Things I Wish Christians Would Stop Saying: "God Needed Another Angel Today!"

One of the craziest cliches I often hear Christians say in response to the death of a friend or loved one is:

“God needed another angel today!”

Does God really need more angels? I know this is mere sentiment talking but where does this idea come from? It sounds more like pagan mythology to me than good Christian theology. 

Look, I am fully aware of how devastating and painful death is for most of us. The death of a loved one or a good friend can be a tragic and traumatic experience. It is only natural for us to look for the meaning of death as a means to help our grief. I would never intentionally disrespect anyone’s grief experience.

I’ve personally experienced grief in my own life so I personally know how difficult it can be. 

But please, stop saying that dead people become angels in heaven because God needs them. It’s simply not true even if one wishes it were. There is absolutely no Biblical support for such a claim.

Perhaps it would be more appropriate to say: “My mother just passed into eternity!” Or, “My father just entered the resurrection life!” Or, "My best friend died.” Or simply: “My grandmother is now with God!” Doesn’t this make more sense than saying someone became an angle because God needs that to happen? 

Perhaps it would be wise to rethink our view of death as being a part of life. That’s right, life and death are two sides of the same coin. One cannot occur without the other. 

So we don’t die because God needs to populate heaven with more angels. No, we die because we are human; it’s a part of life, in spite of it making us uncomfortable or uneasy.

Resurrection in the manner of Christ is our real hope, not to become disembodied angels with golden wings because this is what God needs.