Conspiracy theories and fake news are not the same thing, although the two categories have much in common.
In this article, I will try to describe the specific problems of both phenomena and formulate an appropriate response for the Christian reader of Scripture. It is interesting that both alternative explanations and the Bible claim to set us free through the truth. But what is the difference between them? First, let’s have a better understanding of conspiracies and fake news.
Conspiracy theories
Conspiracy theories are an older phenomenon, although it is only in the last 20 years or so that they have become the subject of serious research into their causes and effects, most notably in the fields of politics, sociology, information science, health, the environment, immigration, racism, and terrorism. At a theoretical level, there is a difference between a conspiracy and a conspiracy theory. In essence, conspiracies refer to real situations, whether the plans to conspire succeed or not. Conspiracy theories, on the other hand, are explanations of socio-political phenomena based on the assumption of a plot by powerful and influential participants. Major events such as the moon landing, the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, the attack on the Twin Towers on 11 September 2001, global warming, the Covid-19 pandemic, and so on, have been given alternative, often very different, explanations as to their ultimate cause.
Experts speak of conspiratorial belief in an attempt to make a distinction between those who are attracted to conspiracy theories and those who promote them for financial or political reasons. Among the causes of conspiratorial belief, I mention the epistemic cause (the desire for understanding and subjective certainty), the existential cause (the need for control and security), and the social cause (the desire to maintain a positive self-image). In the category of effects, the authors discuss prejudice, health choices, rejection of scientific inquiry, radicalisation, and extremism.[1]
Normally, one would expect the response to a conspiracy theory to come from a specialist in the field addressed by the theory in question. The problem, however, is that offering such a response “draws scientists into arenas where objective information matters less than emotional appeals, unsupported allegations and unverified speculations. Scientists are understandably reluctant to get bogged down in such debates.”[2]
It is tempting for some to see the phenomenon of conspiracy theories as a natural outcome of social evolution, against which nothing can intervene except natural selection, which weeds out weak theories and allows robust ones to survive and flourish. In this context, the hope that people will find it in themselves to act selflessly and contrary to the memes with which they are indoctrinated[3] becomes simply illusory. In reality, conspiracy theories show us that people who believe in them are generally even willing to engage in the proposed scenario if it turns out to be true.[4]
Fake news and conspiracy theories
The phenomenon of fake news is a recent one, although its roots go back to rumour and disinformation.[5] Two recent events have generated a wave of fake news and led experts to take the phenomenon seriously as a scientific subject: BREXIT and Donald Trump’s election victory in 2016.
“Fake news,” argues Axel Gelfert, are “cases of deliberate presentation of false or misleading claims as news, where these are misleading by design.”[6] While sources are important (it matters whether you get your information from the BBC or an anonymous blog, for example), they are not the only filter of verification. Accepting a news story as true without investigating the credibility, motives, interests, history and stability of the source is counterproductive and akin to the sophism argumentum ad verecundiam or ab auctoritate, i.e. arguing on the basis of the authority of a source. Google and other platforms have developed a fact-checking service that verifies claims circulating in the public sphere.[7] These are helpful but not sufficient, not only because authority itself is being challenged in the post-truth era,[8] but also because the phenomenon of fake news is extremely complex.
Some authors outline a taxonomy of fake news that shows the complexity of the issue. Fake news could be intended to (1) misinform, (2) make misleading claims, with or without reference to real events, or (3) manipulate an audience. Fake news could also be (4) specific or imaginary, or (5) driven by opportunism, the desire for visibility and popularisation (a.k.a. clickbait) for publicity or ideological purposes.[9] Given these ramifications, we understand that a rich dose of critical thinking may be required even before clicking on a link or playing a video.
Academics who have attempted to observe the similarities and differences between conspiracy theories and fake news have found that the two phenomena spread in similar ways, but systematically differ in content. Conspiracy theories, at least on a theoretical level, are driven by a certain search for truth, a search for data, even if the data is subjective and perhaps flawed. Deception is not part of the basic motivational framework of conspiracy theories. Once the “factuality” of a theory is established, it feeds and propagates a narrative, usually of a political nature. Fake news, on the other hand, is more like a tool specifically designed to mislead. It is disguised as politics, science or entertainment and its purpose is to generate short-term interest. However, fake news is particularly conducive to the development of conspiracy theories. It increases polarisation and is a powerful tool for destroying reputations.[10]
The truth will set you free
How should Christians respond to conspiracy theories and fake news? A comprehensive discussion of truth and falsehood from a biblical perspective is not possible here, but some principles drawn from the Judeo-Christian Scriptures will be helpful.
Job, who was suffering far too much, was tired of listening to the reasoning of Zophar, one of his companions, who had supposedly come to help him in his distress, but who was doing the opposite. At one point Job replies: “Will you speak wickedly on God’s behalf? Will you speak deceitfully for him?” (Job 13:7) The theory of Job’s friends was that the patriarch’s suffering necessarily had moral causes that could be attributed to him. He must have sinned somewhere, because God is now striking him so hard.
The fact that the devil works unchecked, behind the scenes where the human eye cannot see his activity, is an irony for those who claim to “know the truth.” When it comes to another person or institution, if the evidence is not transparent enough, it is best to remain cautious. Only God and the people concerned (in self-honesty) really know the facts.
I remember how, during the Covid-19 pandemic, in a sermon in an evangelical church in Romania, the speaker tried to position himself on the vaccine controversy by claiming to have received a revelation from God. A voice allegedly told him that a Christian’s vaccine is the blood of Jesus Christ. Such an assertion is impossible to refute and therefore worthless as an argument. The phenomenon is ancient, since the prophet Jeremiah said, in the name of God, of the pseudo-prophets of his time: “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries and the delusions of their own minds” (Jeremiah 14:14).
In effect, Jesus Christ made the well-known statement: “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). But what is truth?[11] Who really possesses it? Also in the Gospel of John, the same Jesus affirms that the truth about God, the world and life is equal to the Word of God (“Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth” [John 17:17]).
The practical test of truth is sanctification (John 17:17), or transforming life for the better, morally speaking,[12] because that is what matters. I can be moral without being sure about the causes of the war in Ukraine. I can be sure of God’s love and impartiality even if I do not fully understand the causes of the injustices around me. Ultimately, I can be convinced that God is in charge of the universe, even though there are human minds that may be driven by interests contrary to the divine will.
But instead of being driven by the desire to expose alleged secret and evil plans, we would do better to familiarise ourselves with the Bible’s view of life. The gain would be not only moral but also cognitive. We would see the world through the eyes of heaven. It would make us prudent but also proactive, ready to testify to the truth as Jesus did (“In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth” [John 18:37]).
Laurentiu Moţ seeks to evaluate our relationship with fake news and conspiracy theories from a perspective enlightened by the study of Scripture.