Don't Waste Time On Internet Ignorance

New Religious Icke-on?



As I sat drinking an Americano in one of Stockport's nicer Coffee shops, I grappled with Anselm of Canterbury's Ontological argument for the existence of God. Since most people are not typically sitting in Coffee houses up and down the UK, wrestling with theological/philosophical conundrums, I can see how this might sound a bit pompous. However, time is a precious resource and frankly, there are far worse things to do on a wet Wednesday afternoon!

"Dark" Disney.



On a table not too far away, I could hear a conversation between two people whom I would guess were in their late thirties, or early forties. The conversation revolved around whether or not the X-Men (Marvel comic book characters) were becoming less "dark" and if they were, what was the reason for it? The man leaned over to his female companion and in hushed tones explained how everything had changed since they had been taken over by Walt Disney. "No!" She exclaimed, obviously mortified. He looked to his left and right and then (in even quieter tones) began to explain how he had heard of a conspiracy about to be worked on the unsuspecting peoples of the world, with far reaching and cataclysmic consequences of fiendish skulduggery! As I looked down at Anselm's Proslogion, I began to reflect upon the mental and spiritual chasm between God's people and the people of this world. Not in terms of intelligence, but in terms of focus. Christians are taught to have a single eye; an eye that is solely and intently fixed on Jesus Christ.  We have neither the time, nor the inclination to follow the ways of worldly men. Now, one cannot express surprise at unsaved people being caught up with the things of the world; yet more and more, I am hearing professing Christians speaking in the same hushed tones, about the same/similar conspiracies with a kind of "one day you'll thank me for this," nod and wink.

Pink Pedagogue?



There have always been conspiracy theories. As Andrew Marr reveals in his book,"The Making of Modern Britain,"  during the First World War, an eccentric aviator called Pemberton Billings, claimed that "the Germans had a Black Book containing the names of 47,000 highly placed perverts and that the Kaiser's men were undermining Britain by luring her men into homosexual acts." Implausible though this may seem, it does not sound a lot different from many of today's outlandish internet theories, such as claims that Hitler was a Gay, Jewish, Satanist who "invented the state of Israel!"

Whilst we may laugh, it is sadly the case that many professing Christians are wasting their time on the internet, reading and then checking and verifying (then rereading, rechecking and reverifying) claims such as these in the belief that they have tapped into a vast Satanic conspiracy. There are sadly "Ministers" who are only too ready to exploit the gullible (Paul warns about men who "became fools" and women who became "silly women") giving sermons, seminars and entire conferences divulging the latest doomsday developments of diabolical intrigue.  I remember one of them preaching against triangles (about time, eh?!!) He said that wherever a triangle is seen, this is an indication of satanic activity, particularly when used by a church. Really? Do you think it might be possible that they were just looking for a simple geometric shape that symbolised the Trinity; and that maybe they thought the Greek letter "Delta" (the capital of which is a triangle) would be a fitting emblem? I have been astounded and horrified at the simplistic conclusions espoused by some conspiracy preachers. One said, "The Devil wants to bring opposites together, but God wants to keep 'em apart." Well, that's not what the Bible teaches, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:28) Those sound like opposites to me! I think it is highly dangerous, that Christians are being drawn into an area of fascination and interest, previously the domain of Branch Davidian supporters like Alex Jones and Theosophical, neo-occultists like David Icke! Is your eye still single?

There is something in the pride of man, in the corruption of his flesh that likes the idea of being privy to some "special knowledge." This is how the Occult works, the promise of knowing things that others are ignorant of can be a powerful temptation, "ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." But is that how Christians should be "redeeming the time?"







Redeeming the time.



In Philippians 4:8, the Apostle Paul says, "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."

Do you spend as much time thinking about things that are true, lovely, of good report etc. as you do thinking about the Illuminati? Are you as much an expert on Free Grace, as you are on Freemasonry? Please answer honestly.



Study the Bible, not the internet.



As I prepared to finish my coffee and leave, I overheard the woman say to the man, "Well, that's just what someone has said on the internet, we've no real way of proving that." How true, yet question the validity of the conspiracy and you become part of it. How clever the devil is! As the man got up to leave, he nodded in agreement with the woman. Very occasionally, "the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light."





Paul Jennings.