How could some angels rebel against God?

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Not like humans, angels aren’t affected by the fruits. Then why some of angels betrayed against the God? Are angels corrupted like the descendants of Adam, by default? Or what?
 
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All the angels were created perfect, with perfect and total control over their own wills. There was no corruption in them.
Most chose to love and serve God.
Some wanted to be their own gods, and rejected God’s will.
God is all good, all goodness. To reject God is to reject good.
If you reject good, you become evil.
Thus those angels fell.
 
With our free will, decisions are usually temporary. For angels, free will was exercised in a once for all manner. Unlike us they were given complete knowlege of all consequences, and not distracted by bodies, had total control of their will to make the total choice.

Why do so many people today disbelieve in angels? I think it’s that angels are greater than us, and lesser than God, in knowledge, power, goodness (or evil). Our modern view of God is barely above ourselves.

We don’t have room for angels.
 
I always find it wonderful during mass when the Priest calls down the Dominions, Principalities, Seraphim, and Cherribum. The angels are descending around the altar, we can’t see it, but I’m sure it’s an amazing sight to see, I always try to imagine the angels coming around the altar when we sing “Holy Holy Holy”
 
The question is then, why would angels chose to reject God if they had the knowledge of all the possible outcomes. Why pick the losing side of the war? … The side that already lost by the time the angels decided to defect
 
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The question is then, why would angels chose to reject God if they had the knowledge of all the possible outcomes. Why pick the losing side of the war? … The side that already lost by the time the angels decided to defect
To them, I imagine it’s better to burn than to serve.
 
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How? As easily as Man, God’s other created Rational Creatures betrayed God…because rational creatures have Free Will.

The only difference is that while God created the first Man and Woman, the consequences (but not the personal guilt) was passed down to the offspring (those begot) by Man and Woman.

Angels to not procreate, so, Angels are not subject to a spread of the sin of disobedience to God…it is an individual case,through the gift of free will whether they chose to rebel or not.
 
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Guess so. Who knows how much goes on that we can’t see, how much destruction and death could of taken place in this world that hasn’t because of the involvement and protection of angels. Especially St. Michael and the three Archangels, what a great gift they are to humanity
 
Humans suffer from ignorance and weakness and various obstacles, which means a person can sin against God but ultimately choose to love him when a new revelation or experience allows her to see something that she didn’t see before.

Angels are entirely free from ignorance, so a rejection of God is purely a matter of selfishness and ego. There’s no new revelation or experience that would be able to change their mind because they already understand everything they need to understand.
 
The question is then, why would angels chose to reject God if they had the knowledge of all the possible outcomes. Why pick the losing side of the war? … The side that already lost by the time the angels decided to defect
Love is a choice. So is the evil of Pride. Perhaps some angels consider “serving” to be the losing side.

Recommended: The Screwtape Letters, by C. S. Lewis

The Sillmarilion, by J. R. R. Tolkien.
 
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We shouldn’t automatically assume God loves us as much as He loves angels. Maybe, maybe not. I’m aware of the Incarnation.

After all, almost all think He loves us more that he loves animals, though I can no longer say we all think that.

In 2019, especially in the US, we tend to revolt against any whisper of inequality or hierarchy. In the Middle Ages they went to the opposite extreme, detailing 7 choirs or ranks of angels, and 14 (7 times 2) ranks of Monsignors.

We are at the opposite extreme. Many today would accept God, but only as an equal.
 
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All the angels were created perfect, with perfect and total control over their own wills
Why would any perfect beings rebel against God? That’s not perfect.
How? As easily as Man, God’s other created Rational Creatures betrayed God…because rational creatures have Free Will.
No, angels can’t. Because they have not eaten the fruits. If they can rebel by free will, they must be corrupted by default.
Love is a choice. So is the evil of Pride. Perhaps some angels consider “serving” to be the losing side.
Why would any angels has an ability to feel and/or gain the pride? That is what corrupted humans do and not angels.
It is said that they chose to reign in Hell rather than to serve in Heaven
Why would any angels try to reign in hell? Why do they had such a desire? Are they corrupted like humans?
 
Not like humans, angels aren’t affected by the fruits. Then why some of angels betrayed against the God? Are angels corrupted like the descendants of Adam, by default? Or what?
Ultimately it’s a mystery. Why any intelligent being would choose hell might be a question that will never be resolved. But pride seems to be the strongest theory.
 
Rational Creatures betrayed God…because rational creatures have Free Will.
I think the OP is asking why they rebelled, which is a very difficult question considering that they do not suffer from the kind of temptations we do and are vastly more intelligent than we are. Humans get away with a lot because their sin usually stems from ignorance, and God knows that we are subject to varying degrees of psychological and physiological difficulties in this life especially due to the fall of Adam and Eve.

I tend to think that the fall of angels is a mystery, but i find the idea of pride to be a good if not complete explanation. Perhaps sin itself is a mystery that cannot be fully rationalised or understood intellectually.
 
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All the angels were created perfect, with perfect and total control over their own wills. There was no corruption in them.
This is why the question is difficult to answer. It’s a mystery. Having freewill allows them the possibility of choosing but it doesn’t explain why they made the choice.

When it comes to human-beings, they might not want to suffer hell, but it doesn’t mean that they want to be servants of love for all eternity. They want to use the good that God has given them for their own selfish ends. So, it makes sense that hell could be their end because there is all manner of pleasure to get them there. There is an object other than God that serves human attention.

I imagine that angels may of had a similar problem. However since angel’s do not have human deficiencies, or the same kind of temptations that we do, what was the object of their intellect that they would choose against God?

We cannot say angels do not exist.
We cannot say that the fall of Satan is a mythology.
We cannot say that the fall of the angels is due to some existential tragedy.
We cannot say that the devil went insane.

It’s a mystery. And i think saying that it is a mystery is the better answer, because to be honest it’s beyond our comprehension…
 
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Not sure I would say angels created perfect, since they are not omniscient or omnipotent. Maybe they are only as “perfected” as a created being can be, but fall far short of God (true perfection).

One “perfection” for created being is free will. Without free will, 2 thirds of the angels could not have chosen love for God. Thus, for them, heaven wouldn’t really be “Heaven”. Michael, etc would be robots.

Same holds true for us. If the essence of heaven is being in the presence of God - perfect Love - that is not where certain humans want to be. As C. S. Lewis wrote the gates of Hell are locked from the inside.

The only angels or people who would be happy in heaven are those who respond to God’s love.
 
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