What Makes Christians Believe Conspiracies?

The principle of God as the ultimate source of truth protects Christians from vulnerability to conspiratorial forces. People who believe in supernatural or paranormal beliefs are more likely to endorse conspiracy theories, while those who endorse Manichean beliefs are more likely to do so. Research shows that white evangelicals are more likely to believe in the conspiracy theory known as QAnon than any other religious group.

There are several possible reasons why many Christians are inclined to believe in conspiracy theories, including the Bible, which is the most likely demographic to embrace conspiracy theories, such as those related to 9/11 and mass shootings. Christian nationalists sense that the nation is under cultural threat and biblical literalism provides an alternative source of information.

There has been a significant overlap between Christian fundamentalism and millennialism in the United States and belief in false conspiracy theories since the early twentieth century. The most active conspiracy theories in North America include the so-called “Qanon”. Christians are increasingly falling victim to online falsehoods, and the goal of QAnon, Chaos, and the Cross: Christianity and Conspiracy Theories is twofold: 1) to explain why evangelical Christians are more likely than other religious groups to believe in these theories; 2) to address the issue of macabre QAnon conspiracies, anti-vaccination hysteria, and unverifiable claims of stolen elections.

In conclusion, the belief in conspiracy theories among Christians is not due to gullibility but rather a combination of factors such as the Bible, Christian nationalism, and biblical literalism.