Q&A: On Divine Inspiration
On Divine Inspiration
Question
Hello and blessings,
In recent years we have been witnessing a phenomenon in which people identified as possessing “divine inspiration” fail in sins of the very worst kind, while using “spiritual” manipulations on the victims.
What is the source of this dangerous distortion?
Can “divine inspiration” fill the role of idol worship, which is worshipped in order to permit sexual prohibitions? If so, what is the distinction between the two, and is the unavoidable conclusion that excessive spirituality is dangerous (the farther a person is from earthly life, the more dangerous he is)?
With blessings,
Answer
Hello B.,
I did not completely understand your question. It is clear that when there is charisma and people admire those who have charisma, this is a dangerous breach that is easy to exploit. That does not mean that spirituality is always invalid, but rather that it is usually dangerous and one must be careful with it. I do not understand the identification you are making between divine inspiration and idol worship. Has everyone who ever had divine inspiration been an idol worshipper? Or was he worshipped? And what about a prophet?
And third, I do not understand what it means that divine inspiration can permit sexual prohibitions. Do you mean that this would actually be permitted for those with divine inspiration? That is nonsense. Do you mean that in practice this is sometimes exploited for that purpose? Certainly yes. We can see it with our own eyes. Therefore I do not understand these questions.
Where does the assumption come from that they had divine inspiration to begin with, rather than it simply being a mistake to think so?
By contrast, there are quite a few people who mistakenly think they have divine inspiration because of a neurological problem stemming from epilepsy.