by Steve Lussing

Created on: April 29, 2008

In many religions it is virtually a sin to question the worthiness of prophetic instruction, let alone the accuracy of the records of their words. The longer the time that has passed between the words of a prophet and the present, the more sacred that their words become. This leaves one to wonder, "Where are the prophets of today? Will anyone alive in our time be considered a prophet a thousand years from now?"

The truthful answer to that question is, of course, no. We are for the most part a literate and educated people who are not very likely to fall for the hypnotic influences of some charismatic icon beyond the e-talk glitz of celebrity status afforded those superficially known ones who populate the tabloids which occupy the magazine shelves of the corner convenience store today. They no doubt possessed the very same physical attributes that make one a popular Hollywood celebrity: a photogenic, physically healthy specimen with a sensuous disposition and a personality that might be construed as "magnetic".

Their only draw was the intangible, ethereal essence of that medium of the unknown that was needed to fill the same vacuous void in the thirsty hearts of teeny-boppers today - the yearning for a spiritual fulfillment associated only in those days with that domain wherein God dwelt because they knew of nothing else that offered respite from the primeval urges of lustful procreation - "Go ye forth and multiply!", and which in today's complicated society is represented by the yearning for a sensual fulfillment ostensibly realized by the heroes and heroines of the chintzy glamor of Hollywood gossip rags which represent the goal that all young hearts today want either fulfilled in some way or also realized.

Religions have accommodated doubt over the many centuries with rationalizations that have transcended even common sense. Sigmund Freud taught that religious doctrines were illusory, "the universal obsessional neurosis of humanity". He would say much the same today over the fanatical attention afforded to the likes of Miley Cyrus or David Bowie, that they occupy a niche in the hearts of a thirsty generation demanding expression of their ideals beyond what is real.

Everything has its place in the historical scheme of things. The prophets of old have inspired the institutions that have molded civilized progress. The Catholic church is a supreme example of the positive effects of tithing, for if its market capitalization were measured as the combined net worth

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