A Christian Response to Conspiracy Theories

 

A Christian response to conspiracy theories

               About 150 years after Christ (about the time difference between us and the Civil War), an old movement received a new face when Gnosticism snuck into the church. As a way of seeing the world, Gnosticism has taken many forms over the centuries, but the form it took in Christianity was access to a special, “secret” wells of information that average Christians could not obtained. For example, the “gospel” of Judas--- written two hundred and fifty years after Judas’ death--- claimed to tell the “real” story of Judas’ role in the crucifixion. Because the “real” story--- that the apostles and writers of the New Testament had not been privy to--- was that Judas never betrayed Jesus. Jesus asked Judas to do what he did because Judas--- the only one of all the disciples enlightened enough to be trusted--- was Jesus’ best friend. Most the extent text of the Gospel of Judas consists of a secret conversation between Jesus and Judas and an angel where Jesus reveals to him all sorts of special knowledge that the other disciples simply weren’t capable of understanding.

               The secret knowledge of Gnosticism was exciting, made its followers feel special, and allowed them to dismiss that which did not fit into their narrative as unenlightened lies. Sound familiar? This is the basic blueprint of every conspiracy theory in history from the entertaining (there’s a treasure map on the back of the Declaration of Independence), to the absurd (photos from space are forged to make us think the world is round), to the deadly (in the 1930's Jews in Germany were plotting to overthrow the government, so the Germans had to get them first).  It’s the same impulse that drives people to join cults… or reality TV programs; they want to feel superior to everyone else.

Conspiracy theories share certain characteristics. First, the commonly held position must be wrong. Second, normal, acceptable means of getting information must be fake. Third, there is a special knowledge that most people cannot or will not access or accept. Forth, this exclusive information comes through an unforeseen source who is a hero for daring to share it. And fifth, those in power know all this, so they are actively seeking to hide this special information and silence its source.

               These parts can be seen working in a modern conspiracy theory in the belief that the COVID-19 pandemic is either completely made up or greatly exaggerated. Step one, this denies the position held by the CDC, WHO, states’ boards of health, and the health departments of every major country in the world that says COVID-19 is a real virus that has really killed a million people and counting. Step two, these health system (particularly the CDC and WHO) are liars, making up information to serve some fuzzy political agenda. (Who actually profits from a fake, global epidemic that has crushed multiple economies and destabilized multiple governments including the United States is unclear.) Third, there is special knowledge out there—the virus doesn’t actually kill people, or it was made in a lab in China, or doctors are writing COVID on the death certificates of every person who comes into the ER, or the tests are fake, etc. Fourth, the sources for these conjunctures are brave heroes, many of whom have no public health or even basic medical training. That, of course, is what makes them reliable because if they were public health experts, they were be part of the conspiracy. And five, those in power--- Dr. Fuaci, the CDC, the governors of Michigan and New York, etc.--- know this truth is out there and are actively trying to suppress it.

               So what should Christians do with these conspiracy theories? Let’s return to Gnosticism for an answer. St. Irenaeus was a second century church father who wrote against Gnosticism attacking them for “dismembering and destroying the truth” and “deluding many through their wicked art.” He makes several distinctions between truth Christianity and Gnosticism. First, Christians believe that truth does not change. Humans having “greater and lesser degrees of intelligence” does not change facts. There are no “enlightened” ones who possess special knowledge, but God has made truth accessible to all who seek it (Roms 2:15). Second, he complains (at length) about the inconsistency of this special knowledge; every time a piece of evidence he throws out challenges a particular belief, the Gnostics just redefine the special knowledge. That kind of double-mindedness does not suit a Christian.

Irenaeus characterizes these poor souls as people who do not “give credit to the truth, but wallowing in falsehood, they have lost the bread of true life and have fallen into an abyss of shadows.” It is this wallowing in the abyss that makes conspiracy theories so hard to get out of. Every new piece of evidence is either supporting the position that theory is propagated or is part of the coverup of the powerful. It makes those who believe conspiracy theories nearly impossible to reason with--- because no proof will ever be enough. Yet, this did not stop Irenaeus and other orthodox leaders from speaking the plain truth--- easy to access and easy to verify--- in the face of Gnostic conspiracy theories. Nor should it stop Christian today from speaking the plain truth--- easy to access and easy to verify--- in the face of modern conspiracies.