Guardian Angels

Guardian Angel

Guardian angels are celestial beings typically believed in certain sects of Christianity, most notably Catholicism. These religious angels are typically the guardians of children, although there are many people who believe that everyone has a guardian angel. The main idea behind guardian angels is that they are protectors of individuals, and also intercessors to God for each person's sins.

[edit] Origins of guardian angels

The idea of these religious angels in guardian form seems to have originated in the 400's. Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite was the main perpetuator of this belief. He was also the one who extensively researched it and defined it for the Catholic Church. The basic idea though, of spirits guiding humans dates back at least as far as the Greek and Roman empires. The original view of guardian angels was more of an intercessory position, whereas in more modern views guardian angels are seen to be more as guardians from sin.

When angels were assigned angel wings is unclear. While there is some reference to wings in the Bible, it is not specifically stated whether or not the angels sent to earth appear to have them, or if it is just special angels in heaven that have wings. For all anyone knows, an angel might look like a normal human on earth. At any rate, it appears that most of the modern idea of angels began in the Renaissance period, with all the famous church art. Their interpretations of angels and angel wings are what most people think of today.

[edit] Speculation on angels

While some people believe that every child has a guardian angel to protect them from harm and guide them to the right things, it is, of course, impossible to know anything definitely. Some people believe that when children claim to have an imaginary friend that they are seeing their angel, and others believe that no one can see them. Some people believe that when angels arrive on earth, they look exactly like humans. There are several references to the Bible that seem to support this belief. Many people have claimed to have interactions with angels, whether in guardian form, or even as messengers.

[edit] Angels in society

The idea of angels and demons has fascinated people for years, and the amount of references to them in popular culture is quite extensive. While there are not many referrals to religious angels, the presence of them is still there. There are many movies and books that try to humanize the idea of angels, making them much more compatible with humans. Many stories reference fallen angels as separate from demons, still retaining the desire to do good things.

Angel wings also play a huge roll in popular images of the day. It seems that nearly every organization or toy uses some form of angel wing for different objects. Girl toys especially use the angel wing prominently, as do different social groups such as Hell's angels. Even the people who don't really believe in the presence of angels will still refer to them as mythological creatures like the Greek myths. It is very unlikely that angels and guardian angels will fade from popularity any time soon.