(OPINION) As a journalist, I\u2019ve met thousands of people over more than three decades, and heard a lot of \u2026 interesting theories about life, spirituality, current events and so forth.<\/p>\n
My father, for instance, had been in the military in the 1950s and \u201860s, and \u201cknew people\u201d who \u201cknew things\u201d that weren\u2019t supposed to be made public. In the early days of the internet \u2014 the late 1990s \u2014 he amassed stacks of print-outs from a website that dealt with UFO sightings and alien encounters.<\/p>\n
While working in the newsroom of an Idaho paper, my colleagues and I fielded a series of calls from an individual who claimed the airlines were up to no good. We spent hours that could\u2019ve been dedicated to covering real news listening to wild tales that weren\u2019t suitable for publication.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s where the concept of verifying information with three separate sources comes into play (and not just other news outlets, but experts on a given topic, etc.).<\/p>\n
More recently, I was on the phone with a friend from Florida, who pitched a theory that, frankly, made me laugh. Not that people have been mistakenly reported as deceased \u2014 especially when anyone can post anything online these days \u2014 but this was more than merely far-fetched.<\/p>\n
Yes, these incidents would all qualify as sharing \u201cconspiracy theories\u201d \u2014 and that concept dates back to the early days of Christianity, as well. Take, as an example, the story of the Three Wise Men, or Magi.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They followed the star to pay homage to the infant Jesus, stopping in Jerusalem along the way. They met with King Herod, who expressed an interest in their story about a newly born king.<\/p>\n
When suspicion becomes dangerous<\/p>\n
Herod, wrongly, assumed that this new king would steal his kingdom, and ordered the deaths of all children up to age two, just to eliminate any potential competition for his throne.<\/p>\n
When Jesus embarked on his public ministry years later, conspiracy theories about his identity abounded, as the Scriptures relate. The goal of his preaching and healing of the sick, raising of the dead and interaction with \u201csinners\u201d and \u201coutcasts\u201d posed a threat to the Pharisees and other leaders of that era.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Gossip was rampant about his travels and activities, because some people just can\u2019t resist sharing a good tale \u2014 even if its source is questionable, or the information is downright false.<\/p>\n
Jesus spoke openly and honestly, yet those in power, and those with their own agenda, twisted his words and concocted motives for his kindness that defied reason.\u00a0<\/p>\n
These sorts simply couldn\u2019t take him at face value, as a loving, caring person who wished to bring people together. Because they were compelled to \u201cread between the lines\u201d of every situation, they attributed some hidden purpose to his wise words and willingness to be of service to others.<\/p>\n
In many ways, Jesus\u2019 death on the cross was the result of certain individuals being unable to grasp that someone can be good because it\u2019s the right thing to do, and not because there\u2019s some other motivation.<\/p>\n
Suspicion of this type can be devastating, divisive and tragic.<\/p>\n
Through the millennia, conspiracy theories continue to creep into how society views what\u2019s happening in the world. Government representatives don\u2019t trust each other because of the rumors that circulate so freely.\u00a0<\/p>\n
People of faith who rely on theologically-trained clergy for guidance doubt the veracity of these ministers because of how so many have violated that trust \u2014 and the tendency to think, \u201cIf one did it, all are guilty,\u201d persists.<\/p>\n
When faith calls humanity to share God\u2019s love through kindness, honesty and service, isn\u2019t it best to set aside those niggling suspicions and leave conspiracy theories in the dust? <\/p>\n