As far as I know, the pyramid with the (to name it correctly) "All Seeing Eye" in a triangle has nothing to do with the Austrian Illuminati of Adam Weishaupt.
This is a symbol of the English Freemasonry to which famous people such as Benjamin Franklin and George Washington belonged. The All Seeing Eye in a triangle is a pictorial representation of God the Freemasons name between themselves the "Great Architect of the Universe".
That's why this pyramyd and the All Seeing Eye are not at all in contradiction with the motto "In God We Trust", quite on the contrary. Believing in God is one of the conditions of entering the universal Freemasonery as member.
However, it exists a minority of foreign Masonic lodges inspired by French revolutionarian leftist ideology whose admission in it require to be atheist, and even anti-clerical. Such is the case of the French Grand Orient De France (GODF), Grand Loge de France and Loge Opera. These last atheist lodges (which counts altogether about 80,000 to 130,000 members) and the official speculative Freemasonery of English origin, which count several millions members troughout the world, do not entertain good relationship with each other. Masonic lodges and Masonic membership are forbiden in some countries ruled by authoritarian regimes.
The first Grand Lodge in Freemasonry was founded in 1717 when four existing Lodges met at the Goose & Gridiron Alehouse in London to form the governing body.
Generally to be a regular Freemason, one must:
- Be a man who comes of his own free will.
- Traditionally Freemasons do not actively recruit new members.
- Believe in a Supreme Being, or, in a few jurisdictions, a Creative Principle.
- Be at least the minimum age (18–25 years depending on the jurisdiction, but commonly 21).
- Be of sound mind, body and of good morals, and of good repute.
- Be free (or "born free", i.e. not born a slave or bondsman).
- Have one or two references from current Masons (depending on jurisdiction).
Freemasons collect money internally which is attributed to charitable purposes. A number of structures exist within Freemasonry to disburse this money, a proportion of which goes to non-Masonic charities either locally or on a provincial or national basis.
Masonic charities include:
- Homes which provide sheltered housing or nursing care.
- Education with both educational grants[29] or residential education which are open to all and not limited to the families of Freemasons.
- Medical assistance.
A great schism in Freemasonry did occur, however, in the years following 1877, when the Grand Orient de France (GOdF) started accepting atheists unreservedly. While the issue of atheism is probably the greatest single factor in the split with the GOdF, the English also point to the French recognition of women's Masonry and co-Masonry, as well as the tendency of French Masons to be more willing to discuss religion and politics in Lodge. While the French curtail such discussion, they do not ban it as outright as do the English. The schism between the two branches has occasionally been breached for short periods of time, especially during the First World War when American Masons overseas wanted to be able to visit French Lodges.
Concerning religious requirements, the oldest constitution found in Freemasonry — that of Anderson, 1723 — says that a Mason "will never be a stupid Atheist nor an irreligious Libertine" if he "rightly understands the Art". The only religious requirement was "that Religion in which all Men agree, leaving their particular Opinions to themselves". Masons debate as to whether "stupid" and "irreligious" are meant as necessary, or as accidental, modifiers of "atheist" and "libertine". It is possible the ambiguity is intentional.