A POLL has found more Britons believe in aliens,angels and ghosts than God.
The survey of 1,500 adults and 500 children, carried out ! by OnePoll, found more than half of adults believe that there is alien life, while only a quarter believe in God.
Of the children polled, 26 per cent believe aliens are disguised as humans while one in 20 thought they knew an alien – and of those, one in 20 suggested their mother as the likely culprit.
In the 2011 census 59.3 per cent of the population described themselves as Christian – but that doesn’t necessarily mean they were believers. A YouGov poll of 1,500 Anglican clergy this week found one in 50 priests believe God to be a human construct, while 16 per cent of priests say they are unclear on what they think about God.
And Atheists more likely to believe in aliens
According to a poll conducted by Survata, a US consumer research firm, 55 percent of atheists and agnostics surveyed said that they believe in alien life, as compared to only 32 percent of Christians.
Bryan Patterson's Faithworks 
Bryan,
these findings surely suggest that in contrast to the claim made in this blog quite often, children are simply not born with the fundamental belief or brain wiring to believe in a god specifically. but rather, as a lot of us have maintained, with a tendency to believe simply in the supernatural generally. I still hold along with our resident atheists here, that babies are born naturally as atheists. That is, that they do not enter this life with automatic belief in a god. This of course does not mean that if there actually IS a deity, then they are neglected or ignored by such god.
Rian.
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No Rian. Atheism is a choice, Babies have not made the choice to be atheists.
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Oh dear, we are back at this old one again. along with so many others, I would maintain that there is no choice involved there. If you dont have a god in your reckoning, then you are a-theist … that is ‘without gods’. A new born baby does not have a belief in any gods. As soon as he takes on the belief or faith in a god, then he is theist. Simple. One is either theist or atheist. A baby does not have a god in his reckoning.
I fear that you and the atheists here as well as myself, will never agree on this one.
Rian..
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No Rian. I’m afraid you are wrong by definition. To be a theist or an atheist you need to make a decision. Thinkers such as Thomas Aquinas and Soren Kierkegaard have written that believing is a free act of will.
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Bryan,
Neither of the ‘thinkers’ you quote there is an independent authority. Each is toeing a party line, because that is their brief as Christians, and of course they must maintain that stance.
I know of no rule anywhere in nature or logic that says that you must consciously choose to believe in no god before you can be declared to be ‘without gods’. But promoters of Christian doctrine just HAVE to make it an act of freewill to be consistent with their tradition about rebellion against the deity.
I’m sorry mate, but when you look at it in a way that is independent of Christian persuasion, you are just plain wrong about it. You are loading the word atheist with resonances and implications that are simply NOT THERE. Through common usage, our English Dictionaries naturally offer meanings that are not in the original Greek. And that is understandable of course.
Theist – with, or having a god. A-theist – NOT having a god, (or preferably – without a god). And it must be obvious that you dont have to have a reasoning facility or any sort of maturity in order to be ‘without’ gods then.
Anyway, regardless of that particular debate, you must surely have to allow the point that as I pointed out in my earlier post, the research you describe in your blog this time, says that humans are hard wired to believe in the supernatural & such things only. It is NOT automatic for humans to believe in a god per se, as was being argued the other month.
Cheers, Rian.
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I believe in Angels. Ghosts are Jinn so no ghosts. I have no opinion on aliens.
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Yes Dom. Why did they dump angels in with ghosts and aliens? Angels are part of the religion that came down to Jews, Muslims and Christians.
Oh, perhaps they’re talking about ‘angel-ology’! The difference could be related to the difference between astronomy and astrology.
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I believe in Angels, I’m not sure about ghosts. I do think sometimes the spirits of the dead can be unsettled or ‘awoken’ from sleep. I don’t believe in aliens. Not for any particular reason, I just don’t.
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55 percent of atheists and agnostics surveyed said that they believe in alien life, as compared to only 32 percent of Christians.
MMMM
But what was the question and the manor it was asked .
If the question was :-
With the number of stars in the known universe being more than “All the grains of sand on all the beaches ” and with mathematical modeling the number of earth type planets in just this galaxy to be about 10,000,000 would you think that this planet has the only life in the entire universe ?
And the result was only 55 percent of atheists and agnostics surveyed said that they believe in alien life, as compared to only 32 percent of Christians.
Why would there be any difference between those people with such a question.?????
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Perhaps when asking the question about do you believe in God; you could ask do you believe that something comes from nothing. Perhaps you would get a higher percentage if people actually thought about it.
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Something coming from nothing .
Not impossible as you believe .
In Quantum physics and higher maths that is exactly what happens .
Look it up !!
In one aspect someone could close a fully impenetrable volume with nothing in it except a piece of paper with a formula specifying a universe .
That universe could be created within the enclosure !
After all the enclosure is impenetrable meaning nothing can see in and nothing can get out .
The essence is nothing can come “OUT “of Nothing but almost anything can happen in nothing but no one will ever see it .
You may believe that is insane but keep in mind you believe a entity is watching you intently to test if your a good boy.
To me that is insane .
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What you believe insane and what I believe insane are different.
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According to a poll conducted by Survata, a US consumer research firm, 55 percent of atheists and agnostics surveyed said that they believe in alien life, as compared to only 32 percent of Christians.
With such a disparity could it be that those after eternal existence and the claim man is made in the image of a entity would be shattered to consider anything existing better than man .
Even more disturbing life existing so advanced we would be like herds of sheep governed by psychopaths !
Ooop,s that what we are .
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On the score of this blog about belief, it strikes me as being odd that so many folks seem to equate the existence of Aliens with the existence of ghosts and other supernatural beings. An alien doesnt automatically have to be a non-material thing. I dont think it is all that problematical to allow the likelihood of other intelligent living beings in material form existing somewhere else in the universe.
Reminds me of a big survey that was done some years back, in which one question was ‘Do you believe in UFOs?’ Fr’eavens sake, there is nothing superstitious about believing in UFOs. I’ve observed a number of UFOs over the years. The letters merely stand for Unidentified Flying Objects. And they remain unidentified until someone successfully determines just what they are.
Now if you asked people instead the question, ‘Do you believe in alien space craft, or little green men in flying saucers?’ then the answers may well represent some intriguingly superstitious suppositions.
In the same Survey, they asked folks ‘Do you believe that Jesus was the Son of God?’ Because of confusion in the Christian terminology, what is really being meant in the question, would have to be, ‘Do you believe that Jesus was God the Son?’ And that is a totally different question.
A question that would have to be problematical for Christians would be to determine if any aliens discovered on other worlds, are fallen or in need of salvation, or not. Such people/beings if not ‘fallen’, may well be totally perplexed if and when our theologians started preaching to them about Christian claims and doctrines. Intersting thought.
Rian.
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“Such people/beings if not ‘fallen’, may well be totally perplexed…”
Indeed they might. In fact what if such beings were incapable of having any sort of “belief”. It would put the Pattersonian definition of belief to pasture.
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Everyone believes in something Stu.
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“Everyone believes in something Stu.”
Why can’t you just accept something to a degree of probability? I hold no views, values or opinions on the basis of belief.
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I accept the fact that everyone believes in something.
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“I accept the fact that everyone believes in something.”
Facts can be demonstrated. Beliefs can only be expressed.
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Why do people always assume that aliens would be superior?
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The inferior ones would just be hidden away from view as they went about their life wondering why this guy was building an ark.
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ANGELS AND THE GOOD NEWS
By Catholic Evangelist, Eddie Russell
THRONES – DOMINIONS – CHOIRS – PRINCIPALITIES – POWERS – BEASTS – CHERUBIM – SERAPHIM – ARCHANGELS – ANGELS
If we ever think of the angels at all it would probably be around Christmas time when Hymns and Carols seem full of their presence. In many homes, shopping centres and city malls around the world you will find a Christmas tree topped by a star or by a plastic angel. But how often do we consider these magnificent creatures at other times of the year? At this special time of year even non-believers get caught up with the warmth of love and friendship and somehow we know that there is something more going on than plastic angels and booze. None-the-less, it’s a pity that the angelic is a subject that is rarely talked about, thought of or taught in Catholic circles in recent times and yet there is a wealth of spiritual assistance available to every Christian in the Body of Christ who are surrounded at all times by a great cloud of witnesses ( Hebrews 12:1 ).
Sadly there are some strange notions regarding the Angels.
One such notion is that when we die we become an angel and do good for others. This is certainly the view of Oprah Winfrey but I am not sure where this idea comes from except that I remember people using it as a way of explaining what happens after death to young children. In any event, it contradicts the Biblical understanding of the Angelic which informs us that we will “Judge the Angels”. It would seem that these ideas come from early folklore and fairy tales which have their roots in a European pre-Christian era. This would no doubt be the reason why so many Christians have rejected their existence as childish notions unbecoming of an intelligent adult.
However, in spite of this, the angelic has become very popular in recent years with the advent of the New Age Movement. Its adherents often use Christian terminology such as “Guardian Angels” to describe consultation with the dead or evil spirits. The angels they are referring to were until recent years called “Spirit Guides” or “Familiar Spirits” and are clearly demonic, pagan and occult in origin. In an attempt to clear up this confusion for Christians is the reason for this short article. I hope that it will spread some light on the reality and truth of God’s Holy Angels whose role is to minister to God and His people.
MINISTERING SPIRITS
These angels whom the Bible calls “Ministering Spirits” ( Hebrews 1:14 ) have many varying different roles and functions to assist the Christian here on the earth. Not only do they minister to God before the Throne day and night but they also convey God’s messages to His people.
Some have specific roles and are created to perform specific tasks such as the Guardian Angels of countries, territories and individuals. Although this subject is too vast to enter into here, perhaps this short article will allow you to study the subject further.
THE LUCIFERIC REBELLION AND THE WAR IN HEAVEN
The Bible only mentions the names of four angels from the countless millions that have been created. They are Gabrielle, whose name means, “God is Mighty”, Michael, whose name means, “Like God”, Raphael, whose name means, “God Heals”, and Lucifer, whose name means, “Light Bearer”. All of them were created good!
It was Lucifer who rebelled against God and who through pride, coveted the Throne of God and the worship that belonged to God alone. This resulted in a mighty war in Heaven. Lucifer, along with one third of the angelic host was defeated by the Archangel Michael and was cast down from Heaven to the earth where he became known as “Satan”, a name which literally means; “Adversary” as well as “Devil”, which means, “Accuser of the brethren”.
Scripture also refers to him by many other names all of which describe his “fallen nature.” These names are, “Beelzebub”, “Prince of Darkness”, “King of Tyre”, “Father of Lies”, “Day Star”, “The Thief”, “god of this world” ( cosmos: Gr. world system ) but, never Lucifer again. He is no longer entitled to that name which described his original nature and ministry. Perhaps this would be a good time to put Satan in his proper place and perspective because in these days he is being worshipped as a god by many people around the world.
SATAN IS NOT AN EQUAL AND OPPOSITE OF GOD!
Just like all the other angels he was created by God and therefore by definition, he is not God. Satan is a creature and therefore he is subject to God like all else in heaven and earth and he has no more rights or power than God allows.
The beginning chapters of the Book of Job show this very clearly (Job 1:6-12 – Job 2:1-7) and even though he has the effrontery to enter God’s presence with the other angels (sons) he does so to “accuse” God’s people. However, you will notice that Satan can do no more than God allows him to do. “And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not lay a hand upon his person” (Job 1:12) and of course Satan did not because he could not!
These are comforting thoughts when we are faced with such evils as we see in the world today, but because of the “New Covenant” in the Blood of Christ each Christian is given authority by God over all the “works” of the adversary. In fact we are “commissioned” by God to “announce” the Good News of the Kingdom, and to bring the captives out of darkness into His wonderful light and so in Mark 16:17, we read, “In my name (Jesus) they will expel demons”.
The authority that the Father gave to Jesus is now transferred to His Church. Unfortunately, just like all the good angels, the evil ones and the Devil himself have also been relegated to the area of myth by many Christians whilst the non-believers are very much aware of his reality.
……… to be cont’d
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(Part 2)
SATAN WORSHIP IS ON THE INCREASE
Hiding in myth is a good trick if he can get away with it. It suits his purpose when the only ones who do not believe that he exists are the only ones who can dislodge him from his strongholds. His “new look” is called the “New Age”. This is just new packaging for a very old thing: Sorcery. It’s selling well at the moment and it has even got through to Christians who have lowered their defences against a subtle sales pitch aimed at a spiritual void.
One of the most nefarious examples today is the message of Marilyn Manson’s “Anti Christ Superstar.” This album solicits acceptance of Manson as a saviour. It calls young people to kill their parents and whoever else they see as their enemy and then kill themselves. According to Manson, this is how they get saved and set free. In addition, The Church of Satan is well established under law in the USA and possibly elsewhere too. Television proliferates these beliefs through such programmes as Charmed, Ghost Whisperer, Supernatural and many other witchcraft programmes that are very popular with our youth.
WE ARE ABLE TO CALL ON THE ANGELIC TO ASSIST US WHEN WE NEED HELP
Along with the Word of God, the Power, and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit working on our behalf, we also have countless millions of angels at our disposal in the same way that Jesus did when he was arrested in Gethsemane….“Do you not suppose that I can call on my Father to provide at a moment’s notice more than twelve legions of angels?” ( Matthew 26:53).
Psalm 91 is worth reading and studying because it refers to the protection the Father provides for all His children who find themselves in dangerous circumstances. It informs us that by remaining in a close relationship with God. He promises to rescue us from: the snare of the Fowler, the destroying pestilence, the terror by night, the arrow by day, and from plagues, the wicked, evil, and affliction.
Then, in verse 11, it says, “for to His angels He has given command about you, that they guard you in all your ways.” And again in verse 13, it says: “you shall tread upon the asp and the viper; you shall trample down the lion and the dragon.” Notice that it says, “you will”. It is “we” who do it! By what power? By the power of God, of course. That is “our” authority and, let’s face it, “if God is for us, who can be against us?” ( Romans 8:31 ) It stands to reason that if God is for us everything that is of God is for us too. We are never alone as much as we may think that we are. God’s angels are ever present to help us in all that we do.
ANGELS ARE COUNTLESS IN NUMBER ( Revelation 5:11 )
“Their cavalry troops whose count I heard were two hundred million in number.” ( Rev 9:16 ) Angels are immortal Celestial Spirits created by God. They are created to represent Him and to guard His interests ( Ps.148: 5-6 ). Angels were created before God created the world (Job.1: 6).
Angels do not have corporal bodies but they can manifest themselves in human form. An example of this is seen in the account of Lot regarding Sodom and Gomorrah ( Gen.19, Acts.10:30, Tobit 12:11-22 ).
I recommend that you read the whole book of Tobit where you will see the wonderful deeds of the Archangel Raphael on his behalf. Raphael is one of the seven spirits before the Throne of God. He seems to be the angel who protects the family. In this account, you will see how he saves Raguel from the wicked demon, Asmodeus (Arabic: “the destroyer”) who has killed seven of her husbands before they could consummate the marriage and how he heals Tobit of his blindness and helps Tobit’s son Tobias to successfully marry Raguel. Then in the ending chapters he reveals a truth about his angelic nature.
(Although non Catholics do not accept this book as Canon of Scripture, the book of Tobit is a magnificent insight into the role of Angels that was richly expressed in Hebrew Angelology and belief. The Catholic Church accepts Tobit as part of the Canon of Scripture).
CELESTIAL BEAUTY
Occasionally angels will appear in all their celestial beauty and glory ( Matt 28:3, Dan.10:5-6 ). In Daniel 10: 12-14 , and verses 20-21 , you will see Gabrielle and Michael in their role of bringing an answer to prayer and how they deal with the demonic angel of the kingdom of Persia.
ANGELS DO NOT MARRY
They are pure spirit beings and are referred to as a ‘company’ rather than a ‘race’. They are always referred to in the masculine gender. ( Matt.22:30, Luke 20: 34-36 ). St. Thomas Aquinas tells us that because angels are referred to as a company and not a race they cannot procreate; they are pure spirit beings with no need of a body or its attributes. In whatever body they might have appeared are only apparent bodies for our comfort when encountering them.
ANGELS HAVE DIFFERENT FUNCTIONS
Angels have different functions and are created for specific tasks and they have various levels of authority which include: “Thrones”, “Dominions”, “Seraphim”, “Cherubim”, “Angels”, “Archangels”, and “Guardian Angels” ( Col. 1:16, Jude 9 ). Guardian Angels are given to children when they are born and are there to minister to them throughout their life ( Matt. 18; 10 ).
ANGELIC WORSHIP
Angels worship before the Throne of God and serve Him day and night ( Ps. 148: 2, Tobit 12:15, Heb. 1:6, Rev. 4: 5-8 ). The angels celebrate before the Throne of God every time a sinner repents and turns to God. ( Luke 15; 10 ) Just think how much Heaven will rejoice when we really get moving with Evangelisation!
ANGELS ESCORT CHRISTIANS TO HEAVEN WHEN THEY DIE ( Luke 16:22 )
The angels record our deeds, good and bad, in a book that will be opened at the final Judgement ( Mal.3:16, Rev.20:12 ). Angels have the authority to execute God’s Judgement on Cities, Nations and People ( Eccl. 5:6, Ezek. 9:1-6, Ps. 33:4-6, Kings 19:35, Acts 12:23 ).
………. to be cont’d
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Very interesting Monica and you’re right, I don’t think many of us know too much about them but I have always believed in them as God’s helpers.
Great read.
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Eddie’s a brilliant teacher, especially when he’s teaching on the demonic and angelic realms, and the New Age, as he was once heavily into the occult. In fact, he’s the one who first confronted me about my involvement in it. I wanted to punch him in the mouth when he told me I had to repent, and then proceeded to show me all the scripture references that damned me for my sin of witchcraft. And what made it worse is that I didn’t believe the devil was real. I thought that what I was doing was harmless.
He is an extremely intelligent, capable and gifted man of God who has been in full-time ministry for decades; a real blessing to the body of Christ. What’s more is that God grants him the ability to see the Angelic realm from time to time and he says, as others do that I have spoken to, that to see into the spirit realm God’s angels in all their glory, is to behold a most terrifying sight, many of whom are giants towering over humanity.
Anyway, I’ve included the link to the full teaching on Part 3, when Bryan puts it on the blog. It’s worth reading it all.
Cheers, Mon.
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I’ve only in the last few years realised that in actual fact the devil is real. I always thought it was just symbolism for evil.
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(Part 3)
ANGELS ARE MESSENGERS OF GOD NOT ASCENDED MASTERS
Angels are messengers of God to His people ( Zech. 1: 9, 13-14, 19, Luke 1:11-20, Luke. 1:26-38 ) and it is this encounter that dominates our Christmas celebration. However, appearances of the angels are usually brief and formal. They are aimed at improving our relationship with the Lord rather than attracting attention to themselves ( Revelation 22: 8-9 )
WE WILL JUDGE THE ANGELS
Until we enter the fullness of our redemption the angels enjoy a superior position to us, but they will then serve under us as the Bride of Christ when we become the elite of all God’s creation ( Rev. 21: 9-14, 2 Tim. 2:12 ). We will even judge the angels ( 1 Cor. 6:3 ).
However, because angels are so magnificent, people have fallen into the sin of angel worship. To us they may seem like God Himself, but to God they are as far away from His perfection as your dog is to you. We must always remember that the angels, good and bad, are creatures, they are not gods. Saint Thomas Aquinas points out that the angels are not supernatural, simply because the condition of an angel as a created being is natural to his state. God and God alone is the only supernatural being. So the Bible warns us not to worship angels ( Col. 1:18, Rev. 19:10 ).
GOD’S HOLY ANGELS ARE EVER PRESENT TO HELP US
It is comforting to know whom and what you have working on your side. Angels and Christians are partners and allies in the spiritual warfare in which we find ourselves. They assist us to dislodge Satan from his stronghold in the world. When Intercessors come together and prayer prevails it brings powerful angels to aid and assist us to hinder the workings of Satan ( Hebrews 1:4, Daniel 10:12-13 ).
WE MUST NOT CONFUSE THE WORKS OF THE ANGELS WITH THE ROLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
The role of the angels and the role of the Holy Spirit are very different even though they are companion roles in our lives by assisting us to build the Church and in establishing the Kingdom of God where we live. The difference lies in that the role of the angels is to administer material affairs. The role of the Holy Spirit is to reveal the mind of God and to make Jesus known. Matthew 4:11 shows this distinction clearly; Jesus was “led” by the Spirit, “taught” by the Spirit, and “filled” with the Spirit, but He was “defended” and ‘fed’ by the angels.
ANGELS ARE ALSO TERRITORIAL SPIRITS AND ARE ASSIGNED TO PARTICULAR EARTHLY TERRITORIES
The Archangel Michael is the Guardian Angel of Israel (and ours too). The Bible shows us that Cities are under angelic guardianship ( Dan. 12:1, Ezek. 9:1, Acts 16:9, Acts 10:30 ). When we read Revelations Chapters 2 and 3 , we can see this clearly: “To the presiding spirit of the Church in Ephesus”. The “presiding spirit” = literally; angels. ( NAB footnotes ). Angels were thought of as being in charge of whole communities and individuals alike. ( Matt. 18:10, Acts 12:15 ).
“Only God is home for the love of the angels, just as He is for us. The angels must make their way home, for love’s fire is the Divine Flame, or there is no warmth”. ( St Thomas Aquinas Summa Theologica / Hebrews 1:7 ).
It was love’s flame that warmed the heart of a young virgin when the Archangel Gabrielle came to announce the good news that a saviour was to be born. It is Gabrielle that God sends to announce “Good News” . Every major proclamation of God was announced by Gabrielle and considering that Mary would have been well acquainted with the angelic tradition of her faith such as we have looked at here. It’s not so surprising that she was a little afraid when she was confronted with such a being as Gabrielle although her fear was that of respect rather than that born of a lack of faith. It was her faith to say yes that brought about the greatest miracle of God in all of history, past, present and future.
When the time came for the Saviour to enter into the world, angels appeared to shepherds and proclaimed the “good news” of a Saviour born. The Glory of God shone around them with an angelic multitude of the Heavenly Host, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and peace to those on whom His favour rests” ( Luke.2: 9-14 ). The Shepherds saw that Glory on that first Christmas night and Mary treasured these things in her heart ( Luke 2:19 ).
As you go about your duties next Christmas Season , and you happen to notice a little plastic angel on your Christmas tree, stop a while, and ponder in your heart the Glory that surrounds you and your family. You have powerful friends in high places and perhaps your Christmas Carols might come to mean a little more to you than you may have previously thought.
We are indeed surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, and there is nothing plastic about that.
Flame Ministries International
http://www.flameministries.org/angels.htm
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Bryan, Monica and all,
I found the commentary on Angels the other day to be of very great interest.
Probably very few here, if any, will be familiar with some interesting material that I have studied in a number of encyclopaedic references over a number of years in regard to Lucifer.
In my Britannica, I read that ‘Lucifer (Latin: Lightbearer) Greek Phosphorus, or Eosphoros in classical mythology, is the morning star (i.e., the planet Venus at dawn).’ He was the morning star god who announced the daily birth of the sun. The Jewish Morning Service still commemorates him under the name of Shaher; and his twin brother Shalem the evening star announced the daily death of the sun, and spoke to him the word of peace ‘Shalom’.
I go on to read elsewhere, that ‘Shaher coveted the superior glory of the sun god and tried to usurp his throne, but was defeated and cast down from heaven like a lightning bolt. Pagan scriptures from the 7th century BC, and quoted by Albright in his ‘Yahweh and the Gods of Canaan’ (1968) included a dirge for the fallen Morning Star, as follows: –
>>>> “How hast thou fallen from heaven, Helel’s son Shaher! Thou didst say in thy heart I will ascend to heaven above the circumpolar stars I will raise my throne, and I will dwell on the Mount of Council in the back of the north; I will mount on the back of a cloud, I will be like unto Elyon.”>>>
The passage bears an extraordinary and rather suspicious resemblance to the verses out of Isaiah, which read – ‘How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! For thou didst say in thy heart, I will ascend to heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation…………… I will be like the most High.’
That Lucifer was in the ancient world to be identified with the planet Venus, is well established. But a final and rather curious thing is that we find an unmistakeable reference to the same morning star in the Biblical Book of Revelation where in the 22nd and final Chapter we read words attributed to the triumphant Jesus Christ. So in verse 16….
“I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.”
A very intriguing and controversial matter, I would say. I might add here that the details and identification of Lucifer, the Satan, and the Devil, as well as the Serpent in the Garden of Eden, didn’t spring fully developed in the first century. It was over the next three or more centuries that the church fathers came to the conclusions that they did, and which have come down to us as the accepted tradition that we take for granted.
Rian.
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I read a similar question elsewhere and people were responding with their own experiences. It seems quite a few people have had ‘visions’ or a strong sense of a family member soon after they have just passed.
One woman was talking about seeing a faint version of her mother sitting in the chair that she had, in pain, for the two previous years except this time her face was at peace. My mother who was struggling greatly with the passing of her mother as she was overseas at the time, said that one night she felt her presence and a touch on her shoulder.
I wonder if God does allow a final goodbye from people, to lessen the emotional pain and give them the reassurance that life does go on.
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