The Very, Very Large Conspiracy
The American Psychological Association site features an interview with Karen Douglas, PhD. on "Why people believe in conspiracy theories." Wondering why I'm tying beliefs in conspiracies directly to religious beliefs? You may figure it out before she finishes talking. On page 6 of my printout, Dr. Douglas is asked, "What makes a conspiracy theory catch on and have staying power? Are there certain types of theories that are stickier than others or some that are more enduring?" She finds that a "really, really, fascinating question." (Because they come back again or come back again in a different form, for instance.) She says sorts of conspiracy theories have always been there. They mutate. They change.
Dr. Douglas didn't get into a connection between religious beliefs and conspiracy theories, but I couldn't stop thinking about a very, very, large conspiracy theory that has endured for thousands of years, unchanged and invoked time after time in every country on earth. It's the one that has justified evil actions, persecutions, deaths, and untold horrors in its simple single-minded okay for doing them. It's the conspiracy that absolutely believes there are absolutely invisible evil forces and evil humans conspiring together, and they are involved in a never-ending war against absolute good.
Those who believe one conspiracy theory are likely to believe other conspiracy theories...You can't reason with believers who are convinced absolute evil beings exist, and point out there is no absolute good and evil; the evidence shows evil actions are committed by humans alone, many of them only too likely to place the responsibility for their actions on invisible demonic scapegoats. This is the conspiracy theory behind the Sept. 11, 2001 destructions, and deaths of thousands. This conspiracy dogma is without evidence, it's total bullshit. It should be cremated.
What have I learned in eighty-five years? Well, the Bible is bullshit. Every theology is bullshit. Religions are psychological mind-fuck gambling games. Men create bullshit and tell outrageous lies only to gain power, and if those lies are believed, they repeat them, embellish and enshrine them, add even more outrageous lies. To stay in power, won't they create holidays to celebrate the bullshit?
I myself posted a fabricated "scriptural" conspiracy theory about a sexual relationship between St. Paul and a twelve year old girl, just to see if readers would accept it. I was emboldened by the evidence pedophile clergy cover-ups are already known, and I suspect this has been the case for centuries. So why not create a possible conspiracy cover-up going back to the beginning of Christianity itself? Just another instance of trying to make a point. With scriptural tradition it's impossible to tell if something is true or bullshit.
Research finds those who believe one conspiracy theory are likely to believe other conspiracy theories - even when they contradict one another! The same can be said for sincere religious beliefs. Makes sense that believers in devils manipulating events with human agents have already set themselves up to believe other bizarre fantasies. When we're dealing with belief in a single god who creates devils and a hell, we have a conspiracy game to get good people to harm and kill other good people. What kind of warped, and/or, drug-addled mind created a nightmare conflict not to be glutted until this world is destroyed? Welcome to the Good News Conspiracy theory.