QAnon as a variation of a Satanic conspiracy theory : an overview

Abstract

This text deals with the phenomenon known as "QAnon" as a variation of a Satanic conspiracy theory. This form of conspiracy operates with evil forces and their agents on Earth in secret Satanic networks. In the case of QAnon, it is mirrored in the narrative which says that prominent Democrats, certain celebrities, financiers and other influential figures are a part of a secret global Satanic and paedophile ring which rules the world. The U.S. president Donald Trump is considered to be secretly fighting against this conspiracy and plans to arrest the evil elites during an expected event known as "The Storm." With a generalized enemy that is Satanized and considered dangerous (as a threat to the American nation) and amoral on the one side, and Trump as a messiah-like hero on the other side, QAnon resonates primarily with the Republican movement. This enemy also became part of a political struggle. QAnon mobilized some Republicans and their supporters in the campaign for the re-election of Donald Trump in 2020 by turning the Q followers into warriors to fight in this important battle of the QAnon cosmic war between good and evil. Nevertheless, QAnon is only one instance of this kind of mobilization in the United States against the imagined inner secret Satanic enemy. Another powerful mobilization could be observed in the connection with the phenomenon of Satanic panic. Some similarities include the narratives about ritual abuse of children by secret Satanists, which took place especially in the 1980s and 1990s. At the same time, it is important to point out that these narratives have a much older origin and are based on Christian dualism and demonology regarding the idea of the need to fight subversive groups (devilworshipers, witches, and secret organizations) who have formed a pact with Satan and intend to harm the society. For a large part of American society that nurtures strong belief in both God's and Satan's influence in the world, secret devil-worshippers have traditionally been on of the prominent internal enemies of the American nation. The notion of the need to fight the forces of evil led by Satan and his earthly minions is deeply ingrained in American conspiratorial thinking and in a large part of the American society influenced by Christian fundamentalism and is likely to continue to emerge in other variations, similar to QAnon.