Conspiracy Theory
Taken from article on ISIS conspiracy theory.
The more outrageous a story is, the more likely we are to believe it, especially if it involves a conspiracy.
What is it about conspiracies that we find so compelling?
Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what it fears, or be in dread. But the Lord of hosts, him you shall regard as holy; let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.- Isaiah 8:12-13
Isaiah warns against them. He tells us not to let talk of conspiracies distract us from the only one we should focus on, God.
That is easy to say, and we can believe our suspicions are just that, suspicions, unfounded and unrealistic, yet we are intrigued and want to hear more.
The latest theory blames the U.S. and the CIA for creating and supporting I.S.I.S., going so far as to suggest that the videos of the beheadings of journalists were faked.
It used to be that we believed only what we could see with our own eyes, or hear firsthand with our ears. Don't believe everything you read, we were told, because people tend to twist the truth.
Well, now we live in an era where anything and everything we see could be fake. We watch movies and see photos that have people in the same shot who have been dead for quote a while, and yet they look very much alive.
If there is a conspiracy afoot, perhaps it is the conspiracy to turn everything into entertainment, stripping the connection with reality, so that we doubt all that we see and hear.
It is tempting and compelling, isn't it? To construct a story so horrific or emotionally charged that people are swayed to do what we want?
When we get to the point where we no longer believe anything, where will we be? How will we live? Whom will we trust?
I tend to agree with Isaiah, stick with God. There is only one source of truth, and unfortunately we may have to shut our eyes and hold our ears to see and hear it.
More to come...