That doesn\u2019t mean people don\u2019t function as prophets in all these traditions \u2013 because they do.<\/p>\n
Most do their work quietly, telling those who care to listen what they see and what they think it means. They don\u2019t want the attention that being a public figure entails, and they\u2019re uncomfortable with people treating them like an authority figure. Once or twice being treated like Cassandra<\/a> and they start keeping their prophecies to themselves.<\/p>\n Others find they like the attention and accolades. They believe in their message, and it makes them feel good to see it being spread far and wide. And that\u2019s OK\u2026 most of the time.<\/p>\n But sometimes, prophets forget that the important thing is the message, not the messenger. They forget that while their inspiration may be divine, they remain fallible humans.<\/p>\n And then things start going downhill.<\/p>\n When Pagans talk about prophets and prophecy they\u2019re often thinking of oracles<\/a>, people who serve as mouthpieces for the Gods. Sometimes this communication happens in ritual. Other times a deity grabs someone and says \u201cgo tell that person I said this.\u201d Either way, the job of the oracle is simple: relay the message as close to verbatim as possible. That can be a challenge, because the Gods don\u2019t always speak in words.<\/p>\n An oracle doesn\u2019t have to understand the message \u2013 sometimes they\u2019re not supposed to understand it. They just have to relay it.<\/p>\n A prophet has a more complicated job. Perhaps their message begins with a God telling them something. But it may be their own intuition, or their mundane observations and analysis. Or some combination of all of those sources.<\/p>\n Once a prophet has their message, they have to deliver it, to an audience that may or may not want to hear it.<\/p>\n There\u2019s always a bit of selling involved with delivering a prophetic message. Not just telling people what will happen (or what is happening) but persuading them how to respond. \u201cIf you do X, then Y will happen\u201d \u2013 and presumably, Y is something good. Or \u201cif you don\u2019t do A, then B will happen\u201d \u2013 and B is bad.<\/p>\n When the connection between cause and effect is ordinary and tangible, the claims are easier to verify. When they\u2019re supernatural, they\u2019re harder to test.<\/p>\n Over time, some prophets start to develop a following. Let\u2019s be honest \u2013 some prophets just tell people what they want to hear. But other prophets turn out to be correct at a high rate. Some have a special insight into a particularly complicated or important situation. Whatever the reason, people start to follow them, to one degree or another.<\/p>\n And that makes for an unpleasant situation if things turn sour.<\/p>\n Last week, a transcript was circulated from a presentation by a well-known prophet (he would not claim that title, but it\u2019s what he is) that denied the reality of the Covid pandemic and called for \u2013 or at least, predicted \u2013 violence against those who insist on masks and social distancing. The extent of the fallout has yet to be determined, and we will probably never know how much of his following decides that\u2019s enough.<\/p>\n I\u2019m not going to name him for several reasons, not the least of which is that this isn\u2019t just about him. It\u2019s also about another prophet who was very helpful as I was moving into Pagan leadership \u2013 he\u2019s gone over to the alt right and is now spreading conspiracy theories. And there are others.<\/p>\n What happened? Where did they go wrong?<\/p>\n When we hear about religious and spiritual leaders getting in trouble for sexual misconduct, there\u2019s usually a quiet track record of abusive behavior. They were always predators \u2013 they finally got caught.<\/p>\n But with fallen prophets, there was usually a time when they were doing good work. They had a good message that helped people understand complicated situations and figure out their place in the world. And then something changed.<\/p>\n With these fallen prophets, my strongest reaction was disappointment. These were people who helped me make sense of the world. One of them I considered a friend. And there are others, some Pagan and some not.<\/p>\n I want to know what happened. Why do good prophets fall?<\/p>\n I see several possible reasons.<\/p>\n The first is a lack of devotion. Prophecy doesn\u2019t always involve direct communication from a God or spirit, but it\u2019s always the work of the Gods. It\u2019s a sacred responsibility. Without a strong, committed devotional practice it\u2019s easy to forget that and start to think it\u2019s about you. It isn\u2019t.<\/p>\n We often think of prophets as lone voices \u201ccrying in the wilderness.\u201d But even prophets need friends and families \u2013 they need somebody to keep them grounded, somebody they can\u2019t ignore when their friends say \u201cI think you\u2019re getting off track here.\u201d Some prophets fall because of a lack of human oversight.<\/p>\n Many times, being a prophet is a short-term thing. Someone has a prophecy for one time, one issue, or one set of conditions. They got it exactly right one time, but the next time is outside of their expertise\u2026 or outside the realm of the deity who called them. And so their prophecies don\u2019t have the credibility they used to, and the no-longer-a-prophet either doesn\u2019t recognize it, or can\u2019t let go.<\/p>\n And that\u2019s because being a prophet can be a rush. While some people aren\u2019t comfortable with the attention, others love it. They get used to the accolades and they don\u2019t want to give them up. And so they keep making prophecies they have no business making, or worse, they deny reality and insist their prophecies are true when they aren\u2019t.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t know which \u2013 if any \u2013 of these reasons are behind this most recent fallen prophet. I just know someone who used to have great insight into the workings of the world is now denying reality and suggesting violence.<\/p>\n And that\u2019s a shame.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t have to be a prophet to know some of you are thinking \u201csee \u2013 this is why we shouldn\u2019t have prophets.\u201d<\/p>\n Good luck with that. There have been prophets and prophecies around the world throughout all of history. We have every reason to expect the Gods will continue to call some of them, and others will continue to arise from their own observations and intuition.<\/p>\n You don\u2019t have to listen to them. If they don\u2019t make sense, or if what they propose is unethical, you shouldn\u2019t listen to them.<\/p>\n But when someone\u2019s words resonate with you, when they seem to be hearing from the same Gods and spirits who speak to you, when they give you insight into complicated situations, you will listen. And that\u2019s OK.<\/p>\n But there may come a time when you should stop listening.<\/p>\n The only religious titles I claim are Druid<\/a> and priest<\/a>. I have no desire to be a prophet.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/243\/2021\/01\/New-Years-2021-16.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nOracles and prophets are different roles<\/h2>\n
The fall of a contemporary prophet<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/243\/2021\/01\/0926-220-Caprock-Canyon.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nWhy good prophets fall<\/h2>\n
Should we even have prophets?<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/243\/2021\/01\/New-Years-2021-17.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nAm I a prophet?<\/h2>\n