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Christians and Q

...sure. Please be aware that around here, you need to state your beliefs as opinions, not as "The Truth."

I have a proper understanding of wisdom therefore do i properly separate things i know, things i do not know, and opinion. Opinion plays no role in knowledge nor belief whatsoever. Not one iota.

I never discuss opinion nor belief with regard to matters of God, being that belief and opinion are against God's very nature, being the being of wisdom and knowledge that he is.

Proper Philosophy: Know - Do Not Know - Opinion
 

Left Coast

This Is Water
Staff member
Premium Member
This country is being torn apart by people who believe in the Q Conspiracy Theories. More important to many on RF, Christianity is being torn apart by people who believe in the Q Conspiracy Theories.

QAnon: The alternative religion that’s coming to your church

QAnon: The alternative religion that’s coming to your church
Teaching susceptible Christians media literacy won’t counteract their sudden, widespread adherence to conspiracy theories because these Christians thrive on a narrative of media cover-up.

August 17, 2020
By
Katelyn Beaty



(RNS) — It’s a rough time to be a pastor. An election year, national racial unrest and a global pandemic each challenged the usual methods of ministry. Taken together, many church leaders are facing the traditional post-vacation ingathering season with a serious case of burnout.

But there’s another challenge that pastors I spoke with say is on the rise in their flocks. It is taking on the power of a new religion that’s dividing churches and hurting Christian witness.

Mark Fugitt, senior pastor of Round Grove Baptist Church in Miller, Missouri, recently sat down to count the conspiracy theories that people in his church are sharing on Facebook. The list was long. It included claims that 5G radio waves are used for mind control; that George Floyd’s murder is a hoax; that Bill Gates is related to the devil; that masks can kill you; that the germ theory isn’t real; and that there might be something to Pizzagate after all.

“You don’t just see it once,” said Fugitt. “If there’s ever anything posted, you’ll see it five to 10 times. It’s escalating for sure.”​

Anyway, back on the topic of the thread:

I don't agree with David French on much, but he makes a good point here:

Why Is it So Hard to Reach the Christian Conspiracy Theorist? - The French Press (thedispatch.com)

Borrowing from Jonathan Haidt he talks about the idea that most people's beliefs, especially once they reach committed conspiracist level, are not based on evidence and logic, they are based on automatic, unquestioned assumptions, processes, and emotions (an elephant being guided by a human rider, in his analogy). So fact-checking such people is never going to work to actually persuade them to change their minds. What is more effective is reaching them at a human level - interacting with them with empathy, compassion, and meeting their needs for support, community, and so on.
 

Left Coast

This Is Water
Staff member
Premium Member
...belief and opinion are against God's very nature, being the being of wisdom and knowledge that he is.

...in your opinion.

Your views on God are not fact. They are simply your views. That is how we expect people to communicate their ideas around here.
 
...in your opinion.

Your views on God are not fact. They are simply your views. That is how we expect people to communicate their ideas around here.

Really? God and i share the same nature of thought. opinions are words such as beautiful, or ugly, or boring.

If i did not know a thing about God with certainty, i would never say it. False witnesses are abomination to God. necessarily i would be one destined for hell. No human should ever say they know a thing about God that they do not actually know with certainty. For one to do that is to make themself an abomination to God.
 

Left Coast

This Is Water
Staff member
Premium Member
Really? God and i share the same nature of thought.

...in your opinion.

If i did not know a thing about God with certainty, i would never say it. False witnesses are abomination to God. necessarily i would be one destined for hell. No human should ever say they know a thing about God that they do not actually know with certainty. For one to do that is to make themself an abomination to God.

Whether you claim to know things about God or not, we expect people to discuss their religious views as views, and not as dogmatic declarations of "The Truth."
 

lukethethird

unknown member
From the OP; "Mark Fugitt, senior pastor of Round Grove Baptist Church in Miller, Missouri, recently sat down to count the conspiracy theories that people in his church are sharing on Facebook."

He could add Christianity to that list of conspiracy
theories.


 
...in your opinion.

Your views on God are not fact. They are simply your views. That is how we expect people to communicate their ideas around here.

I was taught from a young boy to never say i know a thing about God unless i know it as a fact, know it with absolute certainty. never do i speak belief nor opinion about God, never.

I expect people to communicate with facts, absolutes. every single one of us. that's the only way to communicate rationally.
 

Left Coast

This Is Water
Staff member
Premium Member
I was taught from a young boy to never say i know a thing about God unless i know it as a fact, know it with absolute certainty. never do i speak belief nor opinion about God, never.

I expect people to communicate with facts, absolutes. every single one of us. that's the only way to communicate rationally.

Then you're going to have a hard time around here. Turns out, there are a lot of people who think their views about God are facts, and speak as though they're facts...and they don't agree with each other. Therefore, since this is an ecumenical site with people of many different views, we ask people to phrase their views on God as views, not "The Truth." Please see the forum rules for more details, specifically Rule 8: RF Rules | Religious Forums

Violations of this policy will result in disciplinary action.

Thanks for your cooperation.
 

Evangelicalhumanist

"Truth" isn't a thing...
Premium Member
I swear this QAnon stuff is being pulled off by someone genuinely curious to see how far a conspiracy theory can be pushed.
And in a society in which trying to verify what you're being told is denigrated as much as it seems to be in the US, why would you be surprised?
 

SomeRandom

Still learning to be wise
Staff member
Premium Member
And in a society in which trying to verify what you're being told is denigrated as much as it seems to be in the US, why would you be surprised?
I mean, fair enough I guess. I thought the Q person already came out, so to speak, after the insurrection. Probably because they felt genuinely bad.
 

robocop (actually)

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
This country is being torn apart by people who believe in the Q Conspiracy Theories. More important to many on RF, Christianity is being torn apart by people who believe in the Q Conspiracy Theories.

QAnon: The alternative religion that’s coming to your church

QAnon: The alternative religion that’s coming to your church
Teaching susceptible Christians media literacy won’t counteract their sudden, widespread adherence to conspiracy theories because these Christians thrive on a narrative of media cover-up.

August 17, 2020
By
Katelyn Beaty



(RNS) — It’s a rough time to be a pastor. An election year, national racial unrest and a global pandemic each challenged the usual methods of ministry. Taken together, many church leaders are facing the traditional post-vacation ingathering season with a serious case of burnout.

But there’s another challenge that pastors I spoke with say is on the rise in their flocks. It is taking on the power of a new religion that’s dividing churches and hurting Christian witness.

Mark Fugitt, senior pastor of Round Grove Baptist Church in Miller, Missouri, recently sat down to count the conspiracy theories that people in his church are sharing on Facebook. The list was long. It included claims that 5G radio waves are used for mind control; that George Floyd’s murder is a hoax; that Bill Gates is related to the devil; that masks can kill you; that the germ theory isn’t real; and that there might be something to Pizzagate after all.

“You don’t just see it once,” said Fugitt. “If there’s ever anything posted, you’ll see it five to 10 times. It’s escalating for sure.”​
That mask theory should be banned.
 

Regiomontanus

Ματαιοδοξία ματαιοδοξιών! Όλα είναι ματαιοδοξία.
This country is being torn apart by people who believe in the Q Conspiracy Theories. More important to many on RF, Christianity is being torn apart by people who believe in the Q Conspiracy Theories.

QAnon: The alternative religion that’s coming to your church

QAnon: The alternative religion that’s coming to your church
Teaching susceptible Christians media literacy won’t counteract their sudden, widespread adherence to conspiracy theories because these Christians thrive on a narrative of media cover-up.

August 17, 2020
By
Katelyn Beaty



(RNS) — It’s a rough time to be a pastor. An election year, national racial unrest and a global pandemic each challenged the usual methods of ministry. Taken together, many church leaders are facing the traditional post-vacation ingathering season with a serious case of burnout.

But there’s another challenge that pastors I spoke with say is on the rise in their flocks. It is taking on the power of a new religion that’s dividing churches and hurting Christian witness.

Mark Fugitt, senior pastor of Round Grove Baptist Church in Miller, Missouri, recently sat down to count the conspiracy theories that people in his church are sharing on Facebook. The list was long. It included claims that 5G radio waves are used for mind control; that George Floyd’s murder is a hoax; that Bill Gates is related to the devil; that masks can kill you; that the germ theory isn’t real; and that there might be something to Pizzagate after all.

“You don’t just see it once,” said Fugitt. “If there’s ever anything posted, you’ll see it five to 10 times. It’s escalating for sure.”​

Among some Christians more than others. I do not see this at all (that's not to say it is not there to some degree) among those I worship with. Like right-wing politics in general, this is mainly IMHO an evangelical, Protestant issue (the MyPillow guy being the poster child for this I think!).

And I wonder what the level of support for this nonsense is among the general population...
 
Among some Christians more than others. I do not see this at all (that's not to say it is not there to some degree) among those I worship with. Like right-wing politics in general, this is mainly IMHO an evangelical, Protestant issue (the MyPillow guy being the poster child for this I think!).

And I wonder what the level of support for this nonsense is among the general population...

It's about 48% of the general public of the USA.
 
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