In recent years, the followers of a conspiracy theory known as QAnon have become more visible in American life. The movement, which has largely been fueled by internet message boards and social media, started in 2017. However, several supporters of Q have been involved in political campaigns this year and the President was asked about their theories at a recent press conference.
Followers of the movement tend to be supporters of President Trump, so they are often conservative in their outlook on politics. A church in Indiana spends hours a week help studying Q’s messages and seeking to support them with the Bible. QAnon has moved from the fringes of American conservatism and into the limelight, so Christians should understand this movement and see the potential pitfalls of spreading the group’s message.
Here are five things Christians need to know about QAnon:
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The first post from the internet user who is now called “Q” appeared on the message board 4chan on October 28, 2017. The user, calling himself “Clarence Q Patriot,” posted a cryptic message titled, “The Calm Before the Storm.” Referring to Hillary Clinton, the message said, “HRC extradition already in motion effective yesterday with several countries in case of cross border run. Passport approved to be flagged effective 10/30 @12:01 am. Expect massive riots organized in defiance and others fleeing the US to occur. US M’s will conduct the operation while NG activated. Proof check: Locate a NG member and ask if activated for duty 10/30 across most major cities.”
Q predicted an event which he called “The Storm,” which would unseat the deep state. Q called the event “The Storm” because of a comment the President made to reporters during a photo op with military generals. President Trump said, “You guys know what this represents? Maybe it’s the calm before the storm.” Q believes the President was signaling his alliance to break up the deep state with the generals’ help.
Q has posted over 5,000 times and often uses cryptic messages which community members try to decipher. The “Q drops,” as QAnon followers call them, moved from 4chan to 8chan before finally using the message board 8kun. When he posts, Q uses “tripcode,” which is a series of letters and numbers that show he is the one who is posting.
While many have sought the identity of Q and several theories have emerged, no one has been confirmed to be the author of Q’s posts.
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Q claims to be a government agent who has insider knowledge that the President is fighting against a shadowy group known as the “deep state.” They are made up of Democrats, government bureaucrats, Hollywood insiders, and the “liberal media” who are running an international pedophile ring. In addition, Q alleges that many of the global cabal worship Satan.
Another quote from Q sets up Donald Trump as a warrior for good against a global cabal bent on evil. He said, “The level of importance of this operation equates to a ‘Good vs Evil’ battle that transcends politics. This is a ‘Global Evil’ that attempted to take over America. Many in our government actively worship Satan, Moloch/Molech and participate in Pedophilia, Spirit Cooking, etc. Most Americans are afraid to look this Truth in the eye but True Evil exist regardless of your religious views. This is not a joke and most definitely not a game. Thousands of Pedophiles and Child Traffickers have been arrested since Trump was sworn in. They are all under heavy investigation, including their funds and their affiliations.”
The belief that President Trump is uniquely able to stop “the deep state” runs deep. A popular QAnon belief is that top military generals were about to stage a coup to overthrow President Obama in 2015. Rather than carry out this plan, they met with Trump and recruited him to run for President so he could help them break up the deep state.
QAnon’s conspiracy theories are not limited to Satan-worshipping and pedophilia. The QAnon community has spread theories about COVID-19, the September 11th attacks, U.F.O.’s, and the use of 5G to exert control over people’s minds.
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A reporter asked President Trump for his thoughts on the QAnon conspiracy theory. The President responded that he did not know very much about it, but that he understands that many of its supporters “like me very much” and that they are people who love America. When pressed about the heart of the movement’s message, which is that a ring of Satan-worshipping pedophiles are secretly trying to run the country and that the President is the best hope of fighting them off, he said that he is always glad when he can help the country.
Also, a supporter of QAnon recently won the Republican nomination for a House seat in Georgia. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has also voiced doubts about whether a plane really hit the Pentagon on 9/11, will be on the ballot in November in Georgia’s 14th Congressional District. The district is heavily Republican and Greene is heavily favored to win the seat. President Trump congratulated her on her primary victory in a tweet and said she is a “future Republican Star.”
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Several Republican House and Senate leaders have recently expressed their discomfort with the growing popularity of QAnon in the GOP. After hearing the President’s remarks about QAnon during his press conference, Senator Ben Sasse (R-NE) said, “Q-Anon is nuts – and real leaders call conspiracy theories conspiracy theories. If the Democrats take the Senate, blow up the filibuster, and pack the Supreme Court – garbage like this will be a big part of why they won.”
Representative Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) posted a video on YouTube last weekend to explain the conspiracy theory. He said that he ordinarily would not want to draw attention to such a theory, but that he wanted “to expose it and to speak out.” This was after he had previously said the President should come out and fully denounce QAnon.
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Katelyn Beaty wrote a lengthy piece on the influence of QAnon on churches for Religion News Service this week. She interviewed several pastors about the influence of QAnon and conspiracy theories in their churches. One Missouri pastor said that people in his church had shared a wave of conspiracy theory articles on Facebook, among them were, “claims that 5G radio waves are used for mind control; that George Floyd’s murder is a hoax; that Bill Gates is related to the devil; that masks can kill you; that the germ theory isn’t real; and that there might be something to Pizzagate after all.”
Jeb Barr, who is the pastor of a church outside Waco, TX, told Beaty that, “Young people are exiting the church because they see their parents and mentors and pastors and Sunday school teachers spreading things that even at a young age they can see through.” He expressed his concern that the propagation of unfounded conspiracy theories would undermine the church’s witness. He said, “Why would we listen to my friend Joe… who’s telling me about Jesus who also thinks Communists are taking over America and operating a pedophile ring out of a pizza restaurant? Why would we be believed?”
In a lengthy post at The Gospel Coalition, Joe Carter classified QAnon as a “political cult” and warned that it is “a satanic movement infiltrating our churches.” He said the movement “engages in slander, which James calls demonic behavior.” He also pointed out that QAnon “often traffics in lies, which Jesus says are associated with Satan.” Carter concluded, “As a movement of Satan, QAnon is incompatible with Christianity.”
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