Episode Details

Both prophets and conspiracy theorists cater to the human desire to make sense of chaos. This connection sparks compelling questions: Do religious belief and conspiracy thinking go hand in hand, as both involve leaps of imagination? Or does a strong religious framework offer enough structure, reducing the need for conspiracy theories? Ryan Burge joins the show to discuss what the hard data reveals.

• • Non-religious people are slightly less inclined toward conspiracy theories.
  • Those who attend church weekly are also less inclined toward conspiracy theories.
  • The quasi-religious (attending church occasionally) are more prone to conspiracy theories.
  • Overall, being politically conservative had no impact at all on belief in conspiracy theories.
  • However, for those who don’t have a strong religious belief, being more conservative drives up conspiratorial thinking.
  • Holding to Christian Nationalist views drives up the belief in conspiracy theories.
  • Political ideology is more influential on holding to conspiracy theories than religious beliefs.

Resources:

• NLT Large Print Pew Bible

• Church Connect

• Tyndale House Publishers

• Upward Sports

• Upward Sports: Pickleball

• Ryan Burge

• “Trust the Plan – Does Religion Drive Conspiratorial Thinking?” by Ryan Burge

• “Leviathan” by Thomas Hobbes (affiliate link)

• “Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again” by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson (affiliate link)

• Church Answers Platinum Membership

• FREE Research Report! New Surprising Insights

• The Hope Initiative