News story claims: "Jehovah’s Witnesses" are QAnon believers"

by Balaamsass2 27 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

  • Balaamsass2
    Balaamsass2

    I was googling the subject and came across this story. I just had an incredible phone conversation with a long-time JW who has strong "Q-anon" "Sovereign Citizen" beliefs. The wife(first gen) says she is not surprised.

    Post-Trump, see how many Americans, Latter-day Saints and others still buy into QAnon

    Wild conspiracy theories continue to hold sway among wide swaths of believers." "Even though Donald Trump no longer is in the White House, featured on the nation’s television screens or Tweeting daily, the QAnon movement — which saw the former president as its de facto leader — is as strong as ever.

    Nearly 1 in 6 Americans, or 16%, are “QAnon believers,” according to a poll released Thursday, roughly equal to the 17% found among self-identified U.S. members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

    The number jumps to 1 in 4 (25%) among the nation’s Republicans.

    “Our surveys show that QAnon conspiracy theories are not losing popularity over time, despite their championed leader being out of power,” said Natalie Jackson, director of research at PRRI (Public Religion Research Institute), “... and although 16% seems small, that is around 41 million Americans.”

    What is clear from the PRRI survey — titled “The Persistence of QAnon in the Post-Trump Era: An Analysis of Who Believes the Conspiracies” — is that “people who are more likely to believe in the conspiracy theories are those who have a deep distrust of society,” Jackson said. “They wish the country looked different than it does and are trying to find something to explain that.”

    That the conspiracy-driven campaign hasn’t declined without Trump doesn’t surprise Matthew Bowman, director of Mormon studies at Claremont Graduate University, who taught a course on conspiracy theory at the Southern California school.

    “For many of these conspiratorial groups, failure of the conspiracy makes those beliefs stronger,” Bowman said. “It forces people to begin justifying their beliefs more thoroughly.”

    While QAnon advocates are racially, religiously and politically diverse, the PRRI survey said, “the unifying beliefs are that their way of life is under attack and that they might be willing to resort to violence to defend their vision of the country.”

    What makes a person a QAnon devotee?

    To be defined as a QAnon believer, a respondent had to generally agree with these three statements:

    • “The government, media and financial sector are controlled by a group of Satan-worshipping pedophiles who run a global child sex-trafficking operation.”

    • “There is a storm coming soon that will sweep away the elites in power and restore the rightful leaders.”

    • “Because things have gotten so far off track, true American patriots may have to resort to violence in order to save our country.”

    Though most QAnon believers are white Americans, they are a diverse group religiously.

    Around 1 in 4 Hispanic Protestants (27%), white evangelical Protestants (23%), and Jehovah’s Witnesses (23%) are QAnon believers. Some 1 in 5 are other Protestants of color (21%) and Hispanic Catholics (18%).

    At 17%, Black Protestants and Buddhists are tied with Latter-day Saints (most U.S. members of the Utah-based faith identify with or lean toward the Republican Party).

    Other Catholics of color (15%), white Catholics (14%), or white mainline (nonevangelical) Protestants (14%) are QAnon believers....."

    Salt Lake Tribune : Post-Trump, see how many Americans, Latter-day Saints and others still buy into QAnon

  • MeanMrMustard
    MeanMrMustard

    QAnon is to the political right as Scientology is to science.

    To be defined as a QAnon believer, a respondent had to generally agree with these three statements:
    • “The government, media and financial sector are controlled by a group of Satan-worshipping pedophiles who run a global child sex-trafficking operation.”
    • “There is a storm coming soon that will sweep away the elites in power and restore the rightful leaders.”
    • “Because things have gotten so far off track, true American patriots may have to resort to violence in order to save our country.”

    Is this really the guage? Seems to me that QAnon was focused around a central character (Q) that was supposed to have special political knowledge, and there were very specific events laid out. It wasn't "we might need to revolt if there is tyrrany" sort of principles. Is PRRI left wing? I'm sensing some tricky redefining going on...

    Also, 23% of JWs agree with the idea that we need to resort to violence to save the country? That doesn't sound right at all.

  • Nikolaus
    Nikolaus

    People who are attracted by cults like the JW want to be members of special club of people in the know. So, yes, it makes sense that they also open for other crazy stuff. And yes, they support violence. Of course, they have outsourced this to heavenly powers. But I can quote a lot of JW that regret this a little bit. I remember this WT-quote that pointed out that secular law hinders JW to stone apostates.

  • truth_b_known
    truth_b_known

    In the early 90s my father got into some tax problems that were of no fault of his own. He started getting into tax protester non-sense as a means to get out of the problems. Newsflash - it doesn't work. I would say this was the birthplace of the QAnon phenomena.

    This the naturally lead into the whole New World Order conspiracy theory. I remember my father actually talking about it with householders out in the door-to-door ministry. He even had maps of where the concentration camps were being built in the U.S. It got to the point that there was a special meeting on a non-meeting night involving the elders, Witnesses who brought what my father was talking about to the elders, and my father. The elders made the dry-snitches repeat their claims to my father's face for him to either confirm or deny. In the end, nothing happened.

    From their it just continued. I remember around 2008 he spoke of Canada, the U.S., and Mexico all becoming one country, The Union of North America. The evidence was this new currency called the "Amero". He showed YouTube videos supporting this. Turns out, it was just the brainchild of Daniel Carr, a coin designer, and were just for fun.

    The things about all my father's conspiracy theories was that there was always a steady number of JWs in the congregation that were diehard followers of whatever he was saying. So, it doesn't surprise me in the least that JWs fall for this QAnon stuff. Any straw that they can grasp that backs the Watchtower's claim that we are in the "last days" is going to get JW support.

  • Balaamsass2
  • Simon
    Simon

    Whatever the figures, they are tiny compared to the number that believe in the MSM lies.

  • Vanderhoven7
    Vanderhoven7

    I am surprised only 23% of Jehovah's Witnesses are QAnon

    To be defined as a QAnon believer, a respondent had to generally agree with these three statements:

    • “The government, media and financial sector are controlled by a group of Satan-worshippers

    • “There is a tribulation storm coming soon that will sweep away the elites in power and restore the rightful leaders including the clergy.”

    • “Because things have gotten so far off track, true American patriots may resort to violence in order to save our country.”

    note changes to wording

  • Biahi
    Biahi

    The crazy Qanon beliefs sounds similar to The Handmaids Tale. Scary, dystopian society.

  • Nephilim87
    Nephilim87

    What poll? And how accurate can a pole be about Q anon? Fake news

  • BluesBrother
    BluesBrother

    No....... J W’s have their own solution to the world’s problems and it does not include right wing politics.

    However, if you ask if JWs distrust society ? Yes.

    I found a larger than normal following within it for unconventional medicines and certainly some are gullible for a good conspiracy .

    I guess if you take an opinion poll, it is all about how your question is worded.

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