Should Catholics just admit that they are praying to saints?

Question

Their argument that they are merely asking the saints to intercede for them as they would ask a friend or family member doesn't hold up, because you don't ask your friends or family by clasping your hands and bowing down before a picture or statue of them. When you ask a friend, you're not implying that their holiness caused God to answer your prayer, since that is base on the unbiblical concept of salvation by works rather than grace. Maybe Catholicism has a different definition of worship, but just because you arbitrarily change the definition doesn't make it true. If it wasn't worship, why would they be turning statues into sacred objects.

Answer 1

We freely admit to praying to 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, Mother Teresa and Pope John Paul II.

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.

And prayer to the saints is optional not required.

With love in Christ.

Answer 2

"Their argument that they are merely asking the saints to intercede for them as they would ask a friend or family member doesn't hold up." - Umm Catholics are not arguing with you - they are being honest. I hope someday you can understand this.
If honest people take the time to explain their beliefs - why are you telling others they are lying?
Gather your courage and talk to a priest, instead of talking to people you somehow cleared for honesty, and listen as well as talk, you'll also have to really believe that not everyone is lying to you.
"... would ask a friend or family member doesn't hold up, because you don't ask your friends or family by clasping your hands and bowing down before a picture or statue of them." - How do you know people do not pray like this? People are aching and if talking to family members that have passed HELPS - then why demean them? I hope no one you love passes so you are never in pain.
Peace.

Answer 3

The first definition of praying is petition or asking.
It has not always meant worship. Actually in old English they always said I prithee which means pray thee when asking a question or favor. Catholics do not worship saints. They are petitioning saints to pray for them like you ask anyone here in this life to pray you. Statues are used to remind people of the saint, not for worship. If a Catholic worships the statute they are guilty of idolatory.
In bygone days people did bow to others in respect when asking questions and favors. It was just a way of showing respect. Bowing down is just a throw back to an earlier culture.
You are judging people by their bodily gestures and not by their intent and their heart.

Answer 4

I’ve always known I could approach God directly and generally I do. I’m confused when people say that they thought we had to pray to saints.

I think the word "pray" is just a bad word to describe the type of communication relationship between us and the saints in heaven. You know how when you are going through a tough time and you talk to someone in your family or in your church and ask them to pray for you? Well, that’s what praying to the saints is like. I’m not asking them to usurp God and give me grace, but merely asking them to pray for me too.

Since we don’t have any other word that deals with communicating with people in heaven I think the Catholic Church says "pray" because it is something that we are all familiar with.

It’s not required for anyone to pray to any saint, but it’s an option we have. It’s like GETTING more people to LOBBY God for your cause.

I don’t worship anyone but God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Praying to saints does not mean worship. I worship..... ONLY...... God as do all Catholics – not Mary, not any other saint.


The practice of praying to saints is derived from the doctrines of the Communion of Saints. The "communion of saint" is essentially a fancy term for the church - meaning the people that make-up the church and is in the Apostle’s Creed.”



According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church the communion of saints is “all the faithful of Christ, those who are pilgrims on earth, the dead who are being purified, and the blessed in heaven, all together forming one Church...(Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph 962).”



The communion of saints is derived from the belief that through Jesus Christ all Christians are made brothers and sisters and that physical death on earth does not sever that connection.

Answer 5

If that is what they are doing, then yes, they should admit it. I used to be Catholic. The intercession of a priest to bring your confessions to god, should have been eliminated when Jesus died, the paying of money to get relatives out of a fictional purgatory is not something I liked, reading from the Canon instead of the bible, and the fact that it is more accepted if a priest messes with an Alter boy ( I used to be one, and no I was not molested) as opposed to messing with a female, and then they are moved to a new church made me angry. I also heard that in the past, one of the commandments about not coveting your neighbors wife and possessions was split into two separate commandments, and the one about not worshiping any graven images was removed, so they wouldn't even have to worry about the question you are asking. It doesn't matter anyway,dude. Everyone is justified and righteous to themselves in their own head, while also in opposition to most everyone else. There is not one righteous. No, not one.

Answer 6

I've been asking God for an understanding of the saints, I'd like to talk with them directly. And I've been trying to catch up with the bright figures wondering through the shadows of my dreams.

Answer 7

Since when is salvation by works an unbiblical doctrine? The Bible states that we are saved by works, and not by faith alone. There is a reason why Martin Luther wanted to remove the book of James from the Bible.

Answer 8

Maybe I will pray to St. Jude,)patron of hopeless cases) and ask him to intercede for me, and give you some insight, to our religion, before you go off the deep end.

Answer 9

We have explained this many many times. We have listened to your objections to our beliefs, why can't you just accept our explanation? Why bring it up again and again? We have made up our minds about those beliefs and we accept the responsibility in case our beliefs are wrong! So, I ask you again, what is your purpose of bringing this up again and again? We don't question your beliefs! Why can't you respect our decision to hold on to those beliefs?

May the Lord's peace be with you!

Answer 10

i go to a catholic school...though i am not catholic and do not understand this either.
i have asked my catholic friends this...they have given me weak answers that make no sense. i have been taught in my religion class there...that singing is a form of worship. and yet they devote a whole song to mary. but they said its not worshipping her....but just giving her the recognition that she deserves i guess...they just said..singing is a form of worship. and they also said...prayer is a form of worship. and then i asked them this same question again...they said they do worship her because she gave birth to God...and was sinless. uhm..HELLO. who said she wasnt sinless? not the Bible...and YOU certainly have no right to say she wasnt certainless. and then i asked the question....of...then dont they think they are disobeying the comandments cuz God says to only worship Him....and no idols. they said Mary isnt an idol. people dont worship people. people worship gods...and goddesses. yet they dont think of mary as a goddess....but they worship her. and they pray to the saints....and then they have the nerve to believe that only CATHOLICS can have communion. God didnt mention anything about denominations...ONLY religions!!! i am not allowed to take communion at my school...because i havent been baptized catholic. and other people who arent catholic arent allowed also.

these people have weak answers...and weak fights. they have no answers....they only put imaginations in their minds...and then force themselves to believe it....because they cant face reality.

God bless. sorry for such a long answer...u really got me going with this question that sometimes i type so fast...that i type faster than my mind thinks...and i skip words. so if there are any mistakes...please forgive me. but u got me all excited to answer this question.


God bless u. =]