Nostradamus: Do we listen or ignore him?

On October 28, 2007 the History Channel aired a documentary entitled The Lost Book of Nostradamus. The documentary interviews professors, historians, authors, and Nostradamus scholars about the recent discovery of a manuscript found in a public library in Rome, Italy.
For those of you who don’t know who Nostradamus was and why his work is so important, Nostradamus is “the go to guy for prophecies” as stated by one of the interviewed authors. He was born in 1503 and lived in the south of France. His fame comes late in life at the age of 45, when he first published his work in an almanac, which is like a modern day horoscope. The almanac was translated into languages and even read by royalty. He based his work off of the stars and celestial alignment. He is most famous for his predictions of the Great Fire of 1666 in London, the Atomic bombs, and even the assassination of JFK. As Victor Baines, the President of the Nostradamus Society in America puts it, “no doubt in my mind that Nostradamus was a true prophet”.
What are so interesting in this lost book are the water colors and Quatrains that predict important world events. The most famous prediction made in this book is that of the water color of a tall building engulfed in flames. In a deck of Tarot cards, the “burning tower card” illustrates total ruins and destruction. This water color is also linked to Quatrain I: 87 “Earth shaking fires from the World’s Center rear / Around New City the earth a quiver / Two nobles long shall wage a fruitless war / The nymph of springs pours forth a red river.” Another Quatrain predicts mass conflict based on religious and political opposition. Quatrain VI: 80 “From Fez shall ruler ship to Europe spread / Burning their cities, slashing with the sword. / By land and sea shall Asia’s kingly horde, / Blue-greed, hound Christians till they / drop down dead.” The current conflicts which have roots in opposing religious beliefs, give Nostradamus’s predictions an uncanny possibility.
Nostradamus also predicted three Anti-Christs. The first being Napoleon, the second Hitler, and the third a Muslim man from an Asian country thanks to a water color image. Nostradamus also predicted the end of the world in this recent lost book. The last seven images contain large amounts of symbolism and astrology significance. From the last seven images, it is concluded that Nostradamus predicts the apocalypse to be around 2012, the same year as many other civilizations around the world, such as the Mayan calender. There are other predictions made about the papacy and the Catholic Church, such as the short rule of Pope John Paul I and the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II.
But with such a great and controversial discovery comes skepticism. Peter Lemesurier, a Nostradamus scholar, says, “I don’t think Nostradamus did any painting at all, I don’t think he was capable of it. Nostradamus was a man of words… [not] a man of images”. Many other historians share this cynical view about the lost book. Studio Crisostom, located in Rome, specializes in the restoration and analysis of antique books. They have taken the tack of proving the authenticity of the lost book. Nostradamus’s son, Cesare, was known for his talent in painting and it is suspected that he drew the water colors instead.
Although the journey and authenticity of the book is uncertain, should we ignore Nostradamus’s predictions? Or should we prove Nostradamus wrong and try and stop whatever disaster lay ahead?
If you want more information visit http://www.history.com (for the History Channel homepage) and http://www.history.com/minisite.do?content_type=mini_home&mini_id=56121 (for the History Channel's Nostradamus page)