QAnon and conspiracy theories are taking hold in churches. Pastors are fighting back

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The Jan. 6 Capitol attack has compelled many pastors across the country to speak out on their struggles to combat the spread of misinformation, conspiracy theories and QAnon beliefs among their congregations.

Why so many military veterans and former and current police officers support — and take part in — far-right groups and protests, including the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.Yet, because Christianity is the largest faith in the U.S.

He recalled going on Facebook a few months ago and making a list of the radical ideas church members shared: face masks cause carbon dioxide poisoning, germ theory is fake, 5G networks are part of a ploy for mind-control and the theory of a child sex trafficking ring with connections to Hillary Clinton and her allies that’s run out of a pizza shop in Washington, D.C.

“I don’t look at the news and then write my sermon, but I look at Scripture and highlight biblical virtues like not lying and loving your neighbor,” said Fugitt, 35. The Sunday after the Capitol attacks, he spoke in church about the parable of the good Samaritan from Luke 10:25-37. The following Sunday, the topics included the parable of the prodigal son.Still, he’s sometimes at a loss.

Swieringa recently got a new part-time job pastoring at Kibbie Christian Reformed Church in South Haven, Mich., where masks are mandatory.Over his four years minister in Virginia, Stacy noticed a gradual uptick in conspiratorial conversations beginning to divide his congregation, which was split between young professionals and retirees. After George Floyd died at the hands of police in Minneapolis last summer, he said the problem got worse.

 

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This is a long way down the road late. W P believes they are the rightful keepers of all things, they rule with an arrogance and fear, that if a brown baby speaks out it is fired. No recourse as the hr dep full of white privileged, who stick together so silents keeps your jobs

Trump followers sadly are showing just how gullible and uneducated they are by still believing Trump won the election. Those who buy into this Q crap should be mentally evaluated. It’s a low brow Trump cult in reality.

Good luck. Millions of undereducated, heavily armed America’s, who grew up with Jim Crow racist parents and grandparents are all part of the full blown circus now. It’s gonna take more than the church pastor to untie this knot.

Trumpism is a Christian Nationalist thing; conspiracy theories, Q, antimasking, & all.

Hard to fight misinformation when you have been pumping into the ears of everyone who’ll listen since the start of your religion thereisnogod

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