{"id":8211,"date":"2021-01-05T07:23:26","date_gmt":"2021-01-05T12:23:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/?p=8211"},"modified":"2020-12-29T16:13:35","modified_gmt":"2020-12-29T21:13:35","slug":"january-3-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/january-3-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"January 3, 2021–Whose Word Do We Believe?"},"content":{"rendered":"

John Wertz–Blacksburg, VA<\/b><\/p>\n

Warm-up<\/b><\/p>\n

Invite the group to join you in the game, “Two Truths and a Lie.”\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Tell the group that each member of the group needs to come up with two truths and one lie about themselves. Try to come up with specific statements about yourself. \u00a0Avoid general statements that could easily apply to anyone like \u201cI love pizza.\u201d When it is your turn, you share your two truths and a lie in any order. The object of the game is for everyone else to determine which statements are true and which one is false.<\/p>\n

Whose Word Do We Believe?<\/b><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Do a quick search for conspiracy theories and Google will give you over 100,000,000 results to explore. Conspiracy theories used to be confined to rumors and small groups of ardent believers. \u00a0The internet and social media have given conspiracy theories like QAnon and those who believe them a feeling of credibility and a highly effective way to broadcast their beliefs to a larger audience. Thankfully, the internet also provides easy access to fact checking sites. For example, Snopes.com<\/a> and FactCheck.org<\/a> allow you to quickly learn the facts around common conspiracy theories.<\/p>\n

While some conspiracy theories seem relatively harmless, like the belief that the National Basketball Association rigged its 1985 draft lottery by freezing an envelope to ensure that the commissioner gave the New York Knicks the first pick in the draft. Many conspiracy theories promote ideas which endanger others, like the conspiracy theories around vaccines which impede our ability to stop the spread of dangerous diseases.<\/p>\n

When individuals are wrapped up in a conspiracy theory, the word of an expert in a field or the facts presented in a peer reviewed paper have no impact on what they believe. One of the great difficulties in addressing conspiracy theories is that \u201cconspiracy theories are essentially irrefutable<\/a>: logical contradictions, evidence showing the opposite, even the complete absence of proof have no bearing on the conspiratorial explanation because they can always be accounted for in terms of the conspiracy\u201d<\/p>\n

Sadly, conspiracy theories \u00a0create division, alienation, and conflict\u00a0when family members and friends embrace them. So how do you help someone else to recognize and reject a conspiracy theory? Here are six suggestions from Dr. Jovan Byford, a conspiracy theory researcher<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Acknowledge the scale of the task<\/b> \u2013 Be patient and be prepared to fail.<\/li>\n
  2. Recognize the emotional dimension<\/b> \u2013 Be prepared for the conversation to get emotional and be prepared to de-escalate the situation if needed.<\/li>\n
  3. Find out what they actually believe \u2013 <\/b>Don\u2019t assume you know the details and depth of their belief. Ask questions and do research so you can discuss intelligently.<\/li>\n
  4. Establish common ground \u2013 <\/b>Find points you can agree upon to build trust and relationship.<\/li>\n
  5. Challenge the facts, value their argument \u2013 <\/b>Present appropriate facts to disprove the theory, but don\u2019t demean the individual in the process.<\/li>\n
  6. Be realistic \u2013 <\/b>Helping someone abandon a conspiracy theory can be extremely difficult. Often, the best outcome you can achieve may be to sow seeds of doubt about the theory.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Discussion Questions<\/b><\/p>\n