The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

Crude theories in the wake of the pandemic: sect officer did covert research in the lateral thinker scene

2022-02-24T11:10:34.000Z


Crude theories in the wake of the pandemic: sect officer did covert research in the lateral thinker scene Created: 02/24/2022, 12:00 p.m By: Andreas Beschorner Cult commissioner Matthias Pöhlmann (right) took the audience into the bizarre world of lateral thinkers and conspiracy theorists – here with Dean Christian Weigl. © Lehmann He spent two years dealing - partly covertly - with lateral th


Crude theories in the wake of the pandemic: sect officer did covert research in the lateral thinker scene

Created: 02/24/2022, 12:00 p.m

By: Andreas Beschorner

Cult commissioner Matthias Pöhlmann (right) took the audience into the bizarre world of lateral thinkers and conspiracy theorists – here with Dean Christian Weigl.

© Lehmann

He spent two years dealing - partly covertly - with lateral thinkers.

The cult expert Matthias Pöhlmann presented his findings in Freising.

Freising

– lateral thinkers, truthers, QAnon, esoterics, right-wing extremists, Reich citizens – conspiracy theorists are a “motley community of mistrust”.

That says Matthias Pöhlmann, commissioner for sect and ideological issues of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria.

Pöhlmann came to Freising on Tuesday to present the results of his – partially covert – research from the past two years.

Title of the lecture in front of around 20 listeners in the evangelical parish hall: "In the wake of the plandemic".

"Dark forces"

He wanted to take the listeners on a "journey of discovery" - a journey into a world that sees a "secret agenda" and "secret masterminds" at work in the corona pandemic.

that starts from an "evil plan" that unites all possible currents, which spreads "crude and shrill" theories such as those of reptilians as well as the claim that dark forces would kidnap children and extract adrenochrome from them in order to slow down the aging process in Hollywood stars .

(By the way: everything from the region is now also available in our regular Freising newsletter.)

During the past almost two years, since the Corona protests began in April 2020, the narrative has developed relatively quickly that one is “in the resistance” and is fighting against an allegedly planned new world order (“The Great Reset”) and against one "Corona dictatorship," says Pöhlmann.

Important: The demonstrations had always reached new levels of escalation - up to agreements on Telegram to murder politicians - anti-Semitic right-wing extremism had crept in, as well as an "intolerable trivialization of the Nazi crimes", said Pöhlmann, for example, about the thesis of some lateral thinkers that one was in the same role as Nazi resistance fighters of the "White Rose".

The characteristics

An important characteristic of the lateral thinkers and also of the "Corona Walks": Terms such as the peaceful Monday walks, which heralded the end of the GDR, are "usurped" and people play down themselves. The field of support consists of proven right-wing extremists.

And: It is particularly problematic that "no demarcation against the right" takes place, for example, the III.

Away with – which, however, does not mean that all participants in the walks also belong to the right-wing scene, emphasized Pöhlmann.

Nevertheless: fantasies of overthrow, a rejection of modernity, plus the esoteric as "excess knowledge" directed against science, medicine and the media - that is what makes "conspirituality", that combination of esotericism and conspiracy theories.

Example AfD poster

Using the example of a poster for an AfD event with so-called "free media" in Berlin's Paul-Löbe-Haus, Pöhlmann showed how deeply these currents had already penetrated parts of politics: Compact Magazin, Die Unbestechlichen, Kla.TV - all of them located in the right-wing, partly anti-Semitic area, read the poster.

But how do you deal with conspiracy believers?

Showing patience, treating people as equals, but also “curbing attempts at proselytizing” were some of the tips that Pöhlmann brought with him.

Also: Ask questions, but be sparing with your own comments, but above all set clear boundaries, mark a "red line" and counter them if, for example, it leads to anti-Semitism or calls for violence.

And then another tip for believers: "Trust in God instead of distrust".

That means: Seeing the opportunity for the Christian faith to reflect on and endure the uncertainties triggered by the corona pandemic.

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2022-02-24

You may like

News/Politics 2024-02-11T21:13:36.985Z
Tech/Game 2024-03-15T10:16:50.821Z
News/Politics 2024-02-08T17:03:15.618Z

Trends 24h

News/Politics 2024-03-27T16:45:54.081Z
News/Politics 2024-03-28T06:04:53.137Z

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.