An angel, as defined in Webster's dictionary, is a
spiritual being that is employed by God to communicate with human kind. Angels are defined
as ministering, messenger, or guiding spirits. Since there are no irrefutable evidence to
prove in the existence or non-existence of angels, knowledge about them are based upon
legends, theological beliefs, philosophical interpretations, and phenomenological
experiential reports.
According to angel researcher Sophy Burnham, the mystery
of angels has been part of most cultures in the world and has been part of the development
of some folklore and theological beliefs. The belief in angels has been carried through
ancient history and Judaic, Christian, and Islamic lore and has influenced each other's
religious faith.
Angel researcher Terry Lynn Taylor believes that angels
are of interest for everyone regardless of their religious belief, race, or nationality
and that angels have been around long before any religion was formed. According to a 1988
Gallup poll, 50% of the U. S. people, age 18-49, believe in angels. The percent of
believers in angels drops to 36% for individuals over 50 years old. The poll also
reflected that 74% of teenagers believe in the existence of angels.
As children, many of us became aware of or began to
believe in angels. Taylor has reported that many times children are aware of angels
without parents or others imparting them with the knowledge of the possible existence of
angels. Children find the presence of angels to be comforting and reassuring when facing
childhood fears. This personal, satisfying belief in angels, tends to continue to guide
and comfort the individual throughout her or his life and is believed to guide her or him
from death into afterlife.
Many human encounters with angelic beings are accepted by
the experienced without any sense of its theological or philosophical meaning. Theological
reasoning accepts the reality of angels, through faith, and provides the religious dogma
to support this belief. Philosophical reasoning does not require the belief that angels
exists, just the acceptance that it is possible for them to exist.
According to Adler, in order to separate the
"facts" of angelology from legend and folklore of personal experiences and
stories, the study of angels must be examined from a theological and a philosophical
position. The interpretation of the existence of angels is based upon the difference in
theological beliefs regarding the reality of the existence of angles and the philosophical
interpretation of angels possibly being objects of thought. The separating of the two
interpretations allows for both individuals with or without religious-spiritual beliefs to
accept the possibility of the reality of angels.
Religion-spiritual interpretations of the existence of
angels is based upon faith. The philosophical acceptance of angels is based on the
possibility of their existence as incorporeal entities or "minds without
bodies." A theological belief in angels requires the believer to accept the
possibility that there is higher order of existence than human life. However,
philosophical theories can express beliefs that are not based upon a theological belief,
according to philosopher Mortimer Adler, therefore providing possible explanations for
angelic encounters that involve agnostics, atheists or individuals who do not believe in
the existence of angels. Agnostics think that it is impossible to know whether there is a
God and atheists believe that there is no God. For an agnostic or atheist, a belief in
angels can be as difficult to accept as is a belief in God.
The theological acceptance of angels differs dependent
upon religious beliefs. The monotheistic religions of Judaism, Zoroastrianism,
Christianity, and Islam share the beliefs of a tripartite universe consisting of a Heaven,
Earth, and Hell which is populated by angels, humans, and demons. This is in contrast to
the monistic beliefs of Hindus, the Jains, and the Buddhist. Most eastern religions have
no belief in angels as messengers. This function is believed to be performed by
reincarnated holy sages or incarnations of deities. In most western religions, which are
based on prayer, angels act as messengers of God.
Philosophers such as Thomas Aquinas and Adler have
presented arguments that support the possibility of the existence of angels and their
ability to have an impact on the human experience. By allowing for the possibility of the
existence of angels, philosophy has made it possible for non-believers in spiritual life
to believe in the existence of angels.
According to Adler, the acceptance of the possibility of
the existence of an incorporeal substance allows for the conclusion that angels do exist.
The belief in angels is not universal. According to the 1988 Gallup poll, over 50% of the
adult U. S. population do not believe that angels exist. Thomas Aquinas believed that the
failure of some individuals to believe in the possibility of angels is a result of an
their inability to differentiate between sense-perception and imagination, from one
perspective, and intellection or understanding, from another.
A belief in angels ultimately becomes a personal belief.
Individuals can come to believe in angels through philosophical reasoning or theological
faith, but their ultimate unwavering belief in angels may only come from personal
encounters with angelic beings in their life and/or during an altered state of
consciousness, such as a near-death experience. Through these encounters with angelic
beings, experiencers may find a new aspect to their life. To the believers in angels,
angels do exist. Not necessarily in the images that artists and sculptors have portrayed
them, or in the personages that writers have depicted them, but in the essence of angelic
believers' impression of their encounter with their angelic spiritual guides.
