Episode 22: Aliens again? UK Social Media Ban & World Cup Fans

This week on Not Gullible: Disclosure Day is just repackaged Gnosticism and proof that we're always in a theocracy. In the wake of high profile events, the UK bans social media and ushers in digital ID. And the World Cup fans are experiencing American greatness. All of that and more on today's episode!

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Transcript

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Welcome to Not Gullible. I'm your host, Vanessa Hunt, and each week we'll be discussing faith, news, and the stories that matter, all from a biblical worldview. Last week, I took a break from the headlines to bring you what I hope was some encouragement about how we can bring calm to the chaos by stewarding our families and our homes well. It's important to regularly pause and take stock of how much you are allowing news and your social media feeds to impact your heart and your mind. So even though we're back at it this week with some news stories, just remember that not only do we need to filter them all through the lens of a biblical worldview, we also need to be mindful of whether or not we are allowing ourselves to be consumed by a spirit of anger and fear. Don't forget that nothing that is happening is a surprise to God and that He is sovereign over all. Frankly, though, it all seems a bit boring because while it's being advertised as a new and fresh take on the alien genre, it's really the same concept wrapped in a slightly more overt package. Here's a quick overview of the plot. As is always the case in these movies, the world is on the brink of a global conflict. A cybersecurity expert finds proof of extraterrestrial contact that has been hidden by a government-linked business. He teams up with a weather reporter who has a weird encounter and suddenly gets alien-linked abilities. They are being pursued by the bad guys and raced to get the truth out to the world before the government can suppress it forever. They do this by broadcasting the evidence on what will be referred to as Disclosure Day. These two are also presented as a kind of new Adam and Eve. So take that for what you will. Now, in the movie, it turns out that the aliens are far superior to we mere humans, and that people who have faith in God are forced to rethink their beliefs once they learn that there is life beyond our earth. From a worldview perspective, it asserts that religion is what is keeping people narrow-minded and unable to embrace the aliens. And it essentially leans into Gnosticism, which asserts that salvation or enlightenment comes from some kind of secret knowledge. This is obviously at odds with the biblical worldview. One of the central themes of the movie is that humanity's core problem is lack of knowledge or lack of what they call cosmic empathy. But the truth is that our core problem is actually sin and rebellion against our creator. The movie pushes this great disclosure as the way that the world will be unified, and it positions the aliens as people of higher truth and power. But scripture tells us something else. Colossians 1, 16 through 17 says, For in him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible. All things have been created through him, and for him, he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Our cultural obsession with aliens is always fascinating to me. My take is that anything that anybody might have legitimately witnessed when it comes to quote unquote other life forms is just plain demonic. And let's be sure to emphasize the word legitimate because there is an entire industry built around fooling people. But I always find it just so incredible that people continue to seek out these so-called spiritual or otherworldly experiences, but refuse to acknowledge that there is a creator who was intentional about making us in his image and is personal, loving, and good. The fact that these alien movies continue to be churned out reveals the deep desire in everyone to know that there is something more to this life. But none of this is new. This is essentially a Hollywood version of the Gnosticism that I mentioned earlier. If you've never heard that term, let me read to you how it's described by gauntquestions.org. The definition of the word Gnostic is about as easy to nail down as a flopping fish. It is derived from the Greek word gnosis, meaning to know. In the case of Gnosticism, what is known has shifted over the thousands of years since Gnosticism first reared its head during the formation and solidification of the early church. Basically, the Gnostics believed in acquiring special mystical knowledge as the means for salvation. According to Gnostic beliefs, there is a great God that is good and perfect, but impersonal and unknowable. The creator of the universe was actually a lesser deity, a cheap knockoff of the true God, who wanted to create a flawless material universe but botched the job. Instead of having a utopia, we ended up with a world infected with pain, misery, and intellectual and spiritual blindness. All matter is now corrupt and evil. However, when this lesser deity created man, he accidentally imbued humanity with a spark of the true God's Spirit, making man an inherently good soul trapped in the confines of an evil material body. Contrary to a message of salvation through Christ alone, the Gnostic Jesus brings a message of self-redemption. Man only needs to examine his inner spark to find the knowledge needed to free himself from his material body and reach God. This alleged purity of heart is the exact opposite of what is stated in Jeremiah 17:9. The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick. Who can understand it? The reason why Gnosticism has always been so appealing is that it really requires nothing of us. We don't have to deny ourselves, we don't have to change our behavior, resist temptations, we don't have to acknowledge our sin nature and live according to any kind of standard at all. Everything is about the self. But whether he intended for this to happen or not, what Steven Spielberg revealed in this movie is that everyone deep down knows that we aren't the center of the universe. In a society that talks a lot about the dangers of a theocracy, it's fascinating to have a plot promoting it so openly. Because no matter what, we're always living in that kind of system. We're always living in a theocracy. It's just a matter of what or who the Theo is. If you'll remember, Henry was lying on the ground bleeding, but because he was falsely accused of making racist comments, the police proceeded to ignore his injuries and arrest him instead of realizing that he was the victim. This story blew up and caused an immense backlash against the two-tier policing system as well as against mass immigration, which is deeply impacting Western nations for the worse. It's becoming more and more obvious that these governments welcome the upheaval and are using it as a means to destroy their countries in order to rebuild them according to a globalist framework. Now, in what many are seeing as open confirmation of this agenda, the prime minister of England, Keir Sturmer, announced that the government will be banning social media platforms for children under the age of 16 starting in the spring of 2027. Starmer claims that this is a way to give, quote, kids their childhood back and protect mental health and prevent bullying. Now, interestingly, the prime minister has pushed for 16-year-olds to vote. So you can't help but notice the discrepancy. If they're old enough to vote and choose representatives for government, then shouldn't they be old enough to access information from a variety of sources? Kind of makes you wonder, right? Now, I want to be clear here on my philosophy about social media for children. We waited a very long time before our kids were allowed to have phones, and even longer before they were allowed to have social media. Our son was given access to Instagram when he turned 16. And I still think that was too soon. He was the oldest, so we were still learning with him, but I wish we would have restricted it even longer. Our daughter made it all the way to 18 without social media. So we are living proof that your kids aren't going to die if they don't have Instagram or Snapchat. We have entire generations who have been absolutely wrecked by the access they've been given by their parents to the online world. So I am a huge advocate for restrictions on minors having social media. But that is very different from the government stepping in and setting up this kind of authoritative system. As a conservative, I'm a proponent of as little government involvement in our lives as possible. And as a Christian conservative, I'm a proponent of parents taking their roles much more seriously and protecting their children, not only from online predators, but from all the damage done by exposure to the online world. Okay, so getting back to the story, platforms used in the UK will implement age verification to block children under the age of 16, which means that there will be a requirement for all citizens, including adults, to register themselves, use facial recognition, and digital IDs in order to use social media. And this is the real agenda. The UK government will now have complete control over everyone and even more ways to limit their freedom than they already do. One representative expressed his support for this by saying that, quote, the X platform is a problem due to the ability for citizens to get their voice against immigration heard. So apparently it's not the stabbings and it's not the Pakistani rape gangs that are the problem. It's the fact that you might find out about them, have appropriate outrage, and join with others who are outraged and fighting for your nation. The UK and other European nations, as well as Australia, are all cracking down on what information their citizens are allowed access to. And the only way to interpret this is that they want to be the arbiters of truth. If people don't have access to alternative forms of news outlets, then they'll be forced to only listen to the state-approved media. This is the very definition of propaganda. And just in case you were wondering, yes, this social media ban also applies to tourists, meaning anyone, whether they are under the age of 16 or not, will have to comply with a digital ID, facial recognition, and credit card checks. I just have to say that I'm very thankful we went to Scotland last summer because I don't think we'll be going to any country that has this ever again. From a biblical worldview, the tragic stories emerging from the UK, like Henry Nowak's murder and the systematic sexual exploitation of hundreds of thousands of British girls by almost exclusively migrants, exposes what happens when we pervert God-ordained authority. Scripture is very clear that rulers are to be just and righteous, punishing evil doers and protecting the innocent. They're not to show partiality or suppress the truth. The two-tier policing system, unchecked mass immigration, and now this push to ban social media and implement digital ID, it all reveals the real agenda, which is centralized control. This isn't genuinely about protecting the vulnerable, but instead, it's a step further towards the tyrannical spirit we're warned about, where earthly powers want to take the place of God and be the ultimate arbiters of truth. If you haven't heard, the World Cup is going on right now, and I'll be honest, I don't follow soccer at all. Frankly, I'd rather watch golf on TV than soccer because it seems like it takes forever for a goal to be scored. And there's a lot of grown men who fake injuries and flop on the ground in behavior that rivals LeBron James. But I digress. For me, it's been far more exciting to follow along on the journeys of the tourists coming from Europe to travel through America as they attend the World Cup games. All over social media, we're seeing videos emerge of these guests praising our great nation and being just in awe of how incredible it is. They can't get over how vast it is and the fact that each state has its own distinct culture and geography. They marvel at simple things like free drink refills, ice cubes, and air conditioning. I even saw a video of a British man who was so excited to see a yellow school bus because he'd only ever seen them in movies. And that one really cracked me up. They praise the stadiums and the hospitality they've received from locals, and most importantly, they praise the freedoms we have here that they don't have in their own countries. We've spent years being lectured by the left about how horrible America is. Children are being indoctrinated in our government schools to hate this country and to focus on all of its flaws rather than all of its strengths. And the strengths way outweigh the flaws. It's both heartening and disheartening at the same time to see these tourists being more enthusiastic and frankly patriotic than many of our own fellow citizens. One of the main reasons the World Cup fans are so astonished by what they are discovering here in the US relates directly to my last story. The media in other countries is fully propagandized, and social media algorithms limit what they are allowed to see. They're constantly being told that America is terrible, ugly, and racist. They're especially conditioned to believe that everyone in the South and the Midwest are just dumb hicks. And yet, as these Europeans have been touring the country, they've discovered the exact opposite. They've experienced hospitality and kindness that has blown them away. From people buying them drinks to inviting them into their homes and onto their boats, the World Cup has unintentionally been the very best advertisement for American greatness. Large cities run by Democrats have had to do massive cleanup in order to get ready for the fans coming there for games. Seattle literally moved their homeless and drug addicts into other parts of the city and the state and cleaned up their streets so that they could pretend for a little bit that it always looks that beautiful. Apparently, it can be done for the cameras, but it can't be done for the actual tax-paying citizens. But what's really incredible is that these tourists are recognizing how amazing the South and the Midwest are as well. And in those areas, they don't have to pretend. They don't have to create a facade of cleanliness and safety and hospitality because that's just who they are. These World Cup visitors have given us an unexpected and powerful reminder of what so many Americans just take for granted. This country, imperfect as it is, still remains a beacon of freedom, hope, and warmth. With the celebration of Independence Day right around the corner, watching their joy and receiving their praise serves as a much-needed counter-narrative after years of listening to the self-loathing and denigration from our fellow Americans and from people in other countries. I hope that these fans will take home more than just memories of how awesome Bucky's is or how friendly people are or how each state has its own unique identity. I hope that they bring back a passion for their own freedom and a renewed sense of pride in their own cultures, especially the ones that are being replaced. I hope that the greatness they see in America inspires them to reclaim what's been lost in their own nations. I'll see you back here next time when we'll be taking another look at what's happening in the world and culture through the lens of the biblical worldview so that we can be women who are not gullible.