE HOUSE DOES NOT HAVE DIRECT AND IMMEDIATE AUTHORITY OVER SHERIFFS IN WEST VIRGINIA. IT IS ALSO THEORIZED THAT THE CHICAGO MOB HELPED FIX THE ELECTION RETURNS IN THE CITY SO THAT KENNEDY WOULD WIN ILLINOIS' ELECTORAL VOTES, PARTLY AS A FAVOR TO JFK'S FATHER, JOSEPH KENNEDY, AND THAT THEY LATER FELT BETRAYED BY THE PRESSURE PUT UPON THE MOB BY THE KENNEDY ADMINISTRATION.

MOON LANDING HOAX

2008-12-02T15:16:00.001-08:00

SEVERAL MOTIVES ARE GIVEN BY HOAX PROPONENTS FOR THE U.S. GOVERNMENT TO FAKE THE MOON LANDINGS,

1. COLD-WAR PRESTIGE — THE U.S. GOVERNMENT CONSIDERED IT VITAL THAT THE U.S. WIN THE SPACE RACE AGAINST THE SOVIET UNION. GOING TO THE MOON WAS RISKY AND EXPENSIVE (JOHN F. KENNEDY FAMOUSLY SAID THAT THE U.S. CHOSE TO GO BECAUSE IT WAS HARD).[10] DESPITE CLOSE MONITORING BY THE SOVIET UNION, BILL KAYSING BELIEVES THAT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN EASIER FOR THE U.S. TO FAKE IT, AND CONSEQUENTLY GUARANTEE SUCCESS, THAN FOR THE U.S. ACTUALLY TO GO.
2. MONEY — NASA RAISED APPROXIMATELY $30 BILLION TO GO TO THE MOON. BILL KAYSING THINKS THAT THIS AMOUNT COULD HAVE BEEN USED TO PAY OFF A LARGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE, PROVIDING SIGNIFICANT MOTIVATION FOR COMPLICITY.
3. RISK — THIS ARGUMENT ASSUMES THAT THE PROBLEMS EARLY IN THE SPACE PROGRAM WERE INSURMOUNTABLE, EVEN BY A TECHNOLOGY TEAM FULLY MOTIVATED AND FUNDED TO FIX THE PROBLEMS. KAYSING CLAIMED THAT THE CHANCE OF A SUCCESSFUL LANDING ON THE MOON WAS CALCULATED TO BE 0.017%.
4. DISTRACTION — ACCORDING TO HOAX PROPONENTS, THE U.S. GOVERNMENT BENEFITED FROM A POPULAR DISTRACTION FROM THE VIETNAM WAR. LUNAR ACTIVITIES SUDDENLY STOPPED, WITH PLANNED MISSIONS CANCELLED, AROUND THE SAME TIME THAT THE U.S. CEASED ITS INVOLVEMENT IN THE VIETNAM WAR. (HOWEVER, THE APOLLO PROGRAM WAS CANCELLED SEVERAL YEARS BEFORE THE VIETNAM WAR ENDED.)
5. DELIVERING THE PROMISE — TO SEEMINGLY FULFILL PRESIDENT KENNEDY'S 1961 PROMISE "TO ACHIEVING THE GOAL, BEFORE THIS DECADE IS OUT, OF LANDING A MAN ON THE MOON AND RETURNING HIM SAFELY TO THE EARTH."