Contending With Conspiracy Theories
Blog – 58
August 25, 2026
By: Bill Watson
Direct Comments to:
Interestingly, the term “Conspiracy Theorist” is surrounded by a conspiracy theory of its own, concerning the origin of the “term.” Many think the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) originated it, but surprisingly, it was used in the 19th century. As early as 1863, Charles Astor Bristed of the New York Times mocked and accused the British Elites of arranging the circumstances of the American Civil War for profit. However, the phrase meant nothing more than the “idea about a secret plot.” It was simply regarded as a news story. It was not considered a derogatory label until the 20th century.
The phrase didn’t change, but the political landscape did. In 1967, a time Dispatch 1035-960 made its rounds into the CIA field offices. However, this was during the time the JFK assassination was highly suspect as a cover-up. Dr. Martin Luther King and Malcolm X were both assassinated, and the Vietnam War raged on, described carefully by propaganda headlines while the Beatles asked if you wanted a revolution.
COINTELPRO was underway, implemented by the FBI without the American public knowing it even existed. From about 1956 through 1971, the FBI infiltrated and discredited subversive organizations under the guise of National Security. Organizations and people that were connected with the civil rights movement, anti-war groups, the SDS, Black Panthers, the Chicanos, and some independent movements, which included the hippie movement, were all under surveillance and targeted by the CIA and FBI. Even John Lennon was threatened with deportation!
And in order to keep their covert operations hidden, the CIA coined the term again: “Conspiracy Theorists, or Theories.” But this time it was intended to defuse investigations by journalists and others who pursued the “rabbit holes” of discovery in their attempt to find the truth. And so the term began to take on a derogatory and mocked meaning, and anyone who didn’t agree with the propaganda the government was promoting was criticized and discredited as a “knucklehead” with a tin-foil hat!
MK-Ultra, which was a covert program conducted by the CIA using LSD and other drugs to explore techniques for mind control, was considered a conspiracy theory during the years of 1953 through 1973. “Operation Paperclip” was a secret US Intelligence program in which more than 1600 former Nazi engineers, technicians, and scientists were brought to the USA and given jobs with major corporations. Some of these men were confirmed to be former SS and SA members of the Nazi Party. However, if you had accused the US government between 1945 and 1959 of doing this, you would have been considered a conspiratorial theorist and would’ve been awarded the proverbial tin foil hat as well!
If you believed Marilyn Monroe had intimate affairs with both JFK and RFK, back in the day, it would have gotten you into deep trouble with your democratic relatives, who thought that because they were good Irish Catholic boys, it wasn’t true. It was considered a “conspiracy theory” against the Kennedy family purposely orchestrated to slander and undermine their elite name associated with the “Boston Brahmins” bloodline!
Currently, the beat goes on. Many today will consider you a “conspiracy theorist” if you believe information that is non-conforming to facts not promoted by the Mainstream Media [MSM], or doesn’t fit into the accepted narrative. Those who are “old school” refuse to question the “alleged” expert who presents religious or secular facts that don’t make sense because the MSM or majority believes, reports, and promotes the information as truth! So some people keep accepting it, regardless of the nonsense it presents, providing “fuel” to keep the misinformation and/or corruption going. Religion is especially vulnerable to this, as our secular leaders are.
Take, for instance, Dr. Fauci. Recently, he was asked to address a congressional hearing. He showed up and claimed the 5th amendment over a hundred times. One of the features of this amendment is that you are not required to answer any questions that would incriminate yourself in guilt related to a possible crime committed by you. So, you can’t help but wonder what Dr. Fauci is afraid of? What is he hiding? After all, former President Joe Biden pardoned him. So, what’s wrong with this picture? What are we missing? Why not answer the questions if you have nothing to hide?
Could it be he knew the pandemic was a hoax? Could it be he knew masks were ineffective from the start and that distancing was nonsense? Did he know all along that the virus originated from a lab leak, not from a bat? That the virus was the direct result of “gain-of-function” research? That it was intended to be a bioweapon? How long had he known about the dangers the vaccine posed and the horrific side effects it could cause? How much money did Dr. Fauci make off of the Pharmaceutical sales of Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, and Pfizer? What was his “take” off the proceeds?
And then there is his diary! It appears he was infatuated with himself. The book he intended to write from the information he journaled was all about himself. He was a legend in his own mind. He thought he was a “rock star”—a celebrity that was mixing with the elites—the rich and famous. He was star-struck!! Appeared to be somewhat narcissistic! Consequently, he leveraged an enormous amount of influence that resulted in the lockdown of much of the USA and other countries around the world based on just his opinion––not the science! Not bad for controlling the environment, even without the supporting science to justify such drastic measures.
But regardless of the proof that much of the Pandemic was an “exaggerated, deceptive ruse” and the vaccine was indeed an experimental drug that posed dangerous risks that will have long-term ill effects on into the future for those who took the shot––those who don’t believe will still call you a conspiratorial theorist and never admit they were wrong for falling for this government propaganda. Like it was in the 1950s through the 1980s, it was all considered conspiracy. It took declassification to confirm the stories about MKUltra, Operation Paperclip, or the affairs of Marilyn Monroe, and the tranquilizer drug thalidomide, etc., etc.
And as time goes on, we will see proof that much of what is considered conspiracy today, like before, will be shown as reality tomorrow. This is exactly why we should not put our confidence in the government. Why? Because our bible says to trust no man (Psalm 118:8 & 146:3; Pro. 3:5; Isa. 2:22 & 31:1), because we are prone to lie, misinform, exaggerate, or tell half-truths. The heart is deceitful above all things; who can know it (Jer. 17:9)? And what we are led to believe by the mainstream propaganda “could be” nothing more than additional lies and misinformation to manipulate your behavior or beliefs.
We live in a world that is on the threshold of change! We are in an information war over disclosures previously unknown to the common “Joe on the street.” Never before has this kind of information been made available in our modern-day history. And because information and knowledge have increased (Dan 12:4), it’s important that we have a healthy sense of curiosity and aren’t naive, but instead are motivated to search out the truth about the issues of our times! Knowledge is Empowerment. We are told God’s people are destroyed for lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6). We must stay informed and abreast of the cultural landscape we live in so we don’t become manipulated and fooled into accepting things that don’t have our best interests at heart, or are prone to lead us away from God.
This is why curiosity and critical thinking is so crucial (Pro. 2:3-5 & 4:7 & 18:15 & 25:2; Jer.33:3; Deut. 29:29; Matt. 7:7; Acts 17:11). Remember, curiosity is thought of in psychological circles as a healthy heartbeat of the mind and is a sign of strong mental health (Ref. Psychology Today). Frankly, many of us wouldn’t be in God’s Church if we weren’t curious and critical about the origins of certain truths we’ve come to know concerning God’s teachings and the doctrines Jesus Christ taught about our destiny!
Clearly, don’t be afraid to question the experts–-the authorities! So often our leaders, both religious and/or secular, do not have our best interests at heart. Too often they’re compromised. It’s about the money and the self-grandiosity of becoming popular and influential that corrupts good intentions, resulting in many people suffering betrayal, extortion, or being emotionally and /or physically damaged, or just being killed. Dr. Fauci seems to be a good example of that, as does mainstream Christianity.
So, don’t fear ambiguous or selective information. Don’t fear the changing of the variables and/or the nature of the information you’re researching. Don’t fear timelines not being fulfilled when you think they should be, or learning that a former conspiracy scenario has become reality and what you thought was true turned out to be false!
Instead, stay calm, reason with God in your life, and maintain a healthy neutral curiosity while you do your own research! Remember, Godly wisdom is “open to reason” and is “impartial and sincere” (Jas. 3:17; Isa. 1:18-19). And most importantly, continue to “seek you first the kingdom of God and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matt. 6:33).