Synthesis Essay IGE 3600.02: UFOs, Illuminati, and Other Conspiracy Theories 10:00-11:15 a.m. Dennis Quinn Arjuna Torczon November 7, 2023 Religion and conspiracy have had some sort of a kinship in regards to ideas and claims, especially prophetic claims about the future. One of, if not the biggest religion where many conspiracies are derived and influenced by is Christianity. Three major conspiracies that we have learned about this unit have shown to be influenced by Christianity to further the point that conspiracies and religion are linked. They include, the conspiracy promoted by the Covenant, Arm, and Sword of the Lord (CSA) which proposed the inevitable apocalypse and fall of man, the conspiracy of the Earth being flat as opposed to the generally accepted spherical shape, and the conspiracy of Satan’s influence over the world: more specifically David Icke’s reptilian super conspiracy. Although these conspiracies are largely based on Christian concepts, it could be argued that other religions had influence especially Islam and Judaism as they contain similar ideas of the apocalypse/judgment day and the fallen angel Lucifer. The CSA believed the world, especially cities and urban areas, would eventually collapse whether due to the biblical judgment day or natural disaster. They left their jobs to live off the grid to become self dependent and prepared for the masses who would flee the cities when society collapsed. So, the conspiracy lies in the idea that a major change/new age was coming and this belief was based upon the biblical apocalypse. Diving even further, we can take a look at the CSA leader’s book, “Witchcraft and the Illuminati” and discover that James Ellison entertained the idea that Illuminati was founded by a cabal of Zionists/Jews who were financially aided by the Rothschilds family. “Only about 5000 people in the entire world know of the Illuminati and its conspiracy to rule the world.” (pg 14). The illuminati has been since its formation, trying to control and deceive the world according to Ellison which fits like a glove in conjunction with the classic conspiracist narrative that a hidden agency works behind the scenes to bring down humanity and prevent the new age from occurring. Additionally, on pg 65, Ellison talks about Avon, an “Illuminati corporation” which began distributing jewelry with demonic symbols to the public. “This jewelry was created for the sole purpose of worshiping the devil”. This mention of demonic imagery through the illuminati’s use of pagan and masonic jewelry links the evil as described Christianity’s to the conspiracy of the illuminati. Another major conspiracy that some follow due to the ideas presented in religion is the flat earth conspiracy. Additionally, in the “Flat Earth Bible”, Robert Schadewald said he “... was surprised to learn that flat-earthism in the English-speaking world is and always has been entirely based upon the bible.” As one can see, this alone proves the “kinship”:between religion and conspiracy as this global conspiracy was interpreted from the Bible itself. Schadewald also incorporates verses from the bible such as “Thou has fixed the earth, immovable and firm” and “Thou didst fix the Earth on its foundation so that it can never be shaken”. Both of these verses were found in Psalms. One verse people utilized to deduce that the earth is flat is Matthew 4:8. “Once again, the devil took him to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in all their glory.” For flat earthers, logically, Jesus could not have seen all the kingdoms of the world from a mountain if the Earth was a globe. Thus, the earth must be flat. Schadewald also mentions the “firmament” or the vault of heaven and explains that some of the Hebrews believed that the firmament was an immense physical dome that blanketed the earth. From this, we could see how from the bible, the earth could be interpreted as an immovable object with a dome which houses the stars. This interpretation is backed by millions still to this day and is undeniable proof of the link between religion and conspiracies. Another infamous conspiracy that should be familiar and is connected with religion is David Icke’s reptilian thesis. According to the documentary we watched in class, the central idea of this super conspiracy is that world governments, politics, financial institutions, and other institutions of power are secretly controlled by lizard people and Icke adds that they have to ability to shapeshift to disguise themselves as world leaders and other high ranking individuals in the differing branches of power. Also, similar to James Ellison from the CSA, the illuminati is the one who holds true power, but they all serve Satan. Additionally, the connection to religion goes even further as Icke claimed to be the “son of God” in the 90s and claims the day of judgment is near. But many of his prophecies never came to fruition as we learned from Robertson (Chp 5, pg 121). But failed prophecies would’ve normally turned people away but “...unlike the majority of his peers, he offered a solution as to why the prophecies had failed; something - some malevolent occluded agency - was preventing the ‘New Age’ from arriving.” This was one of the five strategies that Robertson said were utilized to explain why a prophecy wasn’t coming to fruition. This strategy was called prevention which we actually read early in Robertson’s readings from the previous unit. In summary, Icke could keep his followers by blaming the lizard people for why the New Age hadn’t happened. This was another clear example of religion used to fuel this super conspiracy. In conclusion, conspiracies and religion, especially christianity, go hand in hand. I’ve shown this connection with examples learned including the CSA conspiracy of an impending biblical apocalypse and the power over the world really being in the hands of a demonic illuminati, the flat earth conspiracy of a geocentric, immovable, flat earth interpreted from the bible, and the super conspiracy of reptilian individuals who secretly run the world under the biblical Lucifer. It seems that religion offers someone the chance to look at the world not through one physical lens, but through a spiritual lens as well. To show you that there's more to life than meets the eye and conspiracies offer a similar perspective one can view the world as. That’s why I believe, this link between conspiracy and religion exists at all and that’s why you should too.
