Storming the US Capitol
A crowd of Donald Trump supporters marched on the US Capitol on January 6 , 2021, ultimately leading to the building being breached and several related deaths. (Photo by TapTheForwardAssist, Wikimedia Commons/Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International)
Iowa Annual Conference | October 27, 2024
I have just returned from a religious pilgrimage with a group of Iowans. We traced the Apostle Paul’s journeys through Greece and Turkey. While there, we saw many archaeological sites and antiquities. The setting reminded me of some of the great epics of old, namely The Aeneid, by the Latin poet Virgil. One section of The Aeneid is particularly salient in today’s environment of disinformation, misinformation and conspiracy theories. It is a description of how rumor spreads through a city. With all thanks to my Latin teacher, Mrs. Fuller, I still remember it by heart. It begins,
Extemplo Libyae magnas it Fama per urbes—
Fama, malum qua non aliud velocius ullum;
mobilitate viget, viresque adquirit eundo,
parva metu primo, mox sese attollit in auras,
ingrediturque solo, et caput inter nubila condit.
Virgil describes rumor as a swift evil that rushes through the city of Libya. Rumor is a “dreadful monster” with a feathered body and many tongues. Virgil writes that “…it clings to crooked falsehoods as much as to messages of truth.”[1]
Virgil wrote The Aeneid during the reign of the Roman Emperor Augustus between 19 and 30 B.C. This was well before Paul’s missionary journeys and even the birth of Christ. And, what Virgil described is important for us today.
What is happening? Why?
We are at a time of the rampant spread of falsehoods. Misinformation, disinformation, conspiracy theories and propaganda are poisoning our civil life, endangering our democracy and putting people’s lives at risk. Take the following examples:
- Disinformation and conspiracy theories in the wake of Hurricanes Helene and Milton have hampered rescue and recovery efforts and placed the lives of FEMA workers at risk.
- Conspiracy theories such as the “great replacement theory” were a driving force behind mob violence at the “Unite the Right” rally, in Charlottesville, VA in August 2017, in which one young woman lost her life and nineteen others were injured.
- The repeated disinformation campaigns that there was widespread fraud in the 2020 election, which has been proven false, contributed to the storming of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 in which multiple people lost their lives and scores of police officers were injured.
The disinformation that we are experiencing today is insidious and dangerous. Like the spread of rumor in Virgil’s time, it is our winged and dreadful monster that clings to “crooked falsehoods” that it spreads throughout our land.
We must find ways to be responsible Christians in this environment and to be vehicles of God’s love and grace in our divided world. It might help to first understand what the various terms mean.
Misinformation is false information that is not intended to purposefully mislead. For instance, urban legends are a type of misinformation. Disinformation, however, is marked by deliberate lies meant to sway public opinion or cause people to act in certain ways. Conspiracy theories are a form of disinformation. They are fantastical narratives that purport to give reasons for societal trends or events. They often are spread intentionally to cause revulsion against certain groups.
Propaganda can be either misinformation or disinformation and is an effort to sway public opinion by providing extremely slanted or biased information. Disinformation, in all of these forms, is increasing during this election season. It has gotten so bad that it is sometimes hard to tell what is real or not.
What does Scripture and our United Methodist tradition say?
It is one thing to get facts wrong, (misinformation), but the deliberate spread of untruths is wrong. One of the Ten Commandments says, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor,” (Exodus 20:16). And Jesus told his disciples, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits,” (Matthew 7: 15-16).
The fruit of disinformation and conspiracy theories are lying, division, hatred and violence. The fruit of the Holy Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, (cf. Galatians 5: 22-23). Clearly God calls us to the fruit of the Spirit, not to the fruit of lies.
Indeed, our new Social Principles recognize this when they warn against the manipulation and corruption of media, especially as it relates to hate speech. They note,
“We also recognize that, like every other human endeavor, the media can be used by unscrupulous people to manipulate public opinions, distort facts, and spread misinformation, hostility and fear. We deplore the proliferation of hate speech across social media, broadcast and print news, and other platforms, and we call upon citizens and regulators to do all in their power to eliminate it.”[2]
What should we look for?
- Pay attention when fantastical stories seem designed to create disgust toward marginalized groups. For instance, many of the disinformation campaigns of today are targeting immigrants.
- Suspect information that seems designed to cause strong emotions such as hate or anger. When our emotions are on over-drive, our ability to reason suffers.
- Question information that is used largely to divide or to pit one group against another. Disinformation campaigns coming from foreign adversaries are often meant to sow division in our country. Division and fear is also being used internally to sway public opinion.
What we can do?
- Expect It: Expect disinformation in this campaign and beyond, especially around the outcome of the election. Be ready with multiple and trusted information sources. Be prepared to calm fears and ask probing questions. Recognize that disinformation campaigns are designed to build distrust and to tear at the fabric of our society. Engage in conversations with others in ways that build trust and build up our communities.
- Spot It: Learn to recognize disinformation and the dynamics behind its spread. Check out this resource from the American Psychological Association.
- Check It: Find a reliable source for fact checking. Here is a helpful website.
- Stop It: Stop the spread of disinformation. Do not like or share disinformation, even it seems titillating or even if you are trying to correct it. Every time we share disinformation, we give it more power. Check out this article from the Union of Concerned Scientists. Also, stop using social media as a news source. Some social media platforms no longer have any content moderation. Some have been shown to be prime spreaders of foreign manipulation and propaganda.
- Read: Read long-form journalism from respected sources instead. Try this New York Times article. Read books. Start a book study. Try some of the classics such as Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 or 1984 by George Orwell.
- Meditate on Scripture and pray. Spend the next week meditating on Ephesians 4: 14-16. Based on these passages, what is God calling you to do?
Please pray with me:
Gracious God, help us to know that the truth will set us free. Help us to see the truth in situations around us. Help us to test the spirits and to know your Spirit by its fruit. In Christ’s name we pray, Amen.
See all resources at Beloved Community - An Antidote to Extremism.
[1] Vergil, Aeneid, 4.173-90, text and translation by Tom Gardner.
[2] United Methodist Social Principles, The Social Community, p. 26.
Bishop Kennetha J. Bigham-Tsai is the resident bishop of the Iowa Annual Conference. This article is republished with her permission from the conference website.