By: MARGARET BROWN
Calling myself a Christian covered a multitude of sins. It was convenient when signing up to join the Forces or undergoing surgery and just meant putting pen to paper.
Joining St Vincent’s Church in Portugal many years ago began as an exploration. Having put a toe in the water, it was only right to find out more. An open minded priest started Bible classes, other incumbents followed and during a long Interregnum, a cross section of Locums brought variety and excitement into what can be a difficult subject for the uninitiated.
Full of questions, unconvinced by some of the minutiae and Christian dogma, slowly unbelief has been replaced by a firm acceptance of the presence of God.
October 2 was the Feast of all Angels and the sermon was devoted to these supernatural beings, the existence of which had tested my credulity. Consulting the Bible, I found that these benevolent spirits have been recognised since time immemorial. They are present in ancient folklore and folk theology, and have been a part of Jewish and Christian tradition for millennia.
Considered to exist to praise God and carry out his tasks as directed, they are said to visit people of diverse religions or no religion at all. Their acceptance is an article of the Islamic faith and the Qur’an is said to have been dictated to Muhammad by the Archangel Gabriel. Demons are thought to be Angels evicted from Heaven of which Satan (The Angel of Light) is considered the greatest, devoted to leading astray the human race into a life of sin.
The presence of guardian angels has been believed since pagan times and is spoken of in the Bible. Particularly devoted to the care and guidance of human beings, they are the most welcome of spirits.
