Chaos, Conspiracies, Courage and Common Sense

RushMAN said:

It really doesn’t matter what the conspiracy theory is, as long as it provides that necessary structure and format to help the person make sense of the confusing, complicated and chaotic world.

Click to expand...

To be fair that sentence would also work if you replace the conspiracy theory part with the word “religion”.

Probably works with great many other social constructs as well.

"Where there is no prayer and fasting, there are the demons." - Saint Theophan the Recluse

Some sayings from the Saints of the Orthodox Church about lying

True fasting lies is rejecting evil, holding one's tongue, suppressing one's hatred, and banishing one's lust, evil words, lying, and betrayal of vows. - St. Basil the Great

Thus belief in that first lie of Satan’s (Gen. iii: 4) has borne its legitimate fruit in—first, the deification of the beautiful, and unnatural curiosity; second, self-love and idol-worship; third, free-thinking, protesting, infidelity, and anarchy. - St. Sebastian Dabovich

Do not be offended if anyone speaks or behaves insincerely to you. Do you always converse sincerely, not hypocritically, with God in prayer! Do not your lips often pronounce words of truth, while your heart lies? Do you walk before God in sincerity? - St John of Kronstadt

Falsehood and only falsehood separates us from God ... false thoughts, false words, false feelings, false desires. Behold the aggregate of lies that leads us to non-being, illusion, and rejection of God. - St. Nicholas of Serbia

The offspring of flint and steel is fire; and the offspring of chatter and joking is lying. - St. John Climacus

No one who lies is linked to God. God is the truth. He says, 'I am the Way, the Truth and the Life' (Jn. 14:6). See how we sort ourselves out and what position we take up through lying ? clearly on the side of the evil one. - St Dorotheos of Gaza

A lie is the destruction of love, and a false oath is a denial of God. - St. John Climacus

'Thy mouth is the mouth of Christ; therefore thou mayest not -- I speak not of detractions, nor of lies -- thou mayest not open for idle speeches that mouth which should be reserved only for the praises of God and the edification of thy neighbour.' - St. Anselm of Canterbury

When lies have been accepted for some time, the truth always astounds with an air of novelty. - Clement of Alexandria

No one who lies is linked to God. God is the truth. He says, 'I am the Way, the Truth and the Life' (Jn. 14:6). See how we sort ourselves out and what position we take up through lying ? clearly on the side of the evil one. - St Dorotheos of Gaza

St. Justin Martyr - for it is in our power, when we are examined, to deny that we are Christians; but we would not live by telling a lie.

Adorn yourself with truth, try to speak truth in all things; and do not support a lie, no matter who asks you. - St Gennadius

Fasting is speaking in moderation; refraining from anger; separation from evil, lies & oaths. Deprivation is true fasting. - St. Basil

Oppose no man in anything; do not quarrel, and do not lie, and do not swear by the name of the Lord your God. -St Isaac the Syrian

Imitate me just the way I imitated the Apostle Paul and do not work for your stomach but to help those who without your help cannot free themselves from the tortures of poverty and lies. - St. Luke the Blessed Surgeon of Simferopol

Lying is wiped out by the tortures of superiors; but it is finally destroyed by an abundance of tears. - St. John Climacus

The Creator of mankind prefers men to count over their sins to Him rather than their good works. For God is a physician, who comes up to the bed on which each one of us is lying, and asks: “Where is the pain?” - St. Nikolai Velimirović

He who has obtained the fear of the Lord has forsaken lying, having within himself an incorruptible judge, his own conscience. - St. John Climacus

Hypocrisy is the mother of lying, and often its occasion. For some define hypocrisy as none other than meditation on falsehood, and an inventor of falsehood which has a reprehensible oath intertwined with it. - St. John Climacus

We notice various degrees of harm in all the passions, and this is certainly the case with lying. There is one judgment for him who lies through fear of punishment, and another for him who lies when no danger is at hand. - St. John Climacus

Bible Verses About Lying

Bible verses related to Lying from the King James Version (KJV)

Proverbs 6:16-19 - These six [things] doth the LORD hate: yea, seven [are] an abomination unto him: (Read More...)

Proverbs 19:9 - A false witness shall not be unpunished, and [he that] speaketh lies shall perish.

Proverbs 12:22 - Lying lips [are] abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly [are] his delight.

Psalms 101:7 - He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house: he that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight.

Colossians 3:9-10 - Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; (Read More...)

Luke 8:17 - For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither [any thing] hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.

Proverbs 12:19 - The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue [is] but for a moment.

1 John 2:4 - He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

Ephesians 4:25 - Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.

John 8:44 - Ye are of [your] father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Exodus 20:16 - Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

1 John 1:9 - If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Revelation 21:8 - But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

Proverbs 24:28 - Be not a witness against thy neighbour without cause; and deceive [not] with thy lips.

Proverbs 19:5 - A false witness shall not be unpunished, and [he that] speaketh lies shall not escape.

Matthew 15:18-20 - But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. (Read More...)

I’m a fan of Fr. Longenecker.

From the article-


The chaos of 2020 has spawned a pandemic of its own: a pandemic of conspiracy theories:

COVID-19 is caused by 5G technology not really caused by it but the radiation makes you weaker and it was all fake in the first place put there by the mainstream media who are controlled by globalists and jews and communists and another thing is that they already have a cure with hydroxychloroquine and zinc but they’re telling us it doesn’t work because they want to get rid of trump and big pharma want to roll out an expensive vaccination and when they do your cell phone is going to be used to trace you and they already know where you are and what you’re doing and you don’t even know that big brother is watching everything you do already and Bill Gates is using his computer technology empire to bring about a United Nations European Union for the whole world and the pope is also involved with sankt gallen mafia who are part of a homosexual network involved with the occult and did you know that hand washing wearing a mask and social distancing are actually part of ancient occult rituals which connect back with the all seeing eye of horus and donald trump will soon become a catholic because his wife is a devout catholic but she doesn’t talk about it much because twitter and facebook and instagram are all shutting her down and you don’t know it and can’t see it and that proves the point at how effective they are being and the vaccination is going to come and everybody will have to have it because they are going to inject a microchip into your hand so it will be the mark of the beast and you won’t be able to buy anything because it will be a cashless society soon and have you noticed the so called coin shortage in stores so they are getting ready to shift to a cashless one world monetary system and if you don’t have cash you money is just number on a bank computer somewhere which means they can wipe it out with the flick of a switch and your money will just disappear and the chinese control zoom did you know that? and they are watching every zoom meeting because the globalist power will have a religious aspect to it also and that is why bergoglio was elected because he is being set up as the prophet for the antichrist who will come after the great warning which will be seen by all people but in their soul and not with their real eyes and the rapture will then take place…

I could write like that for another few paragraphs, but my fingers are tired…

These conspiracy theories are ridiculous but you cannot reason with a conspiracy buff. It’s always: “That’s what (they) want you to think.”