We have gone from one dangerous extreme to another. I first noticed this and spoke to it just after Russia invaded Ukraine. With many folks claiming to be conservatives and Christians cheering this on, and acting as if Putin is now a godly figure, if not a messiah, I said this at the time:
One quite good thing that has developed over the past two years is that so many folks have woken up to the fact that the mainstream media is not always reliable, and that our politicians are not always telling us the truth. Some of us had known this all along of course, but the way the media and most governments ran with the Covid issue made this even more clear.
But if one extreme was rightly to be avoided (fully trusting the state and the media about things like Covid), the other extreme is also to be avoided (trusting no one, questioning everything to the nth degree, and throwing away our critical faculties).
Sadly I see the latter now happening big time concerning the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Just because the Rona alarmists tried to claim that everything we believe is just a big conspiracy theory does NOT mean there are no actual conspiracy theories out there, especially in regard to Ukraine. I have seen far too many folks pushing what is just plain foolishness in this area.
I have lost count of those telling me with a straight face that the West, NATO, the EU and Ukraine are all part of the deep state, the NWO, a Satanist cabal, and are all fully evil, while somehow a murderous thug and KGB officer is a great Christian warrior and our knight in shining armour, saving us all while he drains the swamp.
As if he is swamp-free. By the thinking of some of these folks, Trump of course is a full tilt Soros puppet and NWO deep state Nazi, since he also opposes Putin and his power grab in Ukraine. He even once told Putin to his face that if he goes after Ukraine he will bomb Moscow. https://billmuehlenberg.com/2022/03/02/on-discernment-gullibility-and-healthy-scepticism/
You get my point: we went from one egregious error (never questioning, never investigating) to another egregious error (always doubting, never believing anything). Neither option is tenable. That is not how intelligent Christians and conservatives should operate.
The dark right
Sadly there are plenty of nutters and conspiracy theorists on the right, and they have only gotten so much worse over the past few years. And it is being aided and abetted by click-hungry grifters who are reaching so many with their podcasts.
Indeed, the internet and social media has resulted in all this getting even more out of control. Now any unhinged num-num can find a platform and start spouting off the most insane nonsense and baloney. They are always sure to get a crowd of groupies who are often just as unhinged.
Now we are hearing all sorts of craziness, with demagogues trying to convince us that Trump and America are actually the bad guys, or Churchill and the Allies were the real enemies, that Hitler and Stalin were in fact the good guys, that the Holocaust never did happen, that Jews are of course the cause of every problem in the world, from war to famine to your burnt toast this morning.
Some of them are pushing the ‘inside job theory’ about 9/11; that October 7 did not really happen, or it was somehow all Israel’s doing; that there was of course no moon landing; that Israel – and even Erika – was behind Charlie Kirk’s murder; and even inanities like the flat earth nonsense. There is no limit to the utter bunkum they will happily push, and there is no shortage of clueless and undiscerning wonders who will lap it all up.
The most obvious example of the madness out there right now is of course the unreasonable, unhinged, and unholy trinity of Nick Fuentes, Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson. The amount of ludicrous and dangerous garbage these three are pushing is staggering, and so many folks just love it. And please note: in their early days I was a big fan of Tucker and Candace – but no more.
Giving moonbeams a free run
Conservatives have long rightly condemned the leftist media like CNN or ABC for fluff journalism, where no hard questions are asked and no real investigative journalism occurs. Thus an Obama or a Biden or an AOC can be interviewed, and they are handled with kid gloves. It is all fake news.
But now figures from the dark right are doing exactly the same. Guys like Tucker will have deplorable guests on who are never grilled for a second, and are allowed free rein to spout off their pro-Nazi, pro-Hitler, anti-Jewish garbage. More fake news.
History is being rewritten before our very eyes, minds are being emptied out in vast proportions, and folks are now in full zombie mode, refusing to any longer think, discern and test all things, as Scripture commands us to do. The zombie apocalypse is now upon us, and it is mainly so-called conservatives and Christians who are running amok here.
And of course at the heart of almost all of this is an ugly, irrational and downright demonic antisemitism. I have never seen it this bad before. Sure, Jew-haters have always been with us – it is the world’s oldest and longest running form of hatred and prejudice. And ever since 1948, Israelphobia has been going full tilt. But especially since October 7, this has all ramped up to insane levels.
So many people that I used to know and respect as level-headed conservatives and Christians can no longer be called either. Too many have totally lost the plot and are now spewing the most malicious and diabolical hatred and contempt – with Jews being the main target.
How this could happen only has one real explanation. The truth is, ugly and entrenched antisemitism is not merely intellectual or ideological, but ultimately spiritual. It poisons the mind and the heart, and it gives Satan a wide-open point of entry into those who embrace and coddle it.
It really is a poison that destroys the soul. Asking legit questions about anything, including Israel, is of course one thing, but a continual hatred of all things Jewish and Israeli is quite another. As Paul warned the Ephesian elders when he left them in Acts 20:28-30:
Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them.
That is exactly what I now see happening with far too many “Christians” and “conservatives”. It breaks my heart, and all I can do is get on my knees and cry out to God and keep praying for these folks.
False assurance
But the haters and their groupies will say, ‘We must be right – look at all the clicks and views we are getting.’ Candace for example is boasting of all her podcast watchers. So what? That tells us absolutely nothing. Since when do mere numbers determine what is true or false, right or wrong? Christians never have thought that way in the past.
Christianity has always stressed the fact that it is a remnant who will be God’s true followers and representatives, and NOT the masses. These agitators and their followers believe they must be right and God’s anointed because of all the airtime they are getting. Good grief. The crowds wanted Barabbas over Jesus. Mere clicks and views tell us nothing about whether a person is doing the will of God and getting things right.
The antidote
So what is the answer to all this? It of course has to ultimately be a spiritual answer. There are three things I have long been saying in this regard: we need to stay on our knees, we need to be humble, and we need to have a teachable spirit. If we lack these things, we should cry out to God that he gifts us with these much-needed attitudes and actions.
We will never get far without them, and we simply open ourselves up to all manner of demonic deception, cultism, false teaching and hatred if we lack these basic necessities of the Christian life.
And one further thing I have started doing again of late, but did not really do since I was a new believer. Back when I first became a Christian in 1971, it sadly began in a hardcore cult. But the cult leader made one big mistake: he kept telling us to keep praying to know the truth.
That I did, as did others. And eventually over a period of time, we managed to deprogram ourselves and break free of this dangerous cult. So now I am doing this again: daily asking God to show me the truth – about all sorts of things. Obviously we want truth when it comes to understanding and applying God’s word.
But we can ask him for truth (even if it will never be full and total truth) about events of the day, be they ethical or social or political or cultural issues. We will not have all the right answers (we are all fallen, finite and fallible) but we can keep pressing on with God, seeking to get some clarity on some of these controversial issues of the day.
Final word
Just as I will not allow certain things I deem to be harmful, false and evil to come into my home to hurt me and my family, so too I will not allow such things here on this site or on my social media pages. Those who cannot control their insatiable urge to push their ugly antisemitism for example can do it all they like on their own page, but I will not allow it on mine. Those unwilling to respect my wishes will not long last on my sites.
As to the alt-right influencers that I have mentioned above – and their besotted fans – all I can do is keep them in my regular prayers. Sadly, they have little in common with me now – especially those claiming to be Christians and conservatives – so spending time in intercession is perhaps the wisest and best thing I can do for them.
12 Replies to “Yes, Conspiracy Theorists Are Still Among Us”
Well said. Most people seem to be sheep who can’t evaluate for themselves.
As a result they take the extreme positions on any given subject, without understanding nuance or subtleties of the subject.
Christians are, sadly, generally bad at nuance.
Yes, sadly so Kym.
Some of the antisemitism can be quite sneaky such as when they complain about all the aid Israel gets when its 0.00001% of the US federal budget and no where near what the bases in Germany and Korea cost. Yet they never complain about the latter or the rest of the insane spending the US Gov is responsible for.
Yes correct Damien.
It is hard to discern what is happening sometimes Bill as for example when Netanyahu/Israel went into Gaza to try and get the Israeli hostages back – what is the difference between that and Putin/Russia going into Ukraine and killing people, trying to get kidnapped Russian children back or destroying biolabs before another virus is let out? Then I know the Old Testament has instances of when God says go into the promised land, take possession of it and leave nothing alive (usually because of the idols and culture these ungodly people were living) as in Deuteronomy 20:16-18 but read verses 10-15 first as peace was offered beforehand to some cities.
Also Trump has had to ok some executions that have been replaced by actors as we wouldn’t understand why they had to be executed until evidence is brought to the courts for all to see. But you are correct, I and many others have been led to believe some things portrayed that is opposite to what we were taught or knew, but hopefully all this will come out in the wash/as we seek the truth.
Thanks Lynette. Yes caution, discernment and clear thinking is essential here. As to Israel and Ukraine, the differences should be obvious. Islamist terrorists went into Israel, slaughtered 1200 innocent people, and took 250 people hostages. Ukraine did NOT do that in Russia. Israel had every right to defend itself, seek to get back the hostages, and try to stop Hamas from ever doing that again. Putin wants to not only regain Ukraine, but to remake the surrounding region what it once was under USSR expansionism and tyranny. Big differences. I see no moral equivalence between Netanyahu and Putin.
As to the OT, the wickedness had become so great, that God knew if they were not dealt with properly, their evil would impact Israel – and that is just what happened, so God had to then judge Israel.
As to Trump, if he orders a strike on a narco-terrorist speedboat filled with fentanyl and other deadly drugs that kill thousands of Americans, I have zero problems with him doing so. The narco-terrorists are just as deadly and evil as Hamas, and both must be dealt with firmly to prevent masses of innocents from being killed.
And yes, keep seeking truth. As I tried to say in my piece, sadly too many folks think that watching wild rants on podcasts by folks like Candace is seeking truth and doing research. It is nothing of the sort of course, so we must carefully study, read and discern, knowing that none of us will get it all right.
Thanks Bill for your time explaining, but I have a question? If a little country like NZ for example, were to be attacked or overtaken by say China, would we send our military to help them? Because the people of Donetsk were apparently asking Russia for assistance as Nazis’ were killing their people, so whether this is true or not I don’t know and Putin may have used this reason as another reason for going into Ukraine.
Thanks again. Defence treaties (be they ANZUS, NATO, etc) exist so that like-minded countries can have some collective security. Smaller countries of course need the help of others. And it is often a case of strategic self-interest for these alliances. If China invades Taiwan, the whole West should shudder. Communist China’s expansionist plans will be further emboldened if it gets away with taking Taiwan. So Western nations need to consider how they can collectively withstand the various threats that exist. Sure, not every conflict is fully black and white, and jaw jaw is better than war war. Trump seems good at doing this. But the use of force will always be needed in a fallen world.
Well written as usual Bill. Just on the topic of Conspiracy theory, I read two little books not long ago. The first titled, “Conspiracy theory: A Christian evaluation of a taboo subject” by Doug Van Dorn. And number 2 is “Conspiracies in the bible: scriptural accounts of plots, schemes and collusions by Luis c Ruiz. Both on Amazon books.
I found them to be pretty interesting, they differentiate between actual conspiracies and mere theories, whilst giving some good advice with how to deal with them and protect the mind as we encounter them. To avoid extremes, eg: seeing them everywhere or seeing them nowhere.
Cheers once again!
Many thanks Duncan.
Wise words and, may I say, divine discernment here, Bill. Especially your antidote, which has been my practice as well. Who knew the “serious delusion” we have all been warned about in the Scriptures would affect our friends and, regrettably, some of our heroes from the recent crises in our societies.
Truth is not a concept, it is a Person, and seeking Him will lead us through this fiery trial.
Praying as if my life depended upon it, because it does.
Well said. Most people seem to be sheep who can’t evaluate for themselves.
As a result they take the extreme positions on any given subject, without understanding nuance or subtleties of the subject.
Christians are, sadly, generally bad at nuance.
Yes, sadly so Kym.
Some of the antisemitism can be quite sneaky such as when they complain about all the aid Israel gets when its 0.00001% of the US federal budget and no where near what the bases in Germany and Korea cost. Yet they never complain about the latter or the rest of the insane spending the US Gov is responsible for.
Yes correct Damien.
It is hard to discern what is happening sometimes Bill as for example when Netanyahu/Israel went into Gaza to try and get the Israeli hostages back – what is the difference between that and Putin/Russia going into Ukraine and killing people, trying to get kidnapped Russian children back or destroying biolabs before another virus is let out? Then I know the Old Testament has instances of when God says go into the promised land, take possession of it and leave nothing alive (usually because of the idols and culture these ungodly people were living) as in Deuteronomy 20:16-18 but read verses 10-15 first as peace was offered beforehand to some cities.
Also Trump has had to ok some executions that have been replaced by actors as we wouldn’t understand why they had to be executed until evidence is brought to the courts for all to see. But you are correct, I and many others have been led to believe some things portrayed that is opposite to what we were taught or knew, but hopefully all this will come out in the wash/as we seek the truth.
Thanks Lynette. Yes caution, discernment and clear thinking is essential here. As to Israel and Ukraine, the differences should be obvious. Islamist terrorists went into Israel, slaughtered 1200 innocent people, and took 250 people hostages. Ukraine did NOT do that in Russia. Israel had every right to defend itself, seek to get back the hostages, and try to stop Hamas from ever doing that again. Putin wants to not only regain Ukraine, but to remake the surrounding region what it once was under USSR expansionism and tyranny. Big differences. I see no moral equivalence between Netanyahu and Putin.
As to the OT, the wickedness had become so great, that God knew if they were not dealt with properly, their evil would impact Israel – and that is just what happened, so God had to then judge Israel.
As to Trump, if he orders a strike on a narco-terrorist speedboat filled with fentanyl and other deadly drugs that kill thousands of Americans, I have zero problems with him doing so. The narco-terrorists are just as deadly and evil as Hamas, and both must be dealt with firmly to prevent masses of innocents from being killed.
And yes, keep seeking truth. As I tried to say in my piece, sadly too many folks think that watching wild rants on podcasts by folks like Candace is seeking truth and doing research. It is nothing of the sort of course, so we must carefully study, read and discern, knowing that none of us will get it all right.
Thanks Bill for your time explaining, but I have a question? If a little country like NZ for example, were to be attacked or overtaken by say China, would we send our military to help them? Because the people of Donetsk were apparently asking Russia for assistance as Nazis’ were killing their people, so whether this is true or not I don’t know and Putin may have used this reason as another reason for going into Ukraine.
Thanks again. Defence treaties (be they ANZUS, NATO, etc) exist so that like-minded countries can have some collective security. Smaller countries of course need the help of others. And it is often a case of strategic self-interest for these alliances. If China invades Taiwan, the whole West should shudder. Communist China’s expansionist plans will be further emboldened if it gets away with taking Taiwan. So Western nations need to consider how they can collectively withstand the various threats that exist. Sure, not every conflict is fully black and white, and jaw jaw is better than war war. Trump seems good at doing this. But the use of force will always be needed in a fallen world.
Well written as usual Bill. Just on the topic of Conspiracy theory, I read two little books not long ago. The first titled, “Conspiracy theory: A Christian evaluation of a taboo subject” by Doug Van Dorn. And number 2 is “Conspiracies in the bible: scriptural accounts of plots, schemes and collusions by Luis c Ruiz. Both on Amazon books.
I found them to be pretty interesting, they differentiate between actual conspiracies and mere theories, whilst giving some good advice with how to deal with them and protect the mind as we encounter them. To avoid extremes, eg: seeing them everywhere or seeing them nowhere.
Cheers once again!
Many thanks Duncan.
Wise words and, may I say, divine discernment here, Bill. Especially your antidote, which has been my practice as well. Who knew the “serious delusion” we have all been warned about in the Scriptures would affect our friends and, regrettably, some of our heroes from the recent crises in our societies.
Truth is not a concept, it is a Person, and seeking Him will lead us through this fiery trial.
Praying as if my life depended upon it, because it does.
Thanks Belinda.