Editing Secret society (section)

==Definitions==
The exact qualifications for labeling a group a secret society are disputed, but definitions generally rely on the degree to which the organization insists on secrecy and might involve the retention and transmission of secret knowledge, the denial of membership or knowledge of the group, the creation of personal bonds between members of the organization, and the use of secret rites or rituals.

[[Anthropology|Anthropologically]] and [[historically]], secret societies have been deeply interlinked with the concept of the [[Männerbund]], the all-male "warrior-band" or "warrior-society" of pre-modern cultures (see H. Schurtz, ''Alterklassen und Männerbünde'', Berlin, 1902; [[Arnold van Gennep|A. Van Gennep]], ''The Rites of Passage'', Chicago, 1960).

A purported "[[family tree]] of secret societies" has been proposed, although it may not be comprehensive.<ref>Stevens (1899), p. vii.</ref>

[[Alan Axelrod]], author of the ''International Encyclopedia of Secret Societies and Fraternal Orders'',<ref>Checkmark Books (1998), {{ISBN|0816038716}}</ref> defines a secret society as an organization that:
* is exclusive
* claims to own special secrets
* shows a strong inclination to favor its members.

Historian [[Richard B. Spence]]<ref>Spence, Richard B. ''The Real History of Secret Societies'' (2019), [[The Great Courses]]</ref> of the [[University of Idaho]] offered a similar three-pronged definition: 
* The group's existence is usually not kept secret, but some beliefs or practices are concealed from the public and require an oath of secrecy and loyalty to learn.
* The group promises superior status or knowledge to members. 
* The group's membership is in some way restrictive, such as by [[Race (human categorization)|race]], [[sex]], [[religious affiliation]], or [[Invitation system|invitation]] only.
Spence also proposes a sub-category of "[[Elite]] Secret Societies" (composed of high-income or socially [[Social influence|influential]] people) and notes that secret societies have a frequent if not universal tendency towards factionalism, [[Intragroup conflict|infighting]], and claiming origins older than can be reliably documented. Spence's definition includes groups traditionally thought of as secret societies ([[Freemasons]] and [[Rosicrucians]]) and other groups not so traditionally classified such as certain organized crime cabals ([[Sicilian Mafia|the Mafia]]), religious groups ([[Order of Assassins]] and [[Thelema]]) and political movements ([[Bolshevik]]s and [[Black Dragon Society]]).

Historian [[Jasper Ridley (historian)|Jasper Ridley]] says that [[Freemasonry]] is "the world's most powerful secret Society".<ref>{{cite book|author=Jasper Ridley|title=The Freemasons: A History of the World's Most Powerful Secret Society|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h7q3VIZCiwQC|year=2011|publisher=Arcade|isbn=978-1-61145-010-1}}  see also Jeffers, H. Paul. ''Freemasons: A History and Exploration of the World's Oldest Secret Society.'' (Citadel Press, 2005).</ref>

The organization "[[Opus Dei]]" ([[Ecclesiastical Latin|Latin]] for "Work of God") is portrayed as a "secret society"<ref>{{Cite book|last=Walsh|first=Michael|title=OPUS DEI: An Investigation into the Secret Society Struggling for Power within the Roman Catholic Church}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Secret Society: Opus Dei - Catholicism's Secret Sect}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Their Kingdom Come: Inside the Secret World of Opus Dei}}</ref> of the [[Catholic Church]]. Critics such as the [[Jesuits|Jesuit]] [[Wlodimir Ledóchowski|Wladimir Ledóchowski]] sometimes refer to Opus Dei as a Catholic (or [[Christians|Christian]] or "[[White race|white]]") form of [[Freemasonry]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Beyond the Threshold|url=https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/first/t/tapia-threshold.html|access-date=30 March 2018|website=archive.nytimes.com|archive-date=13 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180813044440/https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/first/t/tapia-threshold.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|author=Preston, Paul|title=The triumph of democracy in Spain|date=1986|publisher=Methuen|isbn=9780416900101|location=London|pages=28|oclc=14586560}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|author=Harding, Nick|title=Secret societies|date=2005|publisher=Chartwell Books, Inc|isbn=9780785821700|location=Edison, N.J.|pages=107|oclc=78244509}}</ref><ref>{{citation|title=Geheimbünde Freimaurer und Illuminaten, Opus Dei und Schwarze Hand|date=2015|page=54|location=Reinbek|publisher=Rowohlt Taschenbuch|language=de|isbn=9783499630491|surname1=Hesse, Alexander}}</ref><ref>{{citation|title=Die Geheimnisse des Vatikan : Eine andere Geschichte der Papststadt|date=2012|page=415|edition=1., neue Ausg|location=München|publisher=Beck, C H|language=de|isbn=9783406630927|last=Augias|first=Corrado|author-link=Corrado Augias}}</ref> Other critics label Opus Dei as "Holy Mafia"<ref name="Pilapil 1971 211–221">{{Cite journal|last=Pilapil|first=Vicente R.|date=1971|title=Opus Dei in Spain|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/40394504|journal=The World Today|volume=27|issue=5|pages=211–221|jstor=40394504|issn=0043-9134|access-date=22 July 2021|archive-date=28 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210628041648/https://www.jstor.org/stable/40394504|url-status=live}}</ref> or "Santa Mafia"<ref>{{Cite news|last=SPIEGEL|first=Peter Hertel, DER|title=Vatikan intern: Der Aufstieg der Santa Mafia|url=https://www.spiegel.de/spiegelspecial/a-350114.html|access-date=16 June 2021|newspaper=Der Spiegel|date=7 April 2005|language=de|archive-date=22 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210722060951/https://www.spiegel.de/spiegelspecial/a-350114.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[National Christian Association]] (1868–1983) is an example of an organization opposed to secret societies.<ref name="Fuerbringer1927">{{cite book |last1=Fuerbringer |first1=Ludwig |title=The Concordia Cyclopedia: A Handbook of Religious Information, with Special Reference to the History, Doctrine, Work, and Usages of the Lutheran Church |date=1927 |publisher=Concordia Publishing House |location=St. Louis, Missouri |pages=532–33 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nH5OAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA532 |access-date=11 October 2024 |language=en}} {{Source-attribution}}</ref>