Since the early twentieth century there has been a significant overlap between Christian fundamentalism and millennialism in the United States and belief in false conspiracy theories such as those in Pat Robertson's 1991 book, The New World Order.[1][2] Ed Stetzer wrote that Christians should repent of spreading false conspiracy theories and fake news online, which he says "directly violates Scripture’s prohibition from bearing false witness against our neighbors". He argued that "The Seth Rich conspiracy theory is a textbook example of false witness... Without seriously defending their claims, conservative Christians across the country accused their neighbor of murder."[3]
A 2022 study found a positive correlation between religious fundamentalism and COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs.[4]
The QAnon conspiracy movement, described as "birthed in a matrix of evangelical fundamentalism",[5] has been linked to Christian fundamentalism by multiple scholars.[6] Outlets such as Christianity Today and Religion News have covered the movement's impact among congregations.[7][8]
See also
References
- ↑ Fenster 1999, pp. 147–148.
- ↑ Wilcox 1988, pp. 663–664.
- ↑ Stetzer, Ed (2017). "Christians, Repent (Yes, Repent) of Spreading Conspiracy Theories and Fake News—It's Bearing False Witness". The Exchange. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
- ↑ Łowicki, Paweł; Marchlewska, Marta; Molenda, Zuzanna; Karakula, Adam; Szczepańska, Dagmara (2022-03-01). "Does religion predict coronavirus conspiracy beliefs? Centrality of religiosity, religious fundamentalism, and COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs". Personality and Individual Differences. 187: 111413. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2021.111413. ISSN 0191-8869. PMC 8626275. PMID 34866726.
- ↑ Pettipiece, Timothy (2021-03-21). "History repeats itself: From the New Testament to QAnon". The Conversation. Retrieved 2023-06-29.
- ↑ Miotto, Nicolò (2022). 'Stand against the wiles of the devil.': Interpreting QAnon as a Christian extremist movement (Thesis). Prague: Charles University. hdl:20.500.11956/178337.
- ↑ Kristian|, Bonnie (2020-08-26). "QAnon Is a Wolf in Wolf's Clothing". Christianity Today. Retrieved 2023-06-29.
- ↑ Beaty, Katelyn (2020-08-17). "QAnon: The alternative religion that's coming to your church". Religion News Service. Retrieved 2023-06-29.
Sources
- Fenster, Mark (1999). Conspiracy Theories: Secrecy and Power in American Culture. University of Minnesota Press. ISBN 978-0-8166-3242-8.
- Wilcox, Clyde (1988). "The Christian Right in Twentieth Century America: Continuity and Change". The Review of Politics. 50 (4): 659–681. doi:10.1017/S0034670500041991. ISSN 0034-6705. JSTOR 1407358. S2CID 143220016.
Further reading
- Barkun, Michael (2003). A Culture of Conspiracy: Apocalyptic Visions in Contemporary America. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-24812-0.
- Brekke, Torkel (2019). "Christianity Betrayed - Conspiracy Theory about a Leftist-Muslim Plot against Christianity in Norway". Journal of Religion and Society. 21: 1–15. ISSN 2684-852X.
- Dyrendal, Asbjørn; Robertson, David G.; Asprem, Egil, eds. (2018). Handbook of Conspiracy Theory and Contemporary Religion. Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-38202-2.
- James, Nigel (2000). "Militias, the Patriot Movement, and the Internet: The Ideology of Conspiracism". The Sociological Review. 48 (2_suppl): 63–92. doi:10.1111/j.1467-954X.2000.tb03521.x. S2CID 145683605.
- Knight, Peter (ed.). Conspiracy Theories in American History: An Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-57607-812-9.
- Ruotsila, Markku (2004). "Mrs Webster's religion: conspiracist extremism on the Christian far right". Patterns of Prejudice. 38 (2): 109–126. doi:10.1080/00313220410001692321. S2CID 159905361.
- Thielman, Sam (11 August 2020). "When the news becomes religion". Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved 21 August 2020.