MOTIVATION OF QANON CONSPIRACY THEORIES APPROPRIATION BY CHRISTIANS AND THE EXPANSION OF THE PHENOMENON IN 2022

Abstract

Although the QAnon movement is regarded as an extreme right-wing movement whose members have exposed conspiracy theories apparently unrelated to the Christian religion, scientific research and journalistic investigations of the phenomenon have revealed that some of the movement’s adherents are religious people, members of Christian parishes or congregations in the United States of America or in other countries where the phenomenon has spread. This article will highlight the appropriation of QAnon conspiracy theories by members of some Christian churches or congregations, beliefs viewed with concern by the pastors of the respective religious communities, who are sounding the alarm regarding the development of religious feelings based on biblical precepts combined with QAnon conspiracy theories. The use of scientific tools, such as conducting opinion polls in highlighting the trend of the phenomenon, has revealed that the number of those who adopt the QAnon conspiracy theories is increasing, in just four months, from February to June 2022, the number of Americans who believe in these theories has increased by over three million.