What makes a prophet?

wil

wil

UNeyeR1
Veteran Member
Messages
25,298
Reaction score
4,656
Points
108
Location
a figment of your imagination
And where have they gone?

Seems we had a plethora of them a couple thousand years ago...

The ratio of prophets to humans on earth has diminished exponentially...or is that an exaggeration?
 
They tend to bear some kind of divinely inspired message or dispensation.

So you wouldn't count the likes of L. Ron Hubbard, Aleister Crowley, Black Elk, Joseph Smith, Ellen G White, Baha'u'llah, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, Sabatai Zvi, Emmanuel Svedenborg, Guru Nanak, or Al Hakim (and many more I forgot to mention or don't know about) as prophets? They all lived within the past millennium, give or take a few years in the case of the latter.
 
I think so, yes. Shaking the dust off their sandals, leaving their home towns...
 
Therin lies the question, Edgar Cayce, the first on your list? Their followers would scream yes, while many would raise an eyebrow...

What makes a prophet? I mean the Catholics have requirements for sainthood yeah? Criteria, that is what I am asking. Is a following, a claim, charisma, a quote, enough? (well for some...but)
 
Cayce, yes, why not?!

Depends on who you ask! I doubt there can be universally accepted criteria. Not even the likes of Moses or Mohammed are accepted as prophets by everyone.
 
Biblically we have a dozen minor prophets and half a dozen major prophets? Defined, divided and accepted by Christians and Jews around the world for the 2k years and posited over 3k years ago?

Do we have any, ANY generally accepted prophets (by this same group) since?

This was the basis of my original question... Was G!d talking more, were we listening more...was our criteria less then?
 
wil said:
Do we have any, ANY generally accepted prophets (by this same group) since?
Click to expand...

Perhaps you can find individual examples here and there.

“King was the voice of G-d in our time.”
-Rabbi Abraham Heschel
 
Ahanu said:
“King was the voice of G-d in our time.”
Click to expand...
Is that MLK Jr?

A prophet?

But it is the typical idea...idk about voice of (as in channeling or speaking for) but the prophets they relate the word they understood to hear. A lot of preachers and others claim G!d speaks to them...but we (the vast majority, I believe) reject them as actual prophets.
 
@wil Wouldn't Joseph Smith fit this ? He was accepted by a large number of Christians - claimed to be visited by an angel (Moroni). Rejected by most Christians, but it certainly isn't just a small sect.
 
Arif Ghamiq said:
@wil Wouldn't Joseph Smith fit this ?
Click to expand...
I would say he does...

But again, are you proving my conjecture? We have billions that believe in the 18 prophets from 3,000 years ago 18 when the population of the world was a fraction of what it is today...

And our most accepted prophets of the past few hundred years...Smith? 16 million, Bahai, less than 10 million?

Our ratio of prophets to people today is a fraction of what it was...

Did the criteria change or did G!d quit talking?
 
wil said:
Did the criteria change or did G!d quit talking?
Click to expand...

People change, religious fashions change, they have scripture now, the temple is gone... The old criteria don't seem as compelling any more.
 
Prophecy is big in Africa.

http://geography.name/prophetic-movements/

"... Prophets and prophetic movements have flourished in Africa since the mid-1800s. Prophets—religious leaders with messages about divine judgment or moral law who often make predictions about the future—usually arise in groups facing major social upheaval. By addressing such crises and offering radical solutions, they tend to inspire followers who respond with fervor to their message.

Prophetic movements in Africa have drawn from indigenous, Christian, and Islamic traditions. Many emerged in response to the dramatic changes that followed European colonization of the continent. Most of these movements were short-lived, lasting only until the resolution of the particular crisis at hand. Others, however, took root and continued to thrive long after the situations that inspired them had ended. Some have even grown into mainstream religious sects with many thousands of followers..."

The Church of Zion is the biggest church in South Africa:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zion_Christian_Church

"... The church still believes in prophecy, the power of healing and spiritual counselling, which did not resonate with the scientific perspectives of these academics. Instead of attempting to understand any therapeutic value these practices might hold, they dismissed them as mere superstitious rituals. The use of different mechanisms for faith-healing include the laying-on of hands, the use of holy water, drinking of blessed tea and coffee to the point of vomiting in the belief that it cleanses the drinkers from the bad spirits that reside in their stomachs and the wearing of blessed cords or cloth..."
 
Last edited:
Engenas Lekganyane

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engenas_Lekganyane

"... the most remarkable manifestations of healing” occurred. The blind, deaf, and crippled were healed ... came in vast numbers to be prayed for.”[7] According to ZCC lore, Lekganyane at this very time began to suffer from a serious eye ailment at this time and nearly went blind. He then had a vision and was instructed to travel to the Witwatersrand, where he was told that he would be cured by "triple immersion".[8] Lekganyane claims to have followed this vision, and went to Boksburg and met two Zionist preachers, the Mahlangu brothers, in 1912. They then baptized him using the Zionist method of "triple immersion", and curing his eyesight ailment in the process..."

Millions of people listen to the weekly service on the radio. The minister/prophet talks for at least an hour in the local African language; he gets louder and louder and angrier and angrier until by the end he is ranting at the top of his voice. The listeners love it and expect it.
 
Last edited:
Last edited:
RJM Corbet said:
Millions of people listen to the weekly service on the radio. The minister/prophet talks for at least an hour in the local African language; he gets louder and louder and angrier and angrier until by the end he is ranting at the top of his voice. The lis
Click to expand...
This sounds like our televangelists
 
  • Like
Reactions: RJM
I believe that 'Prophet' is not an unusual title in African churches: in place of the title Pastor or Minister John, you get Prophet John, etc ...
 
RJM Corbet said:
"... Shepherd Bushiri of Malawi can be seen walking without his feet touching the ground in a video on YouTube.
Click to expand...

giphy.gif
 
  • Like
Reactions: RJM
Ahanu said:
giphy.gif
Click to expand...
:D
"... Tens of thousands of followers gather to hear him preach at services where "miracle oil" and T-shirts and caps emblazoned with Bushiri's face are for sale. Bushiri is one of Africa's wealthiest prophets. In addition to his church activities, he has stakes in several mines and owns four private planes and a string of hotels. He is currently facing charges of fraud and money laundering in South Africa, where his church and businesses are based..."
 
Last edited:
https://twitter.com/i/status/866912846554255363
Pastor Paul Sanyangore's is seen "talking to God on the phone" during one of his church services. A video of that chat went viral in 2017 and caused major uproar. The pastor claims that God gave him the direct number and often calls him up to give him advice on how to help people in his church. Sanyangore, also known as Pastor Talent, said he planned to launch a TV show titled Heaven Online, in which he would let people listen in on his phone calls with God. Sanyangore withdrew an offer to give people God's number at a special service at his Victory World International Ministries, saying the time was simply not right.


"... Andrew Ejimadu, a Nigerian preacher based in Zambia and popularly known as Prophet Seer 1, has demonstrated what he says is his "God-given gift" of being able to vomit money during one of his church services. Ejimadu was filmed spewing so-called miracle money during a church service in South Africa. Church members scrambled for the various currencies. Prophet Seer 1 told his congregation that he carried millions around inside his stomach. Some onlookers thought it was magic while others called for his arrest on money laundering charges..."
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top