Ben, in fact, is not, "One of them". He was telling the truth all along by Brandon

I realize this theory has holes, but just bear with me and think of it as an alternate way of observing the dynamics of the inhabitants of the island.

Way back in season two when we were first getting to know Henry Gale in the Swan Hatch, as he sat down to Dharma Flakes with John Locke, he delivered his chilling "If I were one of them" speech. In season 3's opener, he seemed genuinely surprised that Oceanic Flight 815 was breaking apart right over Juliet's house. I want to present the case that maybe Ben is, in fact, not an "Other" and what we have come to know as the "Others" are not the hostiles.

I think the temple dwellers are the true hostiles of the island. Remember when our losties were hiding in bushes, looking on in terror as the barefooted inhabitants of the island. This is who Ben was referring to. What if the temple dwellers and the others who live in the barracks are not related in any way? What if they have reached an understanding or have some sort of agreement? A live and let live sort of situation.

Maybe the barrack dwellers aren't quite as enlightened as we have been led to believe. What if all their information has been received from the Temple dwellers, who have received all their information from Jacob?

I haven't fully worked out why they have this dynamic, but maybe we will find out it is very symbiotic for both of them.

Maybe the temple dwellers are descendants of people who have always been on the island. We have already seen that people like Roger Linus (Dharma) and Juliet Burke (Barracks) were recruited to the island. We have yet to see the origins of Jacob/MIB/Dogen/Lennon. What if their ancestors were there all along, and they are in tune with the island?

They understand its wishes and have its best interests at heart.