Posted by:
CrispingPin
(
)
Date: March 10, 2021 11:31AM
I remember going through a checkout line in a supermarket in January of 1981. I saw the National Enquirer, which had the headline “Top Psychics Share Their Predictions for 1981.” I couldn’t resist buying it. They asked a half dozen of the nation’s “top psychics” for a few predictions each. I kept the tabloid and checked back at the end of the year. Of course, none of the predictions came true. One interesting prediction was that President Reagan would suffer a stroke in May, and that Vice President Bush would do an outstanding job of leading the country during the President’s recovery. Well, Reagan was shot (not exactly the same thing as a stroke) in March (hey, March and May both begin with an “M”). I’m sure that some people would believe that particular psychic was on to something, but was just fuzzy on a couple of the details. I’ve certainly seen Mormon apologists give Joseph Smith at least that much latitude.
My question is: in the entire history of the world, has their ever been a real prophet (“prophet” in the sense of being able to foretell that future)?
In order for someone to be given credit for predicting the future, that individual would have to:
1) Show evidence of the prophecy or prediction being recorded and known prior to the predicted event;
2) Give predictions that are clear and precise in regards to names, places, dates, events, etc. In my opinion, everything that Nostradamus wrote was vague and ambiguous, and can be interpreted in countless different ways;
3) Be right most (if not all) of the time. Somebody throwing darts blindfolded will hit the bullseye occasionally. There’s even a term for this: “The Jeane Dixon effect” (so many followers of Jeane Dixson were so impressed with her occasional correct predictions, that they ignored the many times when she was way off the mark);
4) Not have advanced knowledge that would influence the prediction. I’m sure that people who engage in insider trading can do a great job of prophesying stock prices.
So….has there ever been a true prophet?