Conspiracy Theories and the Assassination of JFK

Why do Americans go crazy for a conspiracy?

I have a theory. I think it is because of who we are as a people. Look at our history. Most of the immigrants who came here were fleeing some kind of persecution. Protestant settlers came for religious freedom from oppressive state religion regimes. Jews came here to escape pogroms. Irish came here to escape the English oppression. Others came to escape crushing poverty caused by greedy capitalists, aristocrats or politicians or all three. The Native Americans and Blacks were oppressed and enslaved.

America was founded as a protesting nation–a refugee nation–a nation of people who had every reason to suspect the powers that be. They were a people who had every reason to be cautious and to believe that the powers that be were out to get them, to grab their wealth, smash their religion, quash their freedoms and enslave them.

I think that fear and distrust of the establishment runs deep in our bloodstream.

Is it healthy? I think up to a point it is. We should be suspicious of those who hold power.

But if we’re Christians we should also have a bit more trust and confidence in God’s providence. What he is doing is always and everywhere above and beyond the little power plays of people here on earth. Will we be persecuted from time to time? That is what the master promised. Will we be misunderstood, maligned and even martyred? It seems that is part of the deal. Will government powers hate us, wealthy people scorn our values and the diabolically controlled despise us? Of course. It they did that to our Master why do we think it will be different for us?

Conspiracy theories are based in fear. We should grow up and stop being so afraid of the dark.

We should remember the words of Pope St John Paul II who lived through the Nazis AND the Communists, who stepped out on the balcony and said,

“Do not be afraid!”

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