Re: Prophecy/Future

From: Nick Brooke <Nick_Brooke_at_compuserve.com>
Date: Fri, 29 May 1998 06:25:34 +0100



Steve asks an old 'un:

> What is the status of Prophecy? and as a related question, how widely
> is the doctrine that Gods can't know the future spread? It seems to me
> that if no one, not even the gods, can see the future, then prophecy
> wouldn't get the same respect it does in the real world... How does
> prophecy get any respect if people know that even God doesn't have a
> clue what's going to happen next season?

Prophecy is about plans, intentions, and recurrences. It need not involve "foretelling the future". Your mother could prophesy, "You're going to be in big trouble when your father gets home"; or, "If you don't wrap up warm, you'll catch your death of cold." While your priest could prophesy, "Orlanth will smite the unrighteous with his impests and wind fists"; or, "Unless all true Sartarites worship Orlanth Lightbringer, the Voice of the Storm will be forever stilled."

The modern and misleading belief that prophecy is "foretelling the future" needs to be nipped in the bud. Instead, it is a predictive statement, based on the nature and (if you think they have such things) the intentions of the god concerned. Prophecy tends to be conditional ("Unless you do such and such, this bad thing will happen") or exhortative ("If you act thus and so, this good thing will happen"), rather than purely predictive ("This thing will happen, regardless").

And, of course, prophecy is subjective. Like Zzabur's "map of the future" (ho ho), it represents one side's preferred (or feared) outcome. By stating a prophecy, a priest or oracle or visionary intends to change the way his people behave -- if they don't pull their socks up and (stop being bad / start being good / pay attention to his warning), terrible things will happen -- or wonderful things won't.



Trotsky:

"Glorantha" surely means "all of Glorantha", not just "the Inner World of Glorantha". Or are the Spirit Plane, Hero Plane and God Plane "not parts of Glorantha"? (A bizarre notion).

Nick
:::: web: <http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Nick_Brooke>


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