[Sundaycommunity] Why people believe in conspiracy theories
Arthur Blomme
art at integralshift.ca
Sun Jan 24 16:27:29 PST 2021
Hi Catherine
Your post on conspiracy theories has made it to another of my lists
forcing this response from me.
Art
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 response. 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
On 1/19/21 8:21 a.m., Catherine Walther via Sundaycommunity wrote:
> Give yourself a good 20-30 minutes to read this. Well worth the time.
> It’s written by a Christian but applies to anyone.
> Catherine
>
>
> *Subject:* Why Your Christian Friends and Family Members Are So Easily
> Fooled by Conspiracy Theories | by Joe Forrest | Interfaith Now | Medium
>
> from a multifaith resource (I would re title it why "some Christians
> and others...."
>
>
> 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>
>
> **
>
> * “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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