June 30, 2025

The Burge Report: Are Religious People More Prone to Conspiracy Theories?

32 minutes

Both prophets and conspiracy theorists cater to the human desire to make sense of chaos. This connection sparks compelling questions: Do religious belief and conspiracy thinking go hand in hand, as both involve leaps of imagination? Or does a strong religious framework offer enough structure, reducing the need for conspiracy theories? Ryan Burge joins the show to discuss what the hard data reveals.

Non-religious people are slightly less inclined toward conspiracy theories.

Those who attend church weekly are also less inclined toward conspiracy theories.

The quasi-religious (attending church occasionally) are more prone to conspiracy theories.

Overall, being politically conservative had no impact at all on belief in conspiracy theories.

However, for those who don’t have a strong religious belief, being more conservative drives up conspiratorial thinking.

Holding to Christian Nationalist views drives up the belief in conspiracy theories.

Political ideology is more influential on holding to conspiracy theories than religious beliefs.

Resources:

NLT Large Print Pew Bible

Church Connect

Tyndale House Publishers

Upward Sports

Upward Sports: Pickleball

Ryan Burge

“Trust the Plan – Does Religion Drive Conspiratorial Thinking?” by Ryan Burge

“Leviathan” by Thomas Hobbes (affiliate link)

“Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again” by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson (affiliate link)

Church Answers Platinum Membership

FREE Research Report! New Surprising Insights

The Hope Initiative

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By Thom Rainer

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