I’m going to make some observations about what might be called the “conspiracy mindset,” and then apply some scripture to the issue.
My own observation is that people who are inclined to look for conspiracy theories become caught in a continually churning sea of information that has no bottom to stand on. They are always learning, but never arriving at a knowledge of the truth according to biblical standards. The pursuit is futile, and actually follows the same pattern as the occult: constantly being drawn further in with the promise of hidden knowledge — but never receiving any.
This leads to a kind of despair, and a commensurate futility of life. To rationalize this, the conspiracy theorist ends up doing the very thing they feared; the very thing that first motivated them: they end up believing what is false. The pursuit of unobtainable knowledge gradually eclipses the pursuit of true wisdom, and corrupts their mind until they struggle to believe normal, true things; while they are eager to believe obvious folly.
Conspiracy-minded people come to view everything through a lens of suspicion and mistrust, unmoored from any firm epistemic foundations. And this shapes their hearts toward hating their neighbors (and God) by violating the ninth commandment: they no longer bear all things, believe all things, hope all things, endure all things (1 Cor 13:7); but rather the opposite.
Consider the duties of the ninth commandment. These include a charitable esteem of our neighbors, a ready receiving of a good report and unwillingness to admit of an evil report, and the discouraging of tale-bearers. And consider the sins forbidden by the ninth. These include whispering and evil suspicion, along with scoffing, reviling, misconstruing intentions, raising false rumors, and receiving and countenancing evil reports (WLC Q. 144 & 145). Unless you are remarkably sheltered, to simply list these things is to make the point — these just are the conspiracy mindset at work. The conspiracy theorist entertains evil suspicions, finds evidence for them that doesn’t meet the biblical standard for determining guilt, and then makes accusations while holding in contempt anyone who requires such standards.
This is wicked — and to be expected. We know that the pursuit of love deflates — but builds others up; while the pursuit of knowledge puffs us up — but tears others down (cf. 1 Cor 8:1). How much more for the pursuit of hidden knowledge?
None of what I’ve said is to pre-judge whether any conspiracy theory is true or false. Scripture itself teaches us that there are true conspiracies — and not only this, but also that those propagating them will use the idea of a conspiracy theory to discredit truth-seeking. The Sanhedrin did this with the resurrection (Mt 28:11–15). The devil is a liar, and his children do his will (Jn 8:44): spiritual realities are behind secular events (Eph 2:2; 6:12; cf. 3:10). The whole world really does lie in the power of the evil one (1 Jn 5:19; cf. Jn 14:30; 2 Cor 4:4; Mt 13:19; Dan 10:13, 20 etc).
When Scripture plainly tells us that spiritual beings exercise great power over world leaders and events, to the point that it describes these beings as princes, authorities, rulers and dominions, what else can that be called but a kind of conspiracy?
Yet God does not encourage us to try to to discern all the unknowable purposes and machinations going on behind the scenes. Indeed, he warns us against incautiously delving into these things, by keeping such information from us (despite our lust for it); and by continually focusing our attention instead on our own small and mundane duties. Some things are not given to us to know.
This brings me to the question of “what should we do?”
Am I saying we just ignore the fact that conspiracies are (sometimes) being perpetrated against us? Doesn’t it matter? Isn’t pursuing the truth important? Shouldn’t we be exposing the unfruitful deeds of darkness — not unwittingly participating in them? Aren’t we supposed to protect ourselves from wickedness and falsehood?
Where is scripture’s focus and emphasis? Is it on the things we cannot control, or the things we can? Is it on the things that are far away, or the things that are in our immediate domain?
The face of the intelligent is to wisdom, and the eyes of a fool—at the end of the earth. (Proverbs 17:24)
Insatiable curiosity about things that really are beyond us is actually a sign of stupidity and foolishness; not intelligence and wisdom. True wisdom is exemplified in Psalm 131, where even David, a king, says:
Yahweh, my heart is not haughty, and mine eyes are not lifted up, and I have not gone in great things, and things too accomplished for me. 2 Have I not balanced and stilled my soul, as a weanling upon his mother—as the weanling upon me is my soul. 3 O Israel, wait for Yahweh, from now and unto the age!
So the proper approach to conspiracies (genuine or otherwise) is not the continual churning of information-seeking, but rather waiting on God, while keeping our own affairs. We should be much more concerned about whether the people we directly know are lying to us, than the people we do not know and never will know — and have no influence over. We should be much more interested in doing our duty in the lot we are given, than in whether or not others far removed from us are doing theirs. Let us be faithful in not sacrificing the things that God has made central on the altar of the things he has not. And let us be disciplined in discerning the certain and solid from vapor and vanity.
There is great potential for self-deception here because conspiracy theories often seem so pressing and urgent. But the fact is, I have yet to see a case where going down a rabbit-hole has seriously increased anyone’s ability to exercise love and piety. Faith and obedience has always proven more effective for equipping the saints against foolishness, and protecting them from error.
Given the choice between learning about conspiracies, and learning about God’s ways, it should be a no-brainer.
Rush Limbaugh refused to give air time to conspiracy theorists. Why? Because they were BORING. Losers. Always looking for someone else to blame for their incompetence and failures.