Why do catholics pray to saints and statues when in the bible it says not to?

Question

For example- My moms friend loves to pray to saint anthony to help her find something. Why not just ask Jesus? I have asked other catholics this and they never have an answer for me. I

Answer 1

+ Saints +

Before Jesus Christ died for our sins and opened the gates of heaven there were no saints in heaven. Therefore there are no Old Testament writings that would mention them.

Very few of the new Christians died before most of the New Testament was written. Therefore there is little in the Bible about asking saints to pray for us.

However the last book of the Bible does talk about the saints in heaven praying.

Revelation 5:8: Each of the elders held a harp and gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of the holy ones.

Revelation 8:3-4: He was given a great quantity of incense to offer, along with the prayers of all the holy ones, on the gold altar that was before the throne. The smoke of the incense along with the prayers of the holy ones went up before God from the hand of the angel.

The Holy Spirit guided the early Church in many things not explained in the Bible including how does the Body of Christ (believers) living on Earth relate to the Body of Christ (saints) living in heaven. We are still one Body.

Catholics share the belief in the Communion of Saints with many other Christians, including the Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, Episcopal, and Methodist 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 living here on earth to pray for you. Or, you may also ask the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Andrew, or your deceased grandmother living in heaven to pray for you.

Prayer to saints in heaven is simple communication, not worship.

+ Statues +

Do you have pictures of your loved ones?

Statues and pictures of people we love are not idols.

Statues and paintings of Jesus and the saints are just like pictures of the people we love and respect.

The King James Version of the Bible states in Exodus 20:4: "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth"

Why were the Jews commanded not to make graven images? Graven images were the standard method of pagan worship. They were representations of false gods.

This is a very clear command.

However God commanded the Jews in Exodus 25:18 and 1 Chronicles 28:18–19, "And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them"

And in 1 Kings chapter 7 Solomon made bulls and other images out of precious metals.

It seems obvious that the Jews did not worship the cherubims and Solomon did not worship the bulls he had made. These images did not violate the command of God. Therefore, an image not made for worship is acceptable.

In Numbers 21:8-9, "And the LORD said to Moses, "Make a saraph and mount it on a pole, and if anyone who has been bitten looks at it, he will recover." Moses accordingly made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole, and whenever anyone who had been bitten by a serpent looked at the bronze serpent, he recovered."

And in John 3:14-15, Jesus says in correlation, "And just as Moses lifted up the [image of a] serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life."

How can a statue of our Lord Jesus Christ dead on the cross be considered an idol to a false god? A crucifix is the message of the Gospel without words held up for all to see, a visual reminder of the sacrifice of Jesus, no different from a painting, a play, or a movie.

Catholics do not worship statues but the almighty God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

+ With love in Christ.

Answer 2

The idea that Catholics pray to statues, or pray to Mary, is a huge misconception. Don't be gullible enough to believe non-Catholics' misconceptions about us. Ask US what we believe. Catholics rarely pray in front of statues these days -- and even back when it was more common, we weren't praying TO the statue -- anymore than you were praying TO a wall in church just because there happened to be a wall in front of you. Physical objects like statues are not objects of worship or prayer in the Catholic faith. They are aids in worship, which is perfectly in line with the Bible, -- Exodus 25 and 26, specifically. Where do you get the idea that Catholics believe that Mary, and not Jesus, died on the cross? As a lifelong Catholic, I've NEVER been taught anything of the sort. And what makes you think that we pray to the Baby Jesus -- as opposed to just praying to Jesus? That's another one that, as a lifelong Catholic, I've NEVER been taught or encouraged to do. My friend, I'm afraid you have some SERIOUS misconceptions about Catholicism. I suggest you educate yourself a little bit on what we really believe and do, before throwing around comments like "Don't Catholics get it". Because it's plainly obvious that there's a lot about Catholicism that you don't "get" -- but it's an easily-remedied problems, provided that you have an open mind.

Answer 3

Even though the Bible says that communication with the dead is a detestable practice, (Deut 18:12) the Catholic Church has invented theses traditions over the years and has continued to practice them.
* Veneration of angels and dead saints, and use of images 375
* Prayer directed to Mary, dead saints and angels, about 600
* Worship of the cross, images and relics, authorized in 786
* The Rosary, mechanical praying with beads, invented by Peter the Hermit 1090

Answer 4

Simply beacuse they are blind in seeing the truth, Those who worship with statues called Idolaters. Christians worship the Creator not the creations...One more thing is that the Catholic Doctrines teaches the Catholics to Pray to the Statues, and to other idols such as the things used by that icon. eg. Slippers, Towels of Francis the Assisi..... If you find my answer doesnt fit ur question i have this website that can answer all of your questions in mind, heart and soul. www.angdatingdaan.org

Answer 5

I'm CAtholic, and I pray to God with my friends, who are seen and unseen, and with my family, some of whom are with the Lord right now and watching over me. Do you think they'd just stand by and do nothing? What are you going to do once you meet Jesus at the end of your life? Gaze into his eyes for all eternity? Or help out your descendants?

Answer 6

'Saint' was a synonym for Christian in the early Church. The baptized Christian is in fact an initiate of sainthood. Thus, we see, for instance, Ananias saying to the Lord concerning Saul (Paul), "Lord, several people have told me about this man and all the harm he has been doing to your saints in Jerusalem." (Acts 9:13). In his epistles Paul uses in his opening greetings the word 'saints' meaning the faithful. "To the Church of God at Corinth and to all the saints and to all the saints in the whole of Achaia" (2 Cor, 1:1)

However, the term 'saint' took on a more technical and restricted sense quite early in the Church. Not every Christian was a saint. By saint was meant one who was in heaven, who could intercede for fellow-humans on earth and who was worthy of public veneration

God Bless You

Answer 7

Catholics don't pray *to* saints and statues.

Answer 8

They don''t pray TO them. They use them much as you use a photograph of your mother when you want to think about her. Catholic only honor the images because of who or what they represent. Why don't you learn about the Church from their own catechism ( any bookstore)? I am so tired of hearing the same stupid questions all my life - usually from those who like you are too lazy to look for the truth. Sorry, I'm not being very Christian.

Answer 9

Show me in the Bible where it says not to speak with a living family member and ask them to pray for you to the One God.

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The Saints are Alive, first off, if you believe in Heaven -- Heaven is a place of Life, not the dead. Since they are one in Body with Christ, as are those of Christ here on Earth, they are family. They are 'prayed' to only in the sense of 'communicating with those who are in heaven'. They are NOT, however, WORSHIPPED.

Everyone has someone they look up to as a mentor, or someone who has gone through the same sorts of difficulties, or someone they just trust. Since the Saints are human and lived human lives, we can learn from their example, which points to Jesus who is Christ.

In essence, it's exactly the same as this: You get bad news. You pick up your phone and dial your mother, holding a picture of her. When she answers the phone, you realize she can't hear you, but you know she's family and will listen anyways. So you get it off your chest and finish with, "I've gotta go mom. Please pray for me?"

If that is not a sin, then neither is having a prayer-filled life with the saints to the greater glory of Messiah.

[And not to be rude, but hun, even me, an atheist understands this -- Please, pick up a copy of the Catholic Catechism. It will answer all your questions about Catholicism, with references to scriptures]

Answer 10

Catholics believe the Pope, even when he contradicts the Bible.