False: The Freemasons control the world.

Context

Freemasonry has been a feature in many conspiracy theories for over a century. The primary underlying claim within these conspiracies is that the Freemasons are nefarious actors looking to control the world and enslave humanity. 

A claim that has gained traction recently on Facebook and TikTok alleges that John D. Rockefeller wrote a Masonic creed related to Freemasonry that gives instructions on how to control society. 

In Fact

There is no evidence that Freemasons control the world. This is a known conspiracy, often referred to as the Masonic Conspiracy, that is baseless and similar to other New World Order conspiracies.

As mentioned by Encyclopedia Britannica, Freemasons follow the Fraternal Order of Free and Accepted Masons, which evolved from medieval stonemasons' guilds and cathedral builders. While initially focused on stone masonry, today, it is a club for social networking and making friends and contacts. It is a non-religious and non-political organization. Freemasonry keeps many of its rituals secret and is often criticized as elitist, which has resulted in it becoming the focus of various conspiracies. Freemasonry has also played a significant role in architectural history, as many workers involved in the construction of the White House were Freemasons, as mentioned by the White House Historical Association and the Irish architect James Hoban. 

The Freemason conspiracy hosts various claims that support the belief that a shadow government of Freemasons controls the world. Conspiracy theorists support this by alleging that secret messages are communicated through the media and that notable figures are involved in the Freemason's system of control. As mentioned by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, conspiracies about the New World Order often include antisemitic narratives, such as the world being run by Jewish elites. Random events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, are interpreted as a planned method of control.

John D. Rockefeller did not write a Masonic creed, nor is there any evidence he was a Freemason. This claim was fact-checked by Snopes and Lead Stories and found false. Snopes pointed out that the Masonic creed mentioned video games that were not invented at the time of Rockefeller's death and that the text seems to have originated from the website Bankindex.com in 2002 by an anonymous author. They also stated that the text rehashes the same New World Order conspiracy points that have been around for centuries. Lead Stories reached out to the Rockefeller Archive Center, which referred them to resources that detailed Rockerfeller's personal beliefs and contributions. However, Lead Stories found no documents within the resources that tied Rockefeller to Freemasonry. There is no evidence that Rockefeller had ties to Freemasonry or that he wrote this alleged Masonic creed. 

Other claims about Freemasonry are equally baseless and unsubstantiated, with no evidence that Freemasons are nefariously controlling the world. Freemason and historian Jay Kinney told National Geographic in 2009 that Masonic symbols aren't unique to Freemasonry, such as the pentagram, which is much older. He also addressed claims about Freemasons ruling the world and stated that there's little coordination between grand lodges and that some even refuse to recognize each other's existence internationally. He further discussed how many Freemasons are independent and resist mandates from above, making a single hierarchy impossible. 

Previous fact-checks by Logically have looked into other claims that the Freemasons are behind nefarious schemes and found them false. This includes a fact check on a claim that Freemasons are trying to microchip children in Georgia, which was found to be a misunderstanding related to the name of a program related to finding missing children. 

The Verdict

The claim that Freemasons have controlled the world has circulated for decades and is a known conspiracy theory. There is no substance or evidence of this being true. Therefore, we have marked this claim as false.