May 2006

QUESTION: How come we never hear you talk about the Illuminati, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Federal Reserve, or any of the other subversive groups that are secretly plotting to take over the world on behalf of the Antichrist?

ANSWER: The Illuminati is only one of numerous groups and clubs, both real and imaginary, which have spawned all sorts of stories and rumors—some of them, for generations. The 2004 award-winning film National Treasure, starring Nicholas Cage, was about a conspiracy dating back to the Knights Templar which eventually led to a huge treasure (including the ancient scrolls of Alexandria) being hidden in a cavern under a church in downtown New York City. Medieval knights, the Holy Grail, conspiracies, secret codes, and treasure maps—these are all things that we love to hear stories about. That’s why Harrison Ford made a fortune starring in the Indiana Jones films in the 1980s. Everyone loves a good adventure!

Supermarket tabloids are among the highest circulation publications in the world. Everyone knows that you can only believe ten percent of what you read in these “rags,” and even that figure may be high, but nobody cares. Nothing dampens the public’s appetite for the sensational and the mysterious. The tabloid publishers are only too happy to play along because it’s a very profitable business! They are paid handsomely to entertain us with tall tales and fanciful stories.

However, this tabloid mentality is not compatible with the Scriptures. As believers, we are supposed to exercise our powers of judgment and discernment so we can distinguish between fact and fiction, and between truth and error. We should not be silly, gullible, or naive. We shouldn’t fall for any silver-tongued huckster who has a book or video to sell (remember the Y2K fiasco?). The Apostle Paul said, “Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness” (1 Thess. 5:5). He also said we should not be fooled by deceivers, no matter how eloquent or convincing they may be (Rom. 16:18).

That is why we don’t traffic in sensational conspiracy theories that are based mostly on half-truths, myths, and legends. They only distract us from the real and compelling issues we face as believers in these dangerous times. There are real-life organizations of people who have declared war on the Bible, on believers, and on Judeo-Christian values. One such group is the philanthropist club of “progressive billionaires” spearheaded by the ultra-rich George Soros, Herb and Marion Sandler, and Peter Lewis. Other activist groups feature left-leaning Hollywood personalities like Tim Robbins and his live-in girlfriend, Susan Sarandon, Michael Moore, Sean Penn, and Martin Sheen, among others. So here in North America, we are locked in a cultural war, to be sure, and there is also a religious war worldwide as militant Islam continues its relentless quest for world domination. This makes it even more important that we focus on fighting real enemies, not imaginary ones.