An Angel worship-based religion takes over Europe and Middle East.

Okay, the Hellenistic Era was a time of religious synergism due to in part to the Greeks encountering so many new religions from the peoples that made up the Hellenistic states. My idea is what if a religion, lets call it Angelism for sake of discussion, forms that holds that there is one God, but that humans are so far below God that God created a group of beings to act as intermediaries over mankind. Basically, Angelism would hold that God is the creator and maintainer, but that angels ruled over men to make sure that we didn't mess things up sort of like God being a distant king and the angels being the govenors of a provence.

Now, before anyone thinks that Angelism simply demoted the current pantheons I want to explain something. This angel based religion would contain a moral element that are the laws decreed by the angels over how man is supposed to act. Furthermore, Angelism will have a doctrine that a small subgroup of angels attempted to take control of everything and was then cast out of the angel domains. These fallen angels are then beleived to move around earth confusing men and basically acting as many people in the west hold the devil to act nowadays.

My question is, what do you all think the effects of this hybrid mono/polythesic religion will have on the dynamics of Europe, Middle East, and North Africa assuming that this religion (and its probable sects) become dominant or at least a strong minority throughout the stated regions?
 

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Is this not just Catholicism with Angels replacing saints? Or would you have the religion looking almost polytheistic?

If the latter, it can't be too strong because otherwise it would never have taken over.
 
Is this not just Catholicism with Angels replacing saints? Or would you have the religion looking almost polytheistic?

Er, no, Catholicism is very different from what I was implying with my idea for Angelism. First off, Catholicism has God very close to humans both in the Eucharist, Jesus, and in personal prayer. Angelism would have God be about as approachable as the Chinese Emperor in the Forbidden Palace would have been to a peasant living in Tibet. Second, Saints don't 'rule' over or have control over a particular aspect. A Patron Saint is more a friend you go talk to so that he can put a good word in for you with the Big Guy on something. Angelism would have the angels actually ruling (or believed to be ruling) over man. Angelists would hold that the Angels have a core set of laws set down by God, but that the Angels tailored the laws they gave to different people to meet the needs of the people under their jurisdiction sort of like the difference between state and federal law.

As to whether this religion would be monothesitic or polythesitic, I said that it would be a hybrid. It's monothesistic in that the people would hold there to be one eternal God who created the universe and them. However, its polytheistic in that it would hold that there is a group of supernatural beings above man, but not at God's level, who were put in place by God to rule over man. Basically it is theologically monothesist, but has many aspects of polythesim.
 
Er, no, Catholicism is very different from what I was implying with my idea for Angelism. First off, Catholicism has God very close to humans both in the Eucharist, Jesus, and in personal prayer. Angelism would have God be about as approachable as the Chinese Emperor in the Forbidden Palace would have been to a peasant living in Tibet. Second, Saints don't 'rule' over or have control over a particular aspect. A Patron Saint is more a friend you go talk to so that he can put a good word in for you with the Big Guy on something. Angelism would have the angels actually ruling (or believed to be ruling) over man. Angelists would hold that the Angels have a core set of laws set down by God, but that the Angels tailored the laws they gave to different people to meet the needs of the people under their jurisdiction sort of like the difference between state and federal law.

As to whether this religion would be monothesitic or polythesitic, I said that it would be a hybrid. It's monothesistic in that the people would hold there to be one eternal God who created the universe and them. However, its polytheistic in that it would hold that there is a group of supernatural beings above man, but not at God's level, who were put in place by God to rule over man. Basically it is theologically monothesist, but has many aspects of polythesim.

Very interesting stuff! when is the religion to take place? how did you come up with this Angelism :p?
 
interesting

This sounds similar to Afro-Brazillian and Caribbean symcretic religions. Have you checked into any of those, especially the Orisha-based ones? Do anges here have authority over spheres of nature, or locations, or specific peoples?
 
Pretty much like what Tolkien has in Middle Earth- God is the Creator but actual admin and intervention is handled by the Valar (Angels)
 
Is this not just Catholicism with Angels replacing saints? Or would you have the religion looking almost polytheistic?

If the latter, it can't be too strong because otherwise it would never have taken over.

Cattholicism could be mistaken for polytheistic by an outside obsever, I don't know the full in workings, but the saints could be viewed like minour gods by some.
 
Cattholicism could be mistaken for polytheistic by an outside obsever, I don't know the full in workings, but the saints could be viewed like minour gods by some.
Wasn't it mistaken for such by inside observers, i.e. certain Protestants?

Actually for the OP, I generally have long-running universes I write in, one is a fantasy universe. Mind if I build up your basic premise?

Also, a few questions:
1) What is the view on souls, is there an ultimate good place and bad place, reincarnation or what?
2) Do the angels have "powers" of any such? Do they manifest?
3) So is there no worship OF the angels, only adherence to the moral laws of the particular angels? What happen when those laws conflict? How do people choose which angel to support, can you support multiple angels? Is there a central authority that keeps this straight? Are there angelic Revelations to mortals? How did the angels divvy up the world/people groups?
 
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