The perpetuation of and interest in conspiracies has proliferated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conspiracy theories often blend historical, religious, and scientific ideas by way of challenging official explanations of events and data provided by authorities, academics, and mainstream media. They then create alternate narratives based on distortions and widely circulate them predominantly, these days, through social media.
Charlotte Ward and David Voas first coined the term conspirituality in 2011, to describe the merger of conspiracy theories and New Age spirituality. They argued that these conspiritualist movements are united by a politico-spiritual philosophy, which posits that a group of elites has covert control of society and then calls for a paradigm shift in consciousness that harnesses cosmic forces to emancipate society from the grip of those elites.
It seems to us that Ward and Voass insights remain highly applicable to the current viral outbreak of what we call (con)spirituality, which has arisen in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and is focussed on a critique of modern technology, medicine, and governance. We chose to bracket the con because many spiritual people and groups questioning of modernity is critical, informed, and non-violent, particularly where they are working toward more holistic and sustainable ways of living and healing, and employing ideas and practices whose validity is bolstered by science. Concurrently, there are rising numbers of people with conspiritual views who are claiming that the COVID-19 pandemic is a construct of the deep-state and a sign of end-times, often aligned with ideas emanating from the far-right, apocalyptic QAnon movement which frequently draws on Christian millenarianism.
Adherents to QAnon argue that COVID-19 isnt real, and instead was created by deep-state government officials and elites. The movement focuses on a Great Awakening, whereby people will be able to discover this hidden truth. As Adrienne LaFrance highlights, QAnon is a movement united in mass rejection of reason, objectivity, and other Enlightenment values and propelled by paranoia populism [and] religious faith. Facebook hosts thousands of QAnon groups with millions of members, and QAnon itself has been identified as a domestic terror threat by the FBI.
Want the best of Religion & Ethics delivered to your mailbox? Sign up for our weekly newsletter.
What QAnon and conspiritualists share with many other religious extremist movements are their exclusive religious and spiritual narratives which depict adherents as privy to the real truth and thus more enlightened than mainstream society. They tend to see themselves as persecuted and believe that they will ultimately be vindicated. Contemporary spirituality is individualised, based on personal choice, and commodified, which is why conspiritualists are particularly irate about coronavirus restrictions that threaten their personal freedom. At the same time, these individuals have formed conspiritual social movements what Nancy Ammerman calls spiritual tribes which are deeply social with distinct and exclusive beliefs, language, and codes, calling for societal transformation.
An under-explored aspect of conspirituality is the white privilege that persists within these movements and their connection with spiritual frameworks of abundance. The coronavirus lockdowns have not only inhibited personal freedoms but have also had significant economic costs to peoples livelihoods and lifestyles. Contemporary spirituality places an emphasis on positive thinking for personal wellbeing and economic gains, and yet individuals cannot simply think themselves out of this COVID-19 crisis. This has resulted in mass spiritual bypassing, with more privileged individuals and groups who are far less likely to be affected by the coronavirus denying the reality of the suffering that the virus is inflicting on the less privileged and more vulnerable.
In the latest census, 30 per cent of Australians stated they had No Religion. A nationally representative 2018 Australian Survey of Social Attitudes found that 24 per cent of adults agreed with the statement, I dont follow a religion, but consider myself to be a spiritual person; and 17 per cent said they were religious and spiritual. A nationally representative survey of 1,200 young people aged between 13 and 18 also revealed 22 per cent were Spiritual but not Religious, while 16 per cent were Religious and Spiritual. There has been a significant uptake of spiritual practices online across Australia to help cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, and research also shows that Australians turn to alternative therapies because they are disillusioned with Western medicine and have lost faith in modernity, science, and technology to solve pressing global issues. (It goes without saying that not all who self-identify as spiritual or partake in holistic medicine necessarily buy into conspiracy theories.)
Conspiracy videos and documentaries such as those of the infamous conspiritualist David Icke, Plandemic, and Americas Frontline Doctors have attracted a substantial Australian audience. Australian celebrities and influencers have embraced (con)spiritual ideas most notably celebrity chef Pete Evans, and former reality show participant Fanos Panayides. Other figures within the Australian wellness movement have also gained notoriety by posting videos and/or participating on Panayidess and Raphael Fernandezs 99%Unite platform. These self-proclaimed experts mobilise social media and then profit from the attention they garner. At the same time, other Australians who are prominent in the wellness industry like Sarah Wilson have publicly critiqued conspiritual views.
Protests directed against 5G, Bill Gates, vaccines, and masks, and demonstrations for the reclaiming of freedom and sovereignty have been organised in Australian cities and attended by QAnon supporters and others with conspiritual views. Protests have been more frequent in Melbourne than elsewhere in Australia due to its stricter and longer lockdown measures. Australia was also found to be one of the top-four countries contributing to QAnon discussions on Twitter. In an Essential Report poll of 1,000 Australian adults, 13 per cent (which rose to 20 per cent among 18-34 year-olds) thought that COVID-19 was not dangerous and was being used to force people to be vaccinated, and that Bill Gates has played a role in creating and spreading COVID-19. These are substantial and disturbing minorities. And not only are there growing numbers of people attracted to these movements, the movements themselves are becoming more radical and vocal through social media.
As with many social movements, those with extreme and dangerous conspiritual views are a very small minority within broader spiritual movements. Nevertheless, it is critical that we better understand their internal diversity and complexity, as well as the processes of radicalisation occurring within them and their links with QAnon.
Associate Professor Anna Halafoff is a sociologist of religion, and a member of the Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, the Centre for Resilient and Inclusive Societies Consortium, and the AVERT (Addressing Violent Extremism and Radicalisation to Terrorism) Research Network at Deakin University. She is the author of The Multifaith Movement: Global Risks and Cosmopolitan Solutions, and co-author (with Andrew Singleton, Mary Lou Rasmussen, and Gary Bouma) of Freedoms, Faiths and Futures: Teenage Australians on Religion, Sexuality and Diversity.
Dr Enqi Wengis a Research Fellow at the Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University, and the author of Media Perceptions of Religious Changes in Australia: Of Dominance and Diversity.
Professor Andrew Singleton is a sociologist in the School of Social Sciences and Humanities at Deakin University. He is author of Religion, Culture and Society: A Global Approach, co-author (with Anna Halafoff, Mary Lou Rasmussen, and Gary Bouma) of Freedoms, Faiths and Futures: Teenage Australians on Religion, Sexuality and Diversity, and co-author (with Michael Mason and Ruth Webber) of The Spirit of Generation Y: Young Peoples Spirituality in a Changing Australia.
Cristina Rocha is Professor of Anthropology and the Director of the Religion and Society Research Cluster at the Western Sydney University. She is a former president (2018-2019) of the Australian Association for the Study of Religion, and she co-edits the Journal of Global Buddhism and the Religion in the Americas series. She is the author of John of God: The Globalisation of Brazilian Faith Healing and Zen in Brazil: The Quest for Cosmopolitan Modernity.
Dr Alexandra Roginski is a Research Fellow at the Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University. She is the author of The Hanged Man and the Body Thief: Finding Lives in a Museum Mystery.
Emily Marriott is a PhD student in Sociology at Deakin University. She has recently worked as a Research Assistant on an Australian Research Council Discovery Project on Religious Diversity in Australia: Strategies to Maintain Social Cohesion.
- FTC Reaches Settlement With Flo Health Over Fertility-Tracking App - The Wall Street Journal - January 15th, 2021
- Developer of Popular Women's Fertility-Tracking App Settles FTC Allegations that It Misled Consumers About the Disclosure of their Health Data, FTC... - January 15th, 2021
- Fellow receives clinical validation for mail-in, male fertility test in recently published journal article, ushering in a new era for men, clinicians... - January 15th, 2021
- How every state's population compares to countries around the world - Roanoke Times - January 15th, 2021
- Medical expert seeks to debunk myths that Covid-19 vaccines affect fertility - Belfast Telegraph - January 15th, 2021
- Impact of Covid-19 on Fertility Medicines Market Influencing the Industry Development and Forecast |Allergan Plc, Ferring BV, Merck KGaA, Novartis AG,... - January 15th, 2021
- Fertile-Beltrami community rallies around family of mother and daughter killed in Grand Forks downtown crash - INFORUM - January 15th, 2021
- The best prenatal vitamins for women and how to take them to boost your fertility - Insider - INSIDER - January 15th, 2021
- Your guide to a fertility checkup - The Indian Express - January 15th, 2021
- Canadian millions help fast track expansion of Bourn Hall fertility capacity - Business Weekly - January 15th, 2021
- Apollo Fertility expands its presence with a State-of-the-art Centre - PR Newswire India - January 5th, 2021
- Shady Grove Fertility (SGF) Physicians Kick Off the New Year with Free Virtual Events to Educate Information Seekers about Options to Overcome... - January 5th, 2021
- Psychological distress and postponed fertility care during the COVID-19 pandemic - DocWire News - January 5th, 2021
- Planning to start a family this year, here are 5 fertility tips - Times of India - January 5th, 2021
- Fertility Treatment and IVF in Czech Republic During the Coronavirus Pandemic - Prague Morning - January 5th, 2021
- Global Soil Fertility Testing Market 2020 by Company, Regions, Type and Application, Forecast to 2025 - Farming Sector - January 5th, 2021
- A second creation storya human created first - Downtown - Church of the Resurrection - January 5th, 2021
- Argentine black and white tegus are nonnative to Florida, but they're here - and not welcome! - positivelyosceola.com - January 4th, 2021
- The Impact of COVID-19 on the Fertility Sector - BioNews - December 21st, 2020
- No evidence to suggest that COVID-19 impacts fertility: Gynaecologist - United News of India - December 21st, 2020
- Option To Freeze Ovarian Tissue Gives Young Cancer Patients - On the Pulse - December 21st, 2020
- Baby Born from 27-Year-Old Embryo: What This Means for the Future - Healthline - December 21st, 2020
- 16 Natural Ways to Boost Fertility - Healthline - December 20th, 2020
- IRMS Jersey City Office - IRMS Reproductive Medicine - December 20th, 2020
- University of Miami researchers studying effects of COVID-19 vaccine and male fertility - Newswise - December 20th, 2020
- Fantasia Barrino Gets Candid About Fertility Struggle: This Is A Three-Year Journey Weve Been On - ETCanada.com - December 20th, 2020
- Technological Advancement in Fertility Drug Market 2020 with Growth Analysis of Global Market & Forecast to 2026 - LionLowdown - December 20th, 2020
- Jackelyn B. Payne, MPH, MA, on Fertility Preservation in AYAs with Cancer - Cancer Network - December 18th, 2020
- Physicians Weigh in on TikToker's Claim That Mucinex Improves Fertility - Complex - December 18th, 2020
- Australia's first birth control app has been approved by the TGA. Do they work? - ABC News - December 18th, 2020
- Hitting the pause button: More women exploring fertility options amid ongoing pandemic - WZZM13.com - December 18th, 2020
- Why avoiding a nation-wide two-child policy is the right decision - Business Standard - December 18th, 2020
- Progyny CEO on the future of fertility treatments amid COVID-19 - Yahoo Finance - December 18th, 2020
- Covid vaccine and fertility: What you need to know - Metro.co.uk - December 18th, 2020
- EXCLUSIVE: Dr Aswati Nair on the link between obesity and male fertility - PINKVILLA - December 11th, 2020
- Assessing the impacts of global climate change on population trends - Newswise - December 11th, 2020
- Breast Cancer in Childbearing Years: Fertility Preservation Prior to Treatment Improves Outcomes for Survivors - Oncology Nurse Advisor - December 9th, 2020
- Apollo Fertility expands into Kolkata with a state-of-the-art Centre - PR Newswire India - December 9th, 2020
- Baby, it's gone: Fertility crashes to record low - Sydney Morning Herald - December 9th, 2020
- Ovulation Test Kit Market: Increase in Fertility Rates across the Globe is Expected to Drive the Market - BioSpace - December 9th, 2020
- Pregnancy Preferences and Related Outcomes in Young Breast Cancer Survivors - Cancer Therapy Advisor - December 9th, 2020
- Fertility doctor accused of hiding 250 million yen in income : The Asahi Shimbun - Asahi Shimbun - December 9th, 2020
- Freezing My Eggs In a Pandemic as a Black Woman Over 35 - Glamour - December 9th, 2020
- Can Diabetes Affect Fertility In Men And Women? Expert Decodes The Link - NDTV Doctor - December 9th, 2020
- RMA of Connecticut Spearheads Holidays at Home Initiative to Help Those Suffering with Infertility During the Holidays - PR Web - December 9th, 2020
- It feels like a lost year: the women who fear 2020 has stolen their chance of motherhood - The Guardian - December 9th, 2020
- Fertility Facts: What Do Young People Need to Know and When? - BioNews - December 9th, 2020
- Return of embryos to fertility patient - New Zealand Doctor Online - December 9th, 2020
- Fertility rates in England and Wales fall for eighth year in a row - Aberdeen Evening Express - December 9th, 2020
- Couple welcomes 2 daughters in 2 months thanks to mom who carried 1 of the babies - The Denver Channel - December 9th, 2020
- Fertility rate in Wales and England down for eighth year in a row - South Wales Argus - December 9th, 2020
- Fertility Solutions Market 2020: Potential Growth, Challenges, and Know the Companies List Could Potentially Benefit or Loose out From the Impact of... - December 9th, 2020
- Why Dr. Quincy Fortier Of 'Baby God' Never Lost His Medical License For Committing Fertility Fraud - Women's Health - December 6th, 2020
- Fertile Ground Beer Co. to Open Craft Brewery in Belhaven - Brewbound.com - December 6th, 2020
- What Shocking Revelation Emerged While 'Baby God' Filmmaker Worked On Documentary About Infamous Fertility Doctor? - Oxygen - December 6th, 2020
- Couple Creates Fertility App After 12 Years Of IVF & Welcoming Their Own Miracle Baby - BabyGaga - December 6th, 2020
- 'Otago researchers have found the missing link between stress and fertility' - Voxy - December 6th, 2020
- Baby God: how DNA testing uncovered a shocking web of fertility fraud - The Guardian - December 3rd, 2020
- Fertility Tests for Men: Options and How They Work - Healthline - December 3rd, 2020
- Analysis: COVID-19 worsens Europe's inequalities in yet another way - the fertility gap - Reuters - December 3rd, 2020
- Peiffer Wolf: As Holiday Home DNA Kit Bombshells Loom, Here Are the 6 Things Every Potential Victim of Baby God-like Fertility Fraud Needs to Know -... - December 3rd, 2020
- Can you correctly tell if these fertility and pregnancy statements are truth or myth? - The Irish News - December 3rd, 2020
- Shady Grove Fertility (SGF) Welcomes Reproductive Endocrinologist, Jennifer Hsu, MD, to the Northern Virginia Physician Team - PR Web - December 3rd, 2020
- Govt should take on board new study on stress and fertility - expert - RNZ - December 3rd, 2020
- Massive Growth Seen in Fertility Tourism Market 2020-2027 Qualitative Report Focusing on Leading Players : Medical Tourism Corporation, Med Journeys,... - December 3rd, 2020
- Rebel Wilson Explains How Fertility Influenced Her 'Year of Health' - SheKnows - December 3rd, 2020
- Global Fertility Services Market What Factors Will Drive The Market In Upcoming Years And How It Is Going To Impact On Global Industry | (2020-2026)... - December 3rd, 2020
- Portland's 2020 Fertile Ground Fest to Go Online - American Theatre - December 3rd, 2020
- Report Study | Impact of COVID-19 on the Global Fertility Tracking Apps Market - Cheshire Media - December 3rd, 2020
- Fertility Enhancing Treatment Market Growth And Status Explored In A New Research By 2027 - Cheshire Media - December 3rd, 2020
- Female Fertility and Pregnancy Rapid Test Market Structure, Industry Inspection, and Forecast 2025 - The Market Feed - December 3rd, 2020
- How Fertility Enhancing Treatment Market Will Dominate In Coming Years? Report Covering Products, Financial Information, Developments, Swot Analysis... - December 3rd, 2020
- Pregnancy and Fertility Testing Market Research By Growth, Competitive Methods And Forecast To 2026 - The Haitian-Caribbean News Network - December 3rd, 2020
- Female Fertility and Pregnancy Rapid Test Market, Global Key Players, Trends, Share, Industry Size, Growth, Opportunities, Forecast To 2025 Wall... - December 3rd, 2020
- Fertility Tracking Apps Market set to witness surge in demand over the forecast period of 2020-2030 - The Haitian-Caribbean News Network - December 1st, 2020
- We Hear From Women Who Let Priests Walk Over Them in a Fertility Ritual - VICE - November 26th, 2020
- COVID-19 male fertility: Coronavirus virus may hit men where it hurts - Zee Business - November 26th, 2020
- Impact of COVID-19 on Fertility Enhancing Treatment Market by 2026 | Abbott, The YES YES Company, MSD, BioFilm,Inc - The Market Feed - November 26th, 2020
- Why AOC's Ideas About Fertility Will Lead To Heartache - The Federalist - November 26th, 2020
- Global Fertility Market Future Growth Analysis, Business Demand and Opportunities to 2026. - Cheshire Media - November 26th, 2020