Have you had an Angelic experience?

[cheese_sdc]

I haven’t always been an atheist (obviously I was born a Christian like most other Americans). So I wasn’t always this confident in my position. You learn stuff in forums like this … not to mention it pushes you to research and learn on your own (so you know enough to have confidence in your position, which I believe is important in life).

nods

I was raised Catholic, but left the church about two years ago. I don’t know much about science, but I do know what I’ve experienced, and science doesn’t always explain it. Nor did Catholicism.

 

[IAGladfelter]

Nahh, you were just imagining these experiences; but you’re right about one thing … apparently you’re far from alone

Gently, Yankee. . . Denying experiences of the supernatural is short-sighted and dangerous. The supernatural realm exists and is just as real, no - more real than the scientifically observable realm of the space-time continuum. Supernatural beings who are God’s messengers - the Holy Angel of God do exist. We all have our own guardian angels; and I suspect that experiences with other angels, while not common, are more common than one might think. As Scripture says, some people have “entertained angels unawares.” People should prayerfully thank God for their help. I also think there are many solid reasons why Catholics are very wise to not talk about such experiences except with their confessor.

More than a little carefulness and discernement is called for here at well, for evil angels (demons) also exist. People may also have experiences with them, and Scripture tells us then have the ability to appear similar to angels of light in order to mislead us. Actual angels of God will lead us to Christ and His Church, teach us nothing conflicting with the teaching of the Catholic Church, deepen our devotion to Christ and His Church, and point us to Christ. Remember that angels are only messengers of our Tri-une God who serve Him, and do His will. We need to keep things in perspective and keep our focus on God, on Christ, and His Church and not be side-tracked by focusing excessively on the ministrations of the Holy Angels.

Blessings,
Irl

 

[aarontassin]

I’m not always right, I’m just always right here on CAF

biology meets religion

physics meets religion

logic meets religion

Here we are in the 21st century & people can still claim to have had visions of angels and expect not to be ridiculed. It’s pretty scary.

Over 64% of the participants in this poll claim to have seen an angel … the world is much more deluded than I ever suspected.

Dude you need to visit www.heartmath.org and check out the research tab. Science is proving that the electrical waves generated by the heart can change a person’s brain waves from 12 ft away. So maybe it’s the heart that is the superior cognitive force. I think Jesus said something along that line 2000 yrs ago without sensitive scientific equipment. He said things like “The Holy Spirit will dwell in a man’s heart”… And being “in the spirit” maybe has something to do with a person thinking with their heart. Revelation is all about visions John had while “in the spirit.” He had his body shut off and the visions he was having were coming from his heart. Was John imagining angels and horses? Yes and no. His visions were the only way the heart could relate what God was trying to tell him to his brain. Some people are able to see angels and demons because their heart strong in relaying that information to the brain. Just because you can’t see them doesn’t mean no one can.

 

[yankee_doodle]

Dude you need to visit www.heartmath.org and check out the research tab. Science is proving that the electrical waves generated by the heart can change a person’s brain waves from 12 ft away. So maybe it’s the heart that is the superior cognitive force.

dude, this is pseudo nonsense

 

[yankee_doodle]

Gently, Yankee. . . Denying experiences of the supernatural is short-sighted and dangerous. The supernatural realm exists and is just as real, no - more real than the scientifically observable realm of the space-time continuum. Supernatural beings who are God’s messengers - the Holy Angel of God do exist.

Well, these sort of bizarre claims have been investigated (the field is called parapsychology), and so far they have all been debunked (some even exposed as fraud), where sufficient data existed to actually investigate a claim.

So you can chastise me all you like … it won’t make this stuff any less silly.

 

[Benadam]

Well, these sort of bizarre claims have been investigated (the field is called parapsychology), and so far they have all been debunked (some even exposed as fraud), where sufficient data existed to actually investigate a claim.

So you can chastise me all you like … it won’t make this stuff any less silly.

Many years ago I read about ome data gathered by a Roman Catholic exorcist, by the way we’ve been confronting this phenomena for millennia now the cold the sucking a person out the window, head spin, we understand the physics, anyway, He had decades of experience blessibng houses with wierd things going on. He said that there frequency of poltergeist is highest around troubled teenage girls. Teenagers are vulnerable because they are in identity limbo. They are experiencing a profoundly intense developemental stage. At any rate I’ve been watching for it to come out. They even have the foundational physics down but stray off in various degrees. Google poltergeists more frequent around teenage girls or something to that effect I got a couple of sites mentioning it as if it’s new. And a few years later I read of another Priest who’s stats pointed to teenage boys. But I didn’t actually read anything he wrote just heard about him. I’m searching for the blog I wazs reading the Priest discuss this of which I bumbed into around 5 years ago or so. I read in some other literature about 5 years before the same thing, same guy.

You don’t think we would allow delusion to unbalance our perception of the natural world do you? I mean, we aren’t all suffering from a twisted pathology making us percieve through overactive coping mechanisms are we?

 

[yankee_doodle]

Many years ago I read about ome data gathered by a Roman Catholic exorcist, by the way we’ve been confronting this phenomena for millennia now the cold the sucking a person out the window, head spin, we understand the physics, anyway, He had decades of experience blessibng houses with wierd things going on. He said that there frequency of poltergeist is highest around troubled teenage girls. Teenagers are vulnerable because they are in identity limbo. They are experiencing a profoundly intense developemental stage. At any rate I’ve been watching for it to come out. They even have the foundational physics down but stray off in various degrees. Google poltergeists more frequent around teenage girls or something to that effect I got a couple of sites mentioning it as if it’s new. And a few years later I read of another Priest who’s stats pointed to teenage boys. But I didn’t actually read anything he wrote just heard about him. I’m searching for the blog I wazs reading the Priest discuss this of which I bumbed into around 5 years ago or so. I read in some other literature about 5 years before the same thing, same guy.

You don’t think we would allow delusion to unbalance our perception of the natural world do you? I mean, we aren’t all suffering from a twisted pathology making us percieve through overactive coping mechanisms are we?

Let me put it this way. Obviously I (like most informed people) are aware of these claims. Yet, there is no scientific evidence showing they’re true. I for one don’t believe anyone’s head did several 360 degree rotations (because they were possessed by a demon), because they would have died as a result (unless it’s a Hollywood film of course).

As I said I did, in fairness, investigate this paranormal stuff in reaction to this thread. Every credible source I’ve found tells me parapsychology has been debunked (it was even studied by the US government for years, before they finally concluded there’s no truth in it). Every time this paranormal stuff is investigated its debunked or the real physical cause is discovered.

Now this doesn’t mean I believe physicists and other scientists will not continue to discover new facts that seem amazing and even counter-intuitive to us … because I’m confident (and hopeful) they will. This just means I always examine things through the prism of science. If it fails that test then it’s not true. I also understand the human compulsion toward religion. Yet the facts tell me it isn’t true

 

[youngsaint]

Actually I haven’t talked much about them as they are really private revelations and personal.

It was private! It was my Mom, Dad, and I in a car! lol, I don’t think they know what personal means

 

[youngsaint]

Let me put it this way. Obviously I (like most informed people) are aware of these claims. Yet, there is no scientific evidence showing they’re true. I for one don’t believe anyone’s head did several 360 degree rotations (because they were possessed by a demon), because they would have died as a result (unless it’s a Hollywood film of course).

As I said I did, in fairness, investigate this paranormal stuff in reaction to this thread. Every credible source I’ve found tells me parapsychology has been debunked (it was even studied by the US government for years, before they finally concluded there’s no truth in it). Every time this paranormal stuff is investigated its debunked or the real physical cause is discovered.

Now this doesn’t mean I believe physicists and other scientists will not continue to discover new facts that seem amazing and even counter-intuitive to us … because I’m confident (and hopeful) they will. This just means I always examine things through the prism of science. If it fails that test then it’s not true. I also understand the human compulsion toward religion. Yet the facts tell me it isn’t true

Of course they debunked it, if they did other wise, they would be thought insane, fired, and blacklisted on every business in the country. The thing is, most people have had an experience, but most are just to afraid of being thought insane to do anything.

 

[youngsaint]

biology meets religion

physics meets religion

logic meets religion

Ummmm the Catholic Church over came all of that YEARS ago. Its called… Saint Thomas Aquinas

 

[Drigandi]

Libertarianism

Libertarianism isn’t a religion. It’s a philosophy, and one based in anarchy at that. Are you sure you’re Libertarian?

 

[Drigandi]

dude, someone has to be right … it might as well be me
…
I haven’t always been an atheist (obviously I was born a Christian like most other Americans).

1.) The only person who has to be right is God. NO one man is right about everything.
2.) If you weren’t born an atheist, you aren’t a true atheist. The case with most “atheists” is that either they have lost their way, or they were always atheist and they have never and will never believe in God because they were born without the gift of Faith. If you truly are an atheist, which I am not arguing, you never really believed the things people told you about God in the first place.

 

[Drigandi]

Actually I haven’t talked much about them as they are really private revelations and personal.

Some are and some aren’t. If they were all private and personal, we would not find them mentioned in the inspired texts.

 

[Jennifer_G]

Possibly, when I was at college 10 years ago (I was Lutheran then). I was at a study desk in the hallway, and out of the blue, this student comes over out of nowhere and says something like, “I just wanted to tell you that God had many things in store for you” or something, then vanished around the corner by a stairway and hallway - but I didn’t see anyone walking down the stairs. I was thinking, “Hey, where’d she go?” It got me wondering if that was a gaurdian angel. Seems kind of odd out of the blue (didn’t give any religious literature, so it wasn’t like an on-campus evangalization thing).

 

[yankee_doodle]

1.) The only person who has to be right is God. NO one man is right about everything.
2.) If you weren’t born an atheist, you aren’t a true atheist. The case with most “atheists” is that either they have lost their way, or they were always atheist and they have never and will never believe in God because they were born without the gift of Faith. If you truly are an atheist, which I am not arguing, you never really believed the things people told you about God in the first place.

uhhhh … huh

 

[4EverHis]

a little history, my wife is from a large catholic afmily, I was raised in the Methodist church and ascended into the church at age 30 and after 8 yrs of marriage and mass and our first son being born. During those eight years of marriage, three of the six children in my wifes family took their own lives, the last her little sister just months after our son had been born. We have always had a deep sorrow over these things, but we have also maintained our faith. Five years ago I started praying the Chaplet of Devine Mercy for the benefit of my brother and sisters; if by chance they are in purgatory I wanted to be praying for them and also all of the protestant ancestors of mine. This past summer on the birthday anniversay of the younger sister, we were having an especially joyous time together, celebrating our family and remembering fondly my wife’s sister on her birthday. It was late, we were slow dancing, suddenly an apparition appeared behind me, I sensed it was not a negative force but a guide. Almost simultaneously my sister in law appeared to me to my right, above me, she said “I am okay, but I need you to pray for Mike and Liz, You will feel what they feel and know why it is important to pray.” Again, in an instant I was knocked down to the floor, I was sobbing like I had never before, I sensed such sorrow, not a sad, lost something or someone sorrow, just total grief of absense. My wife was grabbing me and shouting, I could barely hear her, I was consumed by the sorrow. My wife’s sister asked me to pray for Mike and Liz. Since that night I have dedicated all of the masses to them and continue to pray the devine mercy chaplet and for all the souls in purgatory.

wow…I’ve heard before the souls in Purgatory have a great longing for God that is very painful for them

Ummmm the Catholic Church over came all of that YEARS ago. Its called… Saint Thomas Aquinas

 

[Benadam]

Well, these sort of bizarre claims have been investigated (the field is called parapsychology), and so far they have all been debunked (some even exposed as fraud), where sufficient data existed to actually investigate a claim.

So you can chastise me all you like … it won’t make this stuff any less silly.

The head spinning is the evil spirit’s ability to cause movement quicker than the eye can register. It moves the head much like a ice skaters head spinning when they twirl but so rapidly and extended towards the back that the head appears to spin. Check out the folks who have seen it eneogh to be real educators of the phenomenon

 

[Bob_Crowley]

I missed the “sister” part of it (thought you were a guy, sorry). Interestingly the history of angels probably goes back to pre-history (or at least to Mesopotamia). They’re simply mythological creatures that were intertwined into the Abrahamic faiths.

Then you explain all the experiences of the people on this site. And they’re not drug addicts either, and they are as sane, intelligent and well grouned in their senses as you are.

I had the experience of my father, who’d been quite a cruel father, appearing in my room the night he died. I didn’t find out for four more days from human means that he’d died. However the uncle who came to tell me about it commented, “It’s pretty messy. He was dead for four days before anybody found him.” The episode ended with a terrifying scream on his part, and he then promptly disappeared. I think he’s in Hell, which is of course a Biblical concept, whether we like it or not.

During the discussions at one stage he stated. “You’ll meet a pastor. You’ll think he’s great, but all he’ll do is discourage you even more!”

I met the pastor nearly 4 years later. About nine years after that, I sat in the pastor’s office to hear him say, “I owe you an apology. You needed encouragement, but all I’ve done is to discourage you even more.”

I then reminded him of my “dead” father’s prediction the night he appeared in my room about 12 or 13 years before. Pretty accurate for a “Mythological” dead man if you ask me.

But you’ll find out.

 

[Bob_Crowley]

Then you explain all the experiences of the people on this site. And they’re not drug addicts either, and they are as sane, intelligent and well grouned in their senses as you are.

I had the experience of my father, who’d been quite a cruel father, appearing in my room the night he died. I didn’t find out for four more days from human means that he’d died. However the uncle who came to tell me about it commented, “It’s pretty messy. He was dead for four days before anybody found him.” The episode ended with a terrifying scream on his part, and he then promptly disappeared. I think he’s in Hell, which is of course a Biblical concept, whether we like it or not.

During the discussions at one stage he stated. “You’ll meet a pastor. You’ll think he’s great, but all he’ll do is discourage you even more!”

I met the pastor nearly 4 years later. About nine years after that, I sat in the pastor’s office to hear him say, “I owe you an apology. You needed encouragement, but all I’ve done is to discourage you even more.”

I then reminded him of my “dead” father’s prediction the night he appeared in my room about 12 or 13 years before. Pretty accurate for a “Mythological” dead man if you ask me.

But you’ll find out.

By the way, I was an atheist like you at the time. I became a Christian about four years later (which is when I met the above mentioned pastor), and have had quite a number of “spiritual” experiences since. But the episode with my father, which started with an apology on his part, followed by a rather acrimonious dicussoon and the final terrifying scream, is unique in my experience. I haven’t had any others like it. In his own words on the night, “I’ve been an absolute mongrel to you!”

So he had something to answer for.

How’s your check list going? Mine’s not real good either. I was an atheist, and I was dead wrong.

But do you know what my reaction to the above episode was at the time? “Nah… that couldn’t have happened. I don’t believe in things like that!” Now you’re not likely to have the same experience, but if you did, I’ll bet you’d do your best to deny it, because it wouldn’t fit in with your preconceived beliefs.

As Christ said, “A man is as he thinks.”

 

[IAGladfelter]

1.) The only person who has to be right is God. NO one man is right about everything.
2.) If you weren’t born an atheist, you aren’t a true atheist. The case with most “atheists” is that either they have lost their way, or they were always atheist and they have never and will never believe in God because they were born without the gift of Faith. If you truly are an atheist, which I am not arguing, you never really believed the things people told you about God in the first place.

This is arguable, of course but in my humble opinion the true atheists are not the ones who argue - the militant ones. As long as they are arguing, they are candidates for eventual conversion.

Rather, the true atheists are the ones who have moved beyond arguments to a vast, total indifference. As someone once said, "the opposite to love is not hate. The opposite to love is indifference. It is a vast and total indifference to anything spiritual and/or religious which is truly demonic. As Christians we must witness for Christ and His Church to them, but they are badly lin need of our prayers.

Blessings,
Irl