(02-18-2017, 08:49 AM)Adriano Neres Rodrigues Wrote: I mean that in one moment we had the freewill to make our choices but someone has the power to go the future and see the choices we will make and just tell us in advance (as a prophecy). The point here (the hardest thing to understand) is our concept about the time. We see the time as something that is being created now. My point is that the time was already created and everything with all choices had already happened.
It's a very interesting question. I wanted to add something here by talking about a 20th century occurrence regarding prophecies.
I watched a program not real long ago about the Fatima prophecies. You probably know about these, Adriano. The story involves three children who were visited by the Virgin Mary in 1917, who told them three secrets. The first was that hell really exists and sinners go there. The second was that WW1 would soon end to be followed by an even greater war if people didn't cease offending God. The third prophecy was not to be revealed until 1960, but was not officially revealed until 2000. According to the prophecy, the Pope was supposed to be killed by a group of soldiers. While the Pope was attacked, he was not killed.
Going back to 1960 for a moment, Paul John XXIII supposedly read the prophecy and would not release it, stating it did not apply to him. What some believe is that the prophecy revealed the Church would be betrayed by the Pope and as a result, would completely fall apart. It is thought that the Pope chose not to reveal this to the public because he felt Catholics would run amok or go insane or kill themselves over the news. There is controversy and skepticism because Catholics feel the prophecy has been altered or it has not been revealed at all.
The program I watched indicated that the last surviving child was approached and asked to document her memories of the event. She was quite elderly when she was approached, but wrote what amounted to a half a page of information. Yet when the church finally revealed the prophecy in 2000, there were several pages of information communicated.
The Church has stated that Catholics are not required to believe in the events at Fatima as they are not Church doctrine.
Here are prophecies that are religious in nature, but the head of the Church states followers do not have to believe in them. I wanted to bring this up because I wondered what your thoughts are on something like this.
For instance, these children say the Virgin Mary foretold these events. So, using your post as a yardstick, Mary has seen the future and returned to 1917. She was not stating a prophecy, but instead was issuing a warning based on what she saw the future. So who then made this into a prophecy?
This thing could go so many ways. I thought it would be interesting to discuss, but I have to admit, I have no idea how to even begin on this one!
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