Okay. Do we agree that it should not?
Yes, and I accept those were authentic revelations.
I never said He doesn’t. I simply said that I error on the side of being skeptical of those who claim to have visions or who say, “God told me…”
You and I agree that Scripture talks about discerning when it comes to these types of things (1 John 4:1).
And we agree that just because someone believes a claim to be authentic or not authentic, it does not make is so or not so.
I too get frustrated when individuals do not answer my questions. So, I try to make a point of answering others’ questions. If my answers above still do not answer your question, keep pushing back, because it is not my intention to avoid answering your question, but rather to find common ground (and apparently poorly I’m gathering : )
I have no theological principles other than Scripture warning against false prophets. I have not historical principles other than examples of many false prophets who have duped or deceived the faithful.
Mary, like Jesus is concerned about Heavenly things. Humans are concerned about politics and the things of this world. So, when individuals claim Jesus or Mary is reveling things about worldly things, my default is to assume that these claims are influenced (either intentionally or unintentionally) by human nature.
The Church does not say that a faithful Catholic Christian must believe in approved apparitions (like Fatima, La Salette, or Akita) or non-approved apparitions (like Medjugorje). Agree?
There are many things stated in these alleged apparitions that are beneficial (even if humanly inspired). My Grandpa used to tell stories and when it got to the point of the story that had a moral dilemma, he would tell it as though he chose the right path and then my Grandma would chirp in and say, “That is not what really happened!” My Grandpa would just smirk. We knew that he was trying to teach us a life lesson, even though he may have made the wrong choice in his adolescence. Was my Grandpa bad for fabricating parts of his story? I feel the same way about apparitions. I believe these individuals are making it up (in many of the cases), but are doing so for a good reason. Does this make sense?
In other cases, the individual might be suffering from delusions or visions from transcendental meditation (hallucinations). I don’t think it is by accident that Nuns and those who spend hours in Prayer experience such visions.
While visiting friends on an Island that is known for partying youth, I heard stories from countless strangers who have had visions while on LSD and other psychedelics.
The human brain is an interesting thing and something that we do not fully understand. We also know that our brains fill in gaps when information is missing. If you have ever done some of those illusion puzzles, you have experienced how there might be a dot or line missing, but our brains see something there that is not truly there. Or when multiple individuals describe what they saw at a tragic event.
There were at least three individuals who described seeing blood on Charlie Kirk’s shirt and said that he had been shot in the chest. Neither of which are true. So, either they are in on a conspiracy, didn’t see anything and are only repeating what they heard others saw and presented it as though they had seen it, or their brains did this thing where it saw something that was not truly there.
Do these experiences prove that these apparitions are therefore untrue? No. Could they explain why they might not be true? Certainly.
I would never make the claim that an apparition is not true. How could I make that claim? Which is kind of your point is it not?
And I admitted twice to you that my claim that Mary would not have said something, that that was an over-assumption on my part. And it is something that I cannot prove. The same is true, though of those who state that Mary would absolutely say something or give secret knowledge.
So, here we are, both speculating what Mary would or would not say or did or likely did not say. And yet, I am not your enemy, nor do I see you as my enemy. Am I going to Hell if I error on the side of caution? Are you going to Hell for believing all in on every approved and/or non-approved apparition? I leave that up to God, but I would hope not.