July 26, 2021

Minute of Transparency: Run for the Hills

Today's Topic: Transcending Conspiracy Theories

In this episode:

1. The birth of conspiracy

2. Your beliefs drive your experience

3. Knowledge is king

// 1. THE BIRTH OF CONSPIRACY

Let's hit the ground running...by defining what we're talking about.

Dictionary.com defines a conspiracy theory this way:

1. A theory that rejects the standard explanation for an event and instead credits a covert group or organization with carrying out a secret plot

2. A belief that a particular unexplained event was caused by such a covert group

3. The idea that many important political events or economic and social trends are the products of deceptive plots that are largely unknown to the general public

So these are theories, beliefs or ideas that can't be proven. Things we believe even though we don't have proof. Instead of taking the given explanation, or the explanation that makes the most sense, we believe the opposite - or read something covert or sinister into the situation.

Now this isn't new to us - though it became very popular in the last presidential election cycle.

Conspiracy theories have been around since the dawn of time.

• Just look back through history:

• The JFK assassination conspiracy

• Area 51

• The Illuminati

• The belief that Hitler faked his death

These are all conspiracy theories - and there are many more where these came from.

But did you know we came by it honestly?

I would suggest that the whole concept of conspiracy theories didn't even start on earth. That it became a thing long before we were even living on this planet...

For the Christians in the room - you know where I'm going with this...

As Christians, we believe in God, and we believe in Satan - or at least most of us...

Satan, or Lucifer as he was called in Heaven, lived in a perfect environment. A completely sinless universe. And yet, somehow, Lucifer was able to manifest sin within himself. It started with a negative thought - irritation - frustration with God. This new thing was a small piece of the Sin Virus. A speck of something that had not previously existed. He took this small seed of sin and watered it, grew it, gave it attention until it matured into a manifesto.

And this manifesto was the birthplace of the Conspiracy Theory.

Lucifer concocted a plan to get others on board. He had to present his manifesto to the other angels, and get them to believe him. So he created logical reasons why he was right. He came up with new explanations about God that the angels had never heard before.

Instead of God being loving, and wanting what was best for His created beings - God was painted as selfish, controlling and unwilling to allow the angels to reach their full potential.

Lucifer was convincing. And he kept at if day after day - slowly pulling more and more angels to his side.

Now this is hard for us to believe, right? I mean looking back - we're like, "Why on earth would they fall for that?" They lived in Heaven! There was no pain, no suffering, no problems. Why would you switch sides and align yourself with someone who wanted to overthrow that?

Well, let me suggest two reasons:

1. The angels had no context like we do. All they knew was perfection - so they probably didn't see their choice leading to sin and suffering. They probably just felt like they were choosing a different version of perfection. Or possibly that they had been duped by God, so what they were choosing would actually be a superior existence

2. I don't think we give Satan enough credit. We have that cartoon view of him here on earth - but the Bible makes him out to be a superior angel - one that is incredibly smart and convincing. So what he told the other angels was probably hard for them to resist and refute

So there you have it - the original conspiracy theory.

But it didn't stop there. In fact Satan took this theory and used it on us - which is why I say we came by it honestly.

The book of Genesis explains that it was used three times before the Sin Virus even entered the world!

Here are the three times:

1. Satan and his minions were removed from Heaven - and forced to reside on the earth. In order to ensure freedom of choice, God placed two trees in the garden Adam and Eve lived in. One they could eat from - the other they were to stay away from. Satan was allowed access to the newly created beings in this tree alone. So when Eve walked by one day, Satan began talking to her. He used the same conspiracy theory that worked on the angels to get her attention. God is hiding something from you. He knows that if you eat the fruit from this tree that your minds will be opened and you will be gods yourself. He says you will die - but don't believe that - it's just a hoax - a lie to keep you scared

2. So Eve believed Satan, ate the fruit and then used the same logic on Adam. When God asked Eve what she had done - she developed a conspiracy theory of her own. She told God that the serpent, or Satan made her do it

3. Next, God asked Adam why he had eaten the fruit and Adam created a conspiracy theory that he didn't have a choice - Even made him do it

And there you go - three conspiracy theories before things on earth really got started...

But that's all it took. Eating the fruit from that tree did exactly what God told them it would do. It opened their minds to the truth about the Sin Virus. Their choices brought it into the perfect world God created for them. They immediately saw the change from perfect to imperfect. Eternal to temporal. And they understood the concept of death - that everything would now have an end point - instead of living forever.

Such an unfortunate ending. And all because they fell for a conspiracy theory...

But we're no different. Since the dawn of time we have fallen for conspiracy theories, and some of us have made up conspiracy theories.

They are a part of us - something that has existed for as long as we have. But it's up to us whether we fall for them or not. And whether we perpetuate them or not with those around us.

In our day conspiracy theories come from many different places:

• Religious & Spiritual Beliefs / World View:

  • Based on how you were raised, what religion you are part of, or even what generation you find yourself in - you may have certain conspiracy theories you are part of

  • Think about the Middle East - and the tension between Israel and Palestine - two very different religious world views

  • Each side has conspiracy theories about the opposing side that keep them locked in perpetual war

• Cults / Fringe Groups:

  • Similar to religious and spiritual beliefs - but at times even more devastating

  • Think about some of the groups in this country

  • Often referred to as hate groups, or militias

  • Then pretend you are a child growing up in that environment

  • Taught that the government is evil, and that they're only out to remove rights from us

  • These conspiracy theories introduce hatred and violence

  • The attacks on Washington this year are just a small example of the way conspiracy theories like these can lead to irrational behavior

• Movies / TV / Books:

  • There's probably no better way to put forth a conspiracy theory than by using media

  • Video, audio and the written word

  • Fiction, science fiction, fantasy

  • Immersive stories that suck us in

  • Think about Star Wars and Star Trek - and how people have literally tried to create the technology from these movies - as if the authors knew something about the future that we didn't

  • So if they are this powerful - they are also the perfect medium in which to present conspiracy theories

• Popular role models / News / Social Media:

  • There is no getting around the fact that people follow people

  • And when you have a favorite celebrity - sometimes the things they say hold weight with you

  • You're more likely to believe what they're saying simply because you like them a lot

  • Next, news outlets are notorious for shading and bending the truth in order to shape the publics perception about things

  • How do we know this? Simple. Just watch CNN, then switch over to Fox News. Watch the reporting on the same event - and notice how there are two totally different explanations for what happened

  • To me this is proof that there is no such thing as fair, balanced and unbiased news

  • When you report on something you will always bring your bias, or the bias of your network to the table

  • And then there is social media - this new phenomenon where you have a constant stream of conspiracy theories coming at you night and day, every day

  • If you watched the documentary on social media called The Social Dilemma - you know that artificial intelligence is being leveraged to quickly sift through billions of interactions a second and make decisions on what content id hidden, what content we see, and what content trends, or is popular

  • This is the perfect storm for conspiracy theories

  • All it takes is one person posting something that isn't true - a lie about an elected official for example. Then 1,000 people connected to that one user hit the like button. Then 10,000 people see the post. And the ripple effect takes over. Soon this lie, or this conspiracy theory, is a trending topic that everyone is seeing in their feeds

  • The dangerous thing is that artificial intelligence doesn't have morals or values

  • It doesn't care if the content is true or not - only that is is popular, trending and capable of going viral

  • This is the perfect platform for conspiracy theories to spread and impact the widest possible audience

• Lack of knowledge / Not having a belief system:

  • This one is pretty straightforward

  • You've probably heard the old saying, "If you don't believe in something, you'll fall for anything."

  • Or something like that...

  • But it's true - when you haven't made up your mind about some very basic things in life, you're likely to be tossed around a bit. Life will be that much harder to navigate

• And finally - Satan's influence on conspiracy theories:

  • Satan loves nothing more than to create them, help us create them, and then throw gasoline on them to keep them burning

  • It's key for him because conspiracy theories keep us floundering. Keep us misinformed. Misguided. Suspicious. Polarized. Fearful. Anxious, etc. 

  • Right where he wants us to be...no peace, no firm foundation, nothing solid to stand on...

// 2. YOUR BELIEFS DRIVE YOUR EXPERIENCE

So now that we have a clearer understanding as to where conspiracy theories come from - we can analyze our unique situation.

Which of the ones we just talked about has the biggest impact on us. Because the truth is: What you believe will drive the experience you have in life. Or, another way to say it: Perception = Reality.

In other words, how we perceive the world is our reality. Even if it's wrong.

For example: If we perceive the earth to be flat - to us it's flat. That is our reality - it doesn't matter that the earth is actually round.

So the same applies to us. Our beliefs, and the conspiracy theories we entertain determine our reality. What we expect from the world.

So we're going to look at some of these. Go ahead and think about yourself while I get transparent about the ones that have impacted me:

• I grew up with Traditional Christianity:

  • So for me - I have to admit that it had an impact on my world view

  • And I have to be honest with myself that there were things I learned that weren't always true - conspiracy theories if you will

  • I would say I had a legalistic outlook on life - a subconscious belief that you had to be perfect or you would go to hell

  • I had a tendency to look down on people who weren't Christians - people who believed something else, or believed in nothing

  • I believed that poor people, homeless people just didn't have the drive to be better - that they just needed to pull themselves up by their bootstraps and work harder

  • I believed that the church was better than the world - that pastors, and leaders in the church MUST be different because they were Christian people - that a church should run smoothly - unlike a for profit business - because the church had the truth

• Next, I would say I can be influenced by News and Social Media:

  • I get caught up in this at times

  • I find myself watching news coverage, reading things online and just accepting them as the gospel truth

  • Instead of questioning them - asking if it could be more opinion than truth

  • It got to the point during the election last year that Tammy and I almost stopped watching the news all together

  • And she's held onto that to this day

  • She sill asks me at night why I have the news on - and it we can change the channel

  • Because as time goes on - the news is becoming more and more focused on the negative

  • AND - it is getting harder and harder to know if what is being reported has anything to do with what the average American believes about the world

  • Throw in social media and I'm toast...

  • I had to remove Facebook from my phone last year in order to maintain my sanity

  • And Instagram is quickly getting to that point as well

  • The amount of content coming our way - content that we didn't ask to see - is mind boggling

  • If I was able to pick the accounts I followed and only see that content - I would be all about it

  • But the current reality is that social media (most platforms) have become less about me connecting with my people and more about companies having direct access to my eyeballs 24/7/365

So those are the two big ones that influenced, and still influence me…

Now when I explained the "Traditional Christianity" list - some of you may be thinking, "But those weren't conspiracy theories - those were - and still are beliefs that some churches preach today!"

And you would be right. But as I have grown and matured - I no longer believe the things I listed. I realized these weren't official teachings of the church I attended. Nor were these things my parents taught me.

There's a good chance I came up with them on my own - that I extrapolated these beliefs from the legalistic nature of the religion. And the fact that the grace side of things was rarely ever discussed.

This is why I refer to them more as conspiracy theories, and not just faulty beliefs. Because they weren't beliefs taught to me - they were theories I came up with through my own faulty thinking.

Next, I probably don't need to further explain the news and social media side of things. That should be pretty obvious.

So what about you? When you look back on your life can you see areas that were defined by conspiracy theories like these? Beliefs that you fell for hook line and sinker - only to grow out of them later in life and wonder why they seemed so logical back then?

Or can you see some of these in your life right now? Things that you're choosing to believe - but aren't quite sure why?

// 3. KNOWLEDGE IS KING

So it should make sense that in order to correctly see conspiracy theories for what they are, and to keep from falling into them - we need one thing: Brains. Smarts. Knowledge. Good deduction and reasoning skills.

More concisely - we need to become critical thinkers. So what does that mean specifically?

Dictionary.com explains critical thinking as:

"Disciplined thinking that is clear, rational, open-minded, and informed by evidence."

I actually had to take a class in college called Critical Thinking for the Modern World and it was eye opening:

• It was like having a spotlight turned on - one that highlighted all of my faulty thinking

• My assumptions

• My irrational beliefs

• How many things I believed without actually having evidence supporting them

• And yes - even conspiracy theories work, and how you can be susceptible to them

And while we don't have time to walk through the finer points of critical thinking - here are three ways you can start to think more critically moving forward:

1. Solidify Your Beliefs Before Entertaining Conspiracy Theories:

   • This is SO important

   • And it kind of goes back to that whole, "If you don't believe in something, you'll fall for anything" statement we talked about earlier

   • The best way to ward off unwanted conspiracy theories is to have a solid belief system in place before they hit you

   • That way you will have a good filter to run the theories through and the falsehoods will be that much easier to spot

2. Start By Answering the Big 3 Questions:

   • These questions come straight out of Controversy Theory - Basic Assumption #3

   • Can you remember what these questions are? For those of you who have been around for a while?

     1. Where did I come from? (Origin question)

     2. Why am I here? (Purpose and meaning question)

     3. Where do I go when I die? (Destination question)

   • These are foundational questions - the basics we need to have answers for in order to truly filter out what the world throws at us

   • And this includes conspiracy theories that come our way...

3. Begin With the Ending:

   • Another way to keep conspiracy theories from overpowering us is to know what we believe about the way things end

   • The big word for this is Eschatology - the study of End Time events

     • What happens in the end?

     • What happens to our world?

     • What happens to us?

   • In essence - it's like reading the last chapter of a book before reading the book! You know the ending - so when you get to a scary part of the book, it isn't that scary - because you know how it all works out in the end

   • Having this world view is important now more than ever

   • Because right now - this is where conspiracy theorists are making their money!

   • Think about it - how many of the conspiracy theories you've heard lately have to do with the end of time? With the world ending? With evil plots behind the scenes trying to overthrow governments or democracies? Theories about UFOs and Aliens? Theories about global warming or that global warming is just a hoax?

   • See how so many of these are tied to our future? Our existence? The Big 3 Questions?

So there you have it - three ways to resist conspiracy theories before they grab hold of you:

1. Know what you believe

2. Answer the Big 3 Questions

3. Begin with the ending

Let’s Land the Plane:

This week - ask yourself these questions:

1. What do I believe about conspiracy theories?

   • Can I see how they started and just how dangerous they can be to us as humans?

2. If perception = reality:

   • How am I perceiving the world?

   • Am I falling for conspiracy theories that in turn cloud my judgment?

3. If knowledge is king:

   • How can I think more critically this week?

   • Have I answered the Big 3 Questions?

   • What can I do to become more familiar with End Time events? Knowledge that can actually help avoid conspiracy theories in the future?

Thanks for joining us - so glad you chose to hang out with us today.

Have a great week, avoid those conspiracy theories, and as always keep Transcending Human!

References:

• https://www.dictionary.com/browse/conspiracy-theory

• https://www.bible.com/bible/114/GEN.3.NKJV

• https://www.thesocialdilemma.com/

• https://www.dictionary.com/browse/critical-thinking

• https://transcendhuman.com/podcast/2020/5/ct04-ba03-the-big-3-questions