One-Fourth of White Evangelicals Embrace the QAnon Conspiracy Theory: Poll

When people say that they don’t know anyone in their church that is a Qanon supporter, I often take the position that they don’t really know the members of their church.

There are polls starting to come out around white evangelicals who believe that an armed uprising is inevitable. I continue to hold to the fact that one of our greatest threats to a democratic republic is the white evangelical in our churches. How quick this tide has developed with Trump is scary. And the the ideas that they continue to gravitate toward are becoming more and more bizzare.

Just this past week hundreds of Qanon supporters showed up in Dallas to await the return of JFK and JFK Jr, to reinstate Trump’s presidency.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/11/02/qanon-jfk-jr-dallas/

The charge against vaccines, not because of legitimate concerns, but because of wacko theories is led by White Evangelicals. The charge against voter fraud, again, not because of legitimate concerns but because of wacko ideas, is led by White Evangelicals. The need to overthrow the government and reinstate Trump at all costs, is led by White Evangelicals.

Some have termed it Evangelical apocalypticism. That this runs deep within religious circles as part of our key tenents of our faith, but has now been embraced in areas that are clearly outside of the realm of Scripture. This is further fueled by Christian Nationalism, or the idea that we need to establish a Christian State and legislate morality across all. This isn’t the first time we have seen this. Probably one of the more recent was the Puritans and witches which led to all kinds of bizzare ideas. How quickly it has sprung up here and high widely it ihas been developed is a bit shocking to me.

[dgszweda]

When people say that they don’t know anyone in their church that is a Qanon supporter, I often take the position that they don’t really know the members of their church.

While larger percentages than they should be, 23% and 26% are hardly any kind of majority. That’s approximately 1/4 of evangelicalism in general. Then if you take serious churches where 1. there is no “Christian nationalism movement,” and where 2. Politics (including vaccines, positive or negative, voter fraud, Trump, etc.) isn’t preached, it’s entirely reasonable to talk with those in such churches and not think that ANY is a Q-Anon supporter. Of course someone could always be hiding what they really think, but I believe that most of those would be much more comfortable in churches such as those you describe.

Looking at the 3 delineating ideas in the article, I know no one who believes either of the first two. On the third, I know a number who think that given the current political situation, it may come to an armed uprising at some point, even though none of them feel any need to join or lead such an uprising. It’s just that they see it as a good possibility. Looking at the radicals on both right and left these days (and the 2020 “summer of love” was certainly an indicator of what people are capable of), I can’t say I’d disagree that such is reasonably possible, even if I think Christians need to stay out of it.

If you’re in an area where people and churches are consumed with Q-Anon ideas, then I’m sorry. However, I can say it’s not universally true everywhere, and 26%, while concerning, leads me to think that Q-Anon ideas are much less pervasive than you seem to think they are.

in practice. What is the “storm” they see coming that will kill off the elites?

but to be fair, I have not asked.

I will say, I know oodles of “Christian men” who own more guns than the local National Guard armory. Who think Democrats are Communists and socialists, and who love Trump.

[Mark_Smith]

I will say, I know oodles of “Christian men” who own more guns than the local National Guard armory. Who think Democrats are Communists and socialists, and who love Trump.

Well, I know plenty of Christian men (myself included) who own a fair number of guns, think many Democrats are socialists (especially when they themselves claim it and follow a good amount of Marxist philosophy), and don’t love Trump, but think him a better choice than the man now occupying the oval office. If you want to put us in the same category, we can’t stop you, but I find it very sloppy and inaccurate when what you describe and what I describe are conflated as being the same thing by the “never Trump” faction of Christianity. I could wonder about their “Christianity” just as much as you wonder it about those you describe.

[dcbii]

If you’re in an area where people and churches are consumed with Q-Anon ideas, then I’m sorry. However, I can say it’s not universally true everywhere, and 26%, while concerning, leads me to think that Q-Anon ideas are much less pervasive than you seem to think they are.

Remember that the 26% relate to Christians who hold all 3 of the tenants. Many more hold to just one or more. In addition, many individuals in church hold to offshoots of the QAnon beliefs, that while they do not define someone as QAnon, are rooted in QAnon. For example, many of the bullet points around the conspiracy that fraud existed in the 2020 election and the presidency of Trump was stolen as a result of that, have their roots in QAnon ideas and theories. At that point, you have 75% of white evangelicals who believe that Biden was not legitimately elected.

https://www.americansurveycenter.org/rise-of-conspiracies-reveal-an-eva…

https://www.christianheadlines.com/contributors/michael-foust/white-eva…

The election being stolen has absolutely no factual basis whatsoever. What you do have is a web of QAnon originated conspiracy theories that have created this idea that it was stolen. So while the average Christian may not hold to QAnon as a deeply held belief, they believe many of the offshoot tenants. Those offshoots than further support #1 and #3.

What further surprises me is that most religious leaders are out there fighting “Critical Race Theory”, which is a theory (that while dangerous and wrong) that has not gained as much traction as the pulpits would lead you to believe, but are oblivious to QAnon, and further more are clueless as to its tentacles that are held within their church. They want to stomp out the CRT in the public schools (of which they don’t even send their kids too), but want to be careful to not offend people (or maybe have no clue) about QAnon.

…for some pretty obvious reasons, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have a huge stake in public school. Their taxes support public schools. Kids in their church attend public schools. The next generation is being shaped by what is taught in public schools. Public schools have already had a profound impact upon the left-ward turn of young adults. And you think Christians should not involve themselves in what is being taught? Hmmm… (Don’t we wish Christians had been more vigilant about what is being taught in public schools a long time ago.)

[G. N. Barkman]

And you think Christians should not involve themselves in what is being taught? Hmmm…

Where did you even come up with this from my statement. I never once said that or implied that. I was making a comparison that we have books, conferences, events, sermons all on Critical Race Theory, while at the same time, ignoring that anything around QAnon exists in our church or among our members and in most cases pastors don’t even know how to speak to it.

In terms of involving themselves in what is being taught, that ship sailed long time ago. Christians pulled their kids out of public school decades ago and moved them into Christian Schools. Then they found out that Christians Schools were getting to be pretty expensive and that the education was average at best, so they pulled themselves out of Christians Schools and then pulled them back home to try homeschooling. Now we, as a church, want a bunch of non-believing teachers to reinstate prayer to God in the classroom to a bunch of non-believing students. The craziness of this is mind blowing. But somehow this is how the church feels that we will reclaim the education in this country and subsequently the country as a whole. The idea is to have a bunch of sinners who do not believe in a God pray amongst themselves to God using a prescriptive text while the Christians stay at home and homeschool. ????

[dcbii]

Mark_Smith wrote:

I will say, I know oodles of “Christian men” who own more guns than the local National Guard armory. Who think Democrats are Communists and socialists, and who love Trump.

Well, I know plenty of Christian men (myself included) who own a fair number of guns, think many Democrats are socialists (especially when they themselves claim it and follow a good amount of Marxist philosophy), and don’t love Trump, but think him a better choice than the man now occupying the oval office. If you want to put us in the same category, we can’t stop you, but I find it very sloppy and inaccurate when what you describe and what I describe are conflated as being the same thing by the “never Trump” faction of Christianity. I could wonder about their “Christianity” just as much as you wonder it about those you describe.

Dave,

I’m not talking about you, bro.

I’m talking about the people in the church I used to be a member of and the churches I’ve visited lately. I have no idea what you and yours do…

Here, church’s men’s meetings are shooting events. They throw in how to BBQ as well. Imagine an all Saturday shooting party. That’s my previous church’s men’s meeting. At the same time, half the men are wearing “Make America Great Again” hats.

Look, I voted for Trump twice… so back off. I earned the right to call Trump a jerk… because he is. He’s a kook. And I don’t want Biden OR Trump to be president afte the way Trump lost it his last year in office.

But, the local evangelical church’s around me are crazy shooting clubs. That is ridiculous.

and a Man, and a veteran…..

and

I

Don’t

Own

A

Gun!

Nor

Do

I

Want

To

A

Gun

Does

Not

Make

You

A

Man

Does

Owning

A

Gun

Make

You

A

Better

Man

Those sentiments make me a foreigner and a weirdo at every evangelical church I’ve visited in Topeka.

I pastor in North Carolina, where most men hunt, and not only do most men own guns, but quite a few women do as well. I’ve never owned a gun, and like you, Mark, don’t care to. But, I’ve NEVER had my gun status affect my relationships with others. In fact, I can’t recall it ever coming up in conversation. Most don’t know whether I have a gun or not, not do they care. If being “accepted” in a church hinges on whether or not you own a gun, you are either attending the wrong church, or imagining things.