DECEIVE: the dark side of PROPHESY. False prophets capitalize on the vulnerability of those who are open to connections to something beyond their own identity and relationships (often because they lack such connections). These wolves charismatically prey on people’s hopes for a Promised Land or fears of an Apocalypse with hypnotic visions of the future they claim to have special access to. It’s no wonder that modern people — secular and most religious too — generally reject prophetic claims as deceptive or silly.