text: can warlords (military leaders) be prophets? suppose someone today made up a religion. this person declared himself a prophet and started a new cult. heres all you know about this man:  * hes a warlord. * he owns slaves. * he had 800 jewish prisoners beheaded. * he lead 26 battles of war. * in his fifties, he married and bedded a child of 9.  this warlord's religion also declares that everything the warlord has done (see list above) is the perfect standard of behavior for all followers to emulate for all time.  given the above, is there enough here to reject the authenticity of the religion or is it at least possible that god would appoint such a man to be his main representative? i doubt that god would use a man so violent.