Political scientists have interpreted conspiracy theory as a skewed model of collective and coordinated action, philosophers have pondered it as a paradox (why regard conspiracy theories as a priori irrational, given that conspiracies really do occur?), and psychologists have treated it as the symptom of either a pathology (mostly paranoia) or a pattern of perception hardwired by evolution into our brains (confirmation bias, fundamental attribution error, etc.). However, closer examination of the epistemic attitudes conspiracy theory entails and the temporalities it invokes is sufficient to reveal the conspicuous affinity this phenomenon exhibits to the form of religious belief known as millennialism. This panel is devoted to an exploration of this affinity in both its historical and contemporary manifestations. How has a tradition of prophecy proclaiming an imminent moment of crisis in the cosmic conflict between good and evil become encoded in conspiracy theories from the early modern period until the present? The panel will consider the implications of this insight for how we conceptualize both religion and conspiracy theories. Chair: Megan Cassady-Welch (Australian Catholic University)Speakers: Andrew McKenzie-McHarg (Australian Catholic University), The End of History Repeating Itself: Conspiracy Theory and Millennialism David G. Robertson (The Open University), Darkest before the Dawn: The Dialectic of Contemporary Popular Millennialism