6 Ways QAnon Is Poisoning Christianity (And What We Can Do About It)

Hi, everyone, thanks for watching. In today’s video I want to once again touch on the topic of QAnon, and specifically talk about how it’s poisoning Christianity. I’ve spoken about Q in a couple of other videos, and received comments from Christians who support this convoluted theory. Perhaps I should say “so-called” Christians, because a number of those comments were hateful, and denigrated whole groups of people. Needless to say, I’ve deleted most of those, but I do expect a lot of push back on this video, as well. Thus, if you see hateful or vulgar language in the comments below, I apologize in advance. I’ll delete those as soon as I can.

The reason for this video is that several recent surveys have indicated that more than 25% of white evangelical Protestants believe the QAnon conspiracy theory. Another survey found that 50 percent of white evangelical Christians either “agreed” or “strongly agreed” with the core QAnon beliefs. Other comparative surveys have also shown a correlation between Christian nationalism and a belief in QAnon. And, furthermore, that Christian nationalism, support for QAnon, and antisemitism are all linked.

QAnon has also infiltrated other areas of Christianity, with 15 percent of white mainline Protestants, 18 percent of white Catholics, 11 percent of Hispanic Catholics and 7 percent of black Protestants saying they believe in it. But how did we get here? How did Q manage to slither its way into the church, and wrap its tentacles around so many Christians? Without further delay, let’s get into this video. Here are the 6 ways that QAnon is poisoning Christianity.

#1 – Q is a false prophet

At the heart of this conspiracy theory are so-called “Q drops”, the cryptic messages that are allegedly left by a high ranking military intelligence officer, identified only as “Q”, who is leaking classified information. These Q drops have often been compared to a game, as vague clues must be deciphered by Anons in order to find their true meaning. And in this game, subjectivity also plays a big role, as each individual Anon adds his or her own interpretation to what it all means.

The problem is that Q has given false prophecies from the very beginning, with the very first Q-drop that appeared on October 28, 2017. That drop, which talked about an extradition of Hillary Clinton, not only didn’t come true – but it forced, and is forcing, all Anons into believing that an alternate reality exists, where things are happening in secret, exactly as Q had said they would.

In this alternate reality with its alternate facts, all of the Q drops are true, and are just waiting for Anons to properly understand them. If a Q drop seems false, then you must not be understanding it correctly. After all, as the hero of QAnon said, “What you‘re seeing and what you‘re reading is not what’s happening.” To date, there have been nearly 5,000 drops since Q first appeared on the scene. Of those nearly 5,000 drops, none have come true. Amazingly, this has had very little impact on the willingness of Anons to trust what Q is saying.

To make matters worse, whenever anything of interest happens today, Anons will scurry back to examine each of those nearly 5,000 drops, to hopefully find one or two that can be reinterpreted to fit today’s events – to make each Q drop become retroactively true. Despite the nearly 5,000 Q drops clearly being wrong, this conspiracy theory has still wormed its way into the hearts and minds of many Christians, who have brought this false prophecy into their church. This is poisoning not only their own faith, but all of those with whom they interact.

The bible specifically tells us to test all spirits, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. When Q is tested, it is perfectly clear that it IS a false prophet. God is truth, and His word is truth, and God’s truth stands in stark contrast to the false prophecies of Q.

#2 – QAnon is hurting children

One of the core beliefs of QAnon is that children are being abducted in large numbers to supply a worldwide child trafficking ring. Being concerned about missing children is a laudable stance, of course, but there is much more to this story. Most Anons seem to be blissfully unaware that the conspiracy theory’s main tenet, that a secret world-dominating cabal is posing a danger to children worldwide, builds on centuries-old anti-Semitic tropes, especially one called “blood libel”.

The “blood libel” refers to a very old conspiracy theory that Jews murder Christians – especially Christian children – to use their blood for ritual purposes, such as an ingredient in the baking of Passover matzah, which is unleavened bread. This ritualistic use of children’s blood is what “blood libel” was all about, and it’s the exact same idea that is also at the very heart of Qanon’s belief in missing children.

Beginning a little more than a year ago, many Anons began using the Twitter hashtag #SaveTheChildren, co-opting a trademarked name of a legitimate child welfare organization by the same name. The real Save the Children organization released a statement in August of 2020, clarifying that this was an unauthorized use of its name.

Why would Save the Children care if more attention was being brought to missing children? Because the claim by Anons that children are being abducted in large numbers to supply a child trafficking ring is not only contrary to the facts, but investigating those false claims diverts valuable resources away from real cases of children who actually do need help.

According to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, over 90% of missing children are runaways; 5% are abducted by family members, and 3% are young people in the 18-20 age group. Less than 1% are abductions by non-family members.

To further illustrate how Anons are hurting the very cause they claim to support, we have the Wayfair controversy. In case you don’t remember, Q followers created a conspiracy theory claiming that the furniture company Wayfair had secret arrangements to sell victims of child trafficking, and was shipping them inside of their cabinets.

Polaris, the charity that operates the National Human Trafficking Hotline, had to issue a statement discouraging people from reporting that children were being sold inside expensive cabinets online, because callers were flooding its phones – which, of course, made reporting of actual instances of human trafficking more difficult.

Child welfare agencies are also concerned that Q adherents are using the #SavetheChildren hashtag as a tactic to draw people deeper into their core beliefs – people who simply wanted to help find missing children are, before they know it, falling down one QAnon rabbit hole after another.

Besides the fact that QAnon is actually hurting children by diverting valuable resources away from legitimate cases of missing children, in order to chase after wild rumors, there is also a dark ugliness at the very heart of QAnon itself. That dark ugliness is this: child pornography is associated with the very man who many suspect as either being Q himself, or working in conjunction with the person who is.

That man’s name is Jim Watkins, and he is the owner of 8chan, now called 8kun, and it was on 8chan that QAnon first rose to prominence with its claim that Trump was fighting a pedophilia ring, and yet 8chan was itself notoriously a place where users traded child pornography.

And this very same Jim Watkins, who is either Q or extremely close to Q, not only owned an image board that peddled in child pornography, but he also is connected to a large number of domains whose names suggest are also involved in child pornography. Out of a sense of decency, I won’t put those specific domain names in this video, but I’ll add a link in the description area below to several in-depth investigations into Watkins.

To summarize, by promulgating their child abduction theory, which is based on the old anti-Semitic “blood libel” idea, Anons are helping to divert needed resources AWAY from actual cases of child endangerment. And the source of their inspiration for their theory is Q, but it turns out that Q is connected to the man who owned an image board with a history of hosting child porn, and who is himself connected to a large number of domains related to child porn.

Everything about Q and the Anons hurts children. If that isn’t evil, I don’t know what is.

#3 – QAnon injects politics into faith

If there’s one constant thread running through all of the Q drops, and though the words and actions of Anons, it’s that politics, patriotism and faith are all interconnected. This injection of worldly politics into Christianity didn’t start with QAnon, but it’s increased exponentially since Q first appeared on the scene a little more than 3 years ago.

One glaring example of Q poisoning the church with politics is the explosive rise of so-called Patriot Churches, which makes the love of America – and a love for Trump – front and center in their Christian message. And even in those churches that don’t promote themselves as Patriot Churches, one now sees more and more American flags and other patriotic symbols – including those associated with Trump and QAnon – being mixed in with the preaching of the gospel.

Christian nationalism is also exceedingly popular in the Q community. Christian nationalism is the belief that America is defined by Christianity, and that the government should take active steps to keep it that way. Christian nationalists assert that America is and must remain a “Christian nation”—not merely as a perception of American history, but as a road map for what America must continue to be in the future.

And it’s exactly this type of focus on the things of this world that runs contrary to the gospel. For over and over again, the bible tells us to look forward to the Kingdom of God, and to reject worldly things. I’ve spoken about this intersection of faith, patriotism and Trump before in one of my videos, and I referred to it as the Devil’s Triangle. And it’s unfortunate that many Christians have allowed their faith in Jesus to be polluted with extreme patriotism to the United States, and with an undying loyalty to Donald J. Trump.

And I say polluted for a reason, and that’s because many Christians have taken the purity of the gospel – which is a perfect message of love and forgiveness, of salvation and eternal life – and poisoned it by mixing in the belief that America is to glorified and Trump is to be idolized. QAnon is a big part of the gospel being polluted, and we need to recognize that patriotism and politics has no place in the Kingdom of God, and it should have no place for us, as these are the things of THIS world.

#4 – QAnon incites hatred of others

From its very beginning, Q preached from a “good vs. evil” perspective, dividing the people of the world into two vastly different and eternally opposed factions, and never the twain shall they meet. The good was defined as those patriots who defend the constitution, led by our hero Donald J. Trump and assisted by the Q team. The evil, of course, was – and is – all those who oppose Trump, for they are unquestionably a part of the Deep State, determined to continue in their satanic ways.

Among the Anons, this good vs. evil mindset has evolved into an outright hatred of those who they see as the enemy. And this enemies list is quite long: it includes democrats, the media, Hollywood, academia, the deep state, never Trumpers, RINO’s, and, generally, anyone who opposes Trump.

Over the last couple of years, Anons discovered that hating these groups wasn’t enough. These people must die. The people on their enemies list must be arrested for treason and eventually executed. It was the only way to purify the country of evil. And this constant talk of executing traitors is not just idle talk or wild hyperbole. It is, in fact, an outcome that Anons not only expect to happen at some point, but one that they are more than willing to be a part of.

We’re now at the point where QAnon has poisoned aspects of Christianity so completely that Christian Anons are of the mindset that killing other people is the good and righteous thing to do. Think about that for a moment.

Here’s the thing, though. There is not a bible verse that will tell you to hate another person. There is especially not a bible verse that will tell you to hate another person and call for their execution, based on gossip that originated on an internet message board.

And to clarify, there are certainly parts of the bible that speak of hating evil. But there is a big difference between hating evil, and hating other PEOPLE because WE think they are evil and that they should not live any longer. In fact, the bible tells us to LOVE our enemies.

Again, as a reminder, this pure hatred that Christian Anons have allowed to seep into their faith originated as gossip on an internet message board. If that’s not a clear sign that this hatred has arisen from the bottomless pit, I don’t know what is.

#5 – QAnon instills fear which leads to an unsound mind

The pure hatred that I just spoke of, which resonates throughout QAnon, has a companion: fear. And this fear is palpable in so much of what Anons say and do, as they are deathly afraid that in the battle of good vs. evil, evil just might win – unless they act. Time and time again we have seen how this fear pushes Anons to take part in things that are not only crazy, but are often illegal. The January 6^th attack on the U.S. Capitol being just the latest example.

Over the last year and a half, this craziness and illegality has included an Anon using an armored truck to block a bridge over Hoover Dam; another Anon murdering a mob boss in Staten Island, NY; an Anon threatening a U.S. Navy Hospital Ship docked in New York; an Anon being charged with intentionally derailing a freight train in California; Anons involved in multiple kidnappings, an aggravated assault, and much more.

And, in perhaps the best example of how this QAnon fear drives someone crazy, is the case of Alpalus Slyman, a 29 year old Boston man, who, last June, led police on a 20 mile, 2 state, high-speed chase WITH his five young kids in his van – the kids were aged 13, 5, 2, 1 and 8 months old. Slyman actually live-streamed what was happening, and at one point, directed his camera at the van’s speedometer, showing he was driving 110 mph. “We don’t want to die,” one of the children said, as the kids begged him to slow down on the live-stream.

“All they’re going to do is drug me and then say I’m crazy.” Slyman said, telling his children not to trust the police. “Donald Trump, I need a miracle,” he exclaimed, before later adding, “QAnon, help me. QAnon, help me!” Slyman was eventually stopped by police after they boxed him in, and his van crashed into a tree. His five young children were safely reunited with his wife, who had jumped out of the moving van about 20 minutes prior.

The scariest part of this whole episode is that Slyman had been watching QAnon videos on YouTube for only a few weeks before becoming radicalized. He was overwhelmed with a spirit of fear, his mind became unsound, and he risked not only his own life, but the lives of his own young children.

QAnon IS a spirit of fear, and it’s this spirit of fear that is poisoning the minds of so many Christians, and which has seeped into the church. And it’s this spirit of fear, combined with the hatred I talked about before, that leads Anons down a dangerous path to delusion.

The bible talks about the importance of having a sound mind, and how it is the direct opposite of the spirit of fear. In Second Timothy we read, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” We must reject the QAnon spirit of fear, and the hatred and lies that are a part of it. For this spirit of fear rises up from the bottomless pit, and will lead all of those who succumb to it down the road to eternal damnation. Instead, let us embrace the power, love and sound mind that God blessed us with.

#6 – QAnon elevates an evil man

Perhaps the most disturbing way that QAnon has poisoned Christianity is in its elevation of an evil man to that of a heroic savior. And a savior that many Christian Anons seem to have raised to the level of Jesus. But it’s not only disturbing, it’s also the ultimate delusion.

For if one of your core beliefs is the protection of children, would your hero normally be a man who hung out with pedophiles? Who bragged about walking backstage unannounced, as beauty contestants dressed – often underage contestants? If another one of your core beliefs is that the swamp must be drained, does it make sense to stand quietly by while this new hero of yours fills up the swamp with his own cabal of corrupt and shady characters?

But if the source behind QAnon is evil, then doesn’t it make perfect sense that an evil man would be cast as the protagonist? And wouldn’t this evil man, with his history of vileness, dishonesty, and extreme narcissism, have the same goals and aspirations as the evil force behind QAnon?

And I am convinced that the REAL source – or energy – behind QAnon IS pure evil. I’ve talked before about how satanic the Q logo looks, and I don’t think that happened by accident. When we look at how QAnon is actually hurting children – not helping them as they claim – and we look at how much hatred and fear lies at the heart of this theory, it is impossible to reach any other conclusion.

QAnon has arisen from the bottomless pit, and this evil force desires nothing more than to delude Christians and prevent them from being in the Kingdom of God.

The identity of Q and why it no longer matters

A little while back I mentioned a man named Jim Watkins, who many suspect as being either Q, or closely associated with the person who is Q. Once again, there are links to several informative articles on Watkins in the description field. I also mentioned Watkins ownership of 8chan, now called 8kun. I forgot to mention that 8chan refers to itself as, and I quote, “the darkest reaches of the internet.”

The forum has been linked to at least three deadly shootings — the attack on Muslims at mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand; the attack on Jewish people at a synagogue in Poway, California; and the attack in El Paso that claimed the lives of at least 22 people. Minutes before the shooting in El Paso, the suspected gunman posted a lengthy and hateful diatribe to 8chan. Not long after, the Web security company Cloudflare called 8chan “a cesspool of hate” and announced it would stop shielding the site from cyberattacks.

The net result of Cloudfare’s decision was the 8chan was officially offline. Meanwhile, Q – for some reason – did not have another means of communication, so Q also was not able to post when 8chan went down after the El Paso shooting. This apparent conflict of interest, plus Watkins’s financial interest in a QAnon super PAC that advertised on 8chan, led numerous journalists and researchers to believe that Watkins or his son, 8chan’s former administrator Ron Watkins, either worked with Q, know Q’s identity, or are Q.

Finally, in a study by the text authentication company OrphAnalytics, a machine learning analysis conducted on Q’s “drops” found that there are TWO different people responsible for Q’s postings, and they were working during completely separate time frames. As I’m finishing this video, HBO is preparing to air a six-part documentary series on QAnon that claims to have uncovered the anonymous leader behind the movement. The documentary, entitled Q: Into the Storm, will identify Ron Watkins as the man behind the Q drops.

But, here’s why that no longer matters: there hasn’t been a Q drop for over 3 months, since December 8^th of 2020. And yet, the Anons have continued to expand upon the theory as if nothing has changed. In other words, the growth of QAnon is now organic and crowd sourced, and no longer depends on a Q drop. For example, the recent idea that Trump was going to return to power on March 4^th was not based on a Q drop – but was entirely a crowd sourced idea arising out of the Anons talking about things on their own. It was purely organic.

The QAnon pseudo-religion is now self-sustaining.

So, what can we do about it?

Many of us have a friend, family member or loved one who has fallen into the QAnon rabbit hole. And each of those rabbit holes have their own rabbit holes. And it can seem impossible to get them out, as any argument is dismissed as being lies from the Deep State. There are 5 things that will help:

First, do not argue – it’s not only a waste of time, but it will drive an Anon deeper into the rabbit holes as they become more defensive about their own beliefs, and more convinced that YOU are a part of the evil deep state they are fighting against.

Second, instead of arguing, talk calmly. Keep the conversation light, and even consider adding a bit of humor. For example, ask in a lighthearted way, “why would a military intelligence officer use an image board like 8chan for these Q drops?” Don’t argue. Just smile and leave that question out there. Plant the seed for rational thought.

Third, steer the conversation away from QAnon. There are so many ways to do this, especially with our older friends and relatives. Ask about their grandchildren, or a family memory from years ago, or something they enjoy that is NOT QAnon related.

Fourth, find a way to get them away from the computer. It’s those videos and websites that promote QAnon which are the source for this crazy thinking. Can you get them outside for a walk? Or for an activity they enjoy? The less time they spend invested in Qanon, the more opportunity there is for their minds to clear.

Fifth, pray. QAnon may have given your loved one a spirit of fear, and filled it with hatred, but there IS One who can change that spirit of fear into a spirit of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

We should ask God to help our loved ones, and guide them away from this QAnon delusion. And that He may also help us be an example to them, by not arguing or judging them, or pushing them away – and instead that we may help lead them away from Satan’s lies and toward God’s truth.

As we talk to those those Christians who have been deluded by Qanon, and especially when it seems to be an absolutely impossible task to bring them back to God’s truth, let us remember this passage: “With God all things are possible. ”

That’s all for today. Thank you for watching, and if you care to leave a comment, please do. As always, please be respectful of one another in any comment you leave. I’ll talk to you guys soon. ♦