I will start placing more recent Qanon & Q-adjacent material first. Scroll down for the older stuff.
QAnon Propaganda on Twitter as Information Warfare: Influencers, Networks, and Narratives
By L Dilley et al
July 2022
"Based on well-grounded theories and findings from the social sciences, it is argued that QAnon propaganda on Twitter in the months circa the 2020 U.S. Presidential election likely reflected joint participation of multiple actors, including nation-states like Russia, in innovative misuse of social media toward undermining democratic processes by promoting "magical" thinking, ostracism of Democrats and liberals, and salience of White extinction narratives common among otherwise ideologically diverse groups on the extreme far-right."
The original version of this propaganda poster depicts Jesus standing supportively behind a heavily-burdened Trump. It is meant to imply that Trump is a "man of God" placed in position by God Almighty, with what the Chinese refer to as "the mandate of Heaven" (it was believed that Mao Ze Dong had such a mandate). In many parts of Conservative America, supporting Trump is conflated as being a good Christian, and voting Democrat means you're deceived and going to hell.
This mutated version of the original poster is probably closer to accurate. It is not Jesus they are following. It's Qanon. Which is a psy-op delusion peddled to credulous Americans to undermine their democracy and implode their society.
Qanon
What is Qanon?
QAnon is a far-right conspiracy theory detailing a supposed secret plot by an alleged "deep state" against U.S. President Donald Trump and his supporters. The theory began with an October 2017 post on the anonymous imageboard 4chan by someone using the name Q, who was presumably an American individual initially, but probably later became a group of people, claiming to have access to classified information involving the Trump administration and its opponents in the United States. Q has falsely accused many liberal Hollywood actors, Democratic politicians, and high-ranking officials of being members of an international child sex trafficking ring.Down the rabbit hole: how QAnon conspiracies thrive on Facebook
The psychology of Qanon: Why do seemingly sane people believe bizarre conspiracy theories?
Widespread
support for conspiracy theories is also not simply a symptom of our
modern digital society. In the dark ages, witch hunts were based on the
belief that young women gathered in the woods to conspire with the
devil, and many traditional societies still accuse enemy tribes of
sorcery to harm or control them. The fear that evil forces conspire to
hurt good people is deeply rooted in the human psyche.
"... conspiracy theories will always thrive when people feel like they are
not in control of their lives, and when significant tension exists
between societal subgroups."
This backs my hunch that false doctrines taught widely in fundamentalist Christianity paved the way for the delusion of the masses we're seeing now:
This backs my hunch that false doctrines taught widely in fundamentalist Christianity paved the way for the delusion of the masses we're seeing now:
"First, accepting one conspiracy theory as true makes it much
easier to believe in other theories. Studies from the mid-1990s found
that the single best predictor of conspiracy thinking is the belief in a
different conspiracy theory."
Born on the dark fringes of the internet, QAnon is now infiltrating mainstream American life and politics
"Since its origin three years ago, QAnon has festered in the darker corners of the internet. Now the group's followers, who call themselves "believers," have found a niche on social media and within the Republican Party.
QAnon
began as a single conspiracy theory. But its followers now act more
like a virtual cult, largely adoring and believing whatever
disinformation the conspiracy community spins up.
Its
main conspiracy theories claim dozens of politicians and A-list
celebrities work in tandem with governments around the globe to engage
in child sex abuse. Followers also believe there is a "deep state"
effort to annihilate President Donald Trump.
But followers of the group have expanded from those beliefs and now allege baseless theories surrounding mass shootings and elections. Followers have falsely claimed that 5G cellular networks are spreading the coronavirus."
And their president is using Q lies and delusion for his political purposes:
Trump Tweets QAnon Conspiracy Theory Message Amid Unrest
If you follow Qanon, you are ushering in patriarchy.
QAnon conspiracy theory followers step out of the shadows and may be headed to Congress
"QAnon is no longer the simple fringe conspiracy movement it was at its inception three years ago. It now resembles a mainstream religious and political ideology. Some candidates perceive QAnon as an ideological platform they can campaign on, while others view QAnon adherents as an electoral base from which they can gain votes."Make no mistake: this political Trojan horse, with its cult-like devices of division, delusion and propaganda, is indeed a cult.
The Church of QAnon: Will conspiracy theories form the basis of a new religious movement?
The Prophecies of Q - American conspiracy theories are entering a dangerous new phase.
It would be nice if Australians and New Zealanders would stop and think and consider the American far-right political agenda behind Qanon et al before gobbling up their latest imported product to our shores, but clearly that's not always the case.
Why QAnon is attracting so many followers in Australia — and how it can be countered
"QAnon is very hierarchically structured, similar to evangelical Christianity. QAnon followers join a select group of truth seekers who are following the “light” and have a duty to wake up the “sheeple”. Like some religions, the QAnon world is welcoming to all and provides a strong sense of community united by a noble purpose and hope for a better future."
Yeah ... fundamentalist Islamists are really into "hierarchy" and "structure" and "authority" as well ... And the international Muslim community had a hard time opposing their propaganda too. Consider where we've seen these dynamics before.
"So what can be done?
Governments need to be more sensitive in their messaging and avoid triggering panic around sensitive issues such as mandatory or forced vaccinations. Transparency about government actions, policies and mistakes all help to build trust.Governments also need to ensure they are providing enough resources to support people during this challenging time, particularly when it comes to mental and emotional well-being. Resourcing community-building to counter isolation is vital.
For families and friends, losing a loved one “down the Q rabbit hole” is distressing. Research shows that arguing over facts and myths doesn’t work.
Like many conspiracy theories, there are elements of truth in QAnon. Empathy and compassion, rather than ridicule and ostracism, are the keys to remaining connected to the Q follower in your life. Hopefully, with time, they’ll come back."
I hope so. But we know from our experience with the swarming of Christianity by the American far right and the religious patriarchy cults they promoted, that some people never make it out.
I cannot fathom why Australians would consider being played by Russian and Chinese actors with a de-stabilization agenda, as being patriotic.
If Qanon was about catching evil pedophiles, why would those who believe wish to make James Arthur Watkins, 56, the fount of all truth and morality?
For
millions of people, the source of ALL TRUTH is this man, and a website
that shares a Content Delivery Network service with only one other
domain: The Daily Stormer. A neo-Nazi website.
Until it went offline, QMap was hosted by the same content delivery
network (CDN) service as 8kun. The CDN only hosts two other domains:
Watkins' domains and The Daily Stormer, a neo-Nazi website.
"Even if 99% of them can come up with a new narrative and still think 'Q' is true, I think it's very likely that much more than 1% are going to feel betrayed, duped and deceived by not only Watkins but everyone involved in Q[Anon]."
James Watkins is described as a "pioneer of porn". This is who you follow? This is who you believe? This is who you worship?
"Watkins told Splinter that the Army sent him in 1987 to computer training school in Virginia, and while still working for the Army in the 1990s he launched what a fellow executive described in the interview as a pioneering Asian porn website."
"Tom Riedel, N.T. Technology Inc.'s current president, told the digital site Splinter in a 2016 email that Watkins was a porn pioneer, who "figured out a loophole in Japanese censorship rules,"
Watkins might have got his start figuring out to proliferate porn for profit, but fundamentalist Christianity gave him rich hunting grounds:
QAnon Didn’t Just Spring Forth From the Void — It’s the Latest From a Familiar Movement
"Fluent in the place of religion in the
media, and with a recent book on the religio-political history and power
of sex abuse allegations, Goodwin contends that QAnon is far from
unprecedented. Goodwin traces the group’s prominence and lineage, as
well as its zealous determination to “save the children,” to the rise of
the New Christian Right and the Satanic Panic of the 1980s."
The men behind Qanon are Jim Watkins, called the "pioneer of porn" because he set up Asian porn sites to dodge government regulation; and Jason Selinas, a data-mining global banker.
These are the men you look to, as the fount of all truth and morality, to save you from pedophile sex trafficking and corporate corruption?
Really?
From the Institute for Strategic Dialogue:
The Boom Before the Ban: QAnon and Facebook
In the summer of 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the world and forced many inside for safety and online for social connection, Facebook activity relating to the baseless QAnon conspiracy theory experienced an unprecedented surge.
Public posts with terms related to QAnon, such as “Where We Go One We Go All” (WWG1WGA) or “PedoGate” appeared over 1,000 times a day on average on the platform and were shared across a wide network of pages, groups and profiles of influential individuals.
In this research, produced in partnership between ISD and NewsGuard, we sought to examine this surge and identify the dominant narratives and domains among QAnon communities on Facebook.
The resulting report, based on analysis of over 200,000 Facebook posts across five months of 2020, found that the conspiracy experienced month-on-month growth on Facebook throughout the year with engagement around QAnon almost doubling between April and August.
Influential individual Facebook users, termed “superspreaders” in this report, were found to be a key link in the conspiracy chain, responsible for sharing and promoting introductory materials among new followers, posting videos and instilling a do-it-yourself ethos that empowered recruits to do their research, consume more QAnon content and, in turn, become further indoctrinated.
False claims and disinformation about the severity of COVID-19, anti-mask and anti-lockdown campaigning, and baseless, outlandish conspiracy theories about the origins of COVID-19 were all absorbed into broader QAnon narratives during 2020. Similarly, QAnon communities were hijacking and injecting conspiracy theories into the mainstream discussions about non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and campaigns seeking to protect children, such as the Save the Children movement.
This was to advance their claims about elite-orchestrated child sex-trafficking rings moving from online spaces to offline events and protests. Websites that publish disinformation were frequently shared among QAnon communities on Facebook, serving as a crucial link in the support structure for the conspiracy.
This includes sites focused on QAnon themes as well as sites that deal with more general types of political or cultural misinformation, both in the US and beyond.
This report also captures the recent international spread of QAnon, as introductory materials used to indoctrinate people to QAnon are now being translated and shared among communities in nonanglophone countries too.
Hoodwinked: Coordinated Inauthentic Behaviour on Facebook
The sources most frequently attributed as responsible for CIB networks are Russian and Iranian actors. It is impossible to know whether this provides any sense of the scale of activity from those actors in comparison with other sources, as it is equally feasible that those states receive greater scrutiny from Facebook and from external researchers or journalists. Unless independent researchers have greater access to Facebook data, CIB removals may remain a case of Facebook “finding what it looks for”, in line with its own capacity and priorities, rather than a neutral assessment of what kind of activity exists across Facebook and Instagram.
The data made available by Facebook suggests that the US, Ukraine and the UK are the most common targets of CIB network activity. However, the networks promote narratives that span a large range of geographies, political agendas, wedge issues and audiences.
2 February, 2010:
Russian troll accounts purged by Twitter pushed Qanon and other conspiracy theories
The
accounts’ tweets featured the hashtag #MAGA, usually in support of
President Trump, almost 38,000 times — the most of any hashtag.
24 August, 2020:
Russian-backed organizations amplifying QAnon conspiracy theories, researchers say
September 2, 2020:
Russian Media Turns to QAnon Conspiracies to Help Re-Elect Trump
14 September, 2020:
‘Unholy alliance’: Conspiracy theorists are circulating Russian and Chinese disinformation about COVID-19 on social media
2 November, 2020:
QAnon posts were promoted by Russia-linked accounts as early as November 2017
A conservative blogger named Tracy Diaz was helped by Russian-linked Twitter accounts to promote QAnon as early as November 2017, records show
30 November, 2020:
QAnon Gains Traction in Russia
The coronavirus pandemic has boosted the popularity of the pro-Trump viral conspiracy theory.
This is pastor Ben Cremer on Qanon. He wrote this article in August 2020 - it turned out to be prescient.
Qanon is a false prophet.
Here’s why.
I have never used the term “false prophet” until now. It’s a weighty term that loses its gravity when it’s used too much. As a pastor, I have been called a “false prophet” many times. People only call me that when they disagree with me. This is not why I use the term towards Qanon.
I call Qanon a false prophet because the Bible gives us a very clear picture of what a prophet is and it's all the things Qanon is not. I have heard Qanon called a prophet more times than I can count and it is simply not true. Given that the influence of Qanon is only going to continue to gain momentum as November approaches, I wanted to simply put together a few Biblical/historical reasons as to why Qanon is a false prophet.
1. First and foremost, a true prophet is never anonymous. A true prophet is personally tied to their prophetic message. You know who they are and why they are saying what they are saying. This is what makes their message so powerful. They are putting their personal welfare and life on the line to speak the truth in a world that might reject it and them. It’s Samuel telling all of Israel that choosing a human king over God is a really terrible idea (1 Samuel 8 ). It’s Nathan publicly condemning King David for his adultery and murder (2 Samuel 12). It’s John the Baptist publicly condemning King Herod for marrying his brother's sister (Luke 3). It’s Dietrich Bonhoeffer condemning Adolf Hitler on national radio only two days after Hitler was elected. This is why so many prophets lose their lives. Because they believe in their message of truth too much to not put their reputations and lives on the line for it. This is why we have books of the Bible named after them. Because their lives and their prophetic work were very public and never anonymous.
2. A true prophet is never partisan. One of the main prophetic tasks is speaking the truth of God to people in power. Constantly hailing a particular world leader as a sort of savior is not a Biblical prophetic metric. It would be like Nathan claiming King David can do no wrong and just glossing over his murderous and adulterous scandal because he’s the only hope to stop the evil, mysterious Philistines from destroying Israel. No, a prophet’s primary allegiance is to God, above any leader or empire. No human made nation or political structure owns a true prophet. For when they do, the prophet becomes a mouthpiece for the empire and ceases to be a prophet of God. What is not anonymous about Qanon is his political ideologies. He is a partisan mouthpiece that twists scripture for his own agenda.
3. A true prophet’s prophesies actually come true. This should be an obvious takeaway. We remember the names of Samuel, Nathan, and Isaiah because they publicly addressed very specific things that all resulted in fulfillment. Q's posting campaign since 2016 has a history of false, baseless, and unsubstantiated claims. So much so that Q’s postings have become so cryptic and vague that followers have to read their own beliefs into them in order to make any sense of them. Q has dismissed these false claims and incorrect predictions as willful misinformation, claiming that "disinformation is necessary.” A true prophet is singularly focused on speaking truth and would never find disinformation necessary.
4. A true prophet would never use cryptic information or vague injunctions that distract people from actual problems facing our world today. Amos, Hosea, Zachariah, and all the rest of the prophets pointed out specific areas of injustice among Israel and called them to repent from it. They said these injunctions publicly, explicitly, and precisely so that there would be no question in people’s minds what was needing to be repented from. All of Q’s baseless and unsubstantiated claims regarding a secret cabal of powerful satan worshiping elites running a child trafficking ring has not only resulted in distracting us from actual problems in human trafficking by the ridiculous “pizza gate” and Wayfair conspiracies, but it has led Q followers to actually abduct kids they think are being held against their will (https://www.washingtonpost.com/.../mother-teamed-up-with.../) and caused a man to storm a pizza shop, armed with an AR-15 to save the kids trapped in the basement. There was no basement. There was no kids (https://www.npr.org/.../pizzagate-gunman-sentenced-to-4...). This is only a few reasons why Qanon is now on the FBI watch list for domestic terrorism (https://news.yahoo.com/fbi-documents-conspiracy-theories...). A true prophet’s message results in repentance, reconciliation, and unity. Not fear mongering and enemy making chaos.
Quanon is hailed by many as America's newest form of technological political religion (for a long, but important read on this, check out Adrienne LaFrance's article here: https://www.theatlantic.com/.../qanon-nothing-can.../610567/. He has amassed an online following that rivals many Christian denominations. On June 24, 2020, Q exhorted his followers to take a "digital soldiers oath," in preparation for November and many did using the Twitter hashtag "TakeTheOath"(https://www.nytimes.com/.../qanon-politicians-candidates...).
This is not the work of a prophet. This is the work of a propagandist, and it is frankly evil and cowardice.
Christians, please be discerning, critically minded, and question all information you are given on a daily basis. This is an unprecedented technological and informational age we are in. We as the church must be on guard as we wisely learn how not to be overtaken by sensational claims and the nefarious intentions of mysterious, anonymous voices that are whispering in every corner of the internet claiming to be "prophetic." We are called to be the church. The world needs us to be the church, which means not sharing our identity with propaganda mills like Qanon. May we allow scripture, the Holy Spirit, and our Christian doctrines, and the actual prophets from our Bibles be greater influences over us than anything or anyone online.
I’ll conclude with article 29.3 from my Denomination’s manual:
Membership in oath-bound secret orders or societies: The quasi-religious nature of such organizations dilutes the Christian’s commitment, and their secrecy contravenes the Christian’s open witness. (1 Corinthians 1:26–31; 2 Corinthians 6:14–7:1; Ephesians 5:11–16; James 4:4; 1 John 2:15–17)
Update: To date, QAnon followers have been linked to multiple instances of real-world criminality in the name of the conspiracy, including murder, vandalism, arson, kidnapping, terrorism, and assault with a dangerous weapon (firearms). https://www.adl.org/.../qanon-conspiracies-on-facebook...
An extremely helpful pastoral resource: https://religionnews.com/.../qanon-the-alternative.../
A recent interview of this same author on the spread of the conspiracy through Christian communities: https://www.npr.org/.../how-qanon-conspiracy-is-spreading...
In this episode of the Qanon Anonymous podcast, they discuss the evolution of the Qanon con from disenfranchised youth 'Utaku' culture in Japan; the forging of the 4Chan site, which later became the 8Chan and 4Kun; and the phenomenon of revenge "shit-posting" - that is, collective meme trolling "Ops" to "disturb and disrupt the powers that be"; and how a bunch of "Occupy Wall Street" left-leaning "Anonymous" hacktivists trolled Scientology, incurred the ire of the FBI ... and then were supplanted by something far worse - disaffected, maladjusted incels with a sense of grievance, an inflated sense of entitlement - and a virulent hatred for women. Gamer-gate, in which they trolled a feminist game developer who dared to do well on their sacred, male-dominated turf, turned out to be a proving ground for later trolling Hillary Clinton. Pizza-gate began as a game to see what outrageous and ludicrous content they could convince gullible people of the older generation and those who were not tech-savvy to believe ... and eventually, drunk with key-board warrior power, resulted in them "meme-ing Trump into the White House".
Episode 128: From Anonymous to QAnon feat Dale Beran, Matt Alt, Fredrick Brennan & Fuxnet
This is the book mentioned in the above podcast:
It Came from Something Awful
How a Toxic Troll Army Accidentally Memed Donald Trump into Office
Movement-jacking, game-ification, LARPing and colonization - targeting marginalized groups for political access and weaponization. Watch this presentation:
Dismantling QAnon
"At its root, the scheme functions as an authoritarian cult.
Through that lens, it can be properly understood as being based in a crisis of connection.
During this pandemic, when so many people are feeling disconnected and off-balance, we are all more susceptible than ever to undue influence and unethical manipulation.
We'll look at ways we can become more resilient against it.
This program, featuring alternate reality gaming expert Jim Stewartson, cult expert Steven Hassan, multimedia journalist Desiree Kane, in conversation with TEDxMidAtlantic co-curator (and disinformation specialist) Dave Troy offers a broad overview of the networks involved — with clear-headed ideas about how this destructive movement can be ended safely.
Among the areas covered: QAnon has its roots in the internet puzzle "Cicada 3301"; that a network of former disgruntled military and intelligence professionals has collaborated to lend the scheme legitimacy; that various people involved are connected to a 1930's cult called "I AM"; that many people involved with QAnon were also involved in the 2011 "Occupy" protests and NODAPL protests at Standing Rock in 2016-2017 — and even connected to the makers of the 2020 disinformation film, "Plandemic."
RESOURCES ON CHRISTIANS AND CONSPIRACY THEORIES
compiled by Christine Blackerby Pack
AUDIO
The Q Conspiracy: Q-Anon, Trump, & the American Church with Bonnie Kristian
===
ARTICLES
What Is Q-Anon, and How Should Christians View It? (Got Questions?)
Why Someone You Love Might Join Q-Anon (Christianity Today)
Excerpt: “Families are being broken up by this, churches are being broken up by this.”
Why are Christians so Susceptible to Conspiracy? (Baptist News Global)
Q-Anon: The Rise of ‘Restless Evil’ (Biblical Recorder)
Excerpt: “Recent news stories have noted its growing influence in evangelical circles. I have personally observed Southern Baptists sharing Q-related content on their social media channels, some of them in positions of leadership.”
The FAQs: What Christians Should Know About Q-Anon (The Gospel Coalition)
What Christians should know about Q-Anon (Baptist Press)
An Evangelical’s Guide To Q-Anon: Inside One Of The Most Talked About Internet Groups (Religion Unplugged)
Evangelical leaders denounce Q-Anon as ‘political cult,' ‘satanic movement’ (Christian Post)
Q-Anon: The alternative religion that’s coming to your church (Religion News)
Q-Anon Is a Wolf in Wolf’s Clothing (Christianity Today)
Why Are So Many Christians Falling For Q-Anon? (Relevant Magazine)
My Response To Plandemic, Part 1 (Dr Robert Carter, Creation Ministries International)
The Christian and Conspiracy Theories (Ken Samples, Issues Etc.)
Coronavirus Conspiracy Theories (Ken Samples, Issues Etc.)
Thinking Through Big Government Conspiracy Theories (Ken Samples, Reasons To Believe)
Asking Four Questions: Evaluating Conspiracy Theories (Ken Samples, Reasons To Believe)
Something To Consider: God Calls Us To Wisdom, Not Conspiracy Theories (Joseph Hamrick, Herald Banner)
How Should Christians Respond to Conspiracy Theories? (Dr Albert Mohler)
What should Christians make of the conspiracy theories surrounding Coronavirus? (Pastor Tom Drion, GraceLife London)
Why Creation Ministries International Rejects ‘Conspiracy’ Theorizing (Dr Robert Carter and Dr Jonathan Sarfati, Creation Ministries International)
Conspiracy Theories Are Bunk (Dr. R. Scott Clark, Christian Historian and Professor at Westminster Seminary)
Why It’s Important To Push Back on ‘Plandemic’— And How To Do It (Forbes) (NOTE: this is a secular resource, but it is still excellent and contains primary sources)
Why Do So Many Christians Buy Into Conspiracy Theories Like ‘Plandemic’? (How far-out ideas have infiltrated the Church ...and what can be done about it) (Relevant Magazine)
Christians and Conspiracy Theories (Facebook post)
Christians and Conspiracy Theories (Sola Sisters)
By Hamilton Hume, November 2020
"So how did we get from “saving the world”, to a full-blown destructive
death cult? How do people reconcile a spiritual belief in a “New Age”
with an administration like Trump’s? The Conspiracy Virus is a
powerfully manipulative tool which does a lot of the work of course, but
it’s a Lie. Someone had to tell it. So who was it, how could they, and
why would they? In the simplest terms, the answer is Fascism."
Or why the world’s gone mad.
By Daniel Morrison, June 2022
"Q is a New Age Fascist, probably a
boomer, with delusions of grandeur, who enjoys messing with people’s
minds, has a deep understanding of psychological operations, likes
LARPing as a super spy, and posting internet puzzles on 4Chan."
Anti-disinformation activist, Jim Stewartson, has a warning for us. He says:
"We are currently in a psychological war, but only one side is fighting it.
Mike Flynn, Steve Bannon, Erik Prince, Peter Thiel and Roger Stone are collaborating with transnational crime lords and enemy nation-states to dismantle global liberal democracy. They are winning.
QAnon was a psyop. A psychological operation. It was started by people from a group called MAGA3X which was funded by Peter Thiel, run by Mike Flynn, and operated by the worst neo-nazi trolls on earth.
There was no “Q.”
Q was a LARP (live action role play character)
It had many many writers. But it was always controlled by Mike Flynn. So if you really want a “Q,” it’s Mike Flynn.
If you have heard Ron Watkins is Q, you have been misled. Ron is idiot and ran the second website Q was on. He was not the mastermind of anything."
Mike Flynn, Steve Bannon, Erik Prince, Peter Thiel and Roger Stone are collaborating with transnational crime lords and enemy nation-states to dismantle global liberal democracy. They are winning.
QAnon was a psyop. A psychological operation. It was started by people from a group called MAGA3X which was funded by Peter Thiel, run by Mike Flynn, and operated by the worst neo-nazi trolls on earth.
There was no “Q.”
Q was a LARP (live action role play character)
It had many many writers. But it was always controlled by Mike Flynn. So if you really want a “Q,” it’s Mike Flynn.
If you have heard Ron Watkins is Q, you have been misled. Ron is idiot and ran the second website Q was on. He was not the mastermind of anything."
- note that ROGER STONE is right in the middle of that chart.
DE-RADICALIZATION RESOURCES
How to help loved ones avoid disinformation tactics and come back to reality.
Freedom of Mind - Steven Hassan
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