Skeptics, do you believe that all prophets are frauds?

Please explain why you think all or most prophets are frauds? Do you at least think people like Nostradamus or Edgar Cayce are truly genuine?

Any unproven religious or similar propositions deserve as much disbelief as all other unproven propositions, and that the unprovability of a prophet's claims does not imply equal probability of either possibility.

It's also interesting how interpretations of nostradamus texts were only made to match past events after they had happened. Since interpretations have not yet been made in advance, with accurate results, then it's purely on the manner someone interpretes a vague set of texts, to what is actually predicted.

I remember many predictions of WW3 in 2006 based on nostradamus, and then it was 2008, and it's now probably 2009. Well, eventually it might become correct if we keep modifying the prediction, but really that's just cheating!

[edit on 18-9-2009 by john124]

i think Egar Cayce was genuine because he was psychic. Nostradamus on the other hand, his predictions could be interpreted in any way, to fit any purpose. They were just shots in the dark, but if he was right well bugger me.

reply to post by The Killah29


What's the evidence that he was a psychic?

Maybe he believed he was, but certainly if someone were to be proven a psychic then they would be able to tell us future events. Has anyone ever predicted future events using what they claim to be psychic abilities?

Until a psychic comes out with a list that has the following:

1. The event that happens in detail
2. Names of people involved
3. Actual dates that the event will happen
4. The actual place the event will happen

And they are actually correct and not "Vague" with their prediction I will remain a skeptic and laugh at pretty much all predictions that people throw out there.

Basically everybody is a prophet until they get it wrong, then they just say they were off...here is the new date/event, of which is wrong again.

I just wish I could have called the UW vs. USC game today...I could have made some good coin with that one

reply to post by sphinx551


It should be pointed out that prophecy in general is the ability of a person to be able to figure out the chain of events based on a given or a number of given causes and determine the possible if not inevitable results.

True supernatural prophecy would include the ability to reveal something which MUST happen regardless of the many possibilities.

As far as I can tell, the Bible is the only set of documents that claims the existence of this true form of supernatural prophecy, especially regarding the Messiah.

Arthur Clarke "prophesied" the use of communications satellites. Does that count? I don't think so. Any prophesies which reach fruition are either; a) predictions based on a good grasp of science (the way things work) and/or human nature, or b) only discovered in retrospect via judicious interpretation.

BTW, Clarke hasn't done so well on other predictions.
www.dimaggio.org...

[edit on 9/20/2009 by Phage]

Originally posted by sphinx551
Please explain why you think all or most prophets are frauds? Do you at least think people like Nostradamus or Edgar Cayce are truly genuine?

No not at all....

The reason is because we always pick and choose AFTER THE FACT what fits their obscured ramblings of predictions.

A truly genuine prophecy would be for, let’s say Nostradamus, to say in the first part of the 1900s there will be a world war followed by a second world war 20 years later with Germany and Japan losing their battle of global dominance. Nostradamus was French and would have known Germany and Europe very well, so he could have given a very accrete account to all his predictions, but he was so vague we could apply just about anything to them, and we do.

Not all "Prophets" are charletans. To answer this you must first define "Prophet". According to Oxford's a prophet is 1. an inspired teacher or proclaimer of the will of God. 2 a person who predicts the future.

Therefore, I say yes there are real "Prophets" those who teach an inspired truth. They can be your pastors, priests, teachers etc... These are the Prophets that can really affect our lives. They are not necessairly people who predict the futur.

Unfortunelty within those people that do predict the future we find to many charletans. I do infact believe that some people have inspired visions of future events. We here at ATS must carefully judge the motiviations and/or the phyco-state of those who spout their "prophetic" predictions.

Just remember that to prophetize a Prophet is not bound by messages of doom and gloom. I guess it's just more "fun" to allow ourselves to be scared by it.

Originally posted by john124


I remember many predictions of WW3 in 2006 based on nostradamus, and then it was 2008, and it's now probably 2009. Well, eventually it might become correct if we keep modifying the prediction, but really that's just cheating!

Well, maybe the years are "off" or interpreted wrong.

or

Nostradamus made some false predictions because maybe he didn't want to be too right all the time to the point of being spooky.