Other religions

[Crusading Philologist]

I suppose it's possible, but if they're listening to this angel, wouldn't it do everything in its power to relay the message that they should follow Jesus Christ and not itself.

Sure, but that doesn't mean he will convince everyone. God himself came down to earth in the flesh, and yet he still couldn't convince the Jews of his identity.

I'm not a scholar, but from reading Plato I know that daemon - the Koine word used in the psalm in question - used to be a catch-all term for spiritual beings, whether good or evil:

"Everything daemonic is between God and mortal."

So maybe we should understand King David to mean that the Gentiles idolize all sorts of beings who are not the one God, including good angels and evil demons.

This is an interesting point. I believe some of the early Fathers claimed that the gods worshipped by pagan nations were actually the angels that had been assigned to those nations by God. So, maybe they understood these passages in the same way.

Riiight.  All sorts of good angels would be leading droves of people away from Christ.

It sounds like something out of "Annabel Lee."

Kind of reminds me of how ol' St. Thomas believed in succubi!

[Walty]

Kind of reminds me of how ol' St. Thomas believed in succubi!

You don't?

[SpiritusSanctus]

Why do most of you assume that non-Christian (or even non-Catholic) religions are products of the devil or evil spirits? I see such comments often on Fisheaters. Could we not assume that the concept of God in other religions is merely man's attempt at understanding God without revelation, and therefore not demoniac, but merely imperfect or incomplete?

Perhaps this will answer your question:

http://www.catholicapologetics.info/modernproblems/ecumenism/noncath.htm

[ecclesiastes]

The reason we have other religions is because of the Fall, which was brought on by the devil's tempting. So, yes, the devil is behind it all, either directly (Satanism, Baal etc), or indirectly (world religions). . But there are no other "gods" beside God so we're talking about myths here, not demons.

This seems like an important distinction. Perhaps I misunderstood what you said, but I take this to mean that in some religions actual daemons may be worshipped, whereas in other religions this is not the case, but they are "demoniac" because they arose after the Fall, which is, in some way, caused by a daemon.

Perhaps it is also helpful here to separate myth from theology. Hindu mythology is quite different from Christian narratives, yet the theology of some Hindu schools, such as the Srivaisnava school of Ramanuja, is sometimes strikingly similar. I am more interested in the theology.

[ecclesiastes]

Well, I don't think that's the claim. Check out this quotation from the Recognitions of Clement:

for when they appear to a man, if he is a wise and intelligent man, he asks the name of him who appears to him, that he may acknowledge at once the honour of the sent, and the authority of the sender.  For every nation has an angel, to whom God has committed the government of that nation; and when one of these appears, although he be thought and called God by those over whom he presides, yet, being asked, he does not give such testimony to himself.  For the Most High God, who alone holds the power of all things, has divided all the nations of the earth into seventy-two parts, and over these He hath appointed angels as princes.

http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Ante-Nicene_Fathers/Volume_VIII/Pseudo-Clementine_Literature/The_Recognitions_of_Clement/Book_II/Chapter_42

Thank you for posting this. Very interesting.

[ecclesiastes]

Perhaps this will answer your question:

http://www.catholicapologetics.info/modernproblems/ecumenism/noncath.htm

It doesn't. I am not asking on how to deal with those of other faiths, but on the nature (or source) of their religion and theology.

[Tim]

Half truths are the speciality of the Devil. He mixes in Truth to make it tasty. Certainly there are false religion which have some of the natural law, but that doesn't make them true or good. For instance those helping people with out believing and practicing Catholicism, believe they are perfecting their souls, is Pelagianism. Both the Prophet S. King David, and the Apostle S. Paul say they are, so they must be.

tim

[Cesar_Augustus]

I suppose it's possible, but if they're listening to this angel, wouldn't it do everything in its power to relay the message that they should follow Jesus Christ and not itself.

Sure, but that doesn't mean he will convince everyone. God himself came down to earth in the flesh, and yet he still couldn't convince the Jews of his identity.

I'm not a scholar, but from reading Plato I know that daemon - the Koine word used in the psalm in question - used to be a catch-all term for spiritual beings, whether good or evil:

"Everything daemonic is between God and mortal."

So maybe we should understand King David to mean that the Gentiles idolize all sorts of beings who are not the one God, including good angels and evil demons.

This is an interesting point. I believe some of the early Fathers claimed that the gods worshipped by pagan nations were actually the angels that had been assigned to those nations by God. So, maybe they understood these passages in the same way.

Riiight.  All sorts of good angels would be leading droves of people away from Christ.

It sounds like something out of "Annabel Lee."

Kind of reminds me of how ol' St. Thomas believed in succubi!

An there is the belief of neutral Angels, like those described by Dante Alighieri. Is a interesting topic but I barely found references to them in contemporary discussions.

[Arun]

thjere is no neutrality onlu two camps

[Crusading Philologist]

I know John Henry Newman believed in the idea at one point. That's the most recent author I've seen mention the idea.