Is believing in angels a kind of madness or is it a common way to cope with loss and coincidence?
Catherine McClellan
Belief and Communication
May 6, 2014
Is believing in angels a kind of madness or is it a common way to cope with loss and coincidence?
(2864 words)
The word angel comes from the Greek phrase ‘anglos’, a translation from the Hebrew word ‘mal’ahk, literally meaning messenger (McBrien 1994). Angels have served as a mediator between the spiritual and earthly realms for thousands of year. Today, over 70% of Americans believe in angels (CBS 2011). This widespread belief is reflected in the constant depiction of angels in today’s popular media. But what lies behind this widespread belief in the useable, untouchable supernatural beings? To discover this, it is necessary to uncover the history of angels in modern religion, look at the depiction of angels today, and inspect various psychological explanations for why angels continue to be an important aspect in many belief systems. This information will better deduce if the belief in angles is mere madness or if it serves a legitimate spiritual purpose. The common imagery of angels today is that of winged, cherub faced children with feminine features. This well-known identity is quite a departure from the original biblical description of angels. Both the Old and New Testament describe angels almost exclusively as young men serving as a messenger for good news (McBrien 1994). Some of the best-known examples of this include angel Gabriel’s announcement of the birth of John the Baptist (Luke 11:20) and the announcement of the resurrection of Jesus from the tomb (Matthew 28:2) (Bible 2000). These Bible stories worked to create the perception of angels as a missing link between the divine and the earthly. It was the Mesopotamians who shaped the image associated with angels today, referring to them as giant winged genies. The image was further transformed during the beauty-driven Gothic Period, when angels began to be drawn and sculpted with soft, feminine features (Leeming,
Belief and Communication
May 6, 2014
Is believing in angels a kind of madness or is it a common way to cope with loss and coincidence?
(2864 words)
The word angel comes from the Greek phrase ‘anglos’, a translation from the Hebrew word ‘mal’ahk, literally meaning messenger (McBrien 1994). Angels have served as a mediator between the spiritual and earthly realms for thousands of year. Today, over 70% of Americans believe in angels (CBS 2011). This widespread belief is reflected in the constant depiction of angels in today’s popular media. But what lies behind this widespread belief in the useable, untouchable supernatural beings? To discover this, it is necessary to uncover the history of angels in modern religion, look at the depiction of angels today, and inspect various psychological explanations for why angels continue to be an important aspect in many belief systems. This information will better deduce if the belief in angles is mere madness or if it serves a legitimate spiritual purpose. The common imagery of angels today is that of winged, cherub faced children with feminine features. This well-known identity is quite a departure from the original biblical description of angels. Both the Old and New Testament describe angels almost exclusively as young men serving as a messenger for good news (McBrien 1994). Some of the best-known examples of this include angel Gabriel’s announcement of the birth of John the Baptist (Luke 11:20) and the announcement of the resurrection of Jesus from the tomb (Matthew 28:2) (Bible 2000). These Bible stories worked to create the perception of angels as a missing link between the divine and the earthly. It was the Mesopotamians who shaped the image associated with angels today, referring to them as giant winged genies. The image was further transformed during the beauty-driven Gothic Period, when angels began to be drawn and sculpted with soft, feminine features (Leeming,
References: The Bible: (2000) contemporary English version, London: Harper Collins. CBS News, (2011) Nearly 8 in 10 Americans Believe in Angels. Avalible From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/poll-nearly-8-in-10-americans-believe-in-angels/ [March 30, 2014] Draper, S. and Baker, J. O. (2011), Angelic belief as American folk religion. Sociological Forum, 26: 623–643. doi: 10. DU TOIT, C.. (2011) Horseshoes, angels and other UFOs: Rethinking faith in light of present-day superstitions.”: Verbum et Ecclesia, North America. Hambrose (2012) 4 questions that help explain ‘What is a sacrament?’. Avaliable from: http://www.stpeterslist.com/5156/4-questions-helping-to-explain-what-is-a-sacrament/ [March 30, 2014] Law, Stephen (2011) Why do people believe in invisible beings? Available from: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/believing-bull/201106/why-do-people-believe-in-invisible-beings [March 30, 2014] Leeming, D., Odainyk, W. (2001) The Blanton-Peale encyclopedia of psychology and religion, with sample articles on pilgrimage and angels. 40(2):261-274. McBrien, Richard. (1994) Comfort, help of angels may hover close at hand. The Free Library Niemyjska, A, Ruszczak, K. (2013) When there is Nobody, angels begin to fly: Supernatural imagery elicited by a loss of social connection. Journal of Social Cognition 31:1, 57-71 Radford, Benjamin. (2013) Why do people see guardian angels? Available from: http://news.discovery.com/human/psychology/why-people-see-guardian-angels-130813.htm [March 30, 2014]