Bible-Believing Christians Are 'More Likely' Than Others to Believe in Conspiracies: Study

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Bible-believing Christians and Christian nationalists are more likely than the general population to embrace conspiracy theories, according to a new study that asked individuals their beliefs on eight conspiracy theories, including ones related to 9/11 and mass shootings.

The study found that Christians who consider themselves "biblical literalists" and believers who hold to Christian nationalism are "more likely" than the general population to believe conspiracy theories. The study defined Christian nationalism as a belief that places "Christianity at the center of the American story."

"We find that both Christian nationalism and biblical literalism have an impact on an individual's likelihood of adopting generalized conspiracy thinking," the authors wrote. "As people express both higher levels of Christian nationalism and higher levels of biblical literalism, they are more likely to express conspiracy thinking."

Are religious folks more apt to believe in conspiracy theories?

Yes! According to research from @abigailvegter +@BrooklynEvann.

Specifically, belief in a literal Bible and Christian Nationalism increase conspiratorial thinking. Together, they generate a multiplicative effect. https://t.co/qyd9oZV87J

— Ryan Burge 📊 (@ryanburge) July 5, 2023

The study was based on the 2019 Chapman University Survey of American Fears, which asked individuals their beliefs about seven conspiracy theories and one that was fictional. Specifically, it asked Americans how strongly they agree or disagree that the government is concealing what it knows about alien encounters, the 9/11 attacks, global warming, the JKF assassination, the moon landing, the Illuminati/New World Order and mass shootings. The Chapman University Survey also asked Americans if they believed the government was hiding information about the "South Dakota Crash" – a fictional event. It was placed in the survey to determine if Americans have a "tendency to accept any sort of conspiracy at all," the study said.

Both biblical literalists and Christian nationalists were more likely than the general population to believe in the theories.

The study was published in the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion and authored by Abigail Vegter, an assistant professor of political science at Berry College in Rome, Georgia, and Brooklyn Walker, an instructor of political science at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas.

"The tendency for some segments of a population to adopt conspiracy thinking can create ripple effects that affect the population as a whole," the authors wrote. "Conspiracy thinking is amplified when one holds the fear mindset inherent in Christian nationalism's claims of a threatened way of life and the anti-elitism common among biblical literalists – and this way of interpreting the world is not limited to the popular conspiracy theories of the day.

"By generating a generalized conspiracy thinking measure," the authors concluded, "we suggest that Christian nationalists and biblical literalists are likely to buy into future conspiracy theories too."

Photo courtesy: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/FREDERICA ABAN

Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel. 

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