Very concerned for my sister

[LolaBella]

I was just wondering if I could bounce some things off some of you. This has nothing to do with the church really. My sister has this boyfriend who I loathe. He is no good for her. Anyway, since they've been together she has got obsessed with conspiracy theories. And I mean OBSESSED. Its taking over her life, and its not her, Im so concerned. She no less than 'preached' to us all over the dinner table a few months ago about how the government, U.S in particular, are brainwashing us all, that 9/11 was a planned government tactic to keep us believeing in democracy. She thinks that the Presidents are all fixed and told us that Hilary WOULD be president. (this was before she dropped out lol). She thinks there is going to be a NWO (New World Order) and our money will be changed etc etc. She then told us that there would be news in the future that an asteroid was headed for earth, but that NASA stopped it, just to make the government look good.

She also things our water is contaminated with chemicals to keep us all submissive to the government. She even has her own food store!!! she is obviously inactive btw lol. But she has never said anything bad about the church, and from discussions Ive had with her in the past, she readily accepts the basic fundamentals of christianity. She even asks my Dad for blessings periodically.

But now she has joined this facebook group that is saying even Jesus and all religion is a myth.

I want to talk to her about this, but the last time I did, we ended up having a very heated discussion with her basically saying we are all stupid and brainwashed for NOT believig it!! The irony!! Im just so worried really as I know this is not the sister I know. She's an intelligent girl but Ive never heard her talk about something with such passion. Its like she truly is brainwashed.

Im not really sure why I am so worried about this. It just feels very wrong and not right-and its not her atall. Its definitely the boyfriend pushing all this. Should I talk to her again now that its getting worse, or what? leave it? I think Im worried as I can feel her going further and further away from me and I dont want our relationship to suffer as we've always been close. OTOH, I dont want to sound the preachy big sister.

Any thoughts??? btw, the facebook group is called ZEITGIST-The documentary of a lifetime if anyone wants to check it out.

[Misshalfway]

My goodness! What a story! I can see why you would be concerned.

How young is your sister, BTW?

[LolaBella]

She is 23. Now Ive actually re-read this it sounds even worse!!!

[NeuroTypical]

It's hard to have a relationship with someone who believes anyone who doesn't agree with them is a deluded dupe. Do not become a doormat for this person because you "don't want the relationship to suffer". The relationship is already suffering - you need to grasp that and accept it.

My suggestion - Love your sister, stop trying to win the discussion. Stop bringing it up, and refuse to debate or argue. If she keeps bringing it up, and she's in your house, ask her to leave. If she keeps bringing it up when you are off doing something together, and she refuses to stop, then stop doing things together. She'll either get the hint, or you'll stop doing things together.

Don't put up with any crap from her. She's 23, and off making adult-sized decisions about how to treat people that disagree with her. Those should come with adult-sized consequences.

LM

Edited October 23, 2008 by Loudmouth_Mormon

[Guest DeborahC]

RANT WARNING:

Your sister is afraid. And frankly, there are some good reasons to be afraid.

Although Zeitgeist is WAY out of the ballpark in terms of conspiracy theory, it does speak some truth.

You and your sister should do your own research to see where it exaggerates and where it tells the truth.

The stock market is getting ready to bottom out - I expect this to happen in the next 5 months - there are some rough times coming. Talk to any person who lived through the Great Depression in the city, and they'll tell you, you'd better prepare. There's no easy way out of this mess that our government has gotten us in. And all the bailouts and more printed money will only stall what's coming. The Bible predicts it, so why doubt it? The Church has preached to us for years to prepare, so why doubt it?

Instead, we should be prepared and not fear.

Your sister obviously doesn't feel very prepared and she's afraid.

I don't think she's crazy at all!

I think she's exaggerating some facts, but she's certainly not crazy...

As a person with diagnosed multiple chemical sensitivities, I can promise you that at least part of her fear is valid. I am the canary in the coalmine and people BETTER start paying attention!!

There ARE chemicals in the water and food which ARE dangerous - I react to them daily. You slather dangerous chemicals on your body every time you put on lotions, soaps, hair products we don't need, scents in your fabric softeners, laundry detergents, and those insidious plug in air fresheners. You eat them every time you eat processed foods. If you doubt, buy a book called The One Hundred Year Lie. It's all about greed. Those products are causing cancer in huge numbers, and it's no theory, it's science.

Do you know that the potato that Monsanto has developed (which has its own pesticide) that you eat in your french fries and baked potatoes is not "approved" by the FDA because it is not even considered a food? It is "approved" by the EPA. Strange? Yes... that's because it is listed as a pesticide, not a food. Don't believe me? Call FDA and ask. People think organic produce is expensive, but you pay now, or you pay later. I can't eat wheat from the United States unless it is organic because of all the chemicals it is sprayed with. I do fine in Europe, but not here. Many potatoe farmers won't even eat their own crops. I could go on a huge rant here, but I won't. I'll just say the food you buy in the market is dangerous, and your sister is 100% correct if she's buying organic and eating less. It's just a shame that she's so fearful that it seems obsessive.

I don't think they're there "so the government can control us" but I DO believe they're there as a result of a powerful pharmaceutical lobby who doesn't care if they give us cancer, because cancer is big business. Have you read the newspaper lately? Have you researched what is being found in your drinking water supply? It's all over the headlines. Hello?

People are taking so many pharmaceuticals, which they then urinate, which then ends up in the processed "cleaned" water supply because there is no way to remove them, that they are making us SICK. Do the pharmaceutical companies, whose ads are on television every 5 minutes telling you to "Ask your doctor..." care? Heck no! You know why? Have you ever listened to the lady with the BIG SMILE telling you all of the side affects? Those drugs will ruin your liver and kidneys, which THEN the pharmaceutical companies can sell you MORE drugs for! It's insanity.

They feed our cattle, pigs, chickens, and beef hormones to make them grow fast and produce more. I saw a chicken truck this week. There must have been 10 chickens crammed into tiny cages with their legs and feet twisted and hanging out, wings bent in odd positions, dull eyes. They were on the way to being packed in clean fresh packages you can buy at your local grocery store! We eat those chickens and their misery. My neighbor growing up had a chicken farm. I grew upon a farm. We did NOT treat our animals like that!

Now we eat drugged, sad, meat. We EAT the products, the meat, the eggs, the milk, and wonder why we are getting cancer? Why our children are growing breasts at 5 years old? Hello?

Having worked in oncology and having lived over half a century, I can tell you that when I was a child, I knew only one person, a distant acquaintance, who had cancer. Now a large percentage of the population can count on getting it. Why? Because big business is GREEDY- it's due to our own greed and naivete. Do you know that the Farm Bill that everyone aches to support only pays HUGE farming operations and those have forced many small farmers into foreclosure? Small farms are paid NOT to produce crops. I have a friend who the government paid to dig a huge hole, and shoot all his dairy cows. They paid him more money to do that horrible thing than he could make in 5 years dairying. There's something wrong with this...

As far as our government's role in 911, this remains to be seen and time will tell. There are some pretty big 'holes' in the evidences surrounding the event.

As far as our money being changed, it's happened before both after the Civil War, and again when we were taken off the gold standard, so I don't see anything to keep it from happening again. The dollar as we speak is losing value, and I personally have gotten rid of my dollars an bought gold, which is now and always has been "real money."

The fact that she says religion is a myth and asks your dad for blessings on the other hand speaks volumes. She is confused and frightened. So are a lot of people right now, so she has company.

My advice is not to treat her like she's some sort of nut! She is not. She has some valid concerns, although they seem a bit out of balance. Instead, pray she finds peace. Please don't pray that she comes around to your way of thinking, but that she finds the truth, period.

And you might do a little research before you decide she's so far out of line. I don't mean research that is one-sided. But open minded research.

You might find she's got a few things to be worried about.

In the end, the bottom line is that if we believe the Gospel and live it, we have nothing to worry about.

Except that God has given us this earth as stewards, and to me, being a good steward doesn't mean letting rich, greedy men poison it and ruin it.

Will they destroy it? Oh gosh no!

They'll kill us off first.

Then the earth will simply refresh herself.

Will we have to answer for our ignorance and greed?

You betcha!

Look around you.

It's happening as we speak!

And love her... simply love her.

Edited October 23, 2008 by DeborahC

[DigitalShadow]

I know of a good skeptics forum that may be of some help dispelling some of the conspiracy theories, but I doubt they would willingly participate. The problem is that the more people around them that deny the rediculous claims, the more it feeds into the "conspiracy" part and they become even more entrenched in their theories.

I think that the best thing to do is approach carefully and ask questions to try and inspire some critical thinking rather than flat out denying the claims. I wish you the best of luck.

[WANDERER]

Sometimes people go through an extreme phase in their belief before they filter things down to what stays and what gets left behind. Certainly when times are uncertain these theories increase...when times are better these groups are a little more muted. The whole conspiracy thing is the belief of having special or outside knowledge on concerning world events and therefore a greater understanding/control over a situation...a kind of coping strategy...even if it's not grounded in reality. Her worries and concerns are real even if you don't hold with her beliefs on things. She's probably more worried about you than you are about her. Accept the polar opposites thing and that you sometimes drive each other crazy...she's going to go through a lot more *saving the world* revolving door causes. I guess you could subscribe to some conspiracy theories mail list and at least rotate the dinner table conversation by asking her what she thinks about the latest one. Essentially it's harmless if she continues doing the stuff she has to do: pay bills, go to work, eat, sleep etc. Annoying, but harmless.

Edited October 23, 2008 by WANDERER

[rameumptom]

Just be her friend. When she comments on things, just humbly and quietly mention how thankful you are to have living prophets to guide us in these last days. Let her know that you do believe some of the things she believes: such as we live in a day of conspiracies and wickedness. You just have to tell her that you do not necessarily believe all the conspiracies she believes in. What conspiracies do we believe in? How about the one we're warned about in D&C 89, for instance?

Tell her that the Book of Mormon warns of conspiracies and Gadianton Robbers in the last days, and its history relects our day. Let her know that when things get very bad, Joseph Smith prophecied that the Elders of Israel will step forth and save the Constitution when it hangs by a thread. Zion will be established as a refuge from the storms (D&C 45, compare with Governor Lachoneus in 3 Nephi 3).

While her group may reject Jesus, you can tell her that you believe in modern day witnesses of Christ, who are not a part of any conspiracy. The Brethren have been consistent in teaching us the things we need to do to survive the evils of our day. Pres Hinckley, for instance, warned in 1998 about getting out of debt, and suggested that there may be a Great Depression again if we are not careful and prepared. Such prophetic warnings are imperative to our surviving these last days.