They say it’s always best to trust your gut. But what if it tells you there’s something off with a particular person, place, situation, you name it? Today, we are diving into some hard-to-believe scenarios shared by people with very strong suspicions. The only catch is that they have zero proof of the conspiracies.
“What do you strongly suspect but have no proof of?” asked u/757jsmith on the r/AskReddit subreddit and the answers started rolling in.
Let’s scroll through the most interesting ones below, and who knows… sometimes life is stranger than fiction!
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Religion was created to control the masses.
Maybe todays religion, but from the beginning it was simply a way to explain things we didn't understand.
Even early on it was used for power. The crusades were touted as a religious war, but the true motive was wealth, templars eventually became so wealthy even kings went to them for loans.
Load More Replies...Historian here. The vast majority of the early Christian church for the first 400 years taught universal salvation. the message of those Christians was you are ALREADY forgiven and reconciled and included in Jesus's death and resurrection. Just believe this truth and it will set you free. Heaven and Hell were thought of as the same experience. You were either going to love God's presence or be purified in it. But in the end all will know him. Hell was restorative for man's benefit. About 150 years after Constantine mandated Christianity as the OFFICIAL religion of Rome Emperor Justinian in 544 AD outlawed the preaching of free and universal salvation and made it illegal. He forced the church to preach a pagan version of Hell TO CONTROL the masses. This was a perversion of true Christianity and was done 100% by him to control his people and was accepted by the western church since they were now in bed with Roman politics.
Just wanted to thank you for your comment. That was actually really interesting to read.
Load More Replies...Hmm... does this one needs a proof? I thought it's a common knowledge. Religion (differently from just believes) was indeed partially serves as a control mechanism.
We'd need to learn and understand the development of religions before we can determine if power was their original purpose. In which case, the first question is how do you draw a line between a religion and a belief? Historically that is. As in at which point does/did beliefs become a religion?
Load More Replies...Buddhism was created by Siddartha (is that how he's spelt) trying to understand suffering
Siddhartha, the son of the brahman. The most memorable book I read in high school, circa 1988.
Load More Replies...Religion as a whole? Probably not. Abrahamic religions? 100% and there's historical proof; eg. King James rewriting the Bible specifically to push his own control.
... well, we can argue a lot about if this was the intent when the first religion was founded - but it was done so extensively, that it became the main purpose of organized religion anyway. Second most important motivation: Money. Number three: unjustified influence on people who don't believe, too ... it's one thing that facts, either one acknowledges them or not, agrees with the implications or not, do have an impact, fully justified, on everyone ... but belief should be held private - I don't see why I or anyone should suffer because some old fairy tale makes people think certain things are wrong or right ... like, exceptions from laws that are meant to protect animals - does it get any lower, selfisher, stupider than this? Is there any kind of extremism that is even close to this kind of entitlement? Religion is worth being overcome. It's about time!
And now it's used to manipulate and make money off of the masses too.
i recall (for those who missed it) that the gospel prosperity theory had been condemned by main evangelical streams, and is compared to idolatry. it's funny to see how many fake sources are quoted by religions bashers
Load More Replies...religion has been called the opium of the masses and that is a good analogy. what better way to control and direct a person's behavior than to literally scare the hell out of them with the threat of eternal damnation when, in fact, no one.....NO ONE...knows what happens when we shake off this mortal coil. it is all supposition to different degrees.
Or at least by priests who figured out they could get the best Spoils of the hunt without putting in effort if they could convince others a god wanted them in exchange for divine favours.
Not to control, to organize the masses. To give a common purpose. We still need that. The safety of what we believe to understand to get us overcome those differences and see the same in all of us.
I live in a multicultural democracy, so I prefer religion to stay out of statehood. In Canada, Catholic prime ministers have helped passed laws that go against their religion (example: Paul Martin and same-sex marriage in 2005). Spiritual beliefs can be very helpful (such as praying for strength or getting help from other congregants in times of crisis). I prefer to see values as more unifying. For example, my husband joined a congregation, I only attend a few times a year with him. Acceptance of beliefs (or non-beliefs) that don't harm others is part of our values.
Load More Replies...Well, I believe religions were created as a result of a guidance to some sort of moral codex, and in that sense, yes - for better or worse - in a way, that's to control the masses indeed. However, from this point of view, I don't see much difference with nowadays' rules made by the, say, Chinese government, for example, or the traditional Japanese bushido. Anyway, moral codexes are needed for a stable society, however, they'd also need frequent upgrades, according to the constant change of human needs and living standards, alongside climate change.
It was invented to teach some rules to the community with tales one could easily remember. Control came afterwards.
Originally it was to organize and to protest, philosophize, imagine meaning and explain in a chaotic unjust world. The fact that humans would pervert that just goes with the territory of going against establish pre-conceived notion.
Yes, absolutely, if not exactly control but surely to implement a system.
This is pretty much a proven thing - it's just kept on the low down.
Of course, and Priests can't marry because they don't want any pensions going to widows.
Rome brought Christianity to the wider world, forcing the removal of the Older Deities.
bold statement and no proof, but i bet its going to get tons of likes anyway
Former Christian, turned agnostic here...It's kinda funny, it's Sunday morning right now and in the USA they have preachers on TV at this time. I was watching something else before it came on and this preacher just so happened to start out his "service" by saying how atheists have attacked the church so many times etc., As if he was speaking directly to me XD (I've actually watched a lot of these Sunday morning specials and never actually heard a preacher talking about attacking atheists) Anyways he goes on to ask if they believe in the creation, who is the creator? And described things such as the creation of the universe so precisely that out of millions of galaxies only earth is hospitable and how total eclipses are not a coincidence and explained the *actual* science behind it... First of all the "creator" might just actually be an act of physics. Not a creator per say. And the coincidence of the distance between the earth and the moon etc., might be just that, a coincidence. And one of the things that bothers me most about universal creation, they don't want to accept the big bang theory, but what do you think might have happened at *the creator's* moment of universal inception? A big bang perhaps? Maybe when he snapped his fingers to make it so?
I think today's monotectic religions were designed by men (those with dangly parts) to make sure they had divine right to own (not love) their children, and to keep women as breedingstock and houseslaves. Evil as f**k!
For people who have no faith using religion to control and exploit the masses is a no brainer. There’s another side to religion, though, and to faith.
Half agree. Belief in a mysterious power outside of our understanding is to be human, but humans use this to control others.
Pretty MUCH proven? If you are willing to look beyond the "way to explain things they didnt understand" argument and pay attention to pre-Christian times you will see - they did just fine without "modern" religion. Their gods promoted love for EVERYONE unless they cause direct harm (not because they look different or believe in different things) and most importantly, their clerics didnt hide facts just to keep control them.
It serves us well this myth of Christ said a 4 century pope to the King of France I don't know if the centuries are correct but it has been documented if any of you Pandas know could you let me know. )0(
Religion doesn't exist solely to control the masses. Religion exists to make money while controlling the masses. Look at christian old testament compared to new testament. They are effectively the same in their respective sense that each has rules in place for no reason other than to control people. The difference is that the old testament demanded actual, physical, payment in order to receive absolution and the new testament offers absolution for nothing other than belief. The new testament, however, does have tithes. Never once has the christian religion existed without having demanded payment for services not rendered.
the number of fake sources down here is simply astonishing. while i'm totally open to debate, i'm wondering if there's a point to discuss with debaters that are so misinformed. just grab a good Bible version like the Chouraqui Bible, and read it. and you'll see how far you are from the truth
Load More Replies...The concept of religion is older than the mere possibility of masses. There were just not that many humans and they did not live that densely together in one place.
Definitely from the 3rd century. Pagan religions were a connection to nature and community
To me, all religions are condensed human knowledge on how to live. As such, they are geographically dependent. Rulers later twist and subvert the message to justify their existence and power. Its not the religion's fault, it has been changed to justify those in power.
Well, h#!!, we've know that for centuries. That is it's sole reason for being...controll...oh, and money, can't forget the money.
Religious goods (buildings, land, precious metals, money) have been appropriated for financial gain.
Load More Replies...I once referred to an Anishinaabe man's belief in the Creator as a "religion". He said, "It has nothing to do with religion - it's spirituality." I don't blame him for rejecting the term - he's had some bad experiences with organized religion. It did get me thinking that religion may perhaps be divided into spirituality (which is personal) and dogma (set rules to follow).
I had a conversation with a fellow atheist and we agreed that if we were in a falling airplane, she and I would be praying. If my father was with us, he'd be the one screaming all the way down: "Stop praying, you idiots, it won't do any good!" He is a dogmatic atheist, so thank goodness he feels too old to travel far! (As for the pilot, see: https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2009/02/08/capt-sullenberger-didnt-pray-when-the-plane-was-going-into-the-hudson/)
Load More Replies...People will always need something to believe in, since we don't actually know why we are here and what happens after we've been here. That where religion comes in. If not the traditional religion, then people affiliated themselves to particular groups, like the flatearthers and such. The truth is, nobody knows s**t about life.
fact, condemning a religion on a global scale is a religion. atheists condemning religions on a global scale is religion. the 379 ups here make me think lot of people quite don't understand what a religion actually is. most of people critizing religions don't know what the Bible is about, and don't know what being a jew is about neither. the Bible is a story, nothing else
I feel like Hinduism is an exception to this, you have a lot of freedom as a Hindu.
so are other religions. the thing is people criticize while they don't even know what they're talking about. just a dump of fake sources for the most
Load More Replies...This is obvious, if we sin we go to hell, if we are good we go to heaven, or similar in most religions. It's obvious that it was created to control and manipulate people.
i suggest you to open the Bible at least once. because it's because of shortcuts like yours that the shoa existed. pretty funny to see how people criticize religions nowadays, while they don't know what they're talking about
Load More Replies...Religion is a cult. It has nothing to do with personal belief. If a "religious" group wants money from you it's a cult.
Wrong. Churches pass around a collection plate and you don't have to put anything in it. It's not a cult. If you want to advance in Scientology on the other hand, they charge you thousands of dollars for the class time and learning materials, and you're told you can't go any farther or learn any more if you don't purchase more books and classes. THAT is a cult. Know the difference.
Load More Replies...Religion allows people to practice morality voluntarily. Without religion, it's the government that will impose on people's morality.
Our ancient (human) history is far more vast and impressive than we can even begin to imagine.
Suspect my Physically and mentally abusive ex husband was planning on offing me during our separation/divorce. He got a $75,000 life insurance policy on me during our separation. Found out 2 years after our divorce when he had overpaid the policy and the insurance sent me a refund check. Mistake on their part.
During our separation, he had invited me to join his “family” vacation at Grand Canyon, I said no. He invited me to the mountains that same summer to try to be a family again, I said no. Then he invited me to Mexico for “reconciliation, again no. ( I said no because the gut feelings I had and my mom told me not to) She had 3 dreams in a row that my soon to be ex husband would tell her I was dead.
I have no proof, just the insurance policy and my mom’s dreams. 2 years after divorce, he canceled policy. I didn’t know you could get insurance on someone without them knowing
Woman's clothes have either no pockets or crumby pockets to promote handbag sales.
I've heard this one so many times, but I've always wondered then why there aren't more companies that make both pants and hand bags.
The Kardashians usually wear solid colored clothing because it’s easier for them to photoshop
That the universe is teeming with life. Earth just can't be that special.
Ooor, there have been lots of planets like the earth before, maybe with higher developed civilisations like us, but their galaxy exploded in a supernova billions of years ago like it will happen to our galaxy. Maybe some of the black holes only exist because some alien experiment went horribly wrong. The universe is so big and so old and so crazy-for me, everything is possible..
That the developed world would function just fine if people were paid the same salaries, but worked only 3 days a week instead of 5. I strongly suspect the elite and governments want us working as much as possible so we don't have enough free time to cause unrest and improve society in a way that would negatively affect them. After all, since machines and factories have automated most forms of manufacturing, so why are we working as many (or more) hours as people from 150 years ago?
For those saying it's unrealistic, this sort of mass shift; please let me draw your attention to history. There were people who were certain the economy couldn't stand paying former slaves, allowing women into the work force, cutting back from 80 hour work weeks to 40 hour work weeks, not allowing children to work, and I'm sure there's more. The proposed idea would be a major shift but it's not unrealistic or outright impossible. I'd love to hear some economists debate the feasibility.
All those “questionnaires” and “create your X name” things on Facebook are created by people hoping to data mine secret question answers to steal your identity or bank info.
Your stripper name is the first car you owned + The street you grew up on.
Yo dummy, those are the secret questions to your bank account!
Cats can understand our words, but do not care. They are waiting for a moment to speak, but since we are so far beneath them it hasn't happened yet.
There’s no sales on Black Friday. It’s just hyped up and people don’t do the research. Something could have been on “sale” earlier in the year for the same price, but people flock to the stores on Black Friday and buy it immediately because in their mind... it’s the cheapest it has ever been.
That the "unsubscribe" method in spam emails, calls or texts are really just a way of confirming the number is attached to a real person.
That a lot of businesses in my hometown are just money laundering operations. 25 nail salons in a town of 70,000? 3000 square foot DVD rental shop in the best block of downtown where commercial rents are very high? Dozens of $10 barber shops sitting empty all day but remaining open? Red flags all around.
Yes! I always think this, like how can they make a profit, and afford to pay all of their overheads?
That my oldest brother is actually my bio father.
It just makes no sense to me otherwise. I have a butt chin and no one else in my family does. This older brother was(is?) an alcoholic, drug addict, and just a big mess all around. He brought different women to my parent's house every day and we would hear them f**k. It makes no sense to me that he came out of that with zero children. Makes less sense since he's ~20 years older than me, which means my parents would have had me at a dangerously (for my mom) old age. I know it's not impossible, but it just makes a lot more sense this way. Plus my parents always covered up for his wrongdoings so it honestly wouldn't surprise me.
I once asked my mom and she got visibility upset. Didn't even ask her outright, I just said I had a dream that they told me my brother was really my father. She got super mad and refused to even discuss or acknowledge my dream. Weird as hell.
I would still consider my mom, my mom. Wouldn't consider my brother my dad if he were because he's an ass. It's just something I think is highly probable.
Every episode of every reality show is either tightly scripted, or at least framed and re-shot so the producers can get the right amount of drama on the screen.
In my city something bad is about to happen.
I see a lot of mansions on sale, and houses with good location too. I think rich people know something that the rest of the people don't.
Pretty paranoid, sorry.
Not that paranoid. It's called "insider knowledge" and rich people hold often the position where they are informed about plans that could affect their properties. So it could be that soon you'll find that some very polluting industry is building a new plant right across the street because it suddenly has been designated as "industrial area".
Queen Elizabeth will probably live up to 120 years and longer. She is one of the best fed and most cared person on Earth.
If we invented something for immortality, she likely took it already.
That only about 20% of people actually do any work. The rest just get by looking busy.
I believe that many animal rescues self-perpetuate their own problem. Some rescues have VERY picky requirements - like salary minimums, yard size minimums, prior experience, age minimums, required seminars, required volunteer work, etc. Meanwhile you can just go to a breeder or a store, and be able to get a pet that day.
I understand wanting to make sure the animals go to a home equipped to care for the animal, but if it's so hard to get a rescuee pet that it drives people to stores, then those shelters will only ever become more crowded. A parrot rescue near me requires 6 months of volunteering for 3 hours every week before you can adopt... and there's a store nearby that just breeds and sells parrots. Which one would most people pick?
I couldn’t agree more with this! Plenty of people would love to adopt a cat or dog but live in a flat/apartment and are discounted immediately. I’ve never understood why having access to a garden is deemed more important than a loving home with people who care. Here in the UK many people would love to take on a rescue pet but are stumped at this first hurdle. It would be ok for me to have a baby in that environment but not a dog/cat?!? How does that make sense to anyone?
I believe my grand mother was a serial killer. She was married 7 times; each ending in a sudden death. She died in the 1980’s but everything is still suspicious and no one seems to know anything. I did find an article about her when she came to the US where her first husband died defending her after her ex-boyfriend climbed in her window in New York City. I also found evidence of her having been in prison before coming to the US.
That a relative is a CIA agent. She was in the Peace Corps, Vietnam era. Ever since she's been a "world traveler," somehow able to drop her work and "go hiking the Spanish version of the Appalachian Trail" or otherwise go to exotic locales. Sometimes she came back with injuries, "I fell as we were climbing some rocks." Her son is in the agency as an employee, not a spy, and he's married to a CIA translator.
Prince Charles will never sit on the throne. I believe he made a deal with Queen Elizabeth that in exchange for being allowed to marry Camilla he gave up his right to sit on the throne. Prince William will sit on the throne when Queen Elizabeth dies.
That Bath and Body Works has like, 13 unique scents. Every couple of months they just rotate the scents in and call them something else.
Starbucks baristas intentionally spell your name wrong so you take a picture of it and post it on social media to give the company free advertising.
I'm pretty sure that's a fact. I've read it so many times. It's free advertising for them
My dog sees supernatural events at our house.
Historians +200 years from now will be able to look at all of all of the private messages and data of people who have been long dead.
Similar to how we can read private letters of people from 1700’s.
Some zoos have empty exhibits and just claim the animal is in there, you just never see them.
I think my great great uncle was gay, but lived in a time where he had to hide that part of himself. He never had a wife or kids. He traveled a lot and was very into art. I asked my grandma a while back if she thought he was gay and she said he just wasn't interested in having girlfriends.
That my five month old knows exactly when I’m about to fall asleep and starts crying just to screw with me.
I believe that apple never actually intended for anyone to buy their $999 monitor stand. It was just an excuse so they could invalidate all warranty claims for the Pro monitor.
"We can't approve your claim due to the use of improper 3rd party equipment".
That your phone and laptop mics are hot and sending data to certain groups.
That my English teacher didn't read essays, and based grades on how we were in class.
Mattress stores are a money laundering scheme. No one buys that many mattresses.
That every single person who has submitted their DNA to their ancestor sites has officially damned themselves. That’s like giving away all the passwords to your devices. Our DNA is our coding, it is what builds us. If someone for some reason wanted that information for any reason that would likely ignore the integrity of bioethics, they could get to it. Rich person will die within 2 days without a kidney transplant? They could easily pay someone to check the database to find an individual who could potentially be the closest match. That person would have also submitted where they live. It would be pretty convenient for that person to randomly get terribly injured and be taken to the hospital where the rich person happens to be at. I know it sounds crazy, and there are 100 less crazy things people can do with out data. But with body autonomy rights starting to be taken away by some states, it’s essentially the government saying they own the rights to your body, it’s just not that obvious...for now. Y’all wait. Y’all mark my words.
Yep! I will never willingly give away my DNA and I think it's utterly crazy that anyone does. Those ancestry sites make it all look so fun and interesting but there is something sinister about them. I just know it! In the same vain, I'd never have one of those Alexa (or similar) spybots in my house.
That companies (such as smartphones companies) are holding back their best technologies waiting their competitors to release something new so they release something a bit better but not the best they can do
That Earth has been visited by one or more advanced civilizations, and may even be watching us stealthily.
Maybe the whole Christianity thing is records of aliens walking on our planet. Think about it. The kingdom in the skies, Jesus' miracles and his superior knowledge, his resurrection -> ascending to the sky -> not reappearing for ages.... It sounds like this ruler of a kingdom called Heaven sent his son to go explore planet Earth, he had bad experiences with our rather barbarian ancestors, went back home and doesn't want to come back.
Note: this post originally had 72 images. It’s been shortened to the top 35 images based on user votes.
I have one! I think Kraft and Nabisco are in cahoots. If you fold a slice of Kraft's American cheese (any brand really) in fourths, each quarter slice fits perfectly on a saltine.
And get this! A whole slice fits perfectly on a slice of..bread!
Load More Replies...I basically make about $10 a year online. It's enough to replace naff all. I was amazed how crap and time consuming it was when I tried it. Stay in school, kids!
Load More Replies...Every accusation you hear made by a member of the US Republican Party is an admission of guilt. GOP = Gaslight, Obstruct, Project
Can you blame them? They are old and afraid. Scared that the best is behind them and the future is too scary (even the 30yo ones). "No! No! No! Keep it the way it was and make other people pay for it" is the GOP battle whine.
Load More Replies...I know they've shown it in old movies and whatnot, but I'm really starting to think our universe is just a massive cell within another giant creature or being, and we're cancer to it slow destroying the single atom we inhabit until we spread to the next one and so on. Makes 100% sense to me.
Oh, forgot to add that "global warming" is 100% real and it's just the giant beings immune system trying to kill us off. Think about it, when you're sick your bodies immune system causes you to have a fever to kill off the infection.
Load More Replies...My one is: technology for faster than light travel is already on possession of most powerful governments right now. It's impossible all those UFO movies are just a coincidence.
There is a *very* broad streak of barely concealed antisemitism running through the English aristocracy. All the "old money" families with the titles, and the stately homes, whose ancestors at the time of the Crusades were in debt to their eyeballs to Jewish moneylenders.
Most of these Are just conspiracy theories, but #2 (about a soon-to-be ex plotting to kill his wife) Is way too real... This was the only one that send chills to my spine...
Superb thread providing much food for thought as well as some amusement. Thank you Bored Panda :)
I also have one. That the aliens or Greys of popular culture and UFOs are not aliens but humans from the future who have developed time travel technology and have physical adaptations to better live on their adopted planet Mars. It sounds far fetched but this is technically more feasible than traveling the vast reaches of space from another planet to earth. And the reason they are mostly interested and mainly seen in military bases and nuclear weapon sites is because they are trying to prevent our own self destruction.
Oh, I have one too!!! The big tissue companies invented the common cold infections in a lab and let them loose onto humanity so that they could sell lots of tissues to people.
My one is that the antivax movement was started to remove woman’s rights and get them out of the workforce back to being baby factories. If we loose herd immunity that the vaccines have given us childhood diseases that have almost been eradicated will come back with a vengeance. If a young couple wanted just two kids they would need to have 5 just to have two live to adulthood. That would mean the woman would be perceptually pregnant during her early adulthood during a time she would have been carving out her career
I have one! I think Kraft and Nabisco are in cahoots. If you fold a slice of Kraft's American cheese (any brand really) in fourths, each quarter slice fits perfectly on a saltine.
And get this! A whole slice fits perfectly on a slice of..bread!
Load More Replies...I basically make about $10 a year online. It's enough to replace naff all. I was amazed how crap and time consuming it was when I tried it. Stay in school, kids!
Load More Replies...Every accusation you hear made by a member of the US Republican Party is an admission of guilt. GOP = Gaslight, Obstruct, Project
Can you blame them? They are old and afraid. Scared that the best is behind them and the future is too scary (even the 30yo ones). "No! No! No! Keep it the way it was and make other people pay for it" is the GOP battle whine.
Load More Replies...I know they've shown it in old movies and whatnot, but I'm really starting to think our universe is just a massive cell within another giant creature or being, and we're cancer to it slow destroying the single atom we inhabit until we spread to the next one and so on. Makes 100% sense to me.
Oh, forgot to add that "global warming" is 100% real and it's just the giant beings immune system trying to kill us off. Think about it, when you're sick your bodies immune system causes you to have a fever to kill off the infection.
Load More Replies...My one is: technology for faster than light travel is already on possession of most powerful governments right now. It's impossible all those UFO movies are just a coincidence.
There is a *very* broad streak of barely concealed antisemitism running through the English aristocracy. All the "old money" families with the titles, and the stately homes, whose ancestors at the time of the Crusades were in debt to their eyeballs to Jewish moneylenders.
Most of these Are just conspiracy theories, but #2 (about a soon-to-be ex plotting to kill his wife) Is way too real... This was the only one that send chills to my spine...
Superb thread providing much food for thought as well as some amusement. Thank you Bored Panda :)
I also have one. That the aliens or Greys of popular culture and UFOs are not aliens but humans from the future who have developed time travel technology and have physical adaptations to better live on their adopted planet Mars. It sounds far fetched but this is technically more feasible than traveling the vast reaches of space from another planet to earth. And the reason they are mostly interested and mainly seen in military bases and nuclear weapon sites is because they are trying to prevent our own self destruction.
Oh, I have one too!!! The big tissue companies invented the common cold infections in a lab and let them loose onto humanity so that they could sell lots of tissues to people.
My one is that the antivax movement was started to remove woman’s rights and get them out of the workforce back to being baby factories. If we loose herd immunity that the vaccines have given us childhood diseases that have almost been eradicated will come back with a vengeance. If a young couple wanted just two kids they would need to have 5 just to have two live to adulthood. That would mean the woman would be perceptually pregnant during her early adulthood during a time she would have been carving out her career