Conspiracy Theories

Message / Question

Dr Dave, what are your thoughts about conspiracy theories?

Response

We constantly hear them – conspiracy theories about who is doing what and the doom that they will bring on us all. Sometimes the “conspiracy” is more centred on some physical calamity (bushfire, earthquake, flood etc) being God’s response to some action of a government.

Two of the things that I have noticed about the theorists is that:

• they rarely (if ever) offer any genuine “evidence” of their theory – rather they simply repeat what someone else has said and presume that “they” have hard evidence ..... but it doesn’t ever seem to surface

• when they prophecy a certain type of calamity on or by a certain date (anything from “The Beast” being revealed to a natural event such as a tsunami or earthquake), I don’t recall any coming back to apologise after the due date or admitting that they got it totally wrong. I remember recently a guy assuring me that a certain event would happen by a certain date because of the blood moons or planetary alignment et al, but he didn’t come back to either apologise for getting it wrong or to accept stoning as a false prophet!

With many “conspiracy” theories, it seems that some people make false claims to receive the praise of men or even to benefit financially. It is also true that some who have heard the particular conspiracy idea fool themselves into believing false information and then spread their “gospel” to any who will receive it. If you look hard enough for evidence to fit any idea or theory, you will eventually find something that you can interpret in a way that lends some sort of support or “evidence” that you can make fit. The “evidence” may be coincidental, manufactured or simply misunderstood out of a desire to support a theory.

Whenever something happens, there’ll be someone who will rush forward with their theory to tell us what is REALLY happening. In Australia, the bushfires in Victoria were said to be God’s judgment on the State for passing new (and absolutely terrible and evil) abortion laws; in America one of the extreme weather systems that brought floods and hurricanes were said to be God’s judgment on the Nation for not supporting Israel (which the USA should have done) in a United Nations issue. When people say such things, I respond by noting that it doesn't sound at all like the God of grace that we serve. I'm asked "Haven't you ever read the Old Testament?" and I reply "Hven't you ever read the New Testament? Do you understand what "grace" is and the grace that characterises the age in which we live?" Things allegedly happen because of the Illuminati or visiting UFOs, but the evidence is, let’s say politely, a bit farfetched.

We do well to remember that God says that we can plot and scheme all day, but that no one is going to do anything that He doesn’t allow them to do.

To spend your time obsessing over the strange theories of others is a total waste of the time God has given you. What we are told to do is to “Fix (y)our thoughts on what is true, and honourable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise (Phil 4:8)” and I am yet to find a conspiracy theory that fits such criteria.

God controls every molecule in existence, He created each one, He made this whole universe. He is indescribably majestic, amazing and wonderful. Think on Him, and “WOW!” at all that He is and all that He has done – and when the negative conspiracies surface you won’t want to waste your “WOW!” on anyone or anything less!