https://politicalresearch.org/ The latest research related to conspiracism en https://politicalresearch.org/2025/09/03/conspiracy-theories-antisemitism-and-politics-holocaust-memory-valentina-pisanty-and This episode asks, how do conspiracy theories come about? Why do they so often regurgitate false narratives about Jewish people, power & control? How are they used to discredit movements for justice? And what role do the politics of Holocaust memory play? Wed, 03 Sep 2025 06:56:01 EDT Political Research Associates 2a6d3697-369a-4a9f-970d-1f305b512327 https://politicalresearch.org/2025/07/02/deep-state-affair Faith Lazar details the history of the U.S. Right’s relationship to the FBI and the security state, from the early days of the Red Scare and pro-government conservatives to the anti-state militias that arose in the aftermath of Waco. Wed, 02 Jul 2025 12:38:54 EDT Faith Lazar 2f6a471a-1724-47a4-ae5f-33a330500f90 https://religiondispatches.org/2025/02/26/even-rfks-more-benign-sounding-rhetoric-rooted-dangerous-ideology-set-guide-us-health Donald Trump’s Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary, Measles-dismisser, nepo-baby, bear cub-dumper , and vaccine skeptic, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., was one of the president’s more questionable nominations. This is a significant achievement in itself when compared with other dangerously… Wed, 26 Feb 2025 05:05:25 EST Susannah Crockford 179e83dc-e2e8-4b46-aec3-0d029093213e https://religiondispatches.org/2024/06/20/toward-more-positive-conspiracy-new-book-suggests-critical-theorists-and-qanon-followers On Fridays, Religion Dispatches will present an article from the Spring 2024 issue of our sibling publication, The Public Eye—a quarterly magazine for analysis and commentary on the US and Global Right. Conspiracy theories and their role in popular politics… Thu, 20 Jun 2024 04:29:28 EDT Annie Wilkinson a09598d8-655f-43e8-a2c3-9e32368d3e6e https://politicalresearch.org/2024/05/16/conspiracy-theory PRA Senior Research Analyst Annie Wilkinson interviews authors Lisa Wedeen and Joseph Masco about their new book. Thu, 16 May 2024 12:22:09 EDT Annie Wilkinson e8e1fad7-a2c4-46ce-baf7-89f352247557 https://religiondispatches.org/2023/12/21/roundup-conspiracies-and-bad-ideas-caught-or-gained-momentum-2023 In 2023, the landscape of conspiracy theories witnessed a significant evolution, with some older conspiratorial ideas surviving into the new year and others moving from the fringe to become influential narratives shaping public discourse and political agendas. QAnon , the… Thu, 21 Dec 2023 02:42:39 EST Carmen Celestini, Amarnath Amarasingam 6e4679f3-e515-4063-92fe-063b4da3227e https://religiondispatches.org/2023/12/12/vivek-ramaswamy-represents-convergence-white-supremacy-and-hindu-supremacy-and-he-may Vivek Ramaswamy’s candidacy for the Republican Presidential nomination might seem idiosyncratic and incoherent, but it marks the most recent manifestation of a process long underway: the convergence of Hindu supremacy and White supremacy in the United States. With this convergence… Tue, 12 Dec 2023 01:46:32 EST Usha Kumar 6a5a2814-8ef2-4254-9543-119635a9e401 https://religiondispatches.org/2023/12/06/american-right-hasnt-adopted-childrens-rights-theyve-redefined-and-weaponized-them For decades, the American Right has claimed children’s rights are anathema. They undermine the family , they threaten parents , they could destroy the United States and cause the downfall of Western Civilization . Probably the most succinct summary of… Wed, 06 Dec 2023 02:39:59 EST R.L. Stollar 18b114f9-695a-4a51-a87f-343b7351a459 https://religiondispatches.org/2023/11/24/what-happens-when-we-use-horror-movies-interpret-real-world-10-questions-authors What inspired you to write The Exorcist Effect ? Over twenty years ago, Michael Cuneo wrote a book called American Exorcism , arguing that William Friedkin’s The Exorcist had almost single-handedly brought about a revival of exorcism in America. We… Fri, 24 Nov 2023 09:24:38 EST Eric Harrelson, Joseph Laycock 1d0370d7-d353-4b41-b0f3-179001df680d https://religiondispatches.org/2023/10/19/right-deeply-divided-over-support-israel-though-its-not-about-justice-palestinians On October 7, the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, which included the horrific murder of hundreds of Israeli civilians. In response, Israel launched an unprecedented wave of deadly bombardment across the Gaza Strip, murdering thousands… Thu, 19 Oct 2023 04:00:59 EDT Ben Lorber 48696a4b-5a98-479a-8977-fe594d31061a https://religiondispatches.org/2023/10/04/its-not-name-its-theocratic-vision-new-apostolic-reformations-pr-problem The rifts in the New Apostolic Reformation that emerged last year have erupted into a full-blown identity crisis. This is a crisis born, in part, of the movement’s desire to project a benign Christian image to distract from public scrutiny… Wed, 04 Oct 2023 04:29:02 EDT Frederick Clarkson 1d542cc2-4477-49af-b6d4-c787ccd0d3b1 https://religiondispatches.org/2023/10/02/uncovering-white-christian-roots-slavery-native-american-genocide-and-ongoing-efforts When he started to do the research for his new book, The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy, Robert P. Jones had a different idea in mind. But, once he’d reached back as far as he could into his family’s history… Mon, 02 Oct 2023 02:31:35 EDT Bradley Onishi 72285068-064e-47ae-b806-ac8c78ff4ded https://religiondispatches.org/2023/09/15/holocaust-humor-and-real-germany-top-officials-shatter-post-wwii-taboos-german Germany has often been lauded for its memory culture and its reckoning with its fascist, genocidal past. “ Never again ” is both a solemn vow and an integral part of the remembrance culture of the Holocaust, and it has… Fri, 15 Sep 2023 05:22:51 EDT Annika Brockschmidt 9481b1b9-de58-46ce-9fe5-a552828b80a9 https://religiondispatches.org/2023/09/12/civil-rights-liberals-new-age-conspiracy-theorists-what-betty-and-barney-hills-alien In 1961, driving back from a short vacation, Betty and Barney Hill encountered a bright cigar-shaped light on the highway that moved erratically before appearing to chase them. They fled and then told their story, which later became the first… Tue, 12 Sep 2023 01:54:38 EDT Susannah Crockford 11b2bf80-dbd8-4c33-bf9e-8b545dd57b77 https://religiondispatches.org/2023/08/17/overnight-sensation-rich-men-north-richmond-isnt-just-window-forgotten-america-its An anthem is more than a song. An anthem is a representation of a people or a movement. It exemplifies how those with a shared identity or history or experience see the world, understand their struggles, and hope for the… Thu, 17 Aug 2023 03:44:26 EDT Bradley Onishi 9e819ed8-089d-49d2-aec4-40cf14b932aa https://religiondispatches.org/2023/07/24/christian-nationalism-hurts-children-it-claims-protect-author-lillian-smith-understood Recently, an Indiana Moms for Liberty chapter included — and attributed — a quote from Adolf Hitler in their newsletter: “He alone, who OWNS the youth, GAINS the future.” After backlash, the chapter went into damage control and chapter chair… Mon, 24 Jul 2023 03:18:51 EDT Matthew Teutsch, Emma Williams 5f140ad7-6fe2-4cda-b015-b5e7833e0076 https://religiondispatches.org/2023/06/08/top-five-less-sensational-more-dangerous-things-remember-about-pat-robertson-1930-2023 Sure, it’s easy to poke fun at Pat Robertson for his 2,000-pound leg press claims or to scold him for his vile Haiti comments, but Robertson thrives on the ‘persecution.’ Our list spins the Robertson moral differently and shows just why he’s been a truly dangerous figure. Thu, 08 Jun 2023 05:27:59 EDT Mark Hulsether 1fafedef-45b2-4e43-b38e-9022ff5e97e4 https://religiondispatches.org/2023/05/31/dalai-lamas-suck-my-tongue-controversy-reveals-centuries-old-christian-distortion In February 2023, Tenzin Gyatso, the 14 th Dalai Lama, appeared in Dharamshala, India at an event sponsored by the M3M Foundation , a philanthropic initiative established by the M3M Group—real-estate developers committed to “magnificence in the trinity of men… Wed, 31 May 2023 03:11:52 EDT Geoffrey Goble 2eb4f98d-e807-40ed-ad2d-403b9aedfea0 https://religiondispatches.org/2023/05/19/hell-cell-popes-exorcist-reflects-growing-belief-cocksure-men-will-save-us-battle-good-v Although it was a financial success, The Pope’s Exorcist , featuring a virile Russell Crowe as real-life exorcist Gabrielle Amorth, was panned by most Catholic reviewers, including the International Association of Exorcists (IAE), which Amorth founded. Critics objected to the… Fri, 19 May 2023 12:46:29 EDT Eric Harrelson, Joseph Laycock 8ef5b2b0-ac5f-42d2-b1d1-a29183549a9c https://religiondispatches.org/2023/05/16/spirit-january-6th-theology-seldom-discussed-movement-animates-growing-threat-us Listen to this article on the Inform Your Resistance podcast. Lance Wallnau, a prominent Apostle/Prophet in the Neo-Charismatic New Apostolic Reformation, had an unusual Easter message this year. Rather than a traditional message of hope and eternal life, he issued… Tue, 16 May 2023 04:12:56 EDT Frederick Clarkson, André Gagné 2749fe36-8052-41cf-ab8b-0b9e8b2e6a41 https://religiondispatches.org/2023/05/15/turning-point-efforts-export-drag-queen-attacks-and-take-back-universities-marred-fringe Bullhorns and chants fill the air. Conservatives are gathered to protest a drag show. Mothers and fathers are walking with signs saying “Groomer Free Zone.” Some hold babies while others push their children through a narrowed street. The group is… Mon, 15 May 2023 04:18:25 EDT Matthew Boedy a7cb485d-a890-49e2-ac74-1c29a7ad70ce https://religiondispatches.org/2023/04/21/hamburg-shooters-manifesto-reveals-complexity-influence-far-right-ideologies When a mass shooting happens, and the perpetrator has left a manifesto or text that could give insight into his motive, worldview and state of mind, one of the first go-to rules for the media is: do not circulate the… Fri, 21 Apr 2023 05:29:50 EDT Annika Brockschmidt 13790100-f2e3-4824-b1bf-382720fbc57c https://religiondispatches.org/2023/04/10/christian-nationalist-judge-strikes-down-fda-approved-abortion-pill-brazenly-ideological Mifepristone is safer than aspirin. Much safer . The FDA approved the drug for early abortions in 2000, after fully —and carefully—vetting it over four-and-a-half years (more than triple the time such approvals typically take). On Friday, in a federal… Mon, 10 Apr 2023 01:57:28 EDT Andrew L. Seidel bce0f23c-1343-48b0-a954-a17e76ad2b13 https://religiondispatches.org/2023/04/04/many-christian-zionists-israeli-protesters-are-threat-gods-plan Since Prime Minister Netanyahu and his far-right coalition have sought to curtail the powers of the Israeli judiciary, effectively seizing power in perpetuity , Israeli society has erupted into some of the largest sustained protests in its history. The world… Tue, 04 Apr 2023 12:50:45 EDT Aidan Orly 2d6922b5-9958-43c7-97b7-5a4336e7b99e https://religiondispatches.org/2023/03/21/trumps-arrest-prediction-inflames-holy-war-narrative-and-sanctifies-violence-welcome This coming Saturday, March 25 th—one week after a hysterical all-caps social media post in which he declared that he “will be arrested on Tuesday” and called on supporters to “protest, take our nation back!”— Trump will host his first… Tue, 21 Mar 2023 04:20:27 EDT Thomas Lecaque c4b85ca0-0967-4720-88c5-7797bcadeca3