Does anyone think that Qanan exists because of a lack of belief in G-d/religion..?
I realize that not everyone here is from the United States, but in case you haven't heard, Qanon is basically conspiracy theories on steroids, and so I was curious how conspiracy theories relate to *faith* in general... Whether it’s from too much faith, or misguided faith, or lack thereof.
Or perhaps someone here is apologetic towards Qanon, that would also be an interesting share.
QAnon believers grapple with doubt, spin new theories as Trump era ends
It seems kind of strange, especially after I read this part of the article:
Over thousands of cryptic posts since 2017, Q, QAnon's unidentified online prophet, had promised that Trump was secretly spearheading a spiritual war against an elite cabal of child-eating Satanists who controlled Washington, Hollywood and the world. Believers in these false, rambling theories had counted down the hours waiting for Trump to corral his enemies for military tribunals and mass executions in a show of force they called "the Storm."
But on Wednesday, as reality dawned, QAnon promoters who had gained thousands of online supporters by promising to decode Q's arcane posts - and profited off their audience, by selling QAnon merchandise or online subscriptions along the way - scrambled to spin the truth of Trump's election loss or shift the goal posts of a deadline four years in the making.
One QAnon channel on Telegram with 40,000 subscribers noted that the last sentence of Eric Trump's farewell tweet - " . . . the best is yet to come!" - was also a common slogan for QAnon adherents, failing to mention that the phrase is a commonly used cliche. Another QAnon channel with 35,000 Telegram subscribers, devoted to the "Great Awakening," highlighted Trump's final remarks as president: "We will be back in some form - Have a good life. We will see you soon."
"It simply doesn't make sense that we all got played," one QAnon channel on Telegram said.
"A spiritual war against an elite cabal of child-eating Satanists who controlled Washington, Hollywood and the world"? Is that what they really believe, or is that just hyperbole?
I can understand conspiracy theories and basic cynicism and mistrust in government and the political system. But I just see it as a part of human nature and human-derived systems of organization.
As the saying goes, "Power corrupts," so it's a perfectly natural part of the human condition.
I guess one reason it might be easy for people to believe that there's an elite cabal of child-eating Satanists is because, for most of human history, those are the kinds of people who end up being in charge. It's always been the 1% who have most of the wealth and power, while the rest are hapless peasants, living at the mercy of whatever "lord" happens to own them. I can't recall offhand if any of them ate children, although considering some of the methods of execution and the kinds of tortures and punishments they had back in the day, it's possible.
That's how human societies have been ruled throughout most of history. It's what humanity has grown accustomed to over thousands of years. It's only been within the past few centuries that we've touted this idea of "freedom" and "democracy" and "human rights," which some see as pablum and bunkum for the masses. I think we've made some progress since the bad old days, but there's always a fear that we could revert back to an earlier form.
Some might even argue that it's impractical and humanly impossible for a society to operate the "free and democratic way," largely due to the same human nature which makes this a dangerous world. That's why (it is argued) we "need" a large, permanent military establishment. That's why we "need" a CIA, NSA, FBI, and other such agencies in a poisoned bowl of alphabet soup. It's a dangerous world, and everybody is out to get us. At least that's how the argument is generally presented. It was a lot more heavy-handed and strident during the Cold War.
Think of the long-term effects that could have on generations of Americans who have been raised and conditioned to think that the world is full of danger - Communists, fascists, terrorists, socialists, cartels, gangs, etc. A popular trope in our culture has been the "eve of destruction" or that we're somehow at the brink. You might hear people say things like "The whole country is going down the tubes" or "to hell in a handbasket."
So, with a pervasive atmosphere of pessimism, cynicism, fear, and paranoia throughout the culture already, it's not that surprising that a few people might take it a step further, such as these QAnon people. But from what I can discern from this article, some appear to believe that they've been played, as if it was all a scam just to rip people off.