Question for Christians about guardian angels

[BeHereNow]

I'm really not looking for atheist/Christian debate, just answers, but I don't think I'm allowed to post in the Christian forums.

If anyone has an answer to this please share.

I was talking to my mother the yesterday about how silly the idea of guardian angels is, and she told me she believes we do have them. She thinks God assigns a battery of angels to watch over and protect us.

Ignoring the obvious challenges I would volley at such thinking, can any Christian explain to me where this concept comes from? She claimed it was biblical, but I don't remember ever reading that in the Bible. Is it a misinterpretation, is it directly stated, or is it a total fabrication?

I told her I'd inquire for an answer here and get back with her on the results.

Thank you in advance.

[anthrogirl]

My best friend's mother channels angels. Strange and interesting...

here is her website:

http://www.near-death.com/forum/nde/001/35.html

ag

[Calvinist4Him]

She thinks God assigns a battery of angels to watch over and protect us.

I would disagree. I believe God certainly CAN assign angels to protect people for whatever reason, but I do not buy into the idea of everyone having a "guardian angel" because...


Ignoring the obvious challenges I would volley at such thinking, can any Christian explain to me where this concept comes from? She claimed it was biblical, but I don't remember ever reading that in the Bible.

...I don't recall reading that in the Bible either.



Is it a misinterpretation, is it directly stated, or is it a total fabrication?

I wouldn't go so far as to say total fabrication, but misinterpretation or going to far with application which is part of interpretation.

[BeHereNow]

I would disagree. I believe God certainly CAN assign angels to protect people for whatever reason, but I do not buy into the idea of everyone having a "guardian angel" because...

...I don't recall reading that in the Bible either.

I wouldn't go so far as to say total fabrication, but misinterpretation or going to far with application which is part of interpretation.


Thanks A4H, I'll chalk that up as one "misinterpretation" and possible "not in the Bible".


Anyone else have a little surplus enlightenment to unload on me?

[Cyrus of Persia]

Jesus was talking about children who have angels watching over them.

In Acts, Early Church is surprised that Peter is released from the prison, so they do not believe it at first, and say that it's not him, but his angel.

There are more passages, but i think those are the closest ones upon what this teaching is based.

[BeHereNow]

Jesus was talking about children who have angels watching over them.

In Acts, Early Church is surprised that Peter is released from the prison, so they do not believe it at first, and say that it's not him, but his angel.

There are more passages, but i think those are the closest ones upon what this teaching is based.

Thanks, Cyrus. Do you know where the passage about Jesus appears?


Does anyone know what other passages mention guardian angels?

Thanks!


EDIT: I found the passage (actually my dad did).

Matthew 18:10 (Amplified)

Beware that you do not despise or feel scornful toward or think little of one of these little ones, for I tell you that in heaven their angels always are in the presence of and look upon the face of My Father Who is in heaven.

Really, I don't think this is relevant at all to the discussion of guardian angels. The fact that it appears directly after the advice to pluck your eye or cut off your hand makes me think it, too, was meant to be exaggerative, not literal.

[BeHereNow]

Okay, here is a passage that I think may be the most relevant.

Hebrews 1:14

New Living Translation

But angels are only servants. They are spirits sent from God to care for those who will receive salvation.


Amplified

Are not the angels all ministering spirits (servants) sent out in the service [of God for the assistance] of those who are to inherit salvation?


It appears this verse indicates that all angels serve God by serving humans. To really wrap my mind around the meaning of this verse, I need to know a few more things:

1. Do ALL of the saved receive service?
2. Is the service 'round the clock, constant?
3. What exactly does service mean?

[mossrose]

BHN, I have done a fairly lengthy study on angels, Satan and demons, and if you are willing to wade through it, it can be found here:

http://www.theologyweb.com/forum/showthread.php?t=43637&highlight=Seasonal+Scripture+study+on+Satan


As far as I am aware, there are no Scriptures that support "guardian angels" per se. The closest is the passage of Jesus speaking that you have already disposed of.

[BeHereNow]

BHN, I have done a fairly lengthy study on angels, Satan and demons, and if you are willing to wade through it, it can be found here:

http://www.theologyweb.com/forum/showthread.php?t=43637&highlight=Seasonal+Scripture+study+on+Satan


As far as I am aware, there are no Scriptures that support "guardian angels" per se. The closest is the passage of Jesus speaking that you have already disposed of.

Thanks for the link mossrose. I'll definitely check it out when I'm in a more esoteric mood. The discussion of angels (per the Bible) has always fascniated me. I remember having a youth paster differentiate between seraphims and um.. I want to say cherubim, but I'm not quite sure. In any event, it has always interested me.

So how do you interpret the Hebrews passage? If your answer to that is already in the link you provided, please forgive. :smile:

[AtheistArchon]

Thanks for the link mossrose. I'll definitely check it out when I'm in a more esoteric mood. The discussion of angels (per the Bible) has always fascniated me. I remember having a youth paster differentiate between seraphims and um.. I want to say cherubim, but I'm not quite sure. In any event, it has always interested me.

- Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe seraphim (plural of seraph) are "adult" angels and cherubim (plural of cherub) are "infant" angels. I'm quite open to the possibility that I'm wrong, but this is what I remember from... I don't remember where. Pop culture for all I know. What the differences are other than apparent age, I don't know.

- Angels and demons are classic literary protagonist and antagonist characters, as are the godly powers behind them. Modern interpretations stretch widely between pure-as-snow saints with wings, to sword-and-shield guardians punishing the wicked. (Demons are just plain evil apparently, typecast into one role.) I've met several people who "channel" angels, a-la speaking in tongues, and many more who claim to have spoken to or seen one during times of stress or in dreams. I consider these people highly unstable, as unstable as their counterparts burning black candles and cutting themselves in graveyards.

[Dee Dee Warren]

I am moving this to General Theistics BHN - that area is perfect for this, and the level there is moderated much stricter to keep it on the level you want.

[Pilgrim]

- Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe seraphim (plural of seraph) are "adult" angels and cherubim (plural of cherub) are "infant" angels. I'm quite open to the possibility that I'm wrong, but this is what I remember from... I don't remember where. Pop culture for all I know. What the differences are other than apparent age, I don't know.

- Angels and demons are classic literary protagonist and antagonist characters, as are the godly powers behind them. Modern interpretations stretch widely between pure-as-snow saints with wings, to sword-and-shield guardians punishing the wicked. (Demons are just plain evil apparently, typecast into one role.) I've met several people who "channel" angels, a-la speaking in tongues, and many more who claim to have spoken to or seen one during times of stress or in dreams. I consider these people highly unstable, as unstable as their counterparts burning black candles and cutting themselves in graveyards.
There is often the conception of cherubim being infant in nature but there is no Biblical or even truely historical reason for this. It's more of a pop culture thing that has developed over the years, beginning I believe in the Victorian era.

[Mark_S]

As a protestant, I really don't have much to say on the whole guardian angel thing, but you piqued my interest, so I hopped over to the Catholic encyclopedia http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07049c.htm The article is not a very thorough look, but it'll probably answer your questions.

Regards,
Mark

[Rusty T]

The Orthodox Church teaches about guardian angels: http://www.fatheralexander.org/booklets/english/angels.htm#n5

rusty

[mossrose]

Thanks for the link mossrose. I'll definitely check it out when I'm in a more esoteric mood. The discussion of angels (per the Bible) has always fascniated me. I remember having a youth paster differentiate between seraphims and um.. I want to say cherubim, but I'm not quite sure. In any event, it has always interested me.

So how do you interpret the Hebrews passage? If your answer to that is already in the link you provided, please forgive. :smile:
You are most welcome. I am certain that the Hebrews passage is addressed in that study. It is fairly exhaustive and is taken strictly from Scripture passages about angels, etc. :hehe:




There is often the conception of cherubim being infant in nature but there is no Biblical or even truely historical reason for this. It's more of a pop culture thing that has developed over the years, beginning I believe in the Victorian era.


I agree. There is nothing is Scripture to indicate that any angels are, or rather, were, infants at any time. And I think the idea developed earlier than the Victorian era, closer to the Renaissance age......Raphael's art in particular gave us the chubby cherub children......

[BeHereNow]

Dee Dee, thanks for moving the thread.

Tizzidale and Mark S, I read the two posts that you linked. It appears that the idea of guardian angels is taken from:

1. An extrapolation of the Matthew and Hebrews verses. Imo, the Matthew verse doesn't indicate guardian angels whatsoever, and people are reading way too much into it. The Hebrews verse, however does provide an indication. However, neither article addresses the three essential questions I posed above.

2. Writings of early church fathers.


Thanks for the help everyone; I consider myself properly educated on the subject now. If anyone has answers to the three questions, though, I'd be happy to hear it. However, it doesn't appear any scriptural answers will be available, as the two linked articles surely would have mentioned them.

:cheers:

[mossrose]

Properly educated? :lol:

Then can you explain it all to me, BHN?


I'm just teasing you. :hug: I hope you will take the time to read my article sometime.

:thumb:

[Rusty T]

Moss,

You're article is similar to this one by an Orthodox bishop: http://www.fatheralexander.org/booklets/english/angels.htm

rusty

[mossrose]

Thanks, Tizzi!

[FirstSunday33ad]

I'm really not looking for atheist/Christian debate, just answers, but I don't think I'm allowed to post in the Christian forums.

If anyone has an answer to this please share.

I was talking to my mother the yesterday about how silly the idea of guardian angels is, and she told me she believes we do have them. She thinks God assigns a battery of angels to watch over and protect us.

Ignoring the obvious challenges I would volley at such thinking, can any Christian explain to me where this concept comes from? She claimed it was biblical, but I don't remember ever reading that in the Bible. Is it a misinterpretation, is it directly stated, or is it a total fabrication?

I told her I'd inquire for an answer here and get back with her on the results.

Thank you in advance.

The concept of the guardian angel originated with pre-Christian Rome who developed the idea from the Greek idea of the Genius that guided the actions of each philosopher. The Romans developed this concept to a personal demi-god that watched over each individual and tried to keep them from harm. An evil-genius would try to steer a person to make wrong choices.

Under Christianity, this idea became a guardian angel and a personal demon, a concept we illustrate today with the image of an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other each trying to convince an undecided person to do good or evil.