Reconciling with Conspiracists
written by: Rev. Dr. Scott Paczkowski
“With humans this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. ”
We are not living in a time where we can afford to be wrong about being right. What? Scott, have you out-mentally psyched yourself? I hope not. Most of us, thankfully, are right about the ills of the world right now. Most of us know that Qanon is ridiculous and dangerous. I’ve felt forced to address it clearly after the insurrection at the capital. Righteous indignation is the proper response, but not indefinitely.
At some point, as those called to Divine reconciliation, we are called to look for ways to bring people through the great lies and open ourselves to our misguided neighbors. Otherwise, continually pointing out the other’s error will only keep them alienated. Ongoing alienation leaves us in the wrong, even when we were right. The process of reconciliation begins with prayer.
This alienation, due to such bizarre conspiracies, will not occur quickly. When a group of people is proved wrong, they often cannot admit their egregious errors. Instead, they succumb to Cognitive Dissonance. Cognitive Dissonance is a psychological understanding that speaks to those faced with two inconsistent beliefs; the group works to make them consistent. Therefore, Qanon people, when faced with the truth that Jewish space lasers did not start the California fires, will try to double-down on the conspiracy’s legitimacy. There needs to be another response, other than proof, to bring these individuals back to reality.
First, we cannot make a difference in these individual’s lives. Prayer is required because only Divine intervention can fix this level of dysfunction. We believe that all things are possible with God. This belief calls us to hand this situation over to the One who can bring reconciliation. Second, we are called to bring Divine love to the problem. Yes, we need to get the truth, but if the misguided think you only want to prove them wrong, they will fight even harder to prove their point. When they understand your motivation is love, the door to reconciliation begins to open. Prayer and Divine love can make all the difference. Let’s get started!
