Catholics: How is praying to saints consistent with Christian teachings?

Question

Isn't doing things like praying to saints and burying statues of saints and wearing medals of saints against Christian teachings? Is it not idolatry? Does believing a buried statue in your yard will help you sell your home mean you don't trust God in all matters and believe you need a little "extra" help?

This is not a soapbox. I am Protestant and I really want to know the answers. I am not trying to be offensive. If you have a good answer, please share it!

Answer 1

It is not idolatry unless you look at the statues and medals as God and worship those items. I can pretty much say most Catholics don't. Alright I imagine you could have a picture of a friend or memorabilia from sport, music, a pretty girl or guy around the house right? For faithful Catholics having a saint statues is the same thing only it reminds them of folks that lead holy lives. Some statement a saint said like Blessed Mother Teresa saints "you can do no great things, only small things with great love" I wear a medal of it, am I worshipping it? Heck no it is a reminder for me inspirational to strive for holiness or at least live right. Catholics view the church as a pilgram church on the way to and end goal Heaven. So we may ask those that have made it to pray for us. Not pray to do this for me.. but please pray for me to our Lord, like you would a friend. The communion of saints, it is the belief of Catholics that all the faithful form one body, the good of each is communicated to others..We must therefore believe that there exists a commmunion of goods in the church. But the most important is Christ since he is the head of the church we Christians make up the spiritual body of the church, the Holy Spirit flows through out. So I pray to him, Jesus and God and ask others to pray for me living and those that are in Heaven to God in times of need. Now the St. Joseph's statue house selling thing I am not certain of heard it works and not. Folklore? Or is it that St. Joseph (Jesus's human father) cared and watched out for Jesus and Mary and is a patron saint of Fatherhood and homes. You are supposed to dig it up and take it to the next house. May be a bit silly, but whom am I to judge? They are nor worshipping the statue or preforming some
wicked idoltary just asking for help in a weird way. Check out who the saints are and what they did most lead lives that glorified Jesus Christ, God, and the Holy Spirit give me a saint statue of one of them a pilgrim that made it vs a pin up or pretty vase. And NO none of the saint stuff is my God (the Trinity= Jesus, the Father, and the Holy Spirit) much more than plastic, wood metal, that idea is totally invalid and ignorant.

Answer 2

Yes, it is idolatry...it's some person who is gone...and according to the Ten Commandments, Exodus 20:3-5:

"You shall have no other gods before [a] me.

4 "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them;

Since, worshiping them is like worshiping a god or an idol...

How can a saint (idol of a saint) help you anyways? That's like praying to and worshiping a brother or a sister (who, according to Protestant beliefs is a Saint), could you imagine how angry they might get? (If their not prideful and arrogant.) It wouldn't work...and would be of a foolish nature...It's never fun to have a Saint mad at you...lol!

Answer 3

The Catholic Church believes in the real, literal power of the Holy Spirit, which is what the Apostles believed in too. Read the book of Acts. After the Holy Spirit descended upon them in the upper room on Pentecost, they rushed out and preached the Word of God. They healed the sick, like Jesus did. They forgave sins, just like Jesus did. And they even raised the dead, just like Jesus did. It was by the power of the Holy Spirit that they were able to do this.

Likewise, it is by the power of the Holy Spirit that we bless ourselves with holy water, or have objects like medals, rosaries and crucifixes blessed. We are surrounding ourselves with blessed objects for protection and encouragement. We do not worship these objects. That would be idolatry. We only worship God and God only.

I don't know where the practice of burying a statue of a saint in your yard came from, but its just a way of calling down the Holy Spirit to help you sell your house. I've never done that but I have nothing against it.

A saint is a member of our family in heaven. All Christians, protestant and catholic, are brothers and sisters in Christ. We when die and hopefully go to heaven, we will be with each other as one big happy family in heaven, along with all the angels and the saints and Jesus and God and the Holy Spirit and Blessed Mother Mary. Please understand that a saint is a person like you or I, but who lived a life of holiness to a heroic degree and was recognized so by the Church, like dying for their faith, which is what happened to most of the early Christians. People always jump on the Catholic Church because of the Inquisition and the Crusades. The problem is the common understanding of those times is wrong. It wasn't the Catholic Church who was wrong, but the other guys.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2005/118/52.0.html

http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=ODAyNDViYmIwYzRhNTkxNzA1NGZmYjVmODJiMWJlZjY=

During the first 300 hundred years of Christendom, our brothers and sisters in Christ were hunted down and tortured and killed because they would not give up Jesus. Their heroism was recognized by the Church and a lot of them were canonized (sainted).

We pray to saints because they are like very big strong brothers and sisters up there whose prayers help us, just like you'd ask your brother or sister here to pray for you.

God bless.

Answer 4

Catholics share the belief in the Communion of Saints with many other Christians, including the Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and Episcopal Churches.

The Communion of Saints is the belief 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.

Everyone in heaven or on their way to heaven are saints. You, me, my deceased grandmother, Mary the mother of Jesus, and Mother Teresa.

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 and prayers in Christ.

Answer 5

Let me put it this way...

It's like if u were in the hospital and asked somebody like a close family member to pray to you...

But, who would u rather have pray 4u? a family member or a soul that is already in Heaven (all Saints are), and has been cleared of all of their sins?...

we don't pray directly 2 the Saints... but we pray to GOD through them.

P.S. - I AM CATHOLIC... Why are protestants answering this question? what do you other guys know about my Faith? (this comment only applies to the ingnorant people who answered the question kathy, pstod, perilous rose, and impossible dream)

Answer 6

i was raised on the C. church , wittnessed all the sacraments, and i never did understand the concept of praying to saint/deceased loved ones to inteceed on my behaf to God. it never made any sense to me, if Jesus died for me to bring me back into a relationship with Him, why can't i just talk to Him directly??!! as for kneeling & praying before the statues of the saints, i always was uncomfortable with it, it felt too much like worship of idols. why do you think God hid the body of Moses from the Jews??!! i have left the C. church & have been reborn thru Baptism in Christian Faith. I am gratefull to the Holy Spirit who guided me to enlightenment!!

Answer 7

I am constantly amazed at how little Protestants know about the history of Christianity.

Among the many things that they do not realize is that Catholics do not pray to Saints nor to Mary -- but rather ask them to pray for them. Just look at the words to the Hail Mary:

"Hail Mary, Mother of God, Pray for us sinners."

When told, they say "I don;t need to ask them to pray for me -- I can pray to Jesus." But if you then ask them if they have ever asked family or friends to pray for them -- they always say yes -- and the logic of their response evaporates.

Answer 8

It isn't.People should only pray to Jesus.I am a King James Version Onlyist.

Answer 9

It was an old rule that the Catholic church passed and hasn't revoked yet that they could pray to people who have died.

http://www.mechanicsburgnewchurch.org

Answer 10

tradition: 1 tim. 2:15