Why Conspiracy Theories and End-time Prophecies May Damage Our Emotional and Spiritual Wellbeing?
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It seems like end-time prophecies, or conspiracy theories involving Bill Gates, 5G, George Soro, or “fake news” are everywhere. Having had the opportunity to work with people around the world for decades has taught me that most of these beliefs and theories are rooted in fear.
When we face uncertainty in life (like the kind that we are collectively experiencing today), we try to find answers to what is happening. Subconsciously, we are looking to silence the feelings of fear caused by uncertainty. And in the case of prophecies, we are looking for signs of safety and security – the end of the crisis.
Much of what I read and hear is shared by well-meaning Christian folks. It reminds me of a quote by Karen Armstrong, a religious historian: “Every single fundamentalist movement that I have studied in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are rooted in profound fear.” As someone who has devoted many years in the church, I agree with her assertion.
So the question becomes: Why does it seem like fundamentalists are more inclined to believe these conspiracy theories, prophecies, and hoaxes?
Because fundamentalism is built on a worldview based on good versus evil. The more the mind is trapped in this belief system, the more it needs to establish what is wrong and who’s at fault. It wants to pin someone toward the evil side of the spectrum.
And we make that decision – not based on facts – but based on what supports our beliefs and worldview. We look for evidence that props up our worldview, and we ignore or label what doesn’t support our beliefs as “fake news.”
The point that I’m making is not meant to be a criticism. Rather, I hope to reframe our discussion by a point of introspection:
Could it be that this narrative makes us miss the essential theme of Jesus? Is it possible that we are damaging our own emotional and spiritual wellbeing with these conspiracies and prophecies?
What I do know is that in the Bible I read that perfect love casts out all fear. In other words, fear and perfect love cannot co-exist. The point is that maybe we should focus more of our time on becoming conscious of the God that John says is Love.
So perhaps a better approach to making sense of what’s happening in the world is to silence our minds in meditation and become aware of the infinite presence of love that permeates the universe. It would seem to me that in that place of rest, it’s okay to not have all the answers. It’s okay to just chill because no matter what, we are secure in love.
David Youngren is an international speaker and the founder of Juma’s World (a charity working with children in Tanzania.) His latest book, Awakening To I Am Love: How Finding Your True self Transforms Your Wellbeing, Relationships, and What You Do was published in November 2019.
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