Prophets don’t expect the God-haters to receive them, and are hardly shocked at when they do not. How can they receive prophets? I mean, what does a prophet have to say to The World that The World hasn’t already heard?
Jesus gave us a great example when He encountered those in His own hometown who refused to receive Him as Messiah, prophesied about in Isaiah 61. Those people could not see Jesus as Messiah because they knew Him from His childhood and also by His foster father’s reputation. Indeed, to this day, prophets are without honor in their own hometowns. Nothing about that has changed! Yikes!
I think you missed the point of the strip. The point is that a person being rejected as a prophet does not prove that he is a prophet. It is the logical fallacy of affirming the consequent.
affirming the consequent is a logical fallacy. In a conditional proposition (if A then B) B does not assume A. this fallacy is assuming A when B occurs (B therefore A).
A common example is if it rains(a) then the street will be wet(b). The street is wet(b) therefore it rained(a). The street could be wet from someone watering their lawn, not necessarily from rain.
Thanks for the comment Molong, and thanks for checking out my blog. I don’t know if what you are saying is universally true, but the point I was making is that being rejected as a prophet does not mean that a person is indeed a prophet.
@Dan, I have heard many believers point to opposition alone as proof that what they have to say is from God. Yes, prophets will be opposed but not everyone who is opposed is a prophet. I oppose Moon, does that make him a prophet?
@Molong, I think I get your point. This is what Jesus called testifying of yourself. When someone comes in their own name and claims divine authority based on there own witness. If someone is a prophet then God will witness this fact through the Holy Spirit’s work.
Jn10:37-38 “If I don’t do the works of my Father, don’t believe me. But if I do them, though you don’t believe me, believe the works; that you may know and believe that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.”
Wow, some of you see very subtle content here! All I saw was the judgement on the part of the ‘prophet’ to the effect that anyone who rejected his message for whatever reason had to be a God-hater. Perhaps this cartoon is a sort of shibboleth to sort out readers who are prophets from the rest.
Judges 12:5-6(NET) The Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan River opposite Ephraim. Whenever an Ephraimite fugitive said, “Let me cross over,” the men of Gilead asked him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he said, “No,” then they said to him, “Say ‘Shibboleth!’ ” If he said, “Sibboleth” (and could not pronounce the word correctly), they grabbed him and executed him right there at the fords of the Jordan…
I never thought of what the self-proclaimed prophet was saying about the doubter (even though I wrote the strip!), that is a great point. I was simply trying to point out that being doubted does not mean you are a prophet, but you rightly also point out that doubting does not mean you are a God-hater. That is a really great observation, thanks!
But I think that is the logical thing that a self-proclaimed prophet would say regarding those who doubt his legitimacy. He would have to marginalize those who attempt to marginalize him. In so doing he definitely sets himself apart as not being an oracle of God at that time, even if he/she does, in fact, carry the gifting to BE a prophet.
Prophets don’t expect the God-haters to receive them, and are hardly shocked at when they do not. How can they receive prophets? I mean, what does a prophet have to say to The World that The World hasn’t already heard?
Jesus gave us a great example when He encountered those in His own hometown who refused to receive Him as Messiah, prophesied about in Isaiah 61. Those people could not see Jesus as Messiah because they knew Him from His childhood and also by His foster father’s reputation. Indeed, to this day, prophets are without honor in their own hometowns. Nothing about that has changed! Yikes!
I think you missed the point of the strip. The point is that a person being rejected as a prophet does not prove that he is a prophet. It is the logical fallacy of affirming the consequent.
Of course I missed the point of this strip. How could it be otherwise?
I’m trying to figure out your closing line:
“It is the logical fallacy of affirming the consequent.”
You’re simply much smarterer than I be.
affirming the consequent is a logical fallacy. In a conditional proposition (if A then B) B does not assume A. this fallacy is assuming A when B occurs (B therefore A).
A common example is if it rains(a) then the street will be wet(b). The street is wet(b) therefore it rained(a). The street could be wet from someone watering their lawn, not necessarily from rain.
When someone says he is a prophet, then he is not. John the baptist when ask if he is one of the prophets, his answer is no.
Thanks for the comment Molong, and thanks for checking out my blog. I don’t know if what you are saying is universally true, but the point I was making is that being rejected as a prophet does not mean that a person is indeed a prophet.
“When someone says he is a prophet, then he is not.”
That statement holds no water whatsoever.
@Dan, I have heard many believers point to opposition alone as proof that what they have to say is from God. Yes, prophets will be opposed but not everyone who is opposed is a prophet. I oppose Moon, does that make him a prophet?
@Molong, I think I get your point. This is what Jesus called testifying of yourself. When someone comes in their own name and claims divine authority based on there own witness. If someone is a prophet then God will witness this fact through the Holy Spirit’s work.
Jn10:37-38 “If I don’t do the works of my Father, don’t believe me. But if I do them, though you don’t believe me, believe the works; that you may know and believe that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.”
Dan,
So good, and so correct in terms of the logical fallacy.
I have learned that a genuine prophet (New Covenant) most often doesn’t recognize he is a prophet, but those with whom he fellowships do!
He/she will NEVER have to announce to anyone that he/she is a prophet!
Aussiejohn, that has definitely been my experience as well, just as with leaders, the best ones don’t need to tell anyone to follow them.
Wow, some of you see very subtle content here! All I saw was the judgement on the part of the ‘prophet’ to the effect that anyone who rejected his message for whatever reason had to be a God-hater. Perhaps this cartoon is a sort of shibboleth to sort out readers who are prophets from the rest.
Judges 12:5-6(NET) The Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan River opposite Ephraim. Whenever an Ephraimite fugitive said, “Let me cross over,” the men of Gilead asked him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he said, “No,” then they said to him, “Say ‘Shibboleth!’ ” If he said, “Sibboleth” (and could not pronounce the word correctly), they grabbed him and executed him right there at the fords of the Jordan…
I never thought of what the self-proclaimed prophet was saying about the doubter (even though I wrote the strip!), that is a great point. I was simply trying to point out that being doubted does not mean you are a prophet, but you rightly also point out that doubting does not mean you are a God-hater. That is a really great observation, thanks!
But I think that is the logical thing that a self-proclaimed prophet would say regarding those who doubt his legitimacy. He would have to marginalize those who attempt to marginalize him. In so doing he definitely sets himself apart as not being an oracle of God at that time, even if he/she does, in fact, carry the gifting to BE a prophet.