What Conspiracy Theorists Don’t Believe

UK - Some people believe the most extraordinary things. Earth is flat, and airplane GPS is rigged to fool pilots into thinking otherwise. COVID-19 vaccines are a pretext to inject thought-controlling microchips into us all. The true president of the United States is Donald Trump; his inauguration will happen on January 20, make that March 4, make that a date to be arranged very soon. The question “How could anybody believe this stuff?” comes naturally enough. That may not be the most helpful question, however. Conspiracy theorists believe strange ideas, yes. But these outlandish beliefs rest on a solid foundation of disbelief.

To think that Trump is actually still the president, as some in the QAnon movement do, you first have to doubt. You have to doubt the journalism practised by any mainstream media outlet of any political persuasion; you have to doubt all the experts and the political elites; you have to doubt the judiciary, the military, and every other American institution. Once you have thoroughly disbelieved all of them, only then can you start to believe in Trump’s ascension being just around the corner—or in lizard overlords or alien prophets.

Is the line between excessive doubt and excessive belief a distinction without a difference? I don’t think so, because it helps inform how to bring a conspiracy theorist back to reality. One must recognize that this is a person who already mistrusts what most authoritative sources say. One should ask calm questions, inviting the conspiracy theorist to explain and reflect on his beliefs, rather than advance evidence or quote the experts. The evidence and the experts, remember, are exactly what the conspiracy theorist has already rejected.

The events of January 6 showed us that conspiracy thinking can have serious consequences. But this is not just about the conspiracy theorists. The psychological traits that lead one down the conspiracy-theory rabbit hole are to some extent present in most of us. We all like to listen to people who agree with us. We are all prone to reject unwelcome evidence. We are all more engaged by dramatic stories than by gritty policy detail. And we all like to feel that we have insights into the world that others lack. Nobody likes to feel that they are being taken for a fool, so doubting early and often can seem like the smart thing to do. And if we want to think clearly about the world, skepticism is a good thing. But it’s possible to have too much of a good thing. Indiscriminate belief is worrying, but indiscriminate doubt can be even worse. (By Tim Harford: Columnist at the Financial Times.)

Our comment

Perhaps the biggest problem in today’s world is that people do not understand who rules! If they would just believe the Bible, the answer is there! This world is ruled by Satan the Devil! And he has:

“…deceived the whole world!” (Revelation 12:9)

Satan is the god of this world:

“…the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not” (II Corinthians 4:4)

His way looks so right…

And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.” (II Corinthians 11:14)

One of Satan’s best weapons is doubt. We were warned – right at the beginning. God told Adam in Genesis 2:16:

“Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." (Genesis 2:16)

Read Genesis 3:1-5 and notice Satan's approach to Eve: First he twisted what God had said - to create doubt:

“…hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.” (Genesis 3:1-3)

Having established doubt, then comes the direct lie.

“And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:4-5)

This is what Eve WANTED to hear – because she believed…

“…that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise”! (Genesis 3:6)

Today, it seems that everything is designed to create doubt. Take for an example, the wearing of face masks. There are experts who claim that two masks are better than one. We have other experts who claim that face masks are totally ineffective and yet other experts who claim that face masks are dangerous. And the truth is???

Doubt is an end time problem… and doubt breeds fear… and fear is an end time curse!

“And thy life shall hang in doubt [also translated uncertainty] before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life…" (Deuteronomy 28:66)

“Just what is an APOSTLE?”
Just what is an Apostle?

Today we find the Church of God in a “wilderness of religious confusion!”

The confusion is not merely around the Church – within the religions of the world outside – but WITHIN the very heart of The True Church itself!

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Listen to Me, You who know righteousness, You people in whose heart is My Law: …I have put My words in your mouth, I have covered you with the shadow of My hand, That I may plant the heavens, Lay the foundations of the earth, and say to Zion, “you are My people” (Isaiah 51:7,16)