The spread of the QAnon conspiracy theory, which alleges that a secret cabal of satanic cannibalistic pedophiles rules the world and has long used its power and influence to freely murder and traffic children, has reached deep into the white evangelical community in recent years. While such allegations have usually been leveled against Democratic politicians and left-leaning entertainment, media, and business leaders, the conspiracy theory now appears to be circling back around on evangelical leaders themselves.
Earlier this week, Right Wing Watch noted how MAGA pastor Jackson Lahmeyer, who is running a primary campaign to unseat Republican Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma, has openly embraced QAnon conspiracy theorists as part of his campaign, only to become a target of their conspiracy theories. QAnon activists accused the pastor of pedophilia and child sex trafficking in July after he posted a photo of his young daughter wearing red shoes.
Similar allegations are now being leveled against several high-profile evangelical leaders.
Late last month, self-proclaimed "prophet" and QAnon conspiracy theorist Johnny Enlow posted a "prophetic alert" on his Facebook page in which he warned that "many of our most famous pastors and Christian leaders are about to be exposed as sexual deviants, pedophiles and worse."
We had no idea what that meant at the time, but now it appears to be related to allegations being put forth by a woman going by the name Madyson Marquette, who claims to have been a former adult film actress who was sexually abused and trafficked by several well-known evangelical leaders, including Kenneth Copeland, T.D. Jakes, Rick Warren, and even the late Billy Graham.
In the last week, Marquette has appeared on several evangelical programs that regularly promote QAnon and other right-wing conspiracy theories to level her allegations, including a recent appearance on the "Up Front In The Prophetic" program, which is hosted by full-blown QAnon conspiracy theorists Alan and Francine Fosdick.
"Anyone that I'm naming bought me," Marquette told the Fosdicks, "and did stuff to me. The only person I have named that didn't do stuff, but I saw him at parties, was Joel Osteen."
"I can tell you since I've started speaking, now more women have come forward," she continued. "I named Kenneth Copeland and another brave soul, she's like, 'Listen, I want to come forward, will you share my post?' And people went and attacked her on her post for coming forward. ... The women do come forward and say, 'This happened to me, I have the evidence,' and and then you're gonna go attack them because you maybe were fooled by these pastors? The same thing with Tyler Perry, Greg Laurie, Rick Warren, all of these pastors trafficked me, and we've put them on a pedestal and made them gods."
When Francine Fosdick marveled at the "major names" Marquette was mentioning, including Billy Graham, Marquette stood by her allegation.
"I say a million times over, Billy Graham and the ones that have trafficked and done things to me and that are doing it now," she said, "they have a demon inside them."
"People are like, 'Oh, yeah, his son is sick, but we don't believe you about Billy,'" Marquette added. "I'm like, 'Well, probably Franklin learned it from somewhere.'"
