Bridge of Reason

There is something ugly about the prophesies of the cults. I don’t mean the fact that they raise people’s hopes only to dash them. We have seen this all too often. I mean the way these prophesies detract people from what really matters, so what really matters catches us napping. We have all seen the lists of failed and altered Watchtower prophesies . The Mormon Church has its own problems in the failed and altered prophesies of Joseph Smith . It is an ugly business. The Christian Church has form when it comes to false prophecy , from the Montanists, through the Anabaptists, to some of today’s Charismatic/Restorationist leaders. Charismatic Christians have recently had to deal with an abundance of false prophesies, with some self-styled prophets issuing apologies and taking flak for doing it. A whole industry has grown around the apocalyptic, From Hal Lindsey’s much revised The Late Great Planet Earth, to the Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins’ Left Behind books. It is miraculous that th...