Can some people really take a peek into a futuristic window where they can witness events that are about to come? With the exception of prophets ordained by God in the Bible (that's the way they're seen and viewed by Bible believers, at least), nobody has ever demonstrated to be accurate in telling future events.
Nostradamus, the most popular modern prophet as claimed by the media among others, was actually declared by the scientific community as a fraud. He declared predictions that appear to come true, but all of them are undated, which makes his prophecies not credible enough. What good is a set of future events if the dates when they're supposed to happen are not told?
So how did the likes of Nostradamus foresee events like natural calamities, political leader assassinations, ship-sinkings, and wars? Answer– because anybody can, yes, anybody! How? You may ask. Simple, by studying:
Social groups and various cultures – By gathering facts from various races all over the world, anyone with a moderately analytical mind can figure out how some groups of people could and would normally hurt each other because of greed, lust for power, thoughts of a hostile takeover, or for some reason about how a particular race unleash their being. Knowing this, it is quite understandable that it could result in killings and assassinations, especially among high-profile individuals.
Historical backgrounds – Historians became as such because they understood that history can help us create patterns for anticipating the future. In the case of fortune-tellers and false-prophets, they find the data given by historians to be extremely useful as they were able to use it in their alleged predictions.
Through intensive research, anyone can understand that natural disasters, the sinking of ships, and crashing of airplanes are usual recurring events. Unless these fortune-tellers can give specific dates and places, their prophecies are nothing but assumptions.
Current local/international events – Wars and political clashes might not be predicted to the letter, but they can be foretold by answering simple questions like What nations are currently in conflict? What are the powers and capabilities of such nations and their allies? What are the behaviors and psychological profiles of their leaders? If these points are addressed cleverly, the possible wars and army-related conflicts could be easily determined.
How Nostradamus was brought to the top of his game could also be due to the fact that he was ahead of anyone during his time. He was a forward-thinker, a radical who got popular and was highly heeded upon. He studied and thought like no one else before him which earned him his seemingly prophetic skills. To anyone who is not on his intellectual level, he seemed impressive enough. To a more observant mind though, his feats are plainly analytical in nature.
Here’s an article that I published before which tells about false prophets.
The preachers listed on that post don't need debunking since they already have spoken their falsity for themselves. However, we can't help but wonder: What drove these men to face possible media ridicule? What kind of force pushed them into making outrageous claims which led to the disappointment of many of their followers?
What gave them the courage to speak so confidently of doomsday which led to the destruction of many lives? By thinking from a psychological and philosophical standpoint, we can find the following reasons easy to believe:
They are consumed by a 'messiah complex disorder' – This is defined by psychologists as a state of mind in which a person firmly believes that he is meant to guide lost souls, speak out grand words of divine wisdom, or ultimately save humanity. In order to achieve such an end, they would need to grant their followers the 'ultimate redemption' or whatever grand phenomenon that their group needs so their being 'a true religion' can be proven to non-believers.
They are experiencing delusions of grandeur – Because of their 'messianic' self-affirmations, these preachers would most likely fall into narcissism. (excessive self-love) Once hooked into this feeling, they would refuse to admit error or listen to sound reason or any outside suggestion.
Anyone who grew up closely with many religious leaders would certainly have noticed that some of these biblical heralds present themselves as the 'know-it-all-types.' As a kid, I remember hearing one pastor complaining about the removal of a grammatically incorrect tagline he wanted to post on a church bulletin.
He claimed it's improper for his members to correct him like that since he is the head of the church. This is an example that people holding high leadership positions could be too proud to admit they've made a mistake.
Their disciples are hardcore-blind followers – Having gathered a considerable number of believers, these religious leaders would feel a sense of power and great authority. Many of the followers would most likely be under the 'hero worship mentality' – they become blind disciples because they are under the illusion that their leader is infallible. Other members may also be under a huge unpayable debt that can’t be exactly paid by money.
Most of these preachers are materially generous– they offer financial help and livelihood to their members which radically brought some of them from rags to riches. Anyone who was witnessed himself having a totally changed life in both material and spiritual would find it easy to etch in his mind that his divine leader is a true messenger of God. He would believe anything his 'idol' would say and would probably be willing to die for his cause.
We could still discuss and analyze other aspects here like horoscopes and similar stuff, but I guess we now have the understanding that they are employed just the same. If you're a skeptic like me, maybe you're wishing that the people practicing the methods mentioned above should just stop.
However, I'm resting upon the realization that they would never do. Why? Because some people can't be stopped from patronizing their works either. “As long as there are preys, there will always be hunters”, so the saying goes.
Most of these spiritualists appear to be good public figures who don't demand specific monetary rewards, thereby adding points to their charisma. Even drug cartel leaders and gambling lords who have tainted images by default are admired and vouched by some people because of their philanthropic work. You can imagine how easy it would be for spiritual leaders to gather followers who can easily be summoned and blinded to do their bidding.
Before you leave, let me add this:
As someone who has been studying superstitious beliefs and supernatural elements for many years, I came to this conclusion: they’re not real. Stuffs like kulam, gayuma, aswang, duwende, and engkanto are simply pigments of people’s imaginations.
I’ve been looking for concrete evidence of their existence for so many years, still, I haven’t found any. All I heard are hearsays and illogical stories. In my next posts, I will be talking about them so watch out… it will be a very exciting ride.
Nosebleed gyud ko permi sa iyang mga articles oy. 🥴