“Angel: Purely spiritual or bodiless persons Mt

Vatican bans rogue angels

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/3295124/Vatican-bans-rogue-angels.html

http://arkadelos.livejournal.com/311039.html

The Sunday Telegraph, London, April 14, 2002

The Vatican has banned the veneration of angels who do not appear in the Bible in an attempt to ward off the influence of New Age religious movements and other angel-based cults. Prayers to disputed celestial beings such as Uriel and Jophiel - viewed by some as the angels of peace and enlightened understanding - were proscribed in a 300-page Directory of Public Piety, published last week by the Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship.

The document makes it clear that all veneration and prayer should be directed solely towards Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. The aim of the directory, say its authors, is to distinguish between acts of piety which belong to "true faith" and those which are merely "pseudo-spiritual experiences".

Chapter six deals with angels, delivering a stinging rebuff to followers of Uriel, Jophiel, Chamuel and Zadkiel, who enjoy a burgeoning reputation in New Age religions but make no appearance in the New or Old Testament.
Seven "holy" angels feature in Christian legend - Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Chamuel, Jophiel and Zadkiel. Other nameless angels are generally divided into angelic orders such as the cherubim, seraphim and thrones. Of the seven named angels, only the archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael play a part in the official biblical narrative, although all seven are cited in the Book of Enoch, which was eventually excluded from the Bible because of its controversial assertions on the nature and deeds of fallen angels.

The Vatican directory states, in unequivocal language, that "the practice of giving particular names to angels, with the exception of Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, is to be disapproved of. Popular piety towards the angels, which is legitimate and healthy, can nevertheless sometimes lead to deviations".

The three archangels, who are celebrated by the Catholic Church on September 29, appear at crucial points of the biblical narrative. In the Book of Revelation, Michael leads the heavenly hosts in the battle against evil. Gabriel, who is also known as the Angel of the Annunciation, tells Mary that she is to become of the mother of God. Raphael, who is associated with health and joy, appears to Tobit in the Old Testament, disguised in human form, and cures him of his blindness.
Cardinal Medina Estevez, who announced the publication of the directory last Tuesday, said it would serve as a bulwark against baseless beliefs. "The danger of superstition is everywhere in the religious phenomenon," he said. "We need to purify that which is not consistent with faith and revelation."
The directory reflects unease in Rome about the role of angels in rival and often obscure Christian denominations.
The Mormon church was supposedly founded through the intervention of an angel named Moroni.

New Age cults, many based in the United States, have recently revived the reputation of Uriel as the angel of peace, along with Jophiel, Chamuel and Zadkiel.
Rome also disapproves of the flourishing commercial trade in "angel altars", brooches and lucky charms. The new directory is intended to lay down the law once and for all. "The part of the directory dealing with angels is designed to clarify what is and is not appropriate in the eyes of the Church," said a Vatican official.

The Vatican also has bad news for those who believe that a guardian angel follows their every move, helping out where possible. Protestants have traditionally rejected the idea of angelic intervention in human lives, but popular Catholic piety has long maintained that guardian angels are available to provide supernatural assistance when needed.

"Deviation [in the veneration of angels] also takes place if the everyday events of life come to be seen in a schematic and simplistic mode," states the directory, "whereby the smallest setbacks are attributed to malign forces and successes and achievements which have nothing to do with man's path towards the maturity of Christ are attributed to one's guardian angel."
This is not the first time that the Catholic Church has felt obliged to clarify the status and function of the angelic host. In the eighth century, Pope Zachary decreed that no prayers were to be offered to Uriel on the grounds that he did not exist. Twelve centuries later it would appear that Uriel's latest comeback has been halted by John Paul II.

Responding to the Lure of the New Age

www.zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=49976 EXTRACT

With Fr Paolo Scarafoni LC, Pontifical Academy of Theology, March 2, 2004

Interview with Father Paolo Scarafoni of the Academy of Theology

ROME, March 2, 2004 (Zenit.org) A yearning for spirituality and a good dose of distress can even lead Catholics to the New Age, says a member of the Pontifical Academy of Theology.

Q: Followers of New Age often talk about the angels.
Father Scarafoni: There is a genuine fixation with angels, which the followers of Aquarius see everywhere. But their angels have nothing in common with those of Christians. They have strange names and powers similar to those of talismans and amulets. To them are added many other popular figures of the New Age, such as "guiding spirits" and varied "entities."
Framing a Christian Response to New Age practices: Core issues and Pastoral solutions

http://www.drgareth.info/NewAgeRP.pdf EXTRACT

By Dr. Gareth Leyshon, Last revised March 8, 2004

(b) Concerning Mediumship and Contacting Spirits

Scripture explicitly forbids mediumship, 53 specifically seeking knowledge from the spirit of a person who has died. It is not forbidden to attempt one-way communication TO the departed (witness the Catholic/Orthodox tradition of asking the intercession of saints and holy souls), 54 nor is God forbidden from allowing a departed person to communicate an unsolicited message (e.g. Moses at the Transfiguration, the Virgin Mary at Lourdes, the voices of Ss Margaret and Catherine to St Joan of Arc). By extension, what may not be sought from a departed soul, ought not be sought from an angel, so neither should we attempt to receive communication from angels, while respecting God’s freedom to have them communicate on His own initiative. A few years ago I was aware of a vogue among certain Catholics, for "asking to know the name of your guardian angel". A cautionary tale55 is given by Kristina Cooper, editor of England’s Catholic charismatic magazine: she and a friend did so, and received the names "Harold" and "Gregory". But when they asked these angels, by name, to intercede for them, their prayer lives became more difficult. Then Kristina read an account by an Anglican exorcist of casting out evil spirits called "Harold" and "Gregory" whose mission was to cause distraction and tiredness in prayer;56 she and her friend renounced their involvement with these "angels" and all became well. It seems that by curiously seeking non-essential knowledge (that which God did not freely will to reveal to them) they opened themselves up to communication by fallen angels: a breach of Principle B (knowledge should be sought from God Himself, who may choose to reply by means of an angel), and Principle E (since seeking contact with angels seems to risk inviting the fallen ones to reply).

53 Deuteronomy 18:11; Leviticus 19:31; cf. I Chronicles 10:13

54 CCC 955-959

55 http://www.ccr.org.uk/gn0209/g0209kc.htm, checked 26/12/02, from September 2002 edition of Goodnews.

56 Peter H. Lawrence, The Hot Line, 146
Angels

http://www.inplainsite.org/html/evaluating_todays_angel_craze.html

By Ron Rhodes

There was a time when angels were mainly relegated to Christmas cards. But not anymore. Angels have infiltrated the popular culture - big time. Indeed, interest in angels is virtually soaring across the religious spectrum in North America - from mainline Christians to New Agers who seek comfort from these heavenly helpers in a troubled and often chaotic world.

Some of today's most prominent magazines are running feature stories - even cover stories - on angels, including Time, Newsweek, Ladies' Home Journal, and Redbook magazine. Moreover, in mid-1994 ABC aired a two-hour prime time special entitled Angels: The Mysterious Messengers, hosted by Patty Duke.

Today there are angels-only boutiques, angel newsletters and magazines, angel seminars and college-level courses, angel T-shirts, calendars, postcards, sunglasses, jewelry, and an angel Broadway play. Moreover, according to Publishers Weekly, at one time during 1993 five of the ten best-selling paperback books were about angels.

Newsweek magazine asserted in late 1993 that "angels are appearing everywhere in America." The magazine noted that "those who see angels, talk to them, and put others in touch with them are prized guests on television and radio talk shows. Need inspiration? There are workshops that will assist you in identifying early angel experiences or in unleashing your 'inner angel.' Tired of your old spirit guide? New Age channelers will connect you with Michael the Archangel. Have trouble recognizing the angels among us? Join an angel focus group."

In a poll conducted by Time magazine in late 1993, 69 percent of American adults confirmed their belief in angels. Forty-six percent acknowledged a belief in their own personal guardian angels. Thirty-two percent claimed to have felt an angelic presence at some time in their lives. Such statistics may well cause one to wonder.


Why Are Angels So Popular Today?
Among the major contributing factors to the angel craze among Christians in the early 1990s were Frank Peretti's mega-best-selling fiction books - This Present Darkness and Piercing the Darkness - which graphically depict behind-the-scenes angelic intervention in the lives of believers. Regardless of what one may think about the sensationalistic nature of these books, they certainly served to bring angels to the forefront in the minds of numerous Christians. Earlier, many had received a biblical crash course on this fascinating subject by reading Billy Graham's book, Angels: God's Secret Agents, which became one of the hottest-selling religious books of the 1970s.

New Agers have more recently become almost fanatically excited about angels because they have bought into a plethora of wildly unbiblical ideas about angels that nevertheless have great appeal in today's religious climate. One reason cited for angel popularity in New Age literature is that angels offer people a spirituality that does not involve commitment to God or His laws. Sophy Burnham, author of A Book of Angels, believes the current popularity of angels is "because we have created this concept of God as punitive, jealous, judgmental," while "angels never are. They are utterly compassionate." Or, as Time magazine put it, "For those who choke too easily on God and his rules... angels are the handy compromise, all fluff and meringue, kind, nonjudgmental. And they are available to everyone, like aspirin."

Angels can also bring meaning and purpose into our lives, New Agers tell us. Author Terry Lynn Taylor says, "These angels 'make life worth living,' so to speak. They provide us with unconditional happiness, fun, and mirth. They also help out with romance and wealth. And they help us extinguish worries that plague our lives." Angels are "heaven-sent agents who are always available to help you create heaven in your life."

Guardian angels have become especially popular among New Agers in recent years. The Los Angeles Times reports that "times have gotten so bad that guardian angels are turning up in individual's lives with increasing frequency, and people are more receptive to the heavenly beings than ever before." John Ronner, author of Do You Have a Guardian Angel? agrees: "People find a great deal of comfort in the thought that something larger than themselves and benevolent may be looking out for them."

Some New Agers believe angels in general have become popular as a direct result of their increased activity in recent years: "We are approaching the millennium. We're at the end of a century that has seen unbelievable horrors...and the angels are saying people can't be allowed to live like this any longer." Robert C. Smith, author of In the Presence of Angels, says they are here "because of the difficulties we're encountering during this time of transition. The gateways to a new period in history have opened, bringing forth fresh possibilities for higher consciousness around the world... The angels are here to help us with that passage and to protect us if all else fails."

Angel enthusiasts also assure us that angels can help us cope with death. In their encounters with angels, humans "gain experimental assurance that they, too, have a heavenly home." Burnham affirms that "we need not be afraid to die....We do not die! This I have learned. This much I have seen with my own eyes." The angels have shown her this.

Probing deeper for a root cause, some angel enthusiasts have insightfully suggested that angels have become popular as a reaction against the secularism of Western society. "I think Americans in the '80s became weary of 20 years of materialism," Burnham muses. "We were spiritually starved and hungry for some hope and inspiration. I think that's why Angels continue to be such a success." Eileen Freeman, author of Touched by Angels, agrees: "We've come through a very materialistic period in this country. People are searching for a deeper spirituality."

Though I disagree with much of what Burnham and Freeman say in their books, I think they've made an important point here. The fact is, new religious trends and currents are not born in a vacuum; they often grow out of social and individual needs that are in themselves legitimate. The human need for transcendence is an example.

Without going into detail, it is enough to note that for many years secular humanism focused so much on the all-sufficiency of humanity that God was left entirely out of the picture. Many people experientially discovered how easily secular humanism can lead to nihilism - the belief that everything is meaningless and absurd. As secular humanism reigned supreme, Westerners increasingly lacked a sense of the transcendent - something people yearn for in the deepest part of their being. The inadequacy of secular humanism made people crave for something more - something divine, something sacred.

What should be of concern to Christians is that in reaction to Western secularism, many today have found a new sense of the transcendent by relating not to God but to God's angels - not to the Creator but to the Creator's celestial creatures. Of course, prior to the current angel craze many found (and continue to find) a sense of the transcendent in the broader New Age movement. As we will see, the current angel craze fits comfortably under the umbrella of New Age spirituality. These "angels" seem right at home with the Ascended Masters and the "space brothers" aboard UFOs, all of whom seek to lead humankind into a New Age of enlightenment and harmony.

Making Contact
Today one can hardly keep up with the seemingly endless flow of New Age books setting forth different methods for making angel contact. Popular methods include channeling, prayer, meditation, visualization, crystals, writing letters, and color-coordinating one's wardrobe. Let's take a brief look at these methods.

Channeling

New Agers believe they can contact angels directly via channeling (spiritism). One representative New Age channeler offers clients "angel listenings." A typical "listening" lasts somewhere between 20 and 30 minutes, and is really nothing more than a conversation between the counselee and his/her channeler, through whom the counselee's angel is supposedly speaking. After going into a trance, the channeler writes down everything the angel relays to him or her using a pencil and pad. The counselee never actually hears the angel speaking, though some have claimed to see a glow of light or to sense a presence in the room.

Prayer

Others prefer contacting angels through prayer. Taylor says, "Prayer is the way we talk to angels....When you pray to the angels, pray as if 'it is already done'; in other words, thank the angels in advance for taking care of your burdens." Incidentally, angel altars, which New Agers use for prayer and meditation, have become a hot item in today's angel-only stores.

Meditation/Visualization

Meditation and visualization - both used to induce an altered state of consciousness - are popular means of making angel contact. Robert C. Smith explains that "as we practice withdrawing our attention from the physical world and focusing it on the spiritual, our perception becomes less limited to materiality. The nonphysical realm becomes more real to us, and we develop the mental habit of attentiveness to it." Smith adds, "The tendency of material concerns [interferes] with our receptivity to the angelic realm."

Crystals

A "cherubic crystal" can be of great benefit for one seeking contact with angels, we are told. A cherubic crystal is one that has been "activated in meditation and which has been charged by the Cherubim." Once you have selected a suitable crystal, "hold it between the palms of your hands. Ask out loud for the wisdom vibration emanated by the Cherubim to flow through you and into your hands so that the stone will become charged with the Cherubim's vibration. Prepare the crystal once in this manner and you will never have to do it again." The crystal will then attract Cherubim angels into your life.

Writing Letters

Another (alleged) great way to communicate with angels is through writing letters to them. All one has to do is "date your letter, write 'Dear Angel,' and just let your words flow....Then sign it at the end as you would a letter to a friend."

The letter can be "mailed" by placing it on a meditation altar, under one's pillow, or, perhaps, one may burn it, "sending the message up to the heavens with the rising smoke."

Angels can also communicate back to us through letters! Just "pick up another piece of paper....This time, start your letter by writing 'Dear_________,' and fill in your own name. Then relax and let your angel's words come through you in the form of a letter." (This is called "automatic handwriting.")

Wearing the Right Colors

Still another way one can hail an angel is to color-coordinate one's wardrobe. Guardian angels allegedly like rose or pink and soft green; healing angels like deep sapphire blue; seraphim angels like crimson red; cherubim angels like blue; the archangel Michael likes deep green, vivid blue, gold, and rose; and Gabriel is attracted to tans, browns, and dark greens. By wearing specific colors, one can attract specific kinds of angels into one's life.

How Angels Appear
Assuming one is successful in using one of the above methods to make angel contact, what form might that contact take? New Agers tell us angels can appear as animals and humans, male or female, visions or voices, and with wings or without. They can take the form of nudgings, intuition, or coincidence. They can appear as light on the water, or in clouds and rainbows.

It is also possible, we are told, for an angel appearance to be disguised in everyday events. We are therefore urged to pay attention to the subtleties in life. For example, a child may spontaneously blurt out a statement for which only you know the meaning. While thumbing through a book, a page may fall open with a clear message in the print. Headlines in the newspaper, taken out of context, might contain your message.

Regardless of what form an angelic appearance may take, the messages from angels are always said to be very positive. Burnham says the typical message is "Don't be afraid, everything is just fine. There is nothing but love." Taylor says, "The main lesson the angels have for us is that we are love, we are God on earth, and it is time to love ourselves and open our hearts." (Taylor does not explain why man as God needs to be informed of his deity. The problem for New Age pantheists is how ignorance can enter into the picture if God is everything.)


The "Benefits" of Angel Contact
If the current New Age literature is to be believed, angel contact reaps all kinds of benefits. Following are some notable examples.

Spiritual Guidance

New Agers believe angels have a mission "to help us grow in wisdom and love, not just so that we will survive as a race, but so we will be able to grow into what we were always intended to be - perfected beings capable of incredible energies and immense, transforming love." These angels seem similar to what New Agers call "Ascended Masters" -formerly historical persons (including Jesus, St. Germaine, Buddha, and Lao Tze) who have allegedly super-evolved and "ascended" to a higher plane of existence from which they now assist other humans to evolve.

Attainment of Goals

New Agers tell us we can make a "declaration" to the angels, who will help bring about what we desire in life: "Making a declaration to the angels means that you are openly announcing what you want known to heaven. Declaring your goals and statements of things to come will establish a plan of action with the angels....The angels will bless the declaration and add higher inspiration and aspirations to it." This sounds like a celestial form of "positive confession" - angel-assisted "name it and claim it."

"Brain Program Editors"

Angels can allegedly help our emotional and psychological state by functioning as "brain program editors." These editors are "tiny angels of light that have access to cells and neurotransmitters [in our brains] if we allow them to. They can help us transform negative beliefs to positive ones and 'addicted' cells to free cells." Hence, angels are immensely practical because they can literally change the way we think!

Comforters

If we trust the angels, they can "comfort us with invisible warm hands, and always they try to give us what we want." As well, the angels can function as a cheering squad for our higher selves. "These angels cheer with little voices, 'Don't give up... We like who you are... Everything's going to be okay... We are proud of you.'"

New Religious Experiences

Some angel writers believe that when a new angelic guide comes into a person's life, he may acquire a desire to know something about a particular culture or religion that was previously foreign to his experience. If, for example, one of this individual's angelic spiritual guides is from a Native American background, he may find himself having visions that put him in touch with Mother Earth.

Michael the Archangel is said to be a strong proponent of free thinking, and he allegedly encourages people to create their own religions. "Michael sends us inspiration that urges us to open our minds to new ways of thinking and encourages us to figure out for ourselves where we need to be and how to get there. Creating our own religion can help us free our thinking and figure things out for ourselves."

"Copilots"

Angels can also "copilot" our lives. Indeed, "if you ever need them to take over, they are ready and capable... Copilots act as your invisible secretaries, arranging and ordering your days so that you don't have to make extra trips, reminding you about appointments and deadlines you are about to miss in your confusion." Therefore, we should "let go and let angels."