77% of Americans believe in Angels....

[Bigmack]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by Odin2005 (a host of the General Discussion forum).

I'm not intending to start flame wars, but I am curious...

What mental process leads people to the belief that there are angels?

What evidence do believers see to support their belief?

[Lucky Luciano]

1. No wonder intellectuals are persecuted. nt

[earthside]

2. So, here is the proof.

That the American system of education is failing.

[elleng]

5. 'Education' has nothing to do with faith;

you either have it or you don't.
Me, I NEVER have, but no better educated than friends and relatives who do believe.

[rhett o rick]

10. It would be interesting to see the statistic of amount of education vs. faith. nm

[cthulu2016]

13. Non-belief correlates highly with education level...

...but correlation is not causation. We do not exlplicitly educate people to hold no faith, though typical faith-based claims about the material world will be demolished in any science education. (If a faith is foolish enough to make such claims.)

The real reason that intelligence (which is what education level mostly really tracks statistically) is inversely correlated with faith is not that it is dumb to believe in God, but that it takes a lot of processing power to grasp the alternatives.

A lack of faith with no satisfactory counter explanation for the world and its behaviors probably manifests itself, in polling, as indifferent acceptance that there's probably "something."

Before the 1800s it was kind of dumb to not believe in some sort of God because the counter-explanations were woefully insufficient.

[bayareamike]

8. Seconded.

Having faith does not equal a lack of education. I am a VERY educated person (BA, MA from great universities) and actually AM a believer.

Faith can bring hope to those who don't have it. There's nothing wrong with that.

[Journeyman]

3. Which ones? Charlies? Victoria's? California? . . .

I suspect there's more than enough proof for all three sets.

[DJ13]

4. I used to believe in them until they lost in the playoffs

[barbtries]

6. part of it was losing my daughter.

i recognize that it behooves me to believe as i do. i could however tell you so many stories of what i call the bekah church of wonder catalogue of unexplained phenomena and amazing small world stories, which have served to strengthen my faith.

and by the way i do not believe in gawd.

[October]

28. <3 Sending angels...

That is a line I use very often, in closing, in my correspondence and emails.

I don't know what else to call those special 'beings' who have crossed my path and seem other-worldly, but I've had a few encounters with total strangers who seemed to know most when I was in need of a kindness or inspirational word about my future -- totally unsolicited.

While I'm no longer a Catholic, I truly have no religion -- agnostic, I guess is what I am.

I am so sorry for your loss.

Peace.

[Generic Brad]

7. You've never heard a bell ring?

That only happens when an angel earns it's wings. The whole process is very scientifical.

[rhett o rick]

11. Does it still work if a bell rings in the woods with no one to hear? nm

[Generic Brad]

16. That is a deep, almost unknowable question

We need an emergency theologian - stat!

[Gore1FL]

9. 77% believe in Pujols. n/t

[Speck Tater]

12. And not one of those knows for sure how many can dance on the head of a pin.

Considering the appalling state of education in America today I figured maybe I'd better edit this to include the link to "angles on the head of a pin" for those who don't recognize the cultural reference.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_many_angels_can_dance_on_the_head_of_a_pin%3F

[teach1st]

14. Acute

Right angles can't dance, and obtuse angles are too body-conscious to really enjoy the dance. The "rotten-United-States-education-system" meme is a leap of faith, too. All things considered, our schools do pretty well, which, given the conditions, might be a miracle.

[Speck Tater]

27. Hehe. I really did that didn't I?

Misspelling "angels" in a post bemoaning the sad state of education.
As Bugs would say, "What a maroon."

[JitterbugPerfume]

15. never over estimate the intelligence of Americans?

[wandy]

17. Angels exist. Angels are all around us. Don't believe me?

Live life honestly unto yourself. Stand by what you hold true. Do an occasional good deed. Look in the mirror. You'll meet one.

[sandyj999]

18. I Just Know It.

I don't need to show evidence to anyone I just know due to an experience I had many years ago.

[BeHereNow]

19. I believe there are things we can't see- entities, if you will. And I have seen them.

I saw something that I can't explain, but I was not the only one who saw it.
Ten years ago, or so, I came upon a crash on the freeway. I quickly realized that
other drivers could not see it yet and eventually a pile up was in going to happen
and the people standing on the freeway could be crushed by traffic hitting the
disabled vehicles on the road. There was no where for them to go and no way to get off
the freeway. They were fish in a barrel at the bottom of a hill, in a drizzling rain
with cars flying down the hill at them at 70 miles an hour.
It was a BAD scene on so many levels.

I pulled the parking break on my car- pulled on my flashers and grabbed my cell phone.
I went running up to the people, 4 or 5 of them, unhurt by their fender bender,
but in a really dangerous place with no where to go.

I started yelling at them to get off the freeway because it was only a matter of time
before cars could hit their cars and crush them. They were all kind of in shock or something, but
they looked up the hill and realized how dangerous the situation was and we all began to
huddle as far away for the danger as possible. I called 911 and said we were all going to be killed
if the CHP didn't respond immediately because of the hill and the inability of other drivers
to see us before it was too late. One lady started to cry and pray, the others just
seemed to be in shock. And then it happened.

To this day, I have no idea what we saw, but we all saw it.

Sure enough, the first car hit mine, pushing it down the road towards us.
Then another, and another I think seven in all. Each time, the mangled
mess kept coming closer.

Suddenly, we saw "them."

There were three giant figures on the freeway behind us.
I mean 15 foot figures, misty and electric is the only
way I can think to describe their composition as "beings."
The traffic stopped coming down the lane we were trapped in.
As if these entities had prevented the cars from hitting us.
WE all saw it. We all were stunned and and I remember
one man saying, "What in the HELL are those things?"
No one answered, cause we didn't know!

The whole thing lasted maybe ten seconds and then the police
came to our rescue.

Group delusion? Not.
We saw them.
They saved our lives.

What were they?
I have no idea.
But I know they were there.

BHN

[MorningGlow]

20. ...

Great example, BHN. I've seen them too--just as you described them. Wonderful that they stepped in.

[BeHereNow]

24. I remember being in grade school and the teacher telling us-

Energy can not be created or destroyed, it only changes form.
It was one of those "I'll never forget this" moments from my life.
I knew instinctively it was the truth.

So what ever those energies were on the freeway that night,
I am still here because of them.
BHN

[Fearless]

21. I tell you people the earth is round!

WITCH!!11!

[Abin Sur]

22. What can be asserted without proof can be dismissed without proof. – Christopher Hitchens

[The Straight Story]

23. People 'believe' in a lot of things unseen, Higgs Boson for example

That does not mean they don't exist, and the only way to know is to look.

[BeHereNow]

26. "Higgs Boson" who or what is that?

BHN

[ThomWV]

25. There is no evidence and they are idiots to believe in their fairy tales

Just my opinion of course. Anytime I'm talking to a person and they disclose that they believe in any of the religious nonsense, no matter what flavor, I generally disregard anything they say after that point. My thinking is that if they are stupid enough to believe in their goblins and gods then their judgement can not be trusted on other matters.

[Survivoreesta]

29. I've seen them!>

In Anaheim!

[Odin2005]

30. Locking, this should be reposted in Religion.