Christians and Conspiracy Theories

Christians and Conspiracy Theories Part 1

by Christine Pack

"For the Lord spoke thus to me with his strong hand upon me, and warned me not to walk in the way of this people, saying: 'Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. But the Lord of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.'" (Isaiah 8:11-13)

Yes, the world is wicked. And yes, a lot of that in-your-face wickedness was on display, both visually and lyrically, in many ways during the 2015 Super Bowl half-time show. But please, let's not go down the Illuminati rabbit hole. Exhibit A, an article from the dodgy, conspiracy-focused website called Now The End Begins, entitled: Ex-Christian Katy Perry Promotes Dark Magic and LGBT Agenda at 2015 Super Bowl Halftime Show.

The above article, which claims that various performers in the 2015 Super Bowl half-time show were openly broadcasting the intentions of the Illuminati and the New World Order, has been popping up in my Facebook newsfeed all day. For those who have never heard those terms before, the Illuminati and the New World Order are believed to be organizations in which Satan's minions gather in secret to work his dark mischief, but Old Scratch will occasionally (it is believed) come out into the open and use his minions to broadcast his intentions to the world, which he does through various costumes and hand signals. Beyonce making a triangle with her fingers during a stage performance was one widely quoted example of this, and so was Madonna's half-time Super Bowl costume from a few years ago. What are these high level occultists supposed to be broadcasting? The code-breakers can't quite figure it out, but they know Something Is Going On, what with All! Those! Symbols! being flashed. From the article:

In the recent years the Super Bowl, almost always the highest-rated and most-watched television broadcast on the planet, has given over it’s famed Halftime Show to trumpet the cause of the New World Order and the Illuminati. And as referenced in our opening bible verse at the top of the story, the Illuminati knows that it is “their hour”, and they are defiantly out in the open. (online source)

But as Christian researcher Marcia Montenegro wrote a few years ago, symbols vary from culture to culture, and don't always mean the same things (read her article entitled Demystifying Symbols here).

These conspiracy sites are concerning for two reasons:

(1) They confuse and mislead Christians about what the occult is. It is not about symbols that are embedded in the landscape, and which must be decoded. It is not about tracking conspiracies like a bloodhound, and examining all the (supposedly) dropped-breadcrumb-clues of the Illuminati when they (supposedly) Broadcast Their Intentions, and then unraveling the mystery about what wealthy industrialist knows what world leader, and what they were *really* (wink-wink) doing together at that private resort (cue scary music: dun dun dunnn!). Hint: They weren't planning chem-trail routes and other nefarious evil; they were drinking whisky, smoking cigars and comparing their golf scores. That's what they were doing.

(2) While it is true that evil does exist on a rampant scale, we only need God's word, which is our standard for what is good and holy and righteous, to be able to understand what is wrong and unholy and unrighteous. We don't need to be unraveling conspiracies and trying to figure out if the wealthy elite of the world are getting together to conspire and scheme in smoke-filled rooms. We already know there is evil. We already understand that there is an evil force that is alive and well, and operating in the world, and it is Satan. And we know this from God's word, not from unraveling supposed conspiracies. But truth and light overcome lies and darkness, so let's proclaim it to those taken captive by the world's system.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." (John 1:1-5)

Full disclosure: I had a season of conspiratorial thinking in my own Christian walk, spending waaaaay too much time on conspiracy websites trying to Connect All The Dots. I have repented of that, and hope to help others do the same (that was one of my reasons for writing the article). And yet at the same time, as believers we know that Satan IS a real entity who prowls the earth seeking whom he may devour, and that he always has his willing agents from generation to generation. So it can be tricky sorting through the information, and coming to a biblical understanding of the right filter through which to see the world. Nonetheless, it's important for Christians to strive to think as biblically as possible in this area, as in all other areas, because not only will our Christians walks be strengthened, but the truth of the matter is important. God is the author of truth, and thus the truth of a matter should be important to us, because it's important to Him.

To learn more about the conspiracy mindset, please read some of these Facebook threads in which we discuss the conspiratorial worldview, and why such thinking can so seriously hinder a Christian's walk.

posted with permission

http://www.solasisters.com/2015/02/christians-super-bowl-and-rejecting.html

 

Christians and Conspiracy Theories (Part 2)

Oh dear, just when the folks who might have a tendency to be conspiracy minded get settled down after the Super Bowl performances, Madonna gets "kind of Satanic" by dancing with "a bunch of masked, horned bull-men," according to the on-site MTV reporter. *sigh*

It's interesting to note that the above was reported in a tongue-in-cheek way by MTV, but this doesn't help the conspiracy theorists, whose ability to decode Illuminati conspiracies is high, but their ability to decode cheeky commentary is apparently non-existent. (Conspiracy theory website Now The End Begins ran with the headline Madonna Dances Over Pit of Horned Demons at 2015 Grammys.)

In reality, Madonna gave a performance that featured a matador theme, and which included horn-hatted dancers who did look something like how we might imagine Satan's minions to look.

However, there were other displays of demonic/Satanic imagery at the Grammys, including AC/DC singing "Highway To Hell," which the audience rocked out to while wearing glowy, devil horn hats. These devil hats were passed out to the crowd, who were encouraged to take them home as a keepsake. Sweet, huh?

Friends, this is not Illuminati indoctrination. This is just celebrities riding the wave of the culture. They love to shock and outdo each other and be outrageous. And besides, I've always had a theory about Madonna, who was raised Roman Catholic, that at heart (besides being a sinner), she's just a Catholic schoolgirl who wants to shock the nuns.

To be clear: there's no question about the fact that Madonna lives and promotes a wicked lifestyle. But no, she's not a member of the Illuminati.

Steady on, folks. Respond to the evil that you know of (which is readily known through the content of Madonna's songs and lifestyle), and "overcome evil with good" (Romans 12:21).

★★ And PLEASE do not see this as an opportunity to mock or ridicule Madonna. She's a lost person, living a depraved lifestyle, but at one time "such were some of you" (1 Cor 6:11). Pray for her. Pray for someone to have access to her who can give her the gospel, the TRUE gospel, which she undoubtedly never heard, having grown up Roman Catholic. ★★

          PART 3 Dr. Randy White Discusses Christians and Conspiracy Theories 

PART 4 Christians and Conspiracy Theories: Witnessing, Romans 1 and An Appeal

PART 5 - CONCLUSION Christians and Conspiracy Theories: A Biblical Response

posted with permission

http://www.solasisters.com/2015/02/christians-and-conspiracy-theories-part.html