[Craic] FW: Thinking about conspiracy theories and Censorship

[Arthur Blomme]

Hi David

As I was the only participant at this Saturday's craic who is regularly 
accused of conspiracy theorizing I assume the article is directed to me 
and requires a responce.  I previously read this dumb article designed 
to shame people who see the logical flaws in the conventional narrative 
of social reality.  Forest bases his claims on his experience in grade 
school where in a debate he convinced his class mates that the USA did 
not land on the moon. He quotes  First Corinthians " when I was a child 
... I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I set aside childish 
ways." My reading of his thesis is  "conspiracy  theories" are childish 
thinking for one of the three reasons outlined below in David's summary.

Forest's operational definition of Conspiracy Theory *“a well-organized 
effort initiated by an elite group of powerful men and women secretly 
working toward a singular goal or vision that often involves 
collaboration between government agencies and the media." *According to 
this definition If I were to suggest the billionaire class have colluded 
with government and media to increase their wealth in 2020 by 34.2% I 
should be accused of childish conspiracy thinking.

The concept of conspiracy theory is an effective propaganda tool  
devised to discredit any discussion of State Crimes Against Democracy 
<https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0002764209353272> even if 
they have merit with fantastic claims of dubious merit often created by 
the propagandists themselves.   Theologian David Ray Griffin in his 2010 
book _Cognitive Infiltration: An Obama Appointee's Plan to Undermine the 
9/11 Conspiracy Theory_ 
<https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9236729-cognitive-infiltration#:~:text=Cognitive%20Infiltration%3A%20An%20Obama%20Appointee%27s%20Plan%20to%20Undermine,in%20cognitive%20infiltration%20of%20these%20groups%20in%20>  
reports on an office in the Obama administration that used precisely the 
formulation of dubious 911 narratives to confound any criminal 
investigation of 911.

I agree with Forest when he quotes St. Paul , “Don’t be gullible. Check 
out everything, and keep only what’s good. Throw out anything tainted by 
evil”  Francis says in Laudato Si. “Technocracy conditions our 
lifestyles and the social possibilities to suit the interests of certain 
powerful groups” Francis is saying that certain powerful groups are 
conditioning our beliefs about social reality. Conspiracy Theory?  
Griffin and Cornell West both say that as Christians we have to confront 
the reality of evil.

For me childish thinking is generalizing and labeling people who don't 
agree with us as Conspiracy Theorists,  accepting the conventional 
narrative and the demonization of critical thinking that takes us out of 
our comfort zone.

Regards Art

1/24/21 7:33 a.m., David Walsh via craic wrote:

> This article considers some points we discussed in our CRAIC 
> conversation yesterday. A few summary points are outlined below if you 
> don’t have time to read the full article.
>
> *Subject:**Why Your Christian Friends and Family Members Are So Easily 
> Fooled by Conspiracy Theories | by Joe Forrest | Interfaith Now | Medium*
>
> Why Your Christian Friends and Family Members Are So Easily Fooled by 
> Conspiracy Theories | by Joe Forrest | Interfaith Now | Medium 
> <https://medium.com/interfaith-now/why-your-christian-friends-and-family-members-are-so-easily-fooled-by-conspiracy-theories-5c36a835ef07>
>
> *Summary Points*
>
> While most conspiracy theories are driven by partisan agendas 
> <https://misinforeview.hks.harvard.edu/article/why-do-people-believe-covid-19-conspiracy-theories/>, 
> they’re not one and the same. You can have a right- or left-leaning 
> perspective on current events and /not/ be guilty of spreading 
> unfounded conspiracy theories — this is an important distinction to 
> make. (And, it should be noted, while my exposure to conspiracy 
> theories is conditional upon my social environment — conservative and 
> evangelical — liberal democrats have their own pet conspiracy theories 
> <https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2014/08/21/conspiracy-theories-arent-just-for-conservatives/>).
>
> For the sake of my argument, by /*conspiracy theory*/ I mean, *the 
> assumption that “a well-organized effort initiated by an elite group 
> of powerful men and women secretly working toward a singular goal or 
> vision that often involves collaboration between government agencies 
> and the media.*”
>
> I’m talking about conspiracy theories related to false flag attacks 
> <https://www.vox.com/2018/10/25/18018606/false-flags-clinton-soros-alex-jones-infowars-cnn>, 
> Deep State, Illuminati, Freemasons, QAnon, Flat Earth, shadow 
> government, or any other belief system that hinges on *the assumption 
> that much of our lives are controlled by plots hatched in secret 
> places by a select few individuals.
>
> *
>
> In a sense, most conspiracy theories aren’t much different than the 
> “mystery cults <https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/myst/hd_myst.htm>” 
> the apostle Paul had to contend with at the city of Ephesus 
> <https://doctrine.org/pauls-mystery>. Mystery cults were very common 
> in Ancient Rome, and they attracted followers by promising to reveal 
> the “mysteries of the universe” to those who joined. This was a very 
> seductive hook. And it’s one of the reasons conspiracy theories are 
> more likely to spread among people with lower levels of education 
> <https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2017/4/25/15408610/conspiracy-theories-psychologist-explained>. 
> But that doesn’t mean people who are higher educated are immune to 
> their allure. Conspiracy theories are just as likely to spread among 
> people with radical political ideologies 
> <http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.932.4588&rep=rep1&type=pdf>.
>
> In a weird way, the idea of a secret cabal of powerful men and women 
> pulling the strings on international events (like assassinations, 
> pandemics, terrorist attacks, world wars, etc.) is somewhat comforting 
> because at least it implies *someone is in control of all this madness.*
>
> So, when someone posts a conspiracy theory video on social media with 
> the message, “*Don’t give in to fear! Stay informed!*”, they’re most 
> likely writing to themselves.
>
> In a modern world devoid of danger and threat, *conspiracy theories 
> help bring purpose and urgency to the mundanity of our lives *— which 
> may help explain why they spread so quickly among lifestyle bloggers 
> <https://www.insider.com/lifestyle-influencers-using-covid-19-to-spread-qanon-conspiracy-theory-2020-5>, 
> Instagram influencers 
> <https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/stephaniemcneal/wayfair-qanon-influencers-instagram>, 
> and the “wellness” community 
> <https://instrumentofmercy.com/2020/02/24/essential-oils-hoax/>.
>
> After renowned pastor Ed Stetzer wrote an article for /Christianity 
> Today/ 
> <https://www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2020/april/christians-and-corona-conspiracies.html> calling 
> for Christians to avoid posting conspiracy theories about COVID-19, 
> the Christian publication had to amend the original article with a 
> note commenting on the flood of vitriol the article received.
>
>
> And it’s important to note that a lot of Christians share conspiracy 
> theories out of good faith. They believe they’re “exposing the truth.” 
> But most conspiracy theories are *rotten at the core*. It’s obvious 
> they’re rooted in fear, insecurity, and loneliness. And they’re often 
> designed to give us *more reasons to loathe our ideological enemies*.
>
> “If there was ever a group of people that should care about the truth, 
> it should be the people who believe ‘the truth sets you 
> free.’ Integrity should matter for Christians, but too often it does not.
>
> Conspiracy theories aren’t harmless 
> <https://www.economist.com/open-future/2019/08/12/conspiracy-theories-are-dangerous-heres-how-to-crush-them>. 
> To this day, conspiracy theorists still harass the families of the 
> first-grade children who died in the Sandy Hook school shooting 
> <https://www.npr.org/2019/12/14/788117375/his-son-was-killed-at-sandy-hook-then-came-the-online-harassment>. 
>
>
> In his first letter to the church in Thessalonica, the apostle Paul 
> wrote 
> <https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Thessalonians+5%3A20-22&version=MSG>, 
> “Don’t be gullible. Check out everything, and keep only what’s good. 
> Throw out anything tainted by evil” (/The Message/).
>
> Before sharing something, ask yourself: Does this worldview diminish 
> or ignore other people’s real suffering? If the answer is yes, you 
> probably shouldn’t share or post it.
>
> * “Darkness cannot drive out darkness,*
>
> * only light can do that. *
>
> * Hate cannot drive out hate,*
>
> * only love can do that.” *
>
> Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.   – Strength to Love, 1963
>
>
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> craic at lists.integralshift.ca
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