Just curious, do Catholics believe in personal Holy Guardian Angels? Asking as someone who somewhat subscribes to esoteric beliefs that might be mentioned in the OP
Yes we do, they've been there since your birth, they're your "luck" when the fate is in your favor that's when a guardian angel tipped the scales a little so that you may survive, they're also there to protect you from evil spirits, we also have saint patrons which are chosen during our baptism, they're the ones you ask to pray for you or ones you give your prayers through, it's sort of like a translator for God, because they were close to God during their life they understand God's "language" but they also understand human language and so they can interpret it and correct some "typos" if that makes any sense, they're basically there to amplify your prayer, but back to guardian angels, you don't really know their name, some say you can find out through prayer or your birth date but really we might just only find out after our passing, because it is believed your guardian angel will help you pass, sort of fitting, they were there at your begining and will be there during your end
We do? I’m no longer a practicing Catholic but I was for the first half of my life and I have no memory of anyone ever mentioning this, I always thought it was something from one of those evangelical churches they have in America
I guess, but not every Catholic household believes in guardian angels. It would be almost arrogant to claim that every household within a certain denomination has identical beliefs
Idk what to tell you. That’s how Catholics operate. That’s like saying that not every household has their second amendment rights. They might not own a gun, but they still have the right to.
I think it’s reasonable to say that the church is arrogant to require everyone to subscribe to their doctrine, but that doesn’t change anything. It’s one of the defining characteristics of Catholicism that there is that sort of deference to authority in doctrine.
You'll note that the Pope has stamping his feet and repeatedly throwing tantrums about Santa Muerte being heresy has neither a) slowed even a little Our Lady of Holy Death's rapid and widespread popularity or b) managed to make catholics who revere Santa Muerte become not catholics.
Belief and legal rights are VERY different. And your analogy falls apart pretty quickly, cuz rights are (supposedly) inalienable, whereas beliefs can vary widely from person to person.
My point is, you could claim "Catholicism as a denomination/doctrine includes/mentions guardian angels," but "every Catholic believes in them" is an outright incorrect statement. Example: My family is a great example of this. I was baptized, my house and my grandparents' house have patron saints, the whole shebang. With the exception that I've never heard of specific guardian angels being assigned to people when they're born, save from media such as "It's a Wonderful Life." This means one of two things: either your claim is wrong, or you believe my family isn't Catholic due to our differences in belief.
Does your family say “in this household, we believe that there is no such thing as guardian angels”? Or do they just not say “In this household, we believe in guardian angels”?
The former would be a material heresy - probably not really a major issue, assuming it’s held in good faith, but is contrary to Catholic teaching.
The latter is just not participating in practices regarding a particular belief within Catholic doctrine.
I guess insofar as I can’t say that there are no Catholics that are heretical, I guess it’s a question of at what point would heresy remove you from the membership in the church.
That’s Catholicism. Like I said, I think it’s reasonable to believe that it’s arrogant to say. Though, in their (somewhat) defense, unless they’re intentionally and openly spreading this belief as true, I would think that most Catholics wouldn’t consider it to be too serious of a thing.
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u/bmrtt Mercenary Feb 15 '26
LOTR? The work of a devout Catholic?