Conspiracy Theories

Since the terrible terrorist attack on the Boston Marathon earlier this week, something has reared its ugly head again that I was hoping would have died down.  That something?  The conspiracy theory. 

A conspiracy theory is  a theory that defies common historical or current understanding of events, under the claim that those events are the result of manipulations by two or more individuals or various secretive powers or conspiracies.   Generally it is some sort of idea that a great power is intentionally deceiving people for some nefarious ends.   The term is sometimes used to refer to events with which no association to an actual "conspiracy" in the legal sense (two or more persons plotting and one overt act related to the plot) is claimed. In this sense "conspiracy theory" is often simply an allegation of clandestine action, based on little or no solid evidence.

In the years since 9/11 I am sure that many of us have known such a person who makes a claim that it was not a terrorist who attacked us with airplanes killing 3,000 people, but that it was our government who did so to be able to go after the middle east oil or some such thing.  You could sit there and show them the irrefutable evidence, but it doesn't seem to matter.  Their usual response is, "that's what they want you to think.  Stop being a sheeple"  Or something along those lines.

Conspiracy theories themselves are not new things. They have been around for a long time.  There wre people in my dad's era that believed that Pearl harbor was a set up to get us into world war II.  The JFK conspiracies have lived on for decades.  The UFO coverup has been popular since the 50s. 

With the advent of the internet and explosion of the "new" journalism, conspiracy theories have reached new levels as the reach of these theorists has gone from the back corner of some beatnick coffee house to being in the living room of any individual with internet access.  Even entire cable television series and shows have been devoted to promotion of these conspiracy theories.  They are reaching more people than ever before.

For the most part, we think of the people who hold onto these theories as just our local nut.  We kind of assume the old phrase. "there's one in every crowd."  But now in this age of mass reach, as many as 1 in 4 believe at least some of the many conspiracy theories that abound.

Psycologists say that sometimes people gravitate to a conspiracy theory because the reality of such a major and tragic event is too hard fro them to process.  The sudden shock of seeing 3000 Americans burnt to a crisp and/or crushed to death because of someone holding a different religious belief is just too much for some people to get their minds around, and in an attempt for them to cope with the shock of the tragedy, they create for themselves a fantasy world where they can find some way of dealing with what happened.

Most people do not consider these conspiracy folks to be dangerous.  They are just a little crazy and wear tin foil in the privacy of their basement that has been converted into an Alien proof bomb shelter.  Unfortunately though, these conspiracies can be dangerous.  People who live in a fantasy world and make themselves believe such things as the government or Illuminati pulling all the strings to fool everyone can lead to some serious paranoid psychosis.    Evidence which resist such conspiracies showing they are, in fact, senseless can provoke the holder to have recourse to ever more extreme speculations, until one is reached that is capable of offering the them the required emotional satisfaction. Once cognized, confirmation bias and avoidance of cognitive dissonance may reinforce the belief.

Sometimes these beliefs in conspiracies can become so strong that it causes a person to act out.  In the latest terror attack, we may have found a case in which a conspiracy theory about a terrorist attack has been used to feed weak minds into committing another act of terror in retaliation for the first conspiracy that never was.

During a recent interview on CNN, it was revealed by a person that has known the marathon bombers family for years that the conspiracies surrounding 9/11 may have played a major role in the mindset of the two bombers and used as a tool to radicalize (brainwash) them into carrying out their horrible act of terror in response for what they were told of the 9/11 conspiracies that the US government committed 9/11 in an excuse to render a genocide on Islam.  This type of propaganda was used to take what seemed to be relatively normal American kids, and turn them into jihadists bent on murdering and maiming as many innocent Americans they could.

Since Monday I have become aware of how much these conspiracy theories are held by Christians.  I have seen some people who I had come to believe were fairly normal and rational, turn into raving maniacs, who immediately turn on their brothers and sisters when their delusions were challenged. Frankly, it makes Christianity look stupid and gullible.

The bible tells us that God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. (2 Tim 1:7).

 Ephesians 4:13-15 says,  Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ. 

I Timothy 6:20:21, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called: Which some professing have erred concerning the faith.

I john 4 reminds us in verse 1, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God.

Finally I Cor 4:1-2 says, Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.

Remember, Ideas have consequences.  We are to bring every thought into subjection to the Lord Jesus Christ.  (2 cor 10:5)  We are to cling to that which is true (Romans 12:9).  Our witness is compromised when we allow our minds to be clouded and confused by things that are not true.  And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ; Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God. (Philippians 1:9-11)