2007-02-06 11:44:12 · 25 answers · asked by sweetheart25 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
The Catholic practice of asking the saints for their intercession is perfectly in line with the concept that all Christians are members of the communion of saints -- the great body of believers on earth and in Heaven. If we can ask a believer on earth to pray for us, we can also ask a believer in Heaven to intercede for us.
Christ Himself said, "For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him." (Luke 20:38) The saints lived holy and faith-filled lives on earth, and now that they are in Heaven, they are part of the great cloud of witnesses who watch and pray for those of us on earth.
And just as a side note, we Catholics are very much Christian believers. We worship God, accept Christ as our Savior, and know that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Those who sit in judgment of their Catholic brothers and sisters in Christ will answer to the Father for their lack of love:
1John 4:20-21 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.
2007-02-06 12:10:22 · answer #1 · answered by Wolfeblayde 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Christians should do as Christ taught us, pray to "Our Father, who art in heaven". He did not tell us to pray to Him or to saints, who by the way are man-made saints, as only God knows who are really saints. We think someone was a wonderful person, that's great, but we humans have no ability to make someone a saint. God does not sit and wait for us to tell Him who's a saint and who isn't and I find it downright blasphemous that the pope has the nerve to try to tell God who the saints are. The pope is not the boss of God.
2007-02-06 11:55:27 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
The Saints are over rated. Remember that song, "When the saints go marching in", ? If they were anything at all they would be flying. What about their wings and what about the Bears.
2007-02-06 12:02:45 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Those Christians who believe in saints (e.g. Orthodox, Roman Catholics, Anglicans) do not pray TO them, but THROUGH them. There's a HUUUUUUGE difference, and I'm afraid most people in this thread do not understand this. We believe that the Body of Christ is the collection of all souls, whether in this physical world or the other spiritual world, bound together by Jesus Christ. In other words, people who have left Earth and have received God's grace are not dead; they continue to exist and to pray to God. So, when we ask them to intercede for us to God, it's like turning to the person sitting next to you in church and asking them to say a prayer for you. This does not prevent you from praying directly to God, it does not have any connection to polytheism, and it is thoroughly grounded in Christian theology.
2007-02-06 12:06:35 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
first of all catholics do not pray to saints. catholics ask the saints to pray for themselves. and second u should only pray 2 God and Jesus.
2007-02-06 12:52:11 · answer #5 · answered by yaallluvme 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
What exactly do you mean by "pray"? Pray means to entreat or implore, "to make a request in a humble manner", or "to address God or a god with adoration, confession, supplication, or thanksgiving". Since the Bible says we should "pray for one another" (James 5:16), we pray (implore) the saints to pray (address God) for us and with us.
http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/pray
2007-02-06 12:37:09 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Any "Christian" who prays to a saint, is probably not a Christian but a Catholic, there is a difference. There are some catholics who are Christians, but not many.
2007-02-06 11:51:42 · answer #7 · answered by Desperado 5 · 1⤊ 2⤋
I don't think Christians should pray to anything, it takes time away from useful things that might actually work.
2007-02-06 11:50:06 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
The Bible clearly says that conversing with the dead (spirits) is forbidden, which makes it an abomination to God. Why pray to anyone but God? Jesus is in control of all things.
2007-02-06 11:50:47 · answer #9 · answered by martiismyname 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Jesus said He hated the doctrine of the Nicolaitaines in
Revelation. Noone seems to know what that is, and sexual practices and idolatry are already mentioned. One man said it "might" be Saint worship! Not even the Angels wanted men to bow down to them. And where humans get this idea the
Angels, the Faithful, are somehow servants to mens souls, is beyond me!
2007-02-06 11:49:53 · answer #10 · answered by Dominus Satanis 1 · 0⤊ 3⤋