THEM: Adventures with Extremists
By Jon Ronson
Picador. 337 pages. £16.00
ISBN 0 330 37545 8
Grand conspiracy theories (GCTs), ideas of some malign group seeking to take over or even having already taken over the running of the world, are attractive to people for a number of reasons.
First, there is a kind of aesthetic fascination in the idea, similar to that of mystery fiction. Second, there are those who are prompted by a sense of powerlessness and victimhood in society for whom GCTs provide a comfort - explaining why the bad situation is not their fault. Thirdly, of course, there are those who are attracted to GCTs simply because they believe they are true and need to be exposed.
The re-emergence of heavy shepherds
What would you think if you received a letter from your church leaders that read like this? ‘Are church members …