Why I Don’t Trust Conspiracy Theories

Posted on December 30, 2025 by Michael

[From last February. What I am seeing on the far Right today confirms my lack of trust. Once you embrace the way of the conspiracy theorist, there is no off ramp. It becomes an addiction. ]

My default position with all conspiracy theories is one of extreme skepticism.   This is because there are common features of conspiracy theories that render them unreliable.

1. Almost all conspiracy theories rely on confirmation bias.   The conspiracy theorist is always sensitized to the slightest bit of evidence that supports their conspiracy theory, yet they ignore, downplay, or dismiss any evidence that doesn’t fit well within their conspiracy.  Confirmation bias is a common flaw in human reasoning, as we are all prone to selecting evidence that supports our beliefs.  Yet conspiracy theorists tend to wallow in this flawed form of reasoning.

2. What makes the confirmation bias so bad is that it is also linked to emotional thinking.  That is, most conspiracy theories are rooted in an emotional approach to reality.  The most common emotion is fear.  You’ll notice that most conspiracies are nefarious.  The conspiracy is “out to get you” in some form or fashion.  Fear feeds into confirmation bias because the conspiracy theorist thinks the best  defense against the nefarious conspiracy is knowledge/information.  To become aware (“woke”) of the conspiracy means you can try to position yourself in a safer place. Conspiracy theories also tend to portray the conspirators as extremely clever and powerful.  In other words, more reason to be afraid.

3. The third problem I have with conspiracy theories is they tend to be rooted in the sin of Pride.   When you begin to see yourself as among the select few who truly understand what’s happening because of your efforts to dig up the conspiracy, this feeds your sense of pride.  In some ways, you are better than the average person because you have this special insight. You have seen “behind the curtains.”  If only more would listen to you.

Confirmation bias, fear and pride don’t make for a good foundation for reliable beliefs.  What’s  more, the  conspiracy theorists I have known in real life lead me to suspect that conspiracy theories are often addictive and destructive.  A huge waste of time. 

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The Truths of Genesis 2 and 3

Posted on June 3, 2025 by Michael

I am convinced that Genesis 1-3 are best interpreted as a form of symbolic history rather than literal history.  These chapters are conveying core truths about our origin.  What are these truths?

1. Monotheism.

2. The reality we live in came into existence.  God created it all.

3. God’s creation was originally good.  It all proceeded according to His will.

4. Humans, like plants and animals, were brought into existence, but differ in that humans were created in the image of God.  We are special.

5. That specialness allowed humans to have a choice – to conform to God’s will or not.

6. Humans ultimately chose to rebel against God (a violation of His will), resulting in the Fall – separation from God.

7.We don’t live in the Best of All Possible Worlds.  We don’t live in a Perfect Creation.  We live in a Fallen reality – “Cursed is the ground because of you.” 

As I have pointed out before, a literal interpretation is not only unneeded, buy doesn’t really add anything of great significance.  

The Fall fundamentally and deeply changed everything.  And it is precisely this that needs to be explored. But before going there, let’s next consider the evidence

Posted in Christianity, Genesis | Tagged , | 3 Comments

The Symbolism of Genesis 2 and 3

Posted on May 24, 2025 by Michael

When we look to Genesis 2 and 3, we’ll find two clear examples of symbolism at the very core of the narrative.

First, we have the trees: “In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”

I think it makes more sense to interpret this symbolically rather than being a part of literal history.  There were no magical trees that could impart moral knowledge and eternal life simply by eating their fruit.  Instead, as two features of Creation placed at the very center of the garden, they symbolically represent central events of our larger reality.  The tree of the knowledge of good and evil will come to represent the Fall.  By eating from this tree, after God forbids one from eating from it, one becomes directly aware of what it is and what it means to choose against God (to sin).  If Adam had not eaten from this tree, he would have no knowledge of evil since he would have no experience with it.  And without such knowledge, he does not recognize good as good.  It’s simply how things are.  Thus, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

As for the tree of life, that is symbolic of Christ’s crucifixion.  On three occasions, Acts refers to Jesus’ crucifixion as ‘hanging on a tree.’  And eternal life comes from embracing what happened on this tree and all that it means. 

Put simply, the two trees symbolically represent the Fall and our Salvation. 

Continue reading →
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Climate Change Myths

Posted on May 22, 2025 by Michael
Posted in climate change | Tagged | 8 Comments

Simple Question for the Conspiracy Theorist

Posted on May 14, 2025 by Michael

Here’s a question for anyone who is seriously into conspiracy theories:

Are there any conspiracy theories that you reject and if so, why do you reject them?

Posted in conspiracy theories | Tagged | 14 Comments

Genesis 2

Posted on May 10, 2025 by Michael

I have already made the case that there is no need to interpret Genesis as literal history.  Instead, an interpretation of symbolic history is quite reasonable and supported by evidence.  But what if we turn to Genesis 2?  I think the case for symbolic history becomes even stronger.

But first, there is a big problem.  Genesis 1 and 2, as literal history, contradict each other.

Genesis 2:5-7 points out there is no plant life on the planet because a) there was no water and b) no one to work the ground.  So God brought forth water.  Then a man to work the ground.

Genesis 2:8-9 has God planting the Garden of Eden and putting the man in it.  This is where we find the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Genesis 2:10-14 focuses on the rivers that supply the Garden of Eden.

Genesis 2:18 has God saying it is not good for man to be alone and He would thus make a helper for him.

So immediately after we are told how God created various animals, brought them to the man, and had the man name them.

And then we read, “But for Adam[f] no suitable helper was found.”  As if the man was to find such a helper among the various animals as he went about naming them.

Then God creates the woman:  “So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs[g] and then closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib[h] he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.”

Clearly, a literal reading of Genesis 2 has God bringing forth water and the man so that plant life could exist.  Then He creates the animals.  Then after naming them all, He creates the woman.

This literal narrative contradicts Genesis 1.  In Genesis 1, God created the waters and plants on the 3rd day, animals on the 5th day, and man and woman on the 6th day.  In Genesis 2, God creates plants along with man, then animals (to find a helper for man), and finally woman.  Since the literal narratives contradict, perhaps they are not meant to be literal.

We saw this to be the case with Genesis 1.  Let’s next turn to some of the evidence that points to Genesis 2 and 3 likewise being symbolic history.

Posted in Christianity, Genesis | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Autism and Vaccines

Posted on April 18, 2025 by Michael

From Google AI: Child vaccination rates in the US have generally remained high but have shown some declines and variations since 2011, particularly during and after the pandemic. While rates for individual vaccines like measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) have remained above 90% since 2011, overall, the combined 7-vaccine series has seen fluctuations.

Here are some pics:

Also, from Google AI: Autism diagnoses in the U.S. have significantly increased between 2011 and 2022, with an overall rise of 175%. The diagnosis rate increased from 2.3 per 1,000 people to 6.3 per 1,000 people during this period.

Have you heard of the logical fallacy where one confuses correlation with cause? Well, I don’t see even a mere correlation between vaccinations and autism. Vaccination rates have remained constant with recent dips, while autism rates have skyrocketed at the same time. Don’t see the link.

One more time with Google AI: Since the rise of early online platforms in the late 1990s, social media use among kids has dramatically increased. ….social media truly took off with the advent of sites like MySpace and Facebook in the early 2000s. By the mid-2010s, social media use became nearly universal among youth, with a large percentage visiting sites almost daily.

While there is no positive correlation between vaccinations and autism rates, there does seem to be such a correlation between rising rates of autism and social media use among kids. Hmmm.

Posted in antivax | Tagged | 12 Comments

Genesis 1 Interpretation

Posted on April 15, 2025 by Michael

When it comes to Genesis 1, the first thing to consider is there were no eyewitnesses since humans were the last to be created. So this is not an eyewitness account.  Where does this account come from?  God must have revealed this to the author of Genesis 1.   And we know that Christ, as God incarnate, often revealed truths to his followers with parables much more so than a historical account. 

Second, consider the structure of Genesis 1. 

And God said, “[……] And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day. And God said, “[……] And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.  And God said, “[……] And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.  And God said, “[……] And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day. And God said, “[……] And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day. And God said, “[……] And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

This rhythmic structure makes Genesis 1 come across more like a poem or song than a historical account. 

Third, we get to the contradiction.  On day 1,  God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.  God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.  God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.”

Yet on Day 4, And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years,  and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. 

On Day 4, why does God have to create “lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night” when on day 1 He “separated the light from the darkness,  calling the light “day,” and the darkness night?”  What’s more, there is the incoherent aspect of creating days and nights on day 1 without creating the sun until day 4. 

Continue reading →
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The First Chapters of Genesis

Posted on April 6, 2025 by Michael

There are many Christians who argue that the first chapters of Genesis must be read as literal history.  What’s more, if you refuse to embrace such an interpretation, you are rejecting the Bible, therefore rejecting Christianity.  I don’t agree.  In fact, when I read the first chapters of Genesis, it’s seems clear (to me) that we are dealing with a significant amount of symbolism.  In other words, Genesis reads more like symbolic history, an allegory that is conveying deeper truths about our past and who we are.  The literalists would disagree, arguing that unless Genesis is literal history, describing things as they happened, it’s nothing more than a fantasy.  And of course, atheists everywhere are happy to weigh in and agree with this all-or-nothing thinking. 

I think there is a rough analogy between the early chapters of Genesis and the parables Jesus taught.  We can read the parables and decipher the truth behind them without demanding the parable is a literal, historical account.  What’s more, just because the parables are not literal historical accounts does not give us reason to dismiss and thus ignore them. 

Here’s my plan.  First, I want to lay out some of reasons I think Genesis is meant to be interpreted as symbolic history.  Second, consider some of the truths that Genesis is conveying.  Finally, consider what would be the historical truths.  

Posted in Christianity, Genesis | Tagged , | 6 Comments

The Making of an Atheist

Posted on April 3, 2025 by Michael

According to the 2014 Pew Religious Landscape survey, almost 70% of atheists in the USA were raised as Christians.

To be more specific, 41% were raised a Protestants, while 28% were raised as Catholics.

What’s going on?

These data suggest a good chunk of atheists are reacting to their religious upbringing. But it also suggests a lot of religious families are unintentionally pushing their kids toward atheism.

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Posted in atheism | Tagged | 6 Comments