Fascination With Angels

“We ‘all’ have angels guiding, guarding us . . . If we leave them alone and present ourselves, like children, in total trust and love and humble gratitude, then they will pour their blessings on us overwhelmingly. They play with us. They look after us. They heal us, touch us, comfort us with invisible warm hands, and always they try to give us what we want.”—From the book “Angel Letters.”

YOU must admit that this popular view of angels does have appeal. According to the view of what some term “the new spirituality,” each of us has been assigned at least one angel, an angel whose duty it is to comfort us and protect us from harm. Your angel is said to be both powerful and loving. He does not require obedience or worship, and never will he judge or reprimand you. He is always at your side, devoted to your welfare and eager to fulfill your every wish. Many today sincerely believe these things.

Belief in angels, of course, is not new. They have played a major role in the religious beliefs of people since ancient times. This is reflected in art. Representations of cherubs, a type of angel, adorned the ancient Jewish tabernacle and temple. Angels decorate churches and cathedrals throughout Christendom. Museums are filled with paintings and sculptures of angels.

Angel Popularity

In recent times, angels have become extremely popular in some lands. Movies often portray angels as humans who have died and have returned to earth to perform good deeds. In one film, angels help a losing baseball team. In another, a guardian angel assists a teenage boy to avenge the murder of his girlfriend. The angel-helper theme also thrives in a popular program shown on U.S. television.

Songs about angels abound. During recent decades in the United States, 1 popular song in every 10 has mentioned an angel. By the mid-1990’s, more than 120 “angel boutiques” had opened in America. These stores sell angel figurines, pendants, and stationery—even baby rattles adorned with angel images. Seminars and newsletters supposedly teach people how to contact these celestial beings. Magazines, newspapers, and talk shows relate stories about people’s encounters with angels.

Hundreds of Books

Then there are the books. One large bookstore in New York City offers over 500 different books that discuss angels, particularly guardian angels. Such books promise to show their readers how to contact guardian angels, learn their names, talk with them, and enlist their help. These books contain many tales of how angels have appeared in times of need, lifting people out of the way of oncoming cars, curing deadly diseases, giving comfort to those in distress, and protecting soldiers on the battlefield. Such angels perform services “without requiring any sign of repentance, conversion, or doctrinal allegiance.” But rarely do such modern-day “encounters” motivate people to make changes in their lives. Those who claim to have had such experiences are usually left with little more than a warm feeling.

In an age of stress and crisis, these stories may seem like incredibly good news. But can they be trusted? Does it matter?

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Many feel that they have personally encountered angels