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Prophecy

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Preach to the choir
Religion
Icon religion.svg
Crux of the matter
Speak of the devil
An act of faith

Prophecy is speaking for God or for the gods (pro- meaning for), sometimes involving predicting the future (pro- meaning before in time), often using "impending doom" and "fires of destruction" and "destruction of the world" as the culminating theme. Prophecies are usually reserved for important figures like kings and leaders and of course generally predict the downfall of bad rulers and the eventual return of "all that is Good and True" if and only if the "people" follow the right "path".

Prophecy is often a result of the prophet's dreams, altered states, or high levels of stress in their life.

In fiction

Fantastical fiction (including some forms of sci-fi) often features ancient prophecies, frequently involving a "chosen one" who will triumph over evil in some way or restore a balance that was lost a long time ago. Such messianic prophecies are readily believed without question by the people in these stories, and invariably turn out to be correct.

In the real world

In the real world, prophecies tend to be open to interpretation and skepticism. They are also a lot more vague so they can be shoehorned to fit whatever actually happens. Examples include:

  • The ambiguous Delphic oracle, popular during the last millennium BCE. A drugged priestess mumbled and male priests interpreted what she said in ways that could fit a wide range of events. [1] [2]
  • The cryptic ramblings of Nostradamus, whose 'predictions' of future events can only be figured out properly after such events have already happened.

Famous prophecies

See also

External links

References