This Emerging Conspiracy-Updated
In the most recent This American Life podcast, Rachel North, a survivor of the 7/7/05 bomb blast in North London, started blogging about her experience. It was catharsis. She gained popularity and other survivors started contacting her. She formed a support group for survivors.
However, things stared getting weird. People started leaving bizarre comments on her blog. She tracked the comments down to a blog that promoted the idea that the bomb blast was all a huge conspiracy theory created by the UK government to cover up a power surge.
Rachel decided to confront the conspiracy theorists. She began posting comments to contradict their “facts”. They began to refer to her as “it” because they didn’t think she was real but, in fact, a made up person created by MI5. They even started taking her blog and using it as “evidence” that it was a power surge, and not a bomb that blew up. The bus bombing was staged as well, with actors.
She even went to a meeting with the conspiracy theorists. That was a mistake. She was quickly shouted down. The theorists accused her of being insane and even being involved with the explosion.
It just struck me that is is how these blogging wars have been similar. Rick Warren, Rob Bell, Dan Kimball, all are a part of a vast Satanic conspiracy. Somehow, the watchdoggies tie everything together, and it usually somehow involves the Catholic Church behind everything. Dan Brown would be proud.
****UPDATE
If it’s not the Catholic Church taking over everything, then it’s the Muslims. This is a truly humorous article. The comments are priceless.
August 13th, 2007 at 10:48 am
Matt,
I was thinking along similar lines, as well - particularly when trying to peruse SoL to ‘catch up’ on a week’s “news”. Just reading the comments there seem to suck the life and light right out of what the word “Christian” is supposed to mean…
August 13th, 2007 at 10:53 am
I’m always amused when they manage to put together Purpose-Driven and emergents.
August 13th, 2007 at 11:03 am
Hey our church is driven by it’s purpose and called by many outside of it emergent. AND we sing HYMNS! Almost every week! Yesterday we sang one to a Metallica style. AND I sat next to a man who prefers men over women. He is hoping to overcome this problem.
August 13th, 2007 at 11:08 am
Tim,
Part of the process of demonization and self-victimization is the creation of an amalgamous ‘they’, which is completely evil and comprises everything antithetical to that of the victim.
So, in this particular realm, there is no room for differentiation within the ECM, and - as is continually demonstrated in the comments of critics of this site - disagreement with criticism of the ECM must make someone part of that movement. So, as you note, despite some key differences between PD and ECM, the lines have to blur to make them all part of the they attacking the “true” church.
August 13th, 2007 at 11:37 am
It is also interesting how some groups fall out of vogue. Very little on the watchdoggy sites deals with the Charismatic movement and yet we know that it isn’t approved by Silva. Perhaps because “Charasmatic” won’t generate as many hits as Rick Warren does.
August 13th, 2007 at 12:41 pm
Matt,
“charasmatic” - a pentecostal with asthma? someone who hasn’t seen Benny Hinn yet?
Stupid, I know, but I’m bored.
August 13th, 2007 at 12:57 pm
Phil- good one.
August 13th, 2007 at 1:08 pm
And here we go with this article about how Muslims are going to take over the country. I rank this up there with the killer bees.
http://www.sliceoflaodicea.com/?p=634
August 13th, 2007 at 1:19 pm
Matt,
I looked at the post you mentioned in your update. You’re right - too funny! It took a whole 6 comments before someone brought up the Anti-christ (they must be getting a little slow on the trigger).
I have people talking this way ever since I can remember practically. Before it was Russia, for a while it was Japan. All I know is that American Christians must be the most paranoid group of people on the planet.
August 13th, 2007 at 1:57 pm
Several things strike me. First, the unscriptural nationalism that some always feel when they state that muslims are taking over the country. Second, they don’t rejoice that God is bringing a mission field to our doors, probably because God hasn’t elected many muslims. And we are not convicted that Muslims have a call to prayer and Christians do not.
Let us call it as it is, many people HATE muslims.
August 13th, 2007 at 2:05 pm
Rick,
It’s so true. What many Christians fail to realize is the Bible says that all world governments are under Satan’s control, more or less. Yes, God can use them for His plans and purposes, but ultimately, they all are corrupted.
It’s really not that different than the Jews in Jesus’ time who could not fathom why God would let Israel fall under Roman rule. They just didn’t see that the Kingdom of God supercedes all worldly kingdoms.
August 13th, 2007 at 2:45 pm
Dude,
I gotta take issue with you on this. I am a dog person, and please stop insulting dogs by equating them with the “watchdoggies.”
August 13th, 2007 at 2:47 pm
This was priceless!! My wife is still snorting about it 10 minutes later:
“Don’t trust anything CNN says. CNN is no loner owned by Ted Turner, which would still be bad enough, it’s owned by the BBC and the BBC is owned by the Vatican and al jazeera television. The Catholic Church and Islam. That’s why they are so Anti Israel. CNN is the foolsih [sic] unbelieving anti Christian liberal’s best friend.”
August 13th, 2007 at 3:05 pm
This is funny too:
“Most Americans don’t know about the North American Union that is in the works with the building of the North American Highway to unite us with Mexico and Canada. Mexico will own the actual highway with complete jurisdiction. Kansas city will be the hub. Drugs, illegals and terrorists will be able to come into this country with ease. Texas land owners are fighting the battle to halt the Texas Corridor, but I’m sorry to say are losing. The government is claiming imminent domain and stealing farms and ranches from Texans whose land is where they want to build the highway, parallel to I35. I’m not making this up folks. This has been in our local news for the last 18 months. They are shooting for early construction by 2010. The government powers ultimate goal is to make Mexico, the U.S. and Canada all one country, the NAU with the Amero dollar.”
August 13th, 2007 at 3:07 pm
I think the Illuminati and the Free Masons are behind all of it, and that the faking of the 1969 Moon Landing in conjunction with experiments in Area 51 have placed our government up to coronate the Roman Antichrist as head of the New World Order.
Tin-foil-hatters of the world, unite!
August 13th, 2007 at 3:14 pm
Don’t forget the Bilderberger’s!
Ummm….bilderbergers…(insert Homer Simpson drooling sound)
August 13th, 2007 at 3:16 pm
When I wrote this article, I hadn’t yet read Slice’s theory’s on that Muslim town. Perhaps the Lord led me to write the article? Augh! Starting to sound like Ken.
August 13th, 2007 at 3:26 pm
Gentlemen,
I really try to see both sides of the issue but all conspiracy nuts aside the North American Highway is no joke.
August 13th, 2007 at 3:43 pm
A reality check on the North American Highway.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003713518_rumor19.html
August 13th, 2007 at 4:02 pm
The blog (“A Protestant Stand” blog) of one of the commenters over at Slice 2.0 was an excellent reason that free blog accounts should be reconsidered.
That, and the allowance of bad graphics (created in MS Paint) to proliferate on the internet.
August 13th, 2007 at 4:19 pm
Not to harp on the Simpons theme, but did anyone see the one where Lisa started an alternative newspaper to provide the town with “real” news because Mr. Burns bought all the local media outlets. Mr. Burns tries to shut her down, but then everyone in town starts printing their own newspaper. Sometime the Christian blogosphere reminds me of that.
Yes, everyone is entitled to an opinion, but sometimes people should keep them to themselves. That blog that Julie linked to is too, too sad.
Also, if Christians spent as much time praying for Catholics and Muslims, etc. as they did worrying about Muslims, Catholics, Witches, Feminists, homosexuals, communists, illegal immigrants, etc. taking over America, the Church would most likely be in a much different place than it is now.
August 13th, 2007 at 5:49 pm
You guys can keep poking jokes about conspiracy theories and all — the rest of us are going to let God’s words stand. We are in a spiritual war — we don’t wrestle against and flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers…against spiritual wickedness in high places. Call it a conspiracy — fine. However, it would be better to call it an all-out-war. Even Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. He is using his tactics to blur the truth and lead people to a certain death. Keep laughing…this site continues to greatly disappoint me.
August 13th, 2007 at 6:03 pm
Ah and now we see why the watchdoggies feel so free to treat people like dirt. Satan is behind everyone who’s not a watchdoggie.
August 13th, 2007 at 6:37 pm
This is clearly (ahem) a false dichotomy. Seeing paranoia and fear as the roots of wild conspiracy theories has absolutely nothing - zippo - to do with allowing (or not allowing) God’s words to stand. More and more, Christians seem to use such paralyzing fear apparent in these types of things to abdicate responsibility in the Kingdom, while openly mocking others when they actually act out the gospel in whole.
Slice has become the living embodiment of the negative example spoken by the prophet Isaiah:
A bitter slice, indeed…
August 13th, 2007 at 6:39 pm
Dave,
I agree that the battle we’re in is spiritual too. I just think that Satan doesn’t need to use deception on the grand scale to deceive as much as the watchdoggies think. I think he can do it by damaging Christians’ witness to the world by causing infighting, playing off of people’s pride, and tempting people to seek power. We all can be susceptible. The thing that is so frustrating to me is that some take the attitude that they could never fall victim to it.
In your opinion is the fruit of the “watchdog” blogs a net positive or a net negative for the body of Christ? I see that they are doing great harm to the body, and instead of pointing they’re spears out to actually fight the Enemy, they seem more content to take pot-shots at their brothers and sisters in Christ. They are not advancing the Kingdom, they are trying to craft it in their own image.
August 13th, 2007 at 8:26 pm
There was a commenter on Slice 1.0 that led to a site about how airplane contrails were filled with all kinds of stuff designed to do some kind of mind-control or be a bio-toxin or something….it was so long ago that I have no real hope of finding the link. Hilarious nonetheless….seeing as we’re really dealing with water vapor and heat.
I at first thought “wack-job” but then realized Jesus died for this person and I needed to adjust my view of the person (not their ideas) - of course there would be no adjusting of their firmly-held beliefs that contrails were mind-controlling, government (or Catholic Church?) substances.
August 13th, 2007 at 9:18 pm
Who cares about the Muslims taking over…I’m worried about the 14 illegals living in the single-family dwelling next door! You know what…I think they’re CATHOLICS!!!
August 13th, 2007 at 9:50 pm
Kieth, LO freakin L!
August 13th, 2007 at 11:30 pm
Why are Ingrid and her fans so afraid of Muslims running the country?
Abortion will be illegal. Abortion doctors and women who try to get an abortion will be stoned to death. Ingrid’s dream come true.
Homosexuals will be executed. Another one of Ingrid’s dreams come true.
Women will be put in their place. Ingrid’s dream…uh….may be she won’t like that. Ken Silva’s ultimate dream come true.
So what are they afraid of. They should embrace America’s Islamic fundamentalist future.
August 14th, 2007 at 8:02 am
Having grown up near Hamtramck, MI and living most of my life in the Detroit area and now married to a (former) muslim women I can safely say “Get over it Ingrid”.
Yet another attempt by slice to create knee-jerking, ad hominem attacks on everything that doesn’t line up with her orthodoxy. Dearborn, MI is the largest concentration of Muslims outside of the middle east. Has been for the last 20 years. They do just fine.
Most muslims in America have come to escape the extremists in their native countries and create a better life for themselves. Unfortunately I’m afraid that they are encountering an equal but opposite extremism here.
August 14th, 2007 at 8:26 am
David C,
I was thinking the same thing. In a way, Fundamentalists of all types are cut from the same cloth. They are all trying to control people by changing the externals. Granted, most Christians fundies will not resort to violence, but to some extent you can see the same sort of anger.
August 14th, 2007 at 8:46 am
I grew up in the North West of England where there is a prominent Muslim community. It NEVER occurred to me that they wanted anything different to me growing up, even though we had different beliefs and practices. It shocks me now to look at the same area and see the British National Party and Islamic Fundamentalists tearing the community apart from either side.
August 14th, 2007 at 9:44 am
Phil,
You are correct do a degree, but they never met a war they didn’t like.
August 14th, 2007 at 9:52 am
Throughout my 25 years in Southern California, I went to school with Muslims and have worked with them.
The vast majority of them are “nominal.” Just as we have nominal Christians Ingrid likes to direct her venom against, there are nominal Muslims. Lots of them. And even the devout Muslims I dealt with were the most delightful people you could imagine.
They prayed throughout the day quietly and on their own, and that was the only sign of their faith I saw. Not once. Not once. NOT ONCE, did anyone try to convert me.
August 14th, 2007 at 4:38 pm
Jesus Christ died for Muslims. Our calling is the gospel, not to disinfect America from the Muslim/Mexican invasion. We may stand before God one day and give an account about how we treated and witnessed to these people.
The mixture of the church with Americanism is another subtle tactic of the enemy.
August 14th, 2007 at 4:49 pm
Rick,
Imagine if Jesus told the story of the “Good Samaritan” today, but he replaced the word “Samaritan” with “Muslim”. So it would be the “Good Muslim”. How many Christians would want to fire their pastor for saying such a thing. In fact, though, it’s not too much of a stretch to say that the way Jews thought of Samaritans would be too different than the way many Christians think of Muslims today.
August 14th, 2007 at 5:12 pm
Great point, Phil.
August 15th, 2007 at 1:44 pm
[...] The North American Union (NAU): Just examining some of the comments here and here, this theory goes like this: “Most Americans don’t know about the North American Union that is in the works with the building of the North American Highway to unite us with Mexico and Canada. Mexico will own the actual highway with complete jurisdiction. Kansas city will be the hub. Drugs, illegals and terrorists will be able to come into this country with ease. Texas land owners are fighting the battle to halt the Texas Corridor, but I’m sorry to say are losing. The government is claiming imminent domain and stealing farms and ranches from Texans whose land is where they want to build the highway, parallel to I35. I’m not making this up folks. This has been in our local news for the last 18 months. They are shooting for early construction by 2010. The government powers ultimate goal is to make Mexico, the U.S. and Canada all one country, the NAU with the Amero dollar.†[...]