Monday, December 19, 2011

Heresy vs. False Prophecy

I recently learned that there is a colossal difference between heretics and false prophets.  Heresy means that the doctrine is different (witness the Albigensians and Agnostics).  False Prophecy is where someone claims to be speaking God's word but is really lying (witness the Prosperity Gospel). 

Heresy is where the doctrine is completely different from the what Gospel says.  This is where you get all the creepy and annoying cults.  And these people blur the truth by saying such things as "It doesn't matter what you do; you'll go to Heaven anyway".   The Albigensians claimed that only the spiritual world was created by God and that the physical world was made the devil.  This is heresy.  God made both the spiritual and physical worlds. 
Dante placed the heretics in the sixth circle where they are trapped in flaming tombs.  The idea here is that the heretics deny the Resurrection.  No surprise.

False Prophecy includes such lies as the Prosperity Gospel.  People who teach this claim that God only wants you to be happy.  Bullshark.  Jesus specifically said that following him entails suffering and persecution.  It's hard for me personally to accept persecution as part of the deal, but I know it's there and should expect even though it pushes my berserk buttons.  But those who preach prosperity gloss it over and portray the Christian life as pleasant from beginning to end. 
Dante placed false prophets in Circle Eight, Bolgia Four with diviners, soothsayers, fortune-tellers, and other frauds who tries to see the future via forbidden means.  Their heads are turned backwards on their bodies and are compelled to walk/run backwards and keep bumping into each other. 

Watch out for these folks.  As Jesus said, "By their fruits you will know them."  And this particular lot do not produce good fruit; they produce poisonous fruit.  And they will destroy you if you listen to them.

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