I suppose one could say there are two sides to every coin. The coin being myself, I know that this statement is true. Although I am a person of many different characteristics, I basically boil down to the person I am and the person I hope to be. What is the goal, I ask myself. So many people strive to be so many things. For some the aim is money, beauty, security, power, influence; who has the nicest house, who has the fastest car- the list goes on and on. Not that any of these things are bad in and of themselves, but the moral and ethical standards of our society have been left behind in the pursuit of these pleasures. So, what is important? Is character even needed in the new century? Here is where I have to believe that most people are in the same pickle that I find myself: how do I live a happy, successful life in the company of others? Is what I do and how I treat those around me going to effect the world I live in? I believe the answer is yes.Just think- if everyone acted however they wanted to, our world be chaos! Why? Because people act and respond upon their ethical value system. Now, are everyone’s moral and ethical standards the same? No, obviously many different people make many different decisions both right and wrong. However, as C.S. Lewis commented in his book Mere Christianity (21), “human beings, all over the earth, have this curious idea that they ought to behave in a certain way, and cannot really get rid of it”, and secondly, “that they do not in fact behave in that way.”

The growing practice of Neo-Paganism in America has caused many to turn their heads. The misunderstanding of the religion has caused many to equate the practitioners with the popular conception of typical “witches,” that perform black magic rituals, satanic sacrifices, and engage in devil-inspired orgies. After many years, the Neo-Pagan community has cleared up many misconceptions through the showing that many of them do not engage in activities, and are rather participating in a religion, just as those would that participate in a Christian community. It’s unacceptance continues, perhaps due to its non-conformity to the ideal of worshipping a Christian God. Through the use of ethnography, anthropologists and sociologists are able to present the public with a much different view than what we are bombarded with in popular media.

Sabina Magliocco, in her book Witching Culture, takes her readers into the culture of the Neo-Pagan cults in America and focus upon what it reveals about identity and belief in 21st century America. Through her careful employment of ethnographic techniques, Magliocco allows both the Neo-Pagan cult to be represented accurately, and likewise, scientifically. I argue that Magliocco’s ethnographic approach is the correct way to go about this type of research involving religions.

An angel is a pure spirit created by God. The Old Testament theology included the belief in angels: the name applied to certain spiritual beings or intelligences of heavenly residence, employed by God as the ministers of His will.

HISTORY

Are Angels ambassadors sent from God to guide us, protect us or bring messages from heaven? The word angel comes from the Greek word “angelos” which means messenger. The Bible says that God has appointed many angels to those who love God and call to Him, “Psalms 91:11 For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways.” The bible refers to different types of angels, with varying duties such as ugides, protectors, messengers and angels of the Lord, or as Cherubim, Seraphim, or Archangels, and not to be worshipped for they are “creatures” Col. 2:18; Rev. 19:10; 22:9.

The meanings of angels, their appearance and purposes vary throughout history and the world. Artists have given us their visions of angels as winged creatures, usually beautiful figures that are glowing, shining, floating, in human form or as a voice. Saints as well as everyday people tell about being visited by or helped by angels

Religion is commonly defined as a group of beliefs concerning the supernatural, sacred, or divine, and the moral codes, practices, values, institutions and rituals associated with such beliefs (Wikipedia, 2006). Most of the major religions have evolved over the centuries into what they are today. In many cultures and times, religion has been the basic foundation of life, permeating all aspects of human existence (Fisher, 2002). Religion is passed on from generation to generation. My religious beliefs were passed on from my relatives on my mother’s side. My family has believed in the Catholic faith for many generations. Since I grew up in the Catholic faith I went to Catholic schools my entire childhood. My personal experiences and the Catholic faith made me into the person I am today. Without a religious upbringing I feel that there would have been something missing in my life.Since I grew up in the Catholic faith, I understand that not everyone has the same religious beliefs that my religion teaches. The way a person is raised, has an impact on their religious beliefs. Your belief system is the actual set of precepts from which you live your daily life, those that govern your thoughts, words, and actions (Woods, 2006). Since, I had religion classes through out my school years I have been taught to accept other people’s religious beliefs. Even my parents have taught me to look at a person’s culture and beliefs to gain a better understanding of their point of view. With the understanding of others religious beliefs and cultures it has allowed me to deal with others in a fair and equal manner. Even though I have had some difficult time with others I remember how I was raised and it has helped me through those difficult times.

Buddhism is one of the biggest religions founded in India in the 6th and 5th cent. BC by Siddhartha Gautama, called the Buddha. One of the great Asian religions teaches the practice of the observance of moral precepts. The basic doctrines include the four noble truths taught by the Buddha.

Dickason’s book, “Angels: Elect and Evil” is a great resource of spiritual truth for the Christian Biblical scholar. As believers, we need to be familiar with what the Bible teaches about angels, demons and Satan, the head of the evil spirits. We also must be aware of their activities and great powers. The book clearly exposes their existence, origin, names, ranks and ministry and it concludes with a summary of the defeat of Satan and the believer’s defense against the demonic forces.

Many make the tragic and un-Scriptural mistake of thinking that Christ is the first and highest of all of God’s angelic creatures. The Bible is very clear when it talks about the nature of Christ and that of the angels. Scriptures such as Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1-3; John 10:30; John 14:8; John 8:58; Col. 1:17, 19; Rom.9:5 clearly state that Christ is eternal and equal to the Father, God Almighty. By no means is Christ a created being for that would destroy the Biblical teaching on the Trinity person of the Godhead and the eternality of God. Jesus is unique, eternally begotten of the Father without beginning or end. According to Col.2:9, Jesus is the complete and personal revelation of God the Father whereas angels were created in the image of God, implying they have a beginning point and were created by an outside source-God.

Teachers around the time when Jesus lived thought that learning was such that the people who wanted to learn should come to them to be taught. But Jesus felt differently and rather than waiting for people to come to him, he went out to find them and then chose them to be his followers. He called them disciples and this word means one who learns. But Jesus chose his disciples carefully as we are told in Mark 1:16-20 and also in Mark 3:13-19. In the first passage, Jesus appoints his first four disciples, Simon, Andrew, James and John. Jesus said to them “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Mark 1:17) In Mark 2:13-17, Jesus calls up the fifth disciple, Levi who was a tax collector, and Jesus later renamed him Matthew. But Levi was not called in the same way as the other four disciples. Jesus was with him at the tax collector’s booth and Jesus simply said, “Follow me” (Mark 2:14) and he rose and followed Jesus.

In my life on this planet I have come to question many things that many take on as blind faith. We all know that someday we will ‘physically’ die, Yet, we continuously deny the forces working inside ourselves which want to search out the true outcome of what may or may not come after death. It’s far easier for humanity to accept that they will go on to a safe haven and be forgiven for all, rather than to question the existence of a super omnipotent being. Fortunately, there are some of us who tend to question the why’s and how’s that come before us. We question the creation of humanity and the religious teachings received from our parents, our church and our society. This paper examines the many rational arguments for and against the existence of God. It is based on the views of some of the great philosophers and scientists of our world. I will show that there is no sufficient proof or comprehensive arguments for the existence of God. Some people search for eternal peace through the beliefs in God; but this is an impossible belief because of the chances, the plausibility, and because of science.

There is no waiting list to become a saint. Instant access, like the internet, is now available if one can prove a few miracles and get enough people to rally in ones’ behalf to become a saint in less than a few years. On May 9, 2005, Pope Benedict read a letter in which “he asked the head of the Vatican Congregation, for the causes of saints, Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins, to waive the five-year waiting period between the time of a person’s death and when the process for beatification, a key step toward sainthood, can begin (Fisher and Goodstein1). There are certain requirements to become a saint that must be adhered to before beatification, (being blessed) can be sanctioned by the church.

In this paper I wish to examine the place and the role of women according to African Religion. The paper focuses on three areas: mythology, proverbs and prayers. In the area of mythology we are confronted with the picture of women in the early state of human existence. This is not history. The myth is broader than history in explaining some aspects of society. It is a language of expressing truths or realities for which history does not supply a full explanation.Prayers take us into the spirituality of those who pray them. They show us among other things, the inner person, the needs of the heart, (both joy and sorrow, gratitude and disappointment, expectation and anxiety), as the praying person stands ‘naked’ before spiritual realities. This is to see what women say in prayer, and thereby to get a glimpse into their spiritual life as that may be nourished by African Religion and as it may in turn contribute to African Religion itself. A proverb from Ghana declares that: A woman is a flower in a garden; her husband is the fence around it’.” (1).

1. WOMEN IN AFRICAN MYTHOLOGY