The War On Skepticism
why the most dangerous ideas are the ones most worth considering
Most people don’t think twice about the stories they’re told.
You hear something on the news, catch a headline on your phone, overhear a conversation at a coffee shop—and you nod along. Maybe you raise an eyebrow. Maybe you shrug. Then you move on. After all, why wouldn’t you trust it? Who has time to investigate everything?
But every now and then, a story doesn’t sit right.
Maybe it’s a gut feeling, or maybe it’s a detail that doesn’t line up. You start asking questions. Small ones at first. Then bigger ones. You try to dig, to understand. And before you know it, someone cuts you off with a laugh or a look and says, “Okay, calm down, conspiracy theorist.”
End of conversation.
Among my friends and family, I jokingly call myself a conspiracy theorist. It’s a lighthearted jab at my fascination with life’s mysteries, and I lean into it for fun. But that label carries weight, and it’s worth unpacking. What does conspiracy theorist really mean? What’s a conspiracy theory? And why does the term carry such a negative stigma in today’s world? Why do so many people shut down the moment they hear something that sounds remotely like a “conspiracy”? Who decides what qualifies as one, and why is there an almost instinctive bias against them?
These questions aren’t easy to answer, and the reasons are complex.
However, we need to begin by unconditionally rejecting the caricature of the real conspiracy theorist; someone who sees plots in every shadow. This is the thrill-seeker who craves scandals and wild stories. They dismiss straightforward explanations in favor of elaborate schemes, chasing the momentary high of uncovering something sensational. There’s nothing inherently wrong with seeking thrills like that—until those impulses bleed into the game of Life: this unbelievably deadly, serious, high-stakes struggle. Genuine “conspiracy theorists” want to be shocked by horrifying scandals and mesmerized by incredible story after incredible story. They have no love for the truth, nor do they care about bringing hidden deeds to light. They’re just chasing the high.
Those same impulses that make jumping out of the back of a perfectly fine Cessna seem rational will not serve you well here. Especially when you enter the world of whistleblowers, intrigue, and shadowy secrets that are worth a man’s life—because it’s insanely easy to get addicted to that chills-down-your-back high after hearing a fact or a story that smashes the boundaries of what you thought was real. Without discipline and skepticism, you risk tumbling down a thousand infinitely deep rabbit holes, believing every tale without scrutiny. That’s a dangerous path. Losing the ability to distinguish between credible claims and wild speculation is a fatal flaw in a world where truth is often obscured by power.
So I charge you to avoid that path with all of your might. Do not question everything you hear for the sake of finding a secret hidden beneath every rock and behind every door. Do not seek the interesting, thrilling path at the expense of the truth. Grant every “fringe” claim you hear a certain amount of credibility, and examine it as such. Investigate and research it. If it passes the examination, grant it more credibility. If it doesn’t, then remove all credibility until you can find a solid, convincing reason to place weight on it again.
But here’s the flip side:
Not every conspiracy theory is the product of a fevered imagination. The term itself is often weaponized to dismiss uncomfortable ideas without examination. A conspiracy, at its core, is simply two or more people working together in secret to achieve a goal. Over time, this definition has gained negative connotations—so now it’s usually indicative of a goal that is evil or wrong. But by that simple definition, conspiracies are real and have shaped history. Watergate was a conspiracy. The Tuskegee experiments were a conspiracy. The prosecutions of Donald Trump in 2023 and 2024 were conspiracies. Corporate cover-ups, political scandals, and intelligence operations often involve conspiracies. These aren’t fringe fantasies; they’re documented facts of history. And of course, a theory about the conspiracy itself is just an idea for what went down. If we accept that, then everyone who has ever posited a theory about anything remotely strange or hidden is (by definition) a “conspiracy theorist.”
So why the stigma?
It’s because those in power—dishonest leaders, institutions, or media—benefit from framing certain theories as “crazy” to avoid accountability. Labeling something a conspiracy theory is an easy way to shut down debate without engaging with evidence. It’s a sneaky tactic, not a truthful argument. The result? People in our culture have been peer-pressured (on purpose) into a knee-jerk reaction, dismissing ideas the moment they’re tagged with the label, no matter how plausible or evidence-based they might be. The resulting effect is that when a genuine truth-seeker comes along with reasonable concerns on any matter, they are ignored. And we can all agree that’s a very bad thing.
I’ve had the experience again and again of sitting down with friends or family and watching their reactions slowly change as the conversation edges towards anything involving a “conspiracy theory.” The look on their face shifts and I can tell they’re more alert and paying attention—up until the moment anyone actually says a trigger word. JFK. Roswell. Aliens. UFOs.
Just like that….the lights go out. They’re not listening. You get a politely blank stare and they very obviously switch trains of thought.
Ouch.
It stings—not because I want them to agree with me, but because I want them to listen. Doesn’t everything deserve a fair chance? A fair, impartial trial? It does…..but not many realize that when a “conspiracy theory” is mentioned.
In today’s culture, curiosity has become conditional.
You’re allowed to question the past—but only certain parts.
You’re allowed to mistrust the government—but only if you do it in approved ways and towards taboo people.
You’re allowed to criticize the media—until you criticize the wrong media.
As soon as your curiosity leads you off of the safe, sanitized, socially acceptable, government-approved path, you’re “dangerous”. You’re a “threat”. A “domestic terrorist”.
And that is the real tragedy; because the United States of America was founded on the principle of free speech. Free speech is an illusion now. No honest citizen can pretend that we still have that freedom in any sense.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. - 1st Amendment, U.S. Constitution
Defining a conspiracy theory
There are many answers to this all-important question—which often vary sharply depending on which side of the aisle your political loyalties lie. If we’re being honest investigators, however, we need to shoulder aside the political baggage and find a serious definition of a “conspiracy theory.”
According to Merriam-Webster’s, the following definitions are affixed to the term at question:
: a theory that explains an event or set of circumstances as the result of a secret plot by usually powerful conspirators.
: a theory asserting that a secret of great importance is being kept from the public.
There’s no mention of tinfoil hats, alien autopsies, or flat earth maps. Merriam-Webster’s doesn’t say “a laughably implausible idea held by the delusional.” It says: a theory that explains something as the result of a secret plot, usually by powerful people.
In other words, a conspiracy theory is just an attempt to explain events through hidden motives or covert cooperation—especially when those involved have the means and motive to deceive. Sound familiar? It should, because that’s not fringe behavior. That’s human nature (shocker, I know 👀). And it’s especially the nature of powerful humans with something to lose.
Allow me to also point out that a “conspiracy theory” is just that—a theory. Everyone has the right to make theories, and they also have a right to a fair examination. Some theories are so ridiculous they may be dismissed immediately; but most deserve a closer look. Yet the majority of people will throw politically incorrect theories1 (conspiracies) out the window the moment they’re introduced.
So why has a basic description of real-world secrecy and deception become synonymous with lunacy?
Because it’s not about the definition. It’s about the associations. The term “conspiracy theory” is used as a rhetorical grenade. It doesn’t disprove anything; it just dirties it by association. It tells the listener, “You don’t need to look into this. It’s not credible. It’s for weirdos. Move along.”
Folks, that’s not logic. That’s control.
Let’s look at an example. Sen. Chuck Schumer2 has called conspiracy theories “insidious”, “damaging” and “detrimental to democracy.” He’s talked about how they undermine faith in our institutions and “distract from more crucial issues.”
…………
Isn’t that how a democracy is supposed to work?
We the people are in charge. We are the government. It’s our job to question the officials we have elected and hold them to their own standards. The whole point is to lack faith in our institutions in order to provide accountability—because our institutions consist of sinful men & women just like us.
The reason Schumer, along with the rest of his party (and many Republicans as well) criticize conspiracy theorists and push back against our shrinking trust in the institutions, is simply because they want control. There isn’t any other reason. The term “conspiracy theorist” has become code for an independent thinker. Not a cog in a machine, nor a brainless robot programmed to obey every command mindlessly. Rather, someone who simply questions what they’re told—not in an unhealthy way, but in a cautious, curious way. Someone who recognizes that not everything is as it seems. The world is far deeper and far darker than many realize. Those responsible souls who do realize it are merely seeing the hard reality of sin and evil.
Speaking of hard truths, here’s one for you: The majority of your leaders want complete power over you. I know this sounds like an exaggeration, but it’s a simple deduction. The human heart is deceitful above all things (Jeremiah 17:9)3 and lusts for power intensely. The only people on Earth who have the power to resist that urge are those who have surrendered control of their lusts to Christ. The majority of our leaders have not surrendered to Christ. Therefore, they want as much power as possible—over institutions, over individuals, and every part of life. If you want proof of this, go read a history book. History is nothing but the same story repeating itself over and over and over again—the story of tyrants and servants, kings and slaves. Everything is a power game and has been since Eve took the fruit off the tree and tried to make herself like God.
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So let me say this plainly: labeling something a conspiracy theory does not make it false. And refusing to look at something because it has that label slapped on it by our leaders is not skepticism. It’s intellectual laziness masquerading as reason. The only possible ending for this kind of mindset involves secret police, puppet courts, and gulags.
True skepticism doesn’t look away—it looks closer. It says, “Let me examine the evidence for myself before I judge.” That kind of thinking built the scientific method. It crushed tyrants. It freed slaves. It sparked the American Revolution, gave us men willing to charge the beaches of Normandy and face certain death to free the world of a madman, and brought about the fall of the Soviet Union. But now, we’re told that kind of curiosity is dangerous.
My answer goes something along these lines. Curiosity is dangerous. It is absolutely fatal—to tyrants, to liars, and those who hide in the shadows.
This is the heart of it: “conspiracy theorist” is a slur against responsible citizens with honest, reasonable questions. It’s what you call someone when you want to avoid what they’re actually saying, because you’re afraid of them. It’s not a rebuttal. It’s a dismissal. It’s ad hominem—“against the man”; an actual logical fallacy. The only reason anyone uses it is because they know they could never win in a fair fight.
But the curious ones that fight back? The question-askers? The dissenters? They’re the reason we have any freedom left at all. We need to stop being afraid of the label. The reason anyone slaps that label on us is because they’re afraid of us. They don’t want a repeat of 1776.
So the next time you hear the term “conspiracy theory,” I want you to pause.
Take a breath.
Ask yourself: Is this being dismissed because it’s truly nonsense? Or does this look like it might threaten someone’s power, image, or control if it was real? If the latter is indeed true, give it a second chance. You might be surprised.
And don’t get me wrong: you don’t have to believe every claim. To do so would be foolishness. The more incredible the claim, the more discretion you need. But you do need to be brave enough to face reality like an adult and give these theories a fair trial…..because history shows us something that should chill everyone:
The difference between a conspiracy theory and proven history is usually just a decade or two. Sometimes less. Think about that. Time and time again, we’ve watched so-called “crazy theories” evolve into headlines, government hearings, or declassified reports. And yet somehow, every time it happens, we act surprised—as if we haven’t seen the pattern before. As if it’s not inevitable when people with money, power, and influence are left unchecked.
In case you’re still dubious, let me provide you with some examples.
1. MKUltra (1950s–1970s)
Theory: The CIA was conducting mind control experiments (and much worse) on U.S. citizens using psychedelic drugs like LSD and PCP.
Dismissed as: Total paranoia. Wild Cold War fiction.
Truth: It was completely real. Declassified documents and congressional hearings in the 1970s and on confirmed the CIA drugged, abused, and experimented on unsuspecting people—often without consent. Many victims died; and those who survived were subject to brain damage and health/mental issues for the rest of their life.
Source: Church Committee Reports, 1975
2. NSA Mass Surveillance (Snowden Revelations, 2013)
Theory: The U.S. government is spying on everyone through phone metadata and internet traffic.
Dismissed as: A fringe concern, sci-fi nonsense.
Truth: Confirmed by whistleblower Edward Snowden. The NSA collected vast amounts of data on U.S. and foreign citizens without warrants.
Source: Snowden leaks, The Guardian, Washington Post (2013)
3. COVID-19 Origin (2020–2023)
Theory: COVID-19 originated from a lab accident in Wuhan.
Dismissed as: A racist, dangerous conspiracy theory promoted by hateful Trump voters.
Truth: Now considered fact by the FBI, CDC, and many scientists. It went from taboo to a mainstream certainty, with the White House ordering formal investigations.
Source: FBI, DOE reports, Vanity Fair, WSJ (2021–2023)
4.Hunter Biden Laptop (2020)
Theory: Hunter Biden’s abandoned laptop contained compromising evidence of shady foreign dealings.
Dismissed as: Russian disinformation.
Truth: Confirmed authentic by The New York Times, Washington Post, and CBS News after the 2020 election.
Source: NYT (March 2022), CBS News (Nov 2022)
11. UFOs / UAPs Disclosure (2017–2023)
Theory: The government is hiding evidence of unidentified flying (possibly alien) craft.
Dismissed as: Tinfoil hat territory for decades.
Truth: The Pentagon has declassified videos of completely unexplained objects, established a UAP task force, confessed that there is a high likelihood our planet is currently occupied by other races (as well as concealing that fact in the past), and held Congressional hearings where top military/intelligence officials admitted there are craft of unknown origin with flight characteristics beyond known tech.
Source: U.S. Navy videos (2017), 2023 House testimony, AARO reports
And the list goes on. I could spend the rest of 2025 (and decades to come) simply writing about the lies we’ve been told in the past twenty years alone. They are innumerable and the extent of the deceit is staggering. We have been betrayed again, and again, and again, and again. Why do we still blindly trust our leaders and laugh when someone questions them? Why is it still taboo to speak your mind?
These are all questions that deserve serious answers. I hope that I’ve been able to answer them somewhat in this post. But before you go, I want to make one final quick application.
It’s easier to call you a conspiracy theorist than to debate you, because most people aren’t interested in evidence. They’re interested in comfort and consensus. But we cannot be comfortable. We have to see that the world is a dark and hard place. Things may seem okay, but they’re not okay. Therefore, we have no choice but to wake up, start asking questions, digging, and paying attention to what’s going on around us.
The world is not neutral, and it is certainly not safe. The people who shape it—governments, corporations, media giants—do not always have your best interest in mind. Sometimes they have plans that hinge upon you not noticing, not caring, and not questioning. A fat, happy, and docile people are a tyrant’s dream.
And those who ask questions today, are those who will survive tomorrow.
“There is danger from all men. The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with power to endanger the public liberty.” - John Adams
“The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions that I wish it to be always kept alive. It will often be exercised when wrong, but better so than not to be exercised at all.” - Thomas Jefferson
Political correctness/incorrectness = not to be confused with the remotest hint of sanity. The simplest definition is “anything not in accord with the will of the Left.”
Chuck Schumer (1950-present) is a Democrat from New York who currently serves as the Senate minority leader.
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick, who can understand it?” - Jeremiah 17:9 (ESV)
Cover photo source: J. Adam Fenster / University of Rochester
Facts. If Haunted Cosmos has taught me anything, it's taught me to ask 'why not'. And we continue to reap the rewards of that question.
Can I hear more about the UFOs?