QAnon and religion are both mass delusions

The Real Time With Bill Maher show always ends with a feature called New Rules. Most of the rules are brief and humorous, while the last takes longer to explain and is more serious, though still funny in a different way.

I just finished watching our recording of the February 5 episode. 

Maher's closing New Rule was a right-on discussion of how the craziness of QAnon relates to religious belief. Probably you're familiar with this cult, but if you aren't, a BBC story describes what QAnon is about.

At its heart, QAnon is a wide-ranging, completely unfounded theory that says that President Trump is waging a secret war against elite Satan-worshipping paedophiles in government, business and the media.

QAnon believers have speculated that this fight will lead to a day of reckoning where prominent people such as former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton will be arrested and executed.

That's the basic story, but there are so many offshoots, detours and internal debates that the total list of QAnon claims is enormous - and often contradictory. Adherents draw in news events, historical facts and numerology to develop their own far-fetched conclusions.

Here's a five and a half minute video of what Maher had to say. It's both entertaining and persuasive. Once someone believes in one thing without evidence (like religion), it is easy to transfer that gullibility to another thing that lacks evidence (like QAnon). 

The You Tube video description says:

It's fun to laugh at QAnon, but if you accord religious faith the kind of exalted respect we do here in America, you’ve already lost the argument that mass delusion is bad.

Enjoy.

Comments

[um]

>> It's fun to laugh at QAnon, but if you accord religious faith the kind of exalted respect we do here in America, you’ve already lost the argument that mass delusion is bad.<<

Greek can sing
I am a greek,
so i can sing.

[S]

Bill Maher is very practical. He also makes fun of people like Elon Musk for his elaborate plans to colonize Mars when it’s our own planet that scientists, and engineers should be investing in.

[um]

Reading books affects the mind
watching a movie affects the mind
watching TV affects the mind
listening to music affects the mind
cultivating given thoughts affects the mind
participating in a religious ceremony affects the mind too

All seek to manipulate their own mind in one way or another by feeding it selectively with impulses.

Some love to eat junk food and others healthy food.

[Ron Krumpos]

It amazes me at how many people believe at least some of QAnon's claims. I suppose we all like conspiracy theories, but theirs' are ludicrous.

[Dungeness]

@ Once someone believes in one thing without evidence (like religion), it is easy to transfer that gullibility to
@ another thing that lacks evidence (like QAnon).

You mean the subset of a religion's believers who follow
their faith blindly. Others such as mystics do not.

Unless, of course, you're ready to denigrate all religious
evidence as delusional. Then you are following some
religion of your own.

[manoj]

QAnon is like sitting on the fence. A view with funny side

As for Religion it can speak volumes.

Take GSD & the religious, non religious rs cult.

Contradicting to profiteering from a self made, man made religion.

The Blind following the totally Blind Baffoon Bat, GSD.
Spreading his virus, knowing all the while that Stupidity still has no vaccine, in sight.

That's Satan-worshipping and mass delusion of a Special kind.

Let's hope theres a vaccine soon...