The Purpose of Angels: A Human Construction
Angels have often been projected as gentle and loving protectors here to deliver peace on Earth and serve God. Although this is true, the methods in which angels go about delivering peace on Earth, can be violent. unsavory, and surprising. For example the bible states: “And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the Lord went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses” This passage is harsh and brutal, hardly the image one would originally think of when considering angelic beings. This passage hones in on the social construct that angels are not immune to. In this case the purpose of angels is to be fierce protectors of God's word, so they must kill the Assyrians in order to do so. This is a socially constructed idea, in which Christians molded the purpose of angels in order to fit their own hidden agendas. We can see that humans have constructed certain purposes behind religious figures for centuries. This is evident in the case of St. James the Moor slayer, St George who is destroying a dragon, and Archangel Michael trampling the devil. All of these religious figures are socially constructed around destroying a certain enemy (whether that is a particular group of people or the devil). In other words, as seen through history, the depictions of angels often are molded in order to suit human needs/desires.
Angels have often been projected as gentle and loving protectors here to deliver peace on Earth and serve God. Although this is true, the methods in which angels go about delivering peace on Earth, can be violent. unsavory, and surprising. For example the bible states: “And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the Lord went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses” This passage is harsh and brutal, hardly the image one would originally think of when considering angelic beings. This passage hones in on the social construct that angels are not immune to. In this case the purpose of angels is to be fierce protectors of God's word, so they must kill the Assyrians in order to do so. This is a socially constructed idea, in which Christians molded the purpose of angels in order to fit their own hidden agendas. We can see that humans have constructed certain purposes behind religious figures for centuries. This is evident in the case of St. James the Moor slayer, St George who is destroying a dragon, and Archangel Michael trampling the devil. All of these religious figures are socially constructed around destroying a certain enemy (whether that is a particular group of people or the devil). In other words, as seen through history, the depictions of angels often are molded in order to suit human needs/desires.