What we can learn fron non-biblical prophet movements

Frequently a new religion comes into being by means of a prophet—a per-son feeling himself divinely commissioned, who has had divine revelations and feels compelled to inform his fellow men of them. Should people respond to his message a prophet movement is born, and it may then develop into a new religion. If a number of prophet movements are examined, so many of their features appear similar or identical that one is justified in speaking about a "prophet pattern". The different elements of this prophet pattern stand out clearly if we try to answer these three questions: 1. Which are the causes for the appearance of a prophet? 2. What is the significance of his message? What function does it have? 3. Why do certain prophets get followers, but not others