With echoes of “You’re so vain; you probably think the Bible’s about you,” today’s conservative American conspiracy theorists are raising money for Christian broadcasters by claiming the upcoming solar eclipse is a prophetic word from God revealed in the stars…
Dinesh D’Souza must defend 2000 Mules election denial claims in court
Conspiracy theorist and former Christian leader Dinesh D’Souza has failed to halt a defamation lawsuit brought against him and others behind the popular election denial film 2000 Mules and defend his widely debunked movie’s supposed evidence in a courtroom. U.S….
Conspiracy theories link Jesus, JFK and Trump
John F. Kennedy, his son John F. Kennedy Jr. and Donald Trump allegedly share the blood line of Jesus. They have been working together in secret for years to hatch a plan to lead America together from the White House….
Year-long study finds QAnon believers are most influenced by far-right news outlets
Media consumption remains the single most significant predictor of whether a person believes QAnon conspiracy theories, according to new longitudinal data from Public Religion Research Institute. Having tracked American views of QAnon’s core beliefs over the course of 2021, PRRI…
The second coming of JFK Jr. and other unrealities: Signs of our times
All things considered, an event in Dallas on Nov. 2, 2021, had the makings of a post-Christian kingdom of God moment for the subgroup of QAnon believers gathered in Dealey Plaza, site of the assassination of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy…
In Africa, the challenge is not just low vaccine numbers, there’s also vaccine hesitancy
While inequity has caused the African continent to have less access to COVID-19 vaccines than the rest of the world, vaccine hesitancy already is in full supply. That hesitancy is hampering the global effort to contain or defeat the coronavirus…
In praise of soul competency and actively open-minded thinking
What people believe about whether or not beliefs and opinions should change with evidence plays a significant role in the likelihood they will accept or reject conspiracy theories, paranormal and religious claims, traditional moral values, conservative economic ideas, and science,…
Knowing our history does not make us anti-American
“Denial is not a river in Egypt.” I used to hear that sarcastic and humorous pun without really understanding it. After reading too much news for the last year, I understand it too well now. If you’re as slow as…
Pastor Greg Locke is all over the internet spreading conspiracies; here’s why you shouldn’t believe him
Two years before he divorced his wife of 21 years and married his secretary, pastor Greg Locke rose to internet fame through a Facebook video decrying the morality of Target restroom policies that allowed people to use the restroom they felt expressed…
Anatomy of a lie: How one private school amplified a persistent COVID vaccine myth
The misinformed but determined founder of a private school in Miami has been identified as a key link in perpetuating one of the most convincing lies about the COVID-19 vaccines. In an analysis that demonstrates the power of one institution…
The Jesus story is not a conspiracy theory, honest!
In a June 30, 2021, essay in The Atlantic, “The Senator Who Decided to Tell the Truth,” reporter Tim Alberta describes the work of Ed McBroom, a Michigan state senator who “spent eight months searching for evidence of election fraud,…
New PRRI study builds a profile of QAnon believers
“Media news consumption is by far the strongest independent predictor of QAnon beliefs,” says Public Religion Research Institute in explaining its latest research into the dominant conspiracy theory network of our day. And not far behind media consumption are political…