On the 40th anniversary of the moon landing — or was it just a sinister hoax? — TIME looks at 10 of the world’s most enduring conspiracy theories.

• 1) The JFK Assassination
• 2) 9/11 Cover-Up
• 3) Area 51 and the Aliens
• 4) Paul McCarthy Is Dead
• 5) Secret Societies Control the World
• 6) The Moon Landings Were Faked by NASA
• 7) Jesus and Mary Magdalene
• 8) Holocaust Revisionism
• 9) The CIA and AIDS
• 10) The Reptilian Elite

Many have tried to convince me of all of the subterfuge of the world. Although I love the Walt Disney imagination, here are the reasons I do not devote much energy to these “theories.”

1) IT’S NOT A THEORY

I believe we would be more accurate to call it a “conspiracy spirit.” This spirit is the spirit of fear. All conspiracies are motivated by fear. 2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

2) THEY DON’T STOP

The spirit of fear permeates EVERY part of your life. It starts with “theories” about the government, than complicity of leaders in the church and eventually you see the Bible as the ultimate conspirator. Case in point: The number seven most talked about conspiracy is “The Jesus Conspiracy.” This is what The Da Vinci Code, which sold over 80 million copies and translated into 44 languages, was based upon.

3) I DON’T LIKE THE COMPANY

I haven’t met many credible “theorists.” Jesus tells us in Matthew 7:20, “By their fruits ye shall know them.” One of the leading conspirators is Jesse “The Body” Ventura. Jesse has been a professional wrestler, politician, actor, author, activist and ATHEIST. Ventura, host of Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura stated, “Organized religion is a sham and a crutch for weak-minded people who need strength in numbers.” Personally this is not someone I want to take advice from about anything.

4) IT’S OUT OF MY CONTROL

Pastor Mooney drilled into us at Indiana Bible College that, “God is God and I am Not.” Even if I had recorded proof of the aforementioned theories, what would I be able to do with them? However, I can teach someone a Bible study and watch them repent, be baptized and receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost. I can mentor young leaders and watch them impact our world. I have decided to pour my energy into efforts that I can control.

I personally feel it’s easier for people to generate conspiracies than it is to do the hard work that it takes to change the reality of our everyday lives.

CONCLUSION

Historian Bruce Cummings asserts, “If conspiracies exist, they rarely move history; they make a difference at the margins from time to time . . . History is moved by the broad forces and large structures of human collectives.”