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Angels and Demons, A Biblical Introduction to the Supernatural
My family has a history of being involved in the occult. I can't claim to know how far back this interest goes. I haven't attempted to do a spiritual genealogy or anything of that kind although it may prove to be interesting if I did. The point I am trying to make is simply that I am no stranger to the supernatural. My mother's step mother Anna, was a practicing medium. Not the kind that put themselves out for hire and were therefore prone to fraud to keep their audiences satisfied, but the more independent type that did what they did for their own purposes. My mother of course grew up under her influence and was made aware of the existence of an immaterial world beyond our own from a very early age. What my mother may have experienced in her childhood and youth I do not claim to know, but I do know of her interest in the supernatural and the occult during my own childhood.
I recall certain occurrences in our home at the top of Blanchard hill when I was a child. I remember being visited by a shadowy figure of a woman dressed in a black floor length dress with a bustle on more than one occasion. The figure would pass through my bedroom pausing for a moment here or there as if it had found something of interest and then it would be gone. When I was about six years old I had a toy xylophone that I kept on my dresser, on those rare occasions when I tried to keep my room in order, now and then it would play a few discordant notes from what appeared to be its own accord. Now that I write this I remember Anna saying after my grandfather had died that she would know that he was visiting her when the wind chimes she kept indoors would begin to play.
I recall certain occurrences in our home at the top of Blanchard hill when I was a child. I remember being visited by a shadowy figure of a woman dressed in a black floor length dress with a bustle on more than one occasion. The figure would pass through my bedroom pausing for a moment here or there as if it had found something of interest and then it would be gone. When I was about six years old I had a toy xylophone that I kept on my dresser, on those rare occasions when I tried to keep my room in order, now and then it would play a few discordant notes from what appeared to be its own accord. Now that I write this I remember Anna saying after my grandfather had died that she would know that he was visiting her when the wind chimes she kept indoors would begin to play.
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First published September 21, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 13, 2016
I was fortunate enough to receive a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. And I must say, I am glad I did, as the information in here is invaluable. As the author points out, there is a lot more to the world we live in than what we are able to detect with our five senses.
Like him, early in my life, I had a too-close encounter with the occult. It started with playing around with Ouija boards at slumber parties and ended with a fully stocked wicca altar in the basement of our house by the time I was 16. Luckily, about 10 years later, I had my “road to Damascus” experience and gave my life to the Lord.
I found it interesting that this author joined the Catholic church after his conversion. After my own spiritual reorientation, I sampled a few different religious streams (including a New Age church, a Jewish synagogue and a Catholic church) before settling on our local United Methodist church. But my feelings about Catholic theology have been mixed due to what I perceived to be several theological errors—such as saint and Mary worship. However, this author strongly admonishes readers against worshipping angels. Worship belongs to God alone. Amen!
The Biblical quotes in this short book are extensive, including references to texts that are not part of the official canon but still very interesting. The study of angels and demons revolves around only a few Biblical references, so the more information the better. The last quarter of the book is comprised of an extensive series of appendixes listing I dare say all Scripture verses referring to angels and demons divided into categories. The reader would need to set aside several hours to duplicate it.
All in all, I would recommend this book, especially to someone who is researching the topic of the supernatural from a Biblical perspective for his/her own nonfiction or fiction writing. Editing might have tightened up the flow, corrected a few misspellings, but these flaws are minor.
Like him, early in my life, I had a too-close encounter with the occult. It started with playing around with Ouija boards at slumber parties and ended with a fully stocked wicca altar in the basement of our house by the time I was 16. Luckily, about 10 years later, I had my “road to Damascus” experience and gave my life to the Lord.
I found it interesting that this author joined the Catholic church after his conversion. After my own spiritual reorientation, I sampled a few different religious streams (including a New Age church, a Jewish synagogue and a Catholic church) before settling on our local United Methodist church. But my feelings about Catholic theology have been mixed due to what I perceived to be several theological errors—such as saint and Mary worship. However, this author strongly admonishes readers against worshipping angels. Worship belongs to God alone. Amen!
The Biblical quotes in this short book are extensive, including references to texts that are not part of the official canon but still very interesting. The study of angels and demons revolves around only a few Biblical references, so the more information the better. The last quarter of the book is comprised of an extensive series of appendixes listing I dare say all Scripture verses referring to angels and demons divided into categories. The reader would need to set aside several hours to duplicate it.
All in all, I would recommend this book, especially to someone who is researching the topic of the supernatural from a Biblical perspective for his/her own nonfiction or fiction writing. Editing might have tightened up the flow, corrected a few misspellings, but these flaws are minor.
March 4, 2015
Very interesting. This was a good read and helped to deepen my knowledge of the unseen and of the origins and jobs of certain spiritual creatures. The mentions of other culture's beliefs on angels was really intriguing, and I hope that is something Stanek expounds upon in the future. This was a quick read, but well worth it.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews