Advent calendar 15 - Angels...

I think when it comes to angels I stand firmly in the corner of disbelief. I’ve never seen one, never heard one, and if I have angel guardian guarding me - well, I’d be very surprised. Of course if there were angels I doubt that they’d have white wings like a dove, or carry harps, or sit around all day on a cloud.

No, if you think about it the whole idea of the traditional angel is preposterous although they have appeared in works of art for thousands of years.

Angel-shaped beings turn up in ancient Mesopotamian and Greek art and were probably the inspiration for the popular Christian image of angels. The Renaissance painters seemed unable to paint a picture without dropping an angel in it somewhere – or even worse a cherub, one of those midget angels I detest so much.

Of course there are many who would disagree with me. There are stories of unexplained rescues by spirit beings throughout history and these miracle happenings are a part of every culture on Earth. In America, where there are no gullible people, a recent Time Magazine survey revealed that around 69% of Americans believe in angels, 46% believe they have their own guardian angel or angels, and 13% of Americans believe they have encountered an angel or, at the very least, a supernatural being.

Actually, now I come to think about it, I did once see an angel type creature standing at the bottom of my bed. It was smiling, but I prefer to believe that it was a dream, a shadow, or a piece of undigested potato; and of course I was very young so it could have been a burglar for all I know.

If there are angels then I’d prefer them to be like Clarence in It’s a Wonderful Life rather than like the archangel Uriel with his flaming sword. Clarence might forgive me my sins but I think, particularly after writing this, that Uriel might not take such a kindly view.

Oh well, off with my blasphemous head.