01-04-2008, 08:33 PM
Indigo Hound Wrote:
Having an open mind doesn't mean you have to be gullible or credulous. I really can't believe people buy into this nonsense after being misled by the WTBTS for years.
Good to see you again, Hound Dog!
http://www.acts17-11.com/conspire.html
Quote:
Regurgitated Propaganda, Or Wisdom?
The basic plotlines of Conspiracy Theory have a striking resemblance to anti-Semitic propaganda manufactured in Germany pre-WW2, with only the slight obfuscation of substituting "international bankers" for "Jews." Indeed, many in the Militia and Patriot movements have no illusions about this and have an open anti-Semitic message.
Lyndon LaRouche, and later a few credulous Christian prophecy teachers, brought these ideas into widespread exposure by omitting the original--and more obvious--anti-Semitic ravings and by weaving them together into a compelling whole. Before this, John Birch Society members often promoted them.
Somehow, these tales inflame the fears and paranoia of people to the extent that, even when the Jewish target is "removed," a residue remains in the human imagination that is happy to attach itself to a more vague target. For it must be admitted that some people get a perverse enjoyment from wallowing in such "snits" of paranoia, bogus "insight," fear, discontentment, etc. that propaganda like this evokes. The genius of the modern "Christian" versions of Conspiracy Theory is that now we do not have to be openly anti-Semitic to enjoy these effects.
The basic plotlines of Conspiracy Theory have a striking resemblance to anti-Semitic propaganda manufactured in Germany pre-WW2, with only the slight obfuscation of substituting "international bankers" for "Jews." Indeed, many in the Militia and Patriot movements have no illusions about this and have an open anti-Semitic message.
Lyndon LaRouche, and later a few credulous Christian prophecy teachers, brought these ideas into widespread exposure by omitting the original--and more obvious--anti-Semitic ravings and by weaving them together into a compelling whole. Before this, John Birch Society members often promoted them.
Somehow, these tales inflame the fears and paranoia of people to the extent that, even when the Jewish target is "removed," a residue remains in the human imagination that is happy to attach itself to a more vague target. For it must be admitted that some people get a perverse enjoyment from wallowing in such "snits" of paranoia, bogus "insight," fear, discontentment, etc. that propaganda like this evokes. The genius of the modern "Christian" versions of Conspiracy Theory is that now we do not have to be openly anti-Semitic to enjoy these effects.
Quote:
4) The Return of the Illuminati
With wild claims of inside information on international clandestine dealings, the conspiracy buffs end up in an ironic hypocrisy. They believe in an ongoing "Illuminati." The Illuminati were (are?) a group that claimed special knowledge, secret knowledge that set them above the common man. Does such a group exist in today's world? Are there those among us who see themselves as possessing secret knowledge not available to the common man? Ironically, the Conspiracy Theorists themselves are the best candidates to be found. They have "figured it out," and if you do not "see it," then you are just one of the dupes manipulated by the ghost Conspiracy that only the "enlightened ones" know about.
With wild claims of inside information on international clandestine dealings, the conspiracy buffs end up in an ironic hypocrisy. They believe in an ongoing "Illuminati." The Illuminati were (are?) a group that claimed special knowledge, secret knowledge that set them above the common man. Does such a group exist in today's world? Are there those among us who see themselves as possessing secret knowledge not available to the common man? Ironically, the Conspiracy Theorists themselves are the best candidates to be found. They have "figured it out," and if you do not "see it," then you are just one of the dupes manipulated by the ghost Conspiracy that only the "enlightened ones" know about.
gus