Does the invocation of saints mirror the invocation of deities specific to certain functions?

Answer 1

Depends on your religious affiliation.

I would say yes. Most pagans and other less doctrine affiliated religions would say yes. Many christian followers would say no. Some say no so loudly, that that is one of the main reasons they splitered. "No false idols". Others say no, but they're religious beliefs seem to say otherwise. For example, people, who practice santeria who worship saints/sprits and believe in a christian god but not gods.

Also, it depends on the definition of saint (or deity for that matter), because that changes widely. Some branches believe that it is anyone who gets into heaven, you just won't know everyones name due to obscurity. And again, some don't believe in sainthood at all.

I would argue, that because much of historical sainthood involves folklore and is directly influenced by other myths about virtuose people, it is similar to many polythesitic religions who absorb different deity's (like a classic roman god). Indeed many monothesistic religions folk and myths of god were influenced by other popular myths of many gods. For example, Aten who became the one god, for a brief time in egyptian mythology just absorbed some aspects of other gods. Or some people believe the idea and image of the chrisitian God came from some early pictues of other gods. Or that the holy trinity was inspired by zoroastrianism and their idea of god.

My point is, they all influence each other so to say they are dissimilar would be a gross mistatement. To say that they are the same though would put conservatives and moderates in an uproar, and completely depends on your doctrine.

Answer 2

If I can ask you to pray for me (which I think most Christians would accept) why can't I ask someone who has died and is standing in the presence of Christ to pray for me? Saints are not deities, they are humans who have been raised to life with God just as Jesus promised. Does it make sense that the saints are less powerful than our companions here on earth? Of course not, they are in their glory and they have bodies like angels! If you want to ignore them go ahead, but don't try to stop reasonable people from taking advantage of their assistance. That is just sour grapes.

Answer 3

yes and no. Its simillar in the wantings but differs in the how and what we do. Saints are Gods instruments. We ask the almighty to permit them to help in what ever at the time we need. If God gives permission they can help.

morkie explains it a little better.

Answer 4

Yup there's essentially a saint for every thing, and type of miracle needed. So i'd say it's actually some sort of masked polytheism, not that monotheism makes any more sense.

Answer 5

To any outsider it sure looks that way, explaining it away through semantics as the faithful do doesn't really wash with those observing the spectacle from a distance.

Answer 6

"Why not pray directly to Jesus?" they ask.

The answer is: "Of course one should pray directly to Jesus!" But that does not mean it is not also a good thing to ask others to pray for one as well. Ultimately, the "go-directly-to-Jesus" objection boomerangs back on the one who makes it: Why should we ask any Christian, in heaven or on earth, to pray for us when we can ask Jesus directly? If the mere fact that we can go straight to Jesus proved that we should ask no Christian in heaven to pray for us then it would also prove that we should ask no Christian on earth to pray for us.

Praying for each other is simply part of what Christians do. As we saw, in 1 Timothy 2:1–4, Paul strongly encouraged Christians to intercede for many different things, and that passage is by no means unique in his writings. Elsewhere Paul directly asks others to pray for him (Rom. 15:30–32, Eph. 6:18–20, Col. 4:3, 1 Thess. 5:25, 2 Thess. 3:1), and he assured them that he was praying for them as well (2 Thess. 1:11). Most fundamentally, Jesus himself required us to pray for others, and not only for those who asked us to do so (Matt. 5:44).

Answer 7

I would not know. I am not Catholic. I believe in only one God and that is Jesus