2006-06-13 11:02:32 · 17 answers · asked by fuentes2513@yahoo.com 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
We do not adore the saints. We honor them as you would honor your mother or grandmother.
Everyone in heaven or on their way to heaven are saints. You, me, my deceased grandmother, Mary the mother of Jesus, and Mother Teresa of Calcutta.
Catholics and many other Christians believe in the Communion of Saints where all saints are intimately related in the Body of Christ, a family. When you die and go to heaven, you do not leave this family.
As part of this family, you may ask your family and friends here on earth to pray for you. Or you may also ask the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Andrew, or your deceased grandmother in heaven to pray for you.
With love in Christ.
2006-06-13 16:55:18 · answer #1 · answered by imacatholic2 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The answer lies in the fact that Catholicism is a business that wanted to go global. As the crusaders and other missionaries attempted to spread the Catholic doctrine to people in other parts of the world, they ran into opposition because these people already had their own beliefs. In their zeal to convert these people and take their money, the Catholic Church adopted some of their religious customs into Catholicism to make it more appealing. What once was a simple christian religion has been bastardized into more of a Voodoo/Santeria type sect which prays to many idols (saints) and has sold it's soul for the potential riches of the unconverted world.
2006-06-13 18:19:02 · answer #2 · answered by david s 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I've always explained it two ways:
1. When you go to Court, you don't represent yourself, you get a lawyer. Asking a Saint to intervene on your behalf is in essence the exact same thing.
2. There are 4 seperate translations of the word adoration ranging from divine adoration (when addressing G*d) to social respect (such as "Your Honor" when addressing a judge).
It's often a criticism of Catholics by Fundamentalists and Protestants without basis, just wholesale hatred.
2006-06-13 18:27:02 · answer #3 · answered by kpshrink 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
To be precise, Catholics do not adore saints. They adore God. Saints are venerated--that is honored--for having lived holy lives. Some people do pray to saints with whom they feel a special connection. These prayers are often requests for help in dealing with a particular kind of situation.
2006-06-13 18:16:51 · answer #4 · answered by Ace Librarian 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Most Catholic saints of the earlier times were manifestations of local gods and goddesses (Saint Brigid, for example). By making the locals' gods into saints, the locals could pray to their deity and still be Christian.
Some also find it easier to pray to a saint than God because they find comfort in shared humanity.
2006-06-13 18:11:24 · answer #5 · answered by Green Owl 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As others point out, we do not adore them. We distinguish between the honor given to God alone (latria) and that given to saints (dulia). We speak of venerating the saints, but adoring God.
But why ask saints for help? The answer lies in James chapter 5: "Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, ... Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective" (James 5:16)
We know the saints are righteous and perfect (Hebrews 12:23), and so they are perfect candidates for making prayer on our behalf.
By the way, when we "pray" to them, we are not treating them as some sort of demigod, but merely asking them to pray for us, as we would ask any other person here on earth. The Latin word for "pray" is the very same word as to ask.
An example of the intercession of the saints is given in Jeremiah 15:1 in God's offhanded comment about Moses and Samuel, which recognized that it was possible for them to intercede for Israel in his presence.
Also note that in Revelation chapter 5, verse 8, the elders in heaven are portrayed holding bowls of incense, "which are the prayers of the saints." So, the saints in heaven are involved with carrying our prayers to the throne room of God.
And never mind the fact that the saints are all around us -- Heb 12:1,22-23).
2006-06-15 18:09:42 · answer #6 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Catholics only worship and adore Jesus. We honor the saints, the Blessed Virgin Mary most of all because she was honored by God and gave birth to our Savior. Please read the Catechism of the Catholic Church to find out the truth about what the Catholic Church teaches.
2006-06-14 00:30:49 · answer #7 · answered by Life 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because "Christianity" is paganism and saints are no different than any other pagan gods.
Amazing how so many deny the evidence that is in front of their faces.
Additional comment:
Ancient pagans didn't worship their minor deities, either, they only prayed to them for special reasons, safe travel, protection from evil spirits, for good luck, etc., but other than that, they ignored them. Just like modern pagans do.
2006-06-13 18:07:32 · answer #8 · answered by Left the building 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE.....Catholics do NOT adore saints. We HONOR saints. Adoration and worship are for GOD ALONE.
And Catholics kneel when we pray. We kneel during Mass, too. We just do....it is a posture of prayer.
Prayer to saints is no different that if I were to ask you to pray for my grandma who has cancer....or if you asked me to pray because you lost your job. To pray means to ask.
It is intercessory prayer. We ask the saints to pray on our behalf for whatever we are seeking....that is in addition to our own prayers directly to the Lord.
If the prayers of those in Heaven with God ( and more alive than you and I are) have no value- then don't ask me to pray for you...my prayers would be worthless.
These are people who "ran the race with perseverance." They lived as we do, faced the challenges we face....and kept their lives holy. They are the friends of Christ who now see Him face to Face.....we see them as the ultimate role models...get it? Where will admiring Britney Spears get you? ( Probably HELL) Where will admiring Maria Goretti or Gianna Molla get you? Probably Heaven!
Example of prayer to a saint. I have a priest friend with a great devotion to St Therese the Little Flower. When you ask her to pray for you, she will send roses to let you know she is praying for your intention.
His parish school was severely strapped for money...to the point where he didn't know if they would be able to open for this coming school year.
I told him a story about Mother Angelica praying to God for a specific amount of money she needed for EWTN to get started, and the money was pledged while she was still praying.
We decided to ask Therese to pray for our intention, too.
We started a novena timed to end on Therese's feast day. On the third day, I was at a reception for a woman whose job I was taking over so she could retire. She got two corsages, and gave me one. I got home and looked at it- it had 5 roses.
I called Father right away and asked if he had found his roses. He told me he hadn't even thought about it, but he had. He was at a huge birthday party the night before and on the way out, he was given one of the table decorations to take home...he was looking at it as we talked...it had 7 roses!
...oh.....the money came a week later. Every penny they needed to commit to opening the school for 2006-2007.
Saints are the ultimate prayer warriors...prayer team...prayer chain...whatever you want to call them....don't underestimate their prayers!
2006-06-15 22:39:46 · answer #9 · answered by Mommy_to_seven 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Excuse me, but we don't adore them. We give them especial respect, but we know very weel that they were only people like us. They are not and were not God.
It is because they were and they are very close to God, that we ask them to request God to help us
2006-06-13 18:07:29 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋