Majority of Americans believe in angels

Source: YAHOO NEWS!

January 1, 2007 -- A bluebird in the garden, a spirit in a house, a kind man on the side of the road. Americans are big believers in angels, although not necessarily the ones with halos and wings.

An overwhelming majority, almost regardless of backgrounds and religious convictions, think angels are real, according to an AP-AOL News poll exploring attitudes about angels.

Belief in angels, however people define them, is highest — almost universal — among white evangelical Christians, 97 percent of whom trust in their existence, the poll indicates. But even among people with no religious affiliation, well more than half said angels are for real.

Among the findings about angels:

Protestants, women, Southerners, Midwesterners and Republicans were the most likely to believe in angels, although strong majorities in other groups also shared that faith. Belief in angels declined slightly with advanced education, from 87 percent of those with high school education or less to 73 percent of those with college degrees. Overall, 81 percent believed in angels.

If it's one thing to believe in angels, it's something else to explain exactly what an angel is.

"A presence that you feel around you, is my opinion," said Elizabeth Daves, 63, of Flemington, N.J. "I accept them — to come whenever they want to." And she said they came, and have comforted her, since her mother-in-law died in their house.

Edward Pelz, 80, of Grabill, Ind., said he believes that angels are guiding him, even though it's impossible to explain to anyone else.

"Have I ever seen one? Nope. We depict an angel as a person that's white, has a robe on, has wings on back. I'm not sure that's the way they look. So for me, I think sometimes there's angels that aren't that way."

Pelz recounted a story about a man who showed up to change his tire when he had a flat in Ohio five years ago.

"I look at life — I say, well maybe I had an angel with me here today. It could have been just another man doing a good deed."

Comments:  A belief in angels won’t save a single soul nor does a belief that there is a God out there.  James 2:[19] Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.  Only genuine faith in the Savior Jesus Christ is a person guaranteed eternal life.  Popular shows such as “Highway to Heaven” and “Touched By An Angel” have greatly influenced Americans in their depiction of what angels are like.  The predominate lesson learned from these shows is that in order to earn one’s wings, one must perform good deeds.  Good works is of course Cain’s way to garner favor with God.  God rejected Cain’s fruits of his labour, but accepted Abel’s animal sacrifice which was a foretelling of Jesus’s future sacrificial death on Calvary’s cross.  The way of salvation couldn’t be clearer than what God has laid out for us in His Holy Word, the Bible.  Yet, despite all this, wayward man wants to come to God man’s way which is working to obtain salvation which God says is a free gift.

The majority of Americans who believe in angels have been misled by Hollywood’s producers.  Michael Landon was half Catholic and half Jewish.  His shows were of the wholesome type, but nowhere was Jesus portrayed as the Savior for sinners.  The same goes for Della Reese, the religious woman who denies the Holy Trinity and preaches “God”, but not Jesus throughout her “Touched By An Angel” episodes.  She teaches universalism, i.e. all faiths lead to God one way or another.  God is love and He wants us to be happy and help our neighbors.  Angels are God’s agents; they are like you and me.  Not so!  In the Bible, angels are either God’s angels or demons.  The former do God’s bidding without wavering.  The latter are the Devil’s disciples and their end is the Lake of Fire where their master end up also.  If only people read the Bible and get the real picture of angels or better yet, get away from a fixation with angels and go to the crux of the matter and that is, the repentance of sins and the availing of Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.  The Devil loves to distract people from the more important issues.

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Poll: Americans see gloom, doom in 2007

Source: YAHOO NEWS! 

January 1, 2007 -- Another terrorist attack, a warmer planet, death and destruction from a natural disaster. These are among Americans' grim predictions for the United States in 2007.

Only a minority of people think the U.S. will go to war with Iran or North Korea over those countries' nuclear ambitions. An overwhelming majority of those surveyed think Congress will raise the federal minimum wage. One-third see hope for a cure to cancer.

These are among the findings of an Associated Press-AOL News poll that asked people in the U.S. to contemplate what 2007 holds for the country.

Six in 10 people think the U.S. will be the victim of a terrorist attack. An identical percentage thinks it likely that a biological or nuclear weapon will be unleashed somewhere else in the world.

Comments:   1 Thessalonians 1:[10] And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.   Yes, there’s a coming wrath destined for planet Earth and it will occur soon.  It will be the wrath of man (the Antichrist), Satan and God.  It will shoot holes into the portside of the Good Ship Earth and rupture the dreams of those who promote the fallacy that this world is getting better and better each day and a utopian society is just around the bend.  These idyllic dreamers deny the Biblical truth that it will be Jesus who will establish His Kingdom of righteousness and peace, and not sinful man.  There will be increasing darkness in the days to come as sin will reach a crescendo climax.  Is it any wonder that the majority of unsaved Americans are as pessimistic as a lung cancer patient who’s been given a few months to live?

There are those in the evangelical circles who don’t prescribe to this doom and gloom scenario.  People of the Kingdom Now, Dominion Theology, Latter Rain/Joel’s Army/Manifest Sons of God, Reconstructionist, and Second Reformation (Rick Warren’s belief) persuasion think Earth can get out of its ‘temporary’ morass and attain a bright future.  Try telling this to ordinary Americans who fear for their lives as they see the rise of Islam, the quicksand situation in Afghanistan and Iraq, terrorism closer to home, the increase in hurricanes and other natural calamities, global warming, etc.  It’s enough to drive people to drink (and it is doing that).  Jesus is the only escape route from the wrath to come.  If you aren’t yet saved, get saved now!  He’ll save you now and for an eternity!

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Ban Ki-Moon takes the reins of the U.N.

Source: Associated Press

January 1, 2007 -- South Korean diplomat Ban Ki-moon became the United Nations' eighth secretary-general on New Year's Day as the organization faced a tough array of global issues - from escalating violence in Darfur to the AIDS pandemic.

The 62-year-old career diplomat, who grew up during a war that left his country divided, has promised to make peace with North Korea a top priority.

He will travel there when necessary, he has said, and has cautioned that the reclusive communist nation must be talked to - not just punished with sanctions for its nuclear weapons program.

The United States is certain to press Ban to expand management reforms at the United Nations, which outgoing Secretary-General Kofi Annan began.

The 192-member General Assembly, which controls the U.N. budget and oversees its management, has been reluctant to institute changes that Annan and many experts say are essential to modernize the 61-year-old world body.

In a speech after taking his oath of office Dec. 14, Ban said he will work to build "a more peaceful, more prosperous and more just world for succeeding generations."

Comments:   Compared to the outgoing (and I mean both to his departure and alluding to his personality) U.N. Chief Kofi Annan, Mr. Ki-moon seems stoic by comparison.  The latter is a bland consummate bureaucrat more concerned about doing things by the book rather than consider the human elements in his environment.  On the positive side, there will likely be a dearth of scandals that had plagued Mr. Annan.  Stay the course rather than drum up new ideas will be Ki-moon’s mantra.   For those observers who postulate that the next U.N. Chief might become the world’s long awaited Antichrist, they’re in for a big letdown.  Not only does Ki-moon lack charisma, he doesn’t appear to garner much confidence from the body of nations that selected him.  They had lobbied for changes, but Ki-moon appears to be overly cautious preferring the tried and true methods.