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17 answers

thats only the cathlics... I only pray to the one and only true God.

2007-02-18 11:21:29 · answer #1 · answered by Cyrus The Great 3 · 0 2

This question is getting very old. It's been asked dozens of times, and no one seems to want to listen to those of us who are Catholic and have studied our religion.

Mary and the saints don't answer prayer -- that's true. Only God answers prayer. We ask Mary and the saints to pray for us, just as we would ask any other member of the Body of Christ to pray for us.

Luke 20:38 says, "For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him." Mary and all the saints are alive in Heaven, and they can add their prayers to ours. They lived holy lives and know how to pray for our needs far better than we do.

2007-02-18 11:32:14 · answer #2 · answered by Wolfeblayde 7 · 1 1

The older Christian denominations (Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, etc) believe in a principle called the "Communion of Saints".

There is a passage in the Bible in which Jesus states, "Where two or more of you gather in my name, there I am." This means that prayer is more powerful when engaged by groups. Therefor people will ask others to pray for them.

The Communion of Saints means that it is recognized that those who have gone on the Heaven and the believers here on earth are all part of the same body of Christ. Just as it is beneficial to ask others to pray for you, it is just as valid to ask those who are already in Heaven to pray for you as well. In this case, it is erroneous to label the practice as prayer. People do not "pray" to Mary or other saints as they pray to God. Instead they ask the saints to interceed for them, to pray for them. Example: Holy Mary, mother of God, PRAY for sinners..." The person wh is saying this is not asking Mary to answer the prayer but rather to pray to God for an answer. It is the the same as asking other believers here on earth to pray for you.

Yes, God is the only one who can answer prayers. The more Christians who pray for you, the better.

2007-02-18 11:45:50 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1 1

We speak (pray) to Mary and the other saints to ask them to offer prayers of intercession for us - in other words to ask them to pray for us, exactly as we would ask our own families, friends, and church communities to pray for us. Every Christian is called to be an intercessor, and the saints in heaven are fellow Christians. We know they are alive and well, since Jesus Himself said that those who follow Him will never die. Therefore this has nothing to do with "communicating with the dead".

It's amazing how many Christian groups recite the Apostles' Creed as an expression of their core beliefs, yet have no idea what "the communion of saints" means. This is the interaction of the saints militant (those of us still on earth) and the saints triumphant (those of us already in heaven, who are interceding for us). Asking someone else to pray for you takes nothing away from God, for all prayer, both direct and intercessory, is ultimately directed to God.

2007-02-18 11:24:41 · answer #4 · answered by PaulCyp 7 · 3 1

Alright, these things didn't come out of the air...

Early christians were exhorted to pray for each other and to ask each other to pray for them, as an intersessor to God.

The Early Church taught the doctrine, "The Communion of The Saints" which basically teaches that whether we are alive here, or have passed into the heavenly sphere, all saints are in fellowship. Those that have passed on may see us and may pray to God on our behalf, just like we are allowed to pray to God on each other's behalf, here on Earth.

So, originally, the idea was to ask the departed saints, and Mary to pray to God for us (on our behalf), and the practice of praying "to" a saint was somewhat misleading.

The same idea with venerating Icons in Eastern Orthodoxy exists. The Orthodox faithful do not "pray" to the Icon, but is respecting the personage to whom the Icon is painted. The Icons are particularly painted in a two-dimensional framework, so as to avoid worship of the "art form itself". The Greek word "pornea" = fleshly/worldly.

The Roman Catholic Church errs when teaching people to pray to saints or Mary (as the "Mediatrix) when the Holy Scriptures expressly state that Jesus Christ is the only "mediator" between God (the Father) and mankind for our salvation.

2007-02-18 11:32:22 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1 2

Because they have been led astray by their false church who teach idolatry, mysticism and pagan ritual practices. Jesus Christ said this would happen when He spoke of the plan of the ones who would take over and corrupt His church by teaching a false doctrine. They are not True Christians. They have a form of Godliness but deny it's power. God is the only power that can help you. God the Father is the only one you can pray to that will answer your prayers and Jesus Christ is the ONLY intercessory to prayer because He is the one who lives in heaven who has also lived on earth................Everyone who has ever lived and died in this world is dead in their grave. Their soul is merely "asleep" until the return of Christ who will judge the unrepentant and resurrect God's true saints. No mortal soul has ever ascended into heaven except the Son of Man; Jesus Christ. The false church is the only church that prays to dead saints. Their prayers are not answered. They pray in vain. I tell you the truth.

2007-02-18 11:53:53 · answer #6 · answered by SLEDGE 3 · 1 1

I'm not Catholic, but a Catholic man once told me that because people are unclean, they are not worthyu to pray directly to God, however the saints are holy and are able to be messengers to carry the messages to God.

Basically, he put it this way: they pray to God, but the saints intercede in their behalf.

2007-02-18 11:23:23 · answer #7 · answered by martinlh 4 · 1 1

They have been taught that it is OK, and have not learned what the Bible says about it.

My aunt is a Catholic nun and always does the Mary argument with me at every get together. She says, "If I ask you to pray for me, why can't I ask Mary to pray for me?" I always just answer, "because she is dead, and God said do not communicate with the spirits of those who have died....

and then again the next year, same thing....you gotta love her, though!

2007-02-18 11:23:13 · answer #8 · answered by martiismyname 3 · 1 1

They shouldn't. No human being has the power to answer prayers. Only God does, and the people praying to anyone other than God are misinformed.

2007-02-18 11:22:57 · answer #9 · answered by Lisa S 1 · 1 2

Depends on what they believe homey..

No matter how many claim God, Allah, or WHOEVER, they all are recognizing the same Divine Entity...so your question is pretty much answered with that being said.

2007-02-18 11:24:09 · answer #10 · answered by iColorz 4 · 0 1

I have never prayed to Whatnot and I can't find him in the Bible, who is he?

2007-02-18 11:21:15 · answer #11 · answered by Anonymous · 2 1

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