False Prophets and Conspiracy Theories

Last updated on: November 10, 2020 at 6:01 am by James F. McGrath

False Prophets and Conspiracy Theories 2020-11-10T06:01:24-05:00 James F. McGrath

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

It is important to emphasize that there are a lot of different kinds of Christianity that share in common their unwavering support for Donald Trump and their embrace of a range of falsehoods and conspiracy theories. The ones who claim to be prophets are almost certainly Pentecostals. You won’t hear Baptists or Presbyterians talk like that. Some reflect the broadly Pentecostal brand of Christianity but seem to be working largely independently. Kat Karr predicted that Trump would win by a landslide, and then suggested that what God revealed was true but she had “misinterpreted” it. Mark Taylor seems to simply be a self-proclaimed prophet peddling conspiracy theories. He says that no genuine Christian voted for Biden, and that anyone who did has cursed their family for four generations. Organizations like the Christian Broadcasting Network certainly give them credence and attention, indicating that even if some are not directly affiliated, they are nonetheless involved in a relationship of mutual influence. Michele Bachmann, a former Lutheran, uses different rhetoric, praying that God would use his rod of iron to smash the delusion of Joe Biden being president, among other things. But there is a shared devotion to Trump, confident predictions that God ordained Trump to emerge victorious, and refusal to accept the results of the election.

So why is it that so many conservative Evangelicals who often don’t see eye to eye on matters of theology, doctrine, and practice are all embracing the same or similar false claims? Some will argue that somehow their religiosity drives their support of Trump. There has been some pandering to their religious views, but the truth is that these Americans of European descent share a common political ideology more than they share anything in common related to religion. The false prophecies of those who are prone to offer such are a result of their unquestioning support for the Republican party. They would vote for and support anyone that party put forward. Some of that support is fueled by claims that they would not believe if they were thinking seriously about these matters. But that is an important clue to understanding what is going on. Many of us have taken to wearing masks. We have not done that spontaneously. We have done it in response, first and foremost, to sources of information, including news media reports and medical experts, who have advocated this and provided a glimpse of what is unfolding in hospitals all over the country. In many instances requirements of employers have also been a factor, but that is because those employers have fed themselves with reliable information. If we fed ourselves with sources that lied to us constantly, telling us the pandemic was a hoax or not as severe as the purportedly biased mainstream media would have us believe, and that it was all part of a sinister plot to ultimately shut down churches and curtail freedoms in a variety of more severe ways, we would (if we accepted such claims) behave differently.

But why are they prone to accept claims that are patently implausible and literally incredible? What drives them to feed themselves with lies despite their shared scriptures that emphasize the importance of truth and the need for discernment? There I do think that some religious commonalities are relevant. Conservative Christians all share an us-vs.-them view of mainstream culture and sources of knowledge. There is almost a knee-jerk reaction that leads those steeped in these various religious traditions to reject what the majority in their society says and does. As with their biblical literalism, it is of course extremely selective. Most conservative Christians are blind to how much they share their society’s cultural values of individualism and consumerism. They might shop at a Christian bookstore to get their stuff but it is an alternative consumerism rather than an alternative to consumerism. But more than that, they drive on the same side of the road as the rest and stop at the same traffic lights and stop signs. They should know that just because something is widely accepted doesn’t make it untrue. They do know it on some level. But the emphasis on being prepared to “go against the flow” and “stand up for Jesus in an ungodly hostile world” sets conservative Christians up to be duped by those who claim that following their false claims will do just that.

None of this is an excuse. The Pentecostals know there are false prophets. The Baptists know that even the Devil can quote scripture. The even deeper issue is that, being already inclined by race, class, and culture to support Republicans, they are willing to give the party’s politicians and pundits the same benefit of the doubt they give their preachers.

Is the root issue the sin of pride, the sin of nationalism, or the sin of selfishness? It is hard to say, and it may differ from case to case. What I can say is that the politics and religiosity are now caught in an ongoing loop in which each reinforces the other. I do not know how to break people out of that loop, other than through patient conversations across our different viewpoints. Even then, we are all inclined because of basic human instincts to resist other viewpoints. Does anyone have suggestions and strategies that might help those of us truly committed to truth, including changing our mind when evidence calls for it, and for not blindly following any person or party, to reach out to those who are being led astray in the very dangerous ways we see happening at present? If so, I’ll be very grateful if you share them.

John Fea, an Evangelical historian who studies his own religious tradition and its involvement in politics (among other things) has highlighted that the lead Biden has in both the popular vote and the electoral college is clear and unlikely to be affected even if there is a recount that finds a few issues here or there. Robert Jeffries has acknowledged this and he won’t be the last. Prophecies that prove false often leave disillusionment in their wake, but there is also a long history of reinterpreting them and surviving the falsehood. Perhaps that is the biggest issue at the heart of this all: already being steeped in a worldview that trains you to be impervious to counterevidence to whatever you happen to already believe…

Prophecy and Presidential Election

https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2020/11/09/heres-a-compilation-of-preachers-and-prophets-predicting-a-trump-victory/

https://www.redletterchristians.org/a-new-chapter-in-the-american-experiment/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+RedLetterChristians+%28Red+Letter+Christians%29

https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2020/11/08/ralph-reed-said-many-more-white-evangelicals-would-back-trump-he-was-wrong/

Anxious Elections Past

https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2020/11/09/megachurch-preachers-call-on-god-to-hold-another-election-so-trump-can-win/

Kenneth Copeland’s daughter is a preacher and also had things to say about the election

And finally, a political cartoon from the Boston Globe that seems relevant. Check out Christopher Weyant’s Twitter account for more from him that is timely.

Previous Post

November 9, 2020

Re-Rolling the Past: Representations and Reinterpretations of Antiquity in Analog and Digital Games

Next Post

November 11, 2020 Time Travel to 2020: From Timeless to Star Trek: Discovery by Way of Doctor Who

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category 1 Corinthians 1 John 1 Peter 1 Samuel 1 Thessalonians 1 Timothy 2 Corinthians 2 Kings 2 Peter 2 Samuel 2 Thessalonians 2 Timothy academia Acts of the Apostles afterlife Akhaten Alcatraz American Academy of Religion Amos Anglican Arabic Aramaic archaeology art artificial intelligence astronomy atheism atonement Babylon 5 Baptists Battlestar Galactica Bible Biblical Studies Carnival biblioblogging Black Mirror Blade Runner Book of Job book review Buddhism Call for Papers China Christianity Christmas Christology Chronicles Coptic creation Daniel Deuteronomy Doctor Who Dune Easter Ecclesiastes economics education Eldad Keynan Enoch Seminar Ephesians eschatology Esther Evangelicals evolution Exodus Expanse Ezekiel Ezra fantasy Fringe fundamentalism Galatians games Ge'ez genealogy Genesis Gnosticism Gospel of Jesus' Wife Gospel of John Gospel of Judas Gospel of Luke Gospel of Mark Gospel of Matthew Gospel of Peter Gospel of Thomas Greek Harry Potter Hebrew Hebrews Hinduism historical Jesus history Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Holidays horror Hosea humor incarnation India inerrancy information literacy inspirational Intelligent Design Ireland Isaiah Islam Israel Italy James Jeremiah John the Baptist Jonah Joshua Judaism Jude Judges Judith Lamentations languages Latin Leviticus libraries literature Lord of the Rings LOST Mandaeans Mandaic memes Methodism Micah monotheism morality Mormons movies music mythicism NASSCAL Nehemiah new perspective New Testament news Numbers Orthodox paganism panentheism pantheism Patheos Paul and his letters Pentecostals Philippians Philippians 2:6-11 philosophy physics Planet of the Apes podcast politics Progressive Christianity Protestantism Proverbs Psalms pseudoscience racism religion Revelation Roman Catholicism Romania Romans Ruth scams science science fiction Secret Gospel of Mark Society of Biblical Literature Song of Songs Star Trek Star Wars Stargate Swahili Syriac Taoism technology Terminator The Handmaid's Tale The Hobbit The Matrix theodicy theology theory Timeless Titus tomb Torchwood travel TRON Uncategorized United Kingdom Westworld X-Files young-earth creationism Zechariah

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 February 2007 January 2001

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz