The Christian and Conspiracies

  

"Dad, why do people believe conspiracy theories?"  My twelve year old son asked me.

"I don't really know, Vince," I said.  "They've been around for a long time and so I suppose they must help people deal with life in some way, but I'm not sure exactly how."

And so my mind began to turn, thinking about the subject and trying to understand it.

Conspiracy theories aren’t anything new.  Throughout history, there were lots of different ones.  In Europe, long before World War II, there were strong beliefs that Jewish people were behind many terrible things in history.  Europeans in the Middle Ages even believed that Jews caused the Black Death by poisoning their wells.  More recently, there have been lots of interesting, if unprovable theories about the assassination of John F Kennedy.  

The conspiracy theories that you buy into depend on who you are and the culture that surrounds you.  Citizens in the Middle East are much more likely to believe that the holocaust was faked or believe that many recent terrorist activities were sponsored by Western countries with colonial aspirations.  On the other hand, Americans tend to believe that government agencies are “out to get them.”  They think that the CDC is controlled by unsavory elements that are trying to harm the citizens of the United States.  They are sure that “Big Pharma” is creating illnesses to pad their bottom line.

The most important thing about conspiracy theories, is that they do not require facts, but are more dependent on strong belief by the people espousing these theories.  So, if you believe that the earth is flat, that the moon landing was a hoax, or that the CDC and all the other “experts” are faking the COVID pandemic, you need very little data to back up your opinions and convincing you that the main stream opinion is correct is likely impossible.

Conspiracy Theorists Value the Wrong Opinions.

I remember a patient of mine who came to see me after seeing her cardiologist.  "He tells me that I need a pacemaker and defibrillator," she told me.

"He's a good doctor," I told her.  "I think you should probably go ahead and do it."

"Yes," she said.  "But he doesn't really know me and I know he doesn't care about me like you do.  That's why I wanted to come and talk to you about what he wants to do."

I understand this feeling.  Experts may be smart, but do they really have our individual concerns and needs in view?  Maybe they are just trying to make their next boat payment.  

At the same time, a cardiologist is far better to listen to when it comes to a decision about a pacemaker than a family doctor.

Conspiracy theorists are unwilling to trust the mainstream “experts.”  They claim (and rightly so) that experts aren’t always correct.  Computer models and initial predictions are often wrong.  So they choose other experts and ignore the facts and data informing their chosen expert's opinions.

The most important thing when evaluating a video on You Tube should not be “does this make me feel good,” “is this person charismatic,” or “do I like what they are saying.” The question should be what facts are behind their statements and is there real data that backs up their opinions.

I would say one thing more, which is that true experts are quicker to say “I don’t know” when something is unclear.  This is not always the case with Conspiracy theorists.

Conspiracy Theorists Exaggerate Their Credentials.

I come at this from a medical standpoint.  I have read articles where doctors claim to have cared for “thousands of COVID patients” or to be members of some Harvard task force.  Investigating further, you find that these claims are exaggerated. 

I am not someone who claims that you need board certification to have a valid opinion on a medical subject, but I also don’t think you need to be deceptive about who you are and what your background knowledge is.

For what it is worth, I am a small town family doctor in Central Virginia who wants to serve Jesus and thinks a little too much about things like this.  Those are my only credentials.

Conspiracy Theorists Only Bring Up Facts that Support Their Theories.

I suppose this is not surprising, but conspiracy theorists are quick to delve into tiny sentences in articles that don’t really support their point of view and claim that they support what they believe.  Understand that this is not a court of law, this is about having a real understanding of the facts about anything from COVID, masks, or even assassinations.

If you are talking about masks, for instance, I want an explanation of why countries who use them see reductions in new cases and deaths from COVID and do not see lots of hospitalizations and ER visits from mask induced hypercapnia.  If you don’t address this, I am going to be less willing to listen to some of the other things you are sharing.

If your claim is that the earth is flat, I want more than criticism of the round earthers, I want an explanation of the physical laws we see and observe.  Skipping that makes me believe that the round earth scientists are correct.

Conspiracy Theorists are Unwilling to Trust Occam’s Razor.

William of Occam in the 1300s believed very strongly that all extra details need to be stripped away and the simplest explanation of the facts should be viewed as the most likely explanation.  This is the opposite of most conspiracy theories. 

For a conspiracy theory to be really juicy, there need to be secret powerful societies involved, as well as some foreign labs, and maybe a couple of suitcases full of money floating around for good measure.  All these sorts of things make a good spy story, but not so much what we see in our every day world.

If the CDC makes a recommendation, it is not because a political party is paying them off, nor is it because “Big Pharma” is manipulating them.  It is because the scientists that work there believe what they are saying to be accurate.  If they change that recommendation, it is not because they are being paid off, but because new data has come out that makes the older recommendations no longer valid.

Conspiracy Theorists are Looking for Reasons.

Terrible things happen in this world.  Men assassinate world leaders.  Terrorists fly planes into tall buildings.  Viruses somehow transition from bats to humans in China and lots of people get sick and some die.  All of it seems like there should be plots behind it, replete with secret labs, illuminati, and criminals in dark suits and sunglasses.

Unfortunately, there aren’t always reasons behind things.  The experts give their assessment of the situation and it doesn’t feel adequate.  In this absence of “real” answers, people rise up who will explain the "why" of each tragedy.  Each of these individuals has a following, if not the facts.

 Conspiracy Theories Harm the People Who Believe Them

There are probably a number of ways in which these beliefs are harmful, but there are a few which stand out to me.  First of all, they lead to a general paranoia.  There is enough evil in this world without believing that the people charged with our safety and protection are trying to destroy the very things they are supposed to protect.  Paranoia is a dangerous mind set and one that can lead to depression, fear, and anger.

Further, it seems as though people who believe conspiracy theories in one area tend to have these beliefs become generalized.  Quite simply, if you are certain that one part of the government is lying to you, it is easy to believe that other parts are as well.

Another thing is that folks who believe conspiracy theories are often unwilling to do things that would be beneficial to them from a health and wellness standpoint.  They are afraid of vaccines or cholesterol medications and will not try them, even though there are numerous studies that show benefits.

The last thing is that these theories really seem to lead to anger and hatred of all who hold different views.  I suppose it is human nature, but over time people seem to become really entrenched in their beliefs and believe that all others who hold different beliefs are foolish.

Christians Are Commanded to be Discerning

We know that in the Old Testament, false prophecy was judged harshly.  False prophets were to be put to death if a single one of their prophecies was incorrect.

In the New Testament, Christians were still commanded to be discerning.  John, in I John 4:1 said, "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world."  Quite simply, John did not want the early Christians to naively believe everyone who came along.

We are to be like the Bereans, searching and trying to understand to see who is really sharing truth.

Buying Into Conspiracy Theories is an Indication that Christians are too Invested in this World.

This is a mouthful. 

Jesus told His disciples that they were to be in this world, but not of it.  Paul told Timothy that “A time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching.  They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear.”  It feels as though this Scripture has come to pass in my hearing.

Of course Christians care about the society they live in, but they should care more about seeing people meet Jesus.  Our focus should not be understanding the darkness, but on spreading the light.

It is important for Christians to evaluate carefully the source of their information, but even more, not to become overly politicized.  When Jesus returns in the clouds, he will not be riding a donkey or an elephant and those He returns for will be those who have served Him, not those who voted a certain way or posted the right memes on Facebook.

They will be those who visited Him in prison, who saw Him hungry and fed Him, and who saw Him in need and gave freely to help His needs.  The message of the Gospel is clear.  As we do these things (or don't do them) for the neediest among us, we do them to Him.

This morning I pray for clarity and for truth to prevail.  I pray for anger and dissension among the people of God to end.  I pray for false prophets and false scientists to be revealed.

Most of all I pray that Jesus’ followers could focus on Him and the world to which they are going.  

While Conspiracy Theories may, in some convoluted way explain the darkness they will never spread the light.

This world needs that light more than anything else.