"Do not call conspiracy everything that these people call conspiracy ; do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it." Isaiah 8:12
Conspiracy theories abound, turning political and historical events into part of a wider plan, as if there is some evil force behind everything that happens. It is partly a search for meaning and for truth. It is sometimes, like 'Ripple Effect', a call to justice when some party or other is convinced justice isn't working and we feel like we are on the losing side, or it's an excuse to give up our responsibilities and find a common enemy - as Mr Ahmadinejad is so clearly exemplifying for us at the moment by claiming the UK, the CIA, the BBC and everyone else is behind the protests and has nothing at all to do with his corrupt and unjust rule.
Call me old-fashioned, brain-washed or whatever, but I don't believe in aliens coming to earth to draw in our fields (that's not very intelligent, is it?), I don't believe Diana was murdered by MI6, and I don't think everything that happens in the world is part of a Zionist plot to rule the world. I'm not always looking at the intimate details, looking for hidden truths, to find meaning in everything and I'm not always beginning with the supposition that the obvious can't be true.
Having watched this I want to thank the BBC for broadcasting this program and debunking much of the rubbish that is circulating on the Internet surrounding the 7/7 bombings.
When watching, reading or listening to something and someone, ask yourself,
What do they claim?
What are the implications of that claim?
Why do they claim it?
What is their agenda? (What are they trying to get you to do?)
What is their job? (This might not sound obvious, but what a person does for a living, if they are indeed seeking to earn a living, gives a pretty good insight into what sort of person they are and the biases and expertise they might have)
What are the narratives they have grown up with? Is it any surprise that someone who's brought up in a community that hates another community should continue his or her particular prejudice?
Do their actions back up what they claim? Muad Dib, real name John Hill, thinks he is the Messiah and the ark of the covenant is buried near him in Ireland.
What are the implications of that claim?
Why do they claim it?
What is their agenda? (What are they trying to get you to do?)
What is their job? (This might not sound obvious, but what a person does for a living, if they are indeed seeking to earn a living, gives a pretty good insight into what sort of person they are and the biases and expertise they might have)
What are the narratives they have grown up with? Is it any surprise that someone who's brought up in a community that hates another community should continue his or her particular prejudice?
Do their actions back up what they claim? Muad Dib, real name John Hill, thinks he is the Messiah and the ark of the covenant is buried near him in Ireland.
What conspirators desire is truth, yet they often give the impression that truth itself is allusive, out there (either in space, in the Oval Office or perhaps in a little filing in Vauxhall labelled, "all the truth you ever wanted and never heard") and unachievable. That's a sad way to live. In our desire for truth, we need to learn and be taught how to read. How to read the narratives we hear everyday, how to assess truth over fiction, how to be critical (but not always cynical or sceptical) of what we hear and how to base our arguments on facts and show our sources.
That's the very reason I am Christian. I looked into the evidence and the lives of Jesus and his followers. I investigated if claims about the resurrection were true and what it would mean if it was true. I'm happy to follow the one who claimed to be the truth.
There is a worldwide plan, but it isn't some sinister plot, it's a plan that God has to bring all things (including you and me) under Jesus Christ and have them bow before him. That's no secret, but it might require listening to a different narrative than the one your used to in order to realise how wonderful that is.
For more on conspiracy theories, check out an interesting article in Standpoint magazine.
