WWJD? Really.

Church people are prone to believing in conspiracies.

Maybe it's because we've already been primed to take things on "faith" through our teachings and the Bible, or maybe it's because there is an inverse relationship between religious fervor and education. Whatever the case, I've seen way too many church folks accept the most outrageous tales on very little evidence.

Just recently, folks at my church stated it as fact that Jay-Z and countless other pop stars worship Satan. These folks aren't just sinners, which everybody with eyes knows, but that they actually pray to Lucifer and revere his teachings. I've been told they are all members of the Illuminati and pepper their videos and songs with references to the group and Satan to indoctrinate children.

It wasn't the first time. Over the years, I've learned about secret government plots at church, I've learned about can't miss money deals and I've learned about obscure diseases. Church folks forward me the wildest emails about corporations who give a portion of their profits to eliminate black babies or advance the church of Satan. I guess that's a fielder's choice or something.

Every time I turn around, it seems that church folks have some dire news about some grand scheme that's going to end the world as we know it. And it's not just black church folks, the white ones are just as likely to fall victim to the same stories. Do you see what white folks believe about Obama?

Now, some folks are reading this and thinking "Well Big Man, what do you expect from church folks? Christians actually believe that a man died, got up from the dead three days later, and is coming back to Earth to save them before the world is destroyed by fire and brimstone. They believe in angels and demons, and all other kinds of ridiculousness. Seriously, some of them even believe that a talking snake convinced the world's first woman to sin and that screwed it up for everybody!"

For many folks just being a Christian requires you to believe in a massive, idiotic and far-fetched conspiracy. Just look at the success of 'The Da Vinci Code." I understand that sentiment, even if I don't agree with it.

But, I've been around Christians my entire life, and I've found that contrary to what atheists and agnostics believe, Christians come in a lot of different varieties. Sure, you've got your knuckle-draggers, but you've also got a lot of smart, hard-working and caring people as well. So, for me it's troubling how easily some of these folks accept certain ideas.

After all, if you sit in church long enough you'll find that church folks have no problem employing critical thinking skills when the preacher's topic is tithing or loving your enemies. They can debate that stuff like fourth-year law students.

What I've decided is that church folks are willing to accept certain myths so easily because the myths are about "them." You know "them" right? Those are the folks who aren't like good church folks. Those folks can be either on the outside of the church, or the ones on the inside who ain't living right.

In fact, I think that because Christianity is big on the concept of the secular sinful "world," it's easier to accept certain conspiracies.

Believing the worst about folks makes sense when you don't identify with them.

That said, the whole practice irks me. I don't have to say "Jay-Z worships the devil" to understand that Jigga's message is detrimental to young Christians. The fact is Jay-Z celebrates money, fame, and himself all the damn time. He has a blatant dislike of religion in all forms, and those things are enough for me to steer my kids and other kids away from him. I don't need the lagniappe of a pact with Satan to make my decision.

Christians are trying so hard to convince folks to separate themselves from the world, that they are embellishing just how screwed up the world real is. All this talk of conspiracies and plots seems pointless. What purpose does it serve? For example, let's agree that the Illuminati is real, and trying to rule the world and control people.

What then?

Is there a plan after you accept this new reality? Better yet, who cares if somebody is trying to rule this world? If you're a Christian don't you already except the fleeting nature of this life anyway?

Ok, so you say Jay-Z worships Satan. And? Is worshipping the Satan the straw that broke the camel's back? Were most Christians willing to accept the talk of fornicating and murder, but they feel like Mr. Carter crossed a line when he started cavorting with demons?

That's just stupid.

What would Jesus do? I doubt he would be too concerned. If you look at the record of his life contained in the Bible, he rarely spent much time worrying political plots or Israel's latest pop star. He knew that humans are humans, and we typically we mess up the same way over and over again. Besides, Jesus had some other work he was concentrating on, and he remained confident that if he stayed on that path, the rest of it would be worked out.

Seems like some folks have forgotten that message.

Maybe that's the real conspiracy.








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