Angels and Demons

“It is as absurd to argue men, as to torture them, into belief”
                              Cardinal John Henry Newman 1831

In the majority of religions the canons are benign and occasionally a force for good. The intention of the philosophers and mystics who originally postulated them was to enlighten and improve of the lot of their followers. However as soon as religions become formalised and established, ideals are supplanted by political expediencies, materialism and vanities. As the power structures develop within these organisations, those in positions of authority invariably release the four Horsemen, hubris, deception, oppression and tyranny. This is also the case in some large institutions with proscribed doctrines such as the law, finance, medicine etc. but when the perpetrators of the abuse of power are religious worthies it seems somehow to be more malevolent.