Prophesies, Attendance, and Religious Zeal

I’ve been amazed how religious people have been such a large part of my life as I’ve always walked to the beat of my own bagpiper when it comes to faith issues. If I thought that there was a reason behind things that we do, I’d be confounded by wondering if it was because they were supposed to influence me, or if I was supposed to be the one to influence them. It’s probably good that we all pretty much agree to disagree.

From time-to-time, I’m confronted with people who are much beholden about prophesy. Such and such a thing is bound to happen because prophesy says so. Apocalyptic fundamentalists of all faiths are possibly the most grievous practitioners of this. They always seem to think that an end is coming—usually “soon”—and it’s up to them to do something to help it along. They see little except the righteousness of their “knowledge” of what is to come.

I have a problem with relying on any religion’s prophesy.  First, and foremost, is that seldom, if ever, is a prophesy ever unambiguous unless that prophesy was penned after the events prophesied happened (which makes the prophet’s job a wee bit easier). Often prophesies are vague truisms that are bound to happen regardless of any divine insight by the teller. Here, let me give it a try:

• There will be a conflict between the old city and the new city which will end in fire and much death
  (gee… vague much?)
• The powers of evil will only be defeated after a protracted conflict, but the powers of light will prevail.
  (By definition…if you are the winners, you will perceive yourself as the power of light.)
• A great power will fall as the beast eats it from within; the true believers dancing on the remains.
  (All empires eventually fall, often due to internal corruption and incompetence—this tends to led to much rejoicing by those who considered themselves ill-used.)
• A great leader will emerge from among you, speak the truth which will lead you to salvation.
  (Again, it’s that whole winner thing. If it doesn’t happen, or fails, it is forgotten.)

And so forth. It isn’t hard to be a prophet if you look at human history. Though it is usually in a changed form, history always repeats itself.

Beyond the vagueness, the desperation that people have about prophesy amazes me. A true prophesy, by definition, cannot be thwarted. It is inevitable and certain to happen regardless of what anyone tries to do about it. When people try to help prophesy along, I get nervous. You are never sure what prophesies are true and which are false until after the fact. If you try to make successful a false prophesy, you can easily make things so much worse.

True prophesy will take care of itself.

But that’s the crux of the problem, you see. Most of the people who call themselves “believers” don’t really believe. If you truly believe then you have no need to be reminded, nor do you need validation, nor do you need to force prophesy. And yet, every sabbath (or equivalent) hordes gather to bask in the validation of others believing as they do. They thirst to have someone tell them what their belief is…for it helps to re-enforce and strengthen their connection with that which is greater. But the true believer is already strong. Many of the most faithful people I have ever met don’t go to any church because they are their church. They have an understanding that eclipses the concept of weekly congregation (or equivalent) because they are in congress with that which is greater every moment of their lives and have no need to assert their own ego to shout about it.

I will admit that I do have a weakness of character when people win something and they thank or praise one deity or the other. What?  You really think they favored you? Did [insert deity name here] really make the relay team drop their baton and urge you to victory? Was that bobbled reception caused not by inattention, but because you prayed harder that you’d win? Seriously?

It seems to me that this sort of what some consider to be benign proselytizing has an insidious nature. Some use it like a club of separation. Whether it is a segregation in the lunch room or a legal fight about a display or going to war, this sort of separation doesn’t seem to be in the spirit of what these faiths are supposed to be about.

There is a basic lack of understanding that it is faith itself which matters, not the details of that faith. As with food, there are many varieties of cuisine, but in the end they all serve to nourish and sustain. The marvelous thing is that the essence of the world’s faiths is so easy to distill: Be good to others; try to not be afraid. That’s it.