C.S. Lewis, the famous Christian writer and apologist once posed a trilemma he claimed proved the divinity of Jesus Christ. He postulated that someone making the claims Jesus made (as accounted in the New Testament) was either a lunatic, a liar, or Lord.
Christ either deceived mankind by conscious fraud, or He was Himself deluded and self-deceived, or He was Divine. There is no getting out of this trilemma. It is inexorable.
These three options are clearly plausible options, but where Lewis and I part ways is the last sentence of his quote. Lewis states that these are the only three possible options to someone making the claims Jesus made. But there are so many other options. Jesus could have been evil, he could have been a devil or Satan. Jesus could have had a mental disorder (something that would have gone completely unnoticed in his day, before Western medicine). I suppose that would be covered under self-deceived (maybe with an *). He could be a combination of two of the options presented by Lewis. He could have been a lunatic and a liar. What about a crazy Lord? Is that not possible? What if Jesus was a Lord but unfortunately he is just one of many Lords throughout human history. So does this trilemma apply to the other humans who claimed divinity throughout human history? Jesus could have been an extraterrestrial. What if the Jesus of the Bible wasn't real to begin with. There is evidence that supports this. It's by no means conclusive but it's a plausible option. You see the problem with this. It's narrow-minded to say it must be one of the three options.
Then we can apply this to almost anything. At Barnes & Noble the other day I picked up a copy of the newest non-fiction book on the afterlife called Heaven Is Real, But So Is Hell by Vassula Ryden. The author's credentials are "an author, renowned speaker, and mystic." She asserts that she has experienced the supernatural forces that shapes all of our lives. In one synopsis of the book it says, "The book answers many of the questions that people have been asking for thousands of years and at the same time offers a glimpse into God's love and justice, and of what is soon to come." This book is under the religion/prophecy section at your local bookstore (if you still have one). Ignoring the obvious problem of hallucinations, NDE, or other brain functions, this book is considered by the faithful as an air-tight case for the Christian view of the afterlife.
What is stopping us to applying the Lewis trilemma to this author? The author who wrote this and makes these extraordinary claims (without any extraordinary evidence) of "seeing" hell, demons, and angels, this author who can prophecy the future of all humanity and the intentions of supernatural beings, can be held to the same standard. She is either a lunatic for making these claims. She is either a liar for making these claims. Or she is Lord? Ok that one doesn't work. Jesus was saying that he was lord and this woman is not but she IS saying she is a prophet so we can replace "Lord" with "Prophet". Either Vassula Ryden is a lunatic, a liar, or a prophet. However, as I've pointed out, these are not the only options. The author could have a mental disorder (a claim that can be easily tested with modern medical practices). She could be a devil herself, or even Satan. What if the author was actually Lord. There is that remote possibility. What if she was reincarnated? What about a reptilian alien? As you see, the Lewis trilemma is faulty logic in both cases, when applied to anything and anyone making any claims. It's demonstrably over-simplified.
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