Thursday, August 16, 2007

Did We Really Land on the Moon?

I was listening to the radio this morning and there was a guy on there who believes that we haven't really been to moon. I was first exposed to this theory back in my Apologetics class in college and find it interesting to think about.

I kind of like conspiracy theories. Not in the, run-my-own-website-and-freak-out-about-everything sort of way, I just like the fact that it's completely possible to see things from a totally different point of view.

Like aliens. We have a book about aliens and UFOs that the students read and it's actually pretty convincing...I mean, why all the cover-up? There are actually several incidents that point out to me that aliens are, at the very least, a possibility.

So the whole moon thing to me is vastly entertaining, because I never would have questioned it before or spent much time thinking about it, but there are certainly some things about it that don't seem so easy to explain.

So, what do you think? Aliens? Did we land on the moon? Tell me about your favorite conspiracty theory and why you believe it or don't.

5 comments:

Chaotic Hammer said...

Did We Really Land on the Moon?

Yes.

Chaotic Hammer said...

Sorry, I'm such a smart-aleck. Honestly, I think most conspiracy theories are pretty much just kooky.

The people who typically believe this conspiracy stuff are usually very skeptical about trusting anyone, especially the government. They are paranoid and believe that people are not what they seem. And yet they tend to fully trust the purveyors of conspiracy theories -- authors, lecturers, and other assorted kooks about whom they know absolutely nothing, and who offer little or no substantial evidence for what they are saying. Instead, they offer a lot of random accusations that are the result of linking random facts together into a "plausible" explanation for something.

While I agree with you that there is an "entertaining" element to the whole thing, I think the fact that some people take this stuff quite seriously is more than a little bit troubling. Elements of this mindset sometimes creep into Christianity, too -- and lead people down all sorts of distracting and even harmful paths.

Amy said...

Yeah, I agree that people take it way too far. It's the opposite end of the spectrum of blindly trusting govt. authority in everything.

In what ways do you think it has seeped into Christianity? Do you mean like the Da Vinci Code or something?

Chaotic Hammer said...

Well, the variations I've seen on this within the church involve things about secret societies (Masons, Shriners, whatever) being part of some Satanic network, or the Pope being the Antichrist, or the New World Order or the Trilateral Commission being part of the Antichrist's power structure, or credit cards and barcodes being the "mark of the beast" spoken of in Revelation (lacking only that we don't yet have them on our hands and foreheads -- but that's coming soon!), and on and on.

Yes, even though it was sloppily done and very inaccurate, the Da Vinci Code tried to weave stories out of this same type of conspiratorial view of history.

Here's an example of a website with this sort of thing:

Secret Societies

Amy said...

I might have to look at that page another time, the computer doesn't seem to like it at the moment. But, I will say that I got lost right away reading about America being Babylon and something about a goat head.

People always seem glad to grab onto the sensational. Last year I was with some friends at church and they were talking about a book called He Came to Set the Captives Free. I'd never heard of it and the stuff they were saying sounded crazy. (a book about demons and such) I went home and did a bit of research on the good old internet and it didn't take long to discover just how fake that book was. Even so, people still believe that story years later, just as they believe the Onion story about J.K. Rowling being a witch long after ample evidence has shown it's not true.

So I understand what you're saying about how people will only listen to conspiracy theorists and not anyone else. Just as some Christians will only listen to certain Christian leaders and not others. I would say that's the danger of being an extremist, but I don't want to risk being called one myself for trying to live moderately. (ha, couldn't resist)

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