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For many Americans, Sunday is just another day to sleep late or go to the mall. In fact, although 83 percent of adults identify themselves as Christians, only about 20 percent attend church on any given Sunday.
When the national interest in angels began to rise during the '90s, I was amazed to discover that far more Americans believe in angels than attend church regularly. This seems odd because a belief in angels would tend to challenge and stretch one’s faith—wouldn’t it?—while church membership, although currently sagging, seems pretty traditional and uncomplicated.
Are there more angel-believers than church-goers because angels don’t seem to require anything of us? Do some of us ignore the spiritual connection that our souls yearn for and settle for wearing an angel pin instead of making a commitment? Certainly there have been people wounded by “religious” authority figures, who simply cannot get past the bad feelings such behavior evoked, and who continue to avoid church membership.
A large segment of angel-believers also feel that community worship is simply not necessary—one can pray on the top of a mountain just as easily (perhaps more easily) than in a pew surrounded by strangers. This is called “what am I getting out of it” faith which tends to miss the point. Communing with God isn’t about us, it’s about Him and how He wants to guide us. And if we check the Bible (His road map), we see that angels are very much involved in helping, reassuring, loving and otherwise ministering to people. If we are their followers, it’s obvious that we too have to connect with people. And how do we do that on top of a mountain?
This is not meant to be critical—I am well aware that each of us searches for God at different times and in different ways. His invitation is individual, perfectly tailored to each of us. (Who would know us better than our Creator?) But it seems obvious that angels are only the gateway to a richer spiritual life, the messengers, not the Message, and getting involved with them calls us to continue growing.
You are an angel-lover or you wouldn’t be reading this. Are you also a regular church-goer? If so, why? If not, why not?
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Author and lecturer Joan Wester Anderson was born in Evanston, Illinois. She began her writing career in 1973 with family humor articles and was a monthly columnist for two national magazines during the 1980s. Among her 16 books is Where Angels Walk, which was on the New York Times best-seller list for over a year. Her newest book is Angelic Tails: True Stories of Heavenly Canine Companions (Loyola Press).
Your Comments
Thank you for this post and for sharing your findings about angel-lovers and church-goers. An eyeopener. I love my dear Guardian Angel and I eagerly look forward to attending Holy Mass each week. It's interesting to learn how people (the non-church goers specifically) actually view angels - do they really believe in them like you and I? Or do they have a fairy attitude toward them. Or are they frightened of going any deeper into the spiritual life, but still want to feel protected? Interesting discussion could come forth, I think.
Thank you again!
You may remember me from years ago - my sister and I were writing a magazine for Catholic girls (Saint Maria's Messenger) and we interviewed you and also published some of your angel stories (with your permission, of course).
I do remember you---how did the magazine go? As you can see, I am still sharing angel stories, and have just finished my eighth book in the series. (It will be out this spring.)
Yes, I hope we can get more information on how people view angels. I'm afraid some are stuck in the "fairy attitude," but if one says something about that, one is accused of being judgmental.
I've gone through periods where I didn't go to church because I couldn't find one I felt comfortable in. I also had one long stretch where I went to church and cried at almost every service because I felt so profoundly opened to God's love and care for me at a time in my life when I didn't know if I could cope. Happily things are much better now and I'm back to not crying so much in church! To me, at its best a church service is truly greater than the sum of its parts. I agree that it's about so much more than just what we get from it individually. To me, it's expressing thanks and love along with others, and acknowledging the divinity in each other as well. Singing together in particular heightens the experience. I always feel there must be a lot of angels hovering over us in church.
You sounds to me like a "sincerely searching" person, and remember what God said about them: "Knock and the door shall be open to you." I suspect you will find your way, and the more you open yourself to spiritual readng, the faster that will happen. Blessings!
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