Angels vs Demons
The earliest memory I have of encountering lists of virtues and vices traces back to my grandmother's Bible. This magnificent volume was enormous, bound in hardcover with white leather and adorned with stunning details and illustrations. It stood in stark contrast to the small, black paperback Bible my Baptist parents had given me - a simple text-heavy book without visual appeal. I can still vividly picture those images of angels driving demons from heaven, alongside the contrasting lists of virtues and vices. That Bible remains the most breathtaking book I've ever laid eyes on, and like my grandmother who passed away during my childhood, it has left an indelible mark on my soul.
I've compiled virtue and vice lists from major world religions. This compilation serves a dual purpose: personal improvement and discerning the true nature of those around us. What strikes me is how many of our supposed leaders fail to embody these virtues in their daily lives. Their speech and behavior mirror that of demons rather than angels. Watch carefully how these individuals speak and act, measure them against these virtues and vices, then form your own conclusions about their character.
These religions appear in alphabetical sequence, not ranked by importance. Follow whatever faith speaks to you - I personally embrace Pantheism (viewing the universe as God, with all of us connected as one). Simply respect others' beliefs and resist imposing your views on them (a truly demonic trait). After extensive research, I've now included the Hindu teachings on virtues and vices, making this collection complete.
Angels
Honestly, I believe this list shouldn't be necessary, but since not everyone has developed empathy naturally, here are the virtues from the world's major religions. When in doubt, follow this principle: Live as you choose, provided you cause no physical or emotional damage to others. You might recognize this as the Golden Rule.
Buddhism:
**Body:** Safeguard Life, Share Freely, Honor Personal Discipline**Speech:** Communicate Truthfully, Foster Peace, Use Kind Words, Express Purpose**Mind:** Generous Spirit, Compassionate Heart, Accurate Understanding of Reality
Christianity:
Acceptance
Assertiveness
Authenticity
Beauty
Caring
Cleanliness
Commitment
Compassion
Confidence
Consideration
Contentment
Cooperation
Courage
Creativity
Detachment
Determination
Dignity
Encouragement
Enthusiasm
Ethical
Excellence
Fairness
Faith
Flexibility
Forgiveness
Friendliness
Generosity
Gentleness
Graciousness
Gratitude
Harmonious
Helpfulness
Honesty
Honor
Hope
Humility
Idealism
Integrity
Imaginative
Joyfulness
Justice
Kindness
Love
Loyalty
Moderation
Modesty
Optimistic
Orderliness
Passionate
Patience
Peace
Perseverance
Preparedness
Purposefulness
Reliability
Respect
Responsibility
Reverence
Self-discipline
Service
Sincerity
Tact
Temperate
Tenacious
Thankfulness
Tolerance
Trust
Truthfulness
Understanding
Unity
Visionary
Wisdom
Wonder
Hinduism:
Ahimsa (Non-violence)
Satya (Truthfulness)
Asteya (Non-stealing)
Brahmacharya (Celibacy/Self-restraint)
Aparigraha (Non-possessiveness)
Saucha (Cleanliness)
Santosha (Contentment)
Tapas (Discipline/Austerity)
Svadhyaya (Self-study)
Ishvara Pranidhana (Surrender to the Divine)
Dama (Self-control)
Kshama (Forgiveness)
Dhriti (Fortitude)
Daya (Compassion)
Arjava (Honesty/Straightforwardness)
Mitahara (Moderation in eating)
Shaucha (Purity)
Dharana (Concentration)
Dhyana (Meditation)
Samadhi (Unity consciousness)
Islam:
Justice
Charity
Contentment
Courtesy
Courage
Dignity
Forgiveness
Tolerance
Kindness and leniency
Kind treatment to animals
Chastity and modesty
Humility
Patience and anger management
Respect for elders
Decent speech
Honesty
Trustworthiness
Sincerity
Unity
Wisdom
Demons
When I reference demons, I'm not describing mythical beings with dark, scaly flesh and protruding horns. A demon manifests through its behavior (remember, spoken and written words count as actions too!). Search for these vices within yourself and others. Traditionally, religious texts contained these warnings, but over the past hundred years, they've been sanitized or eliminated by wealthy interests who control publishing - and their motives are transparent. Personal transformation remains possible at any age; embrace the virtues to become better. However, don't expect those wielding political and economic power to change. If you fail to recognize most or all of these vices in your political and economic leaders, you might be caught in a cult.
Buddhism:
**Body:** Taking Life, Theft, Sexual Impropriety**Speech:** Deception, Creating Division, Cruel Words, Meaningless Chatter**Mind:** Excessive Desire, Malicious Purpose, Distorted Thinking (rejecting cause and effect)
Christianity:
Alcoholism
Arrogance
Avarice
Bigotry
Callousness
Contempt
Cruelty
Cynicism
Deceit
Despair
Dishonesty
Disloyalty
Distrust
Drug use
Egotism
Envy
Fanaticism
Gambling
Gluttony
Gossip
Greed
Hypocrisy
Ignorance
Impatience
Indulgence
Ingratitude
Insensitivity
Irresponsibility
Jealousy
Lust
Malice
Manipulation
Murder
Narcissism
Negligence
Obsession
Overconfidence
Pessimism
Prejudice
Pride
Procrastination
Prostitution
Rape
Recklessness
Rudeness
Selfishness
Sloth
Spite
Stubbornness
Superficiality
Unfaithfulness
Vanity
Vindictiveness
War (participating in, supporting, advocating for, including proxy conflicts)
Waste
Wrath
Xenophobia
Hinduism:
Himsa (Violence/Harm)
Asatya (Falsehood/Lying)
Steya (Stealing/Theft)
Brahmacharya Bhanga (Sexual misconduct)
Parigraha (Excessive attachment/Greed)
Asaucha (Impurity)
Asantosha (Discontentment)
Atapa (Lack of discipline)
Avidya (Ignorance)
Ahamkara (Ego/Pride)
Krodha (Anger/Wrath)
Lobha (Greed)
Moha (Delusion/Attachment)
Mada (Arrogance/Intoxication)
Matsarya (Jealousy/Envy)
Kama (Excessive desire)
Dambha (Hypocrisy/Pretense)
Darpa (Pride/Vanity)
Harsha (Excessive joy/Elation)
Shoka (Excessive grief/Sorrow)
Bhaya (Fear/Cowardice)
Jugupsa (Hatred/Disgust)
Islam:
1. Foolishness represents insufficient wisdom - failing to employ intellectual capacity to grasp the essence of things.
2. Cunning means misusing intelligence excessively - applying intellectual power inappropriately or overdoing it where moderation is needed.
3. Timidity shows inadequate bravery - experiencing fear and hesitation when circumstances don't warrant them.
4. Recklessness demonstrates excessive boldness - taking dangerous risks when caution is called for.
5. Apathy reflects the insufficient state where moderation should be chastity - neglecting things the body requires.
6. Voracity represents the opposite extreme of apathy - overindulgence in sexual behavior, consumption, and physical gratification.
7. Servility shows the deficient state where justice should prevail - tolerating abuse and authoritarian control.
8. Oppression represents the opposite extreme of servility - subjugating oneself or others.
"Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." Matthew 6:10
This passage doesn't suggest waiting until death to reach Heaven before acting angelically. No divine being desires someone who lives demonically their whole life only to seek salvation at the last moment. That's not how it works. This statement truly calls us to establish Heaven on Earth through angelic behavior - that's the path to the heavenly kingdom. Anyone teaching otherwise is demonic and seeks to manipulate you. This existence becomes our Heaven or Hell through our actions and words, affecting ourselves and everyone around us.
