It doesn't seem to matter how old you are, what nationality or religious belief you have, you can see an Angel. Stories have been around for hundreds, if not thousands years regarding visitations of these winged beings. Some are beautiful and fill you with the most peaceful, inspiring feelings imagined, while others are nasty horrible creatures that give the viewer immense feelings of despire. I see this as the balance of good and bad, holy and evil etc....
But what is this about?Why do people who have no apparent link to Christianity, see Angels? They are after all a representation of the Christian faith, or are they.
So many things we in Christian Society take for granted have their origins on old religions such as Paganism, Christmas and Easter to name two. Images and characters we commonly associate with the Bible also started in this old faith. Characters such as the Devil have for 2000 years been modeled on the image of the Green Man from ancients religions.
Demons such as the Incubus and Succubus have their origins in times well before Christianity.
One of the earliest mention of an incubus comes from Mesopotamia on the Sumerians king's list, ca. 2400, where the hero Gilgamesh's father is listed as Lilu. It is said that Lilu disturbs and seduces women in their sleep, while Lilitu, a female demon, appears to men in their erotic dreams. Two other corresponding demons appear as well, Ardat lili, who visits men by night and begets ghostly children from them, and Irdu lili, who is known as a male counterpart to Ardat lili and visits women by night and begets from them. These demons were originally storm demons, but they eventually became regarded as night demons due to mistaken etymology.These things were absorbed by early Christians in order to give local villagers, who followed the Old Ways, an easier transition to the new faith. Christmas and Easter where given their timings to fit the villagers feasts and festivals. The Gods and Goddesses of the old ways where given new Christian names and the images merged into the new faith in order to make it all so much less confusing for the average person.
But the Christan faith is not alone, through all religions you can see merging of the Old Ways into new faiths, Islamic, Judaism, Hindi, Buddhist, and all other mainstream religions. Even today with the emergence of new variations on the Christian faith such as Pentecostal Churches, How this works, The Bible or instruction manual is read and meanings taken and interpreted in a manner which suits the reader and the flock of followers.
Why is it then we expect only Christians to see Angels.
Winged beings have had a place in society since time began, heard of a fairy?, the only difference is the ability of the participant to explain what is was for example:
A child raised in a Christian home who sees a ghostly figure, with wings and a glowing light would say they saw an Angel, but a child raised in Paddock, herding Mountain Goats in the Himalayas seeing the same thing would have a completely different view, to them it could be the mountain spirit, a demon, an ancestor....So are Angels merely the brain and eyes playing tricks?
Are they from some Parallel dimension?
Do they exist only in fantasy?
Do Angels exist?
Why do we Love them so Much?
Are they truly sent by God and if so why are they dismissed as fanciful and fake?
After all Millions of people believe in a God they have never seen why should Angels be dismissed after all they are supposed to be his messengers.....
3 comments:
A most interesting discussion. I don't know what was going on in Australia about ten or so years ago, but here in the US, there was quite the "Angel" fetish - a TV show called Touched By An Angel, all these books about visitations, etc. Yet, the reality is, as you say, quite complex. It isn't all Precious Moments and harps (one of the best X Files episodes, from the fifth season, dealt with the so-called nephilim, and a contest between good and evil angels to rescue them. It showed how terrible angelic visitations can be.
Anyway, interesting post. Keep them coming.
Interesting post, but don't get confused with this stuff when looking for a religion. You don't need it. Just look for the truth within yourself.
If these things existed in any material form, or any form that in any way could interact with this physical reality then you would see them on Youtube, or on Flickr or something.
These ideas flourished becuase in the pre digital age their was doubt and ambiguity, but now with networked media and easy access to recording equipment the jury is in, thses phenomena do not exist in any real sense.
Angels do exist but there are also demonic angels who 'masquerade as an angel of light'.Angels in the Bible are male only - they are not female, are not children, and are not fairies. They also hold different offices - some are warriors, some are messengers, some worship God, some do His bidding here on earth. There are other creatures that he created as well like the seraphim and other creatures that reside in Heaven. But I have not seen an angel personally.
And the truth is not WITHIN yourself because the Bible says there is NO ONE that is good. All have failed and have come short of the glory of God. We are ALL born children of wrath - we are all sinful - and our hearts are wicked deceived. So no, you don't want to look to yourself for the truth because you (and all of us) are not the AUTHOR of truth - but God IS. This whole "truth within" is a new age concept and it outside the realm of Christianity.
BTW, I agree that our holidays have pagan origins and that's why I don't celebrate them. But MANY Christians do and I've tried to tell them of their origins but they don't want to hear it. They are caught up in their traditions and take great pleasure in them. I wonder how the Lord will deal with them because they KNOW it's wrong, but they do it anyway.
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