Is it blasphemous to pray to saints?

Question

Saintly people performed miracles from the grace of God not from any power that they initially hold.
The Church created saints as icons and idols that you can pray to if you get sick, if you are travelling somewhere or if you lost your pen cap and want to find it. They have erected statues and buildings in their name (not God's or Jesus'). They have created specific prayers to specific saints and promote their allegence. Does this not take away prayer and thought from God?
Throughout history God has demanded people to pray to Him not earthly figures or idols.
So are saints blasphemous?

Answer 1

Whenever the Bible mentions praying to or speaking with the dead, it is in the context of sorcery, witchcraft, necromancy, and divination - activities the Bible strongly condemns (Leviticus 20:27; Deuteronomy 18:10-13).
God does not answer prayers based on who is praying. God answers prayers based on whether they are asked according to His will (1 John 5:14-15). There is absolutely no basis or need to pray to anyone other than God alone. There is no basis for asking those who are in Heaven to pray for us. Only God can hear our prayers. Only God can answer our prayers. No one in Heaven has any greater access to God's throne that we do through prayer (Hebrews 4:16).

Recommended Resource: The Gospel According to Rome: Comparing Catholic Tradition and The Word of God by James McCarthy.

Answer 2

Are you just looking to count amens since you've pretty much answered yourself? Sounds like a rhetorical question to me.

Nevertheless ... sigh ... Granny's quick lesson in "saints for dummies" seems to be in order here. I will try to keep it simple.

It is blasphemous to WORSHIP saints. While prayer is a part of worship, the terms are not interchangable. Get a dictionary and look up "pray"; it means to make a request in a humble manner, entreat, implore. It does also mean to address God with adoration, confession, supplication, or thanksgiving.

Saints are believed to be in heaven. Do you believe that to be in heaven is to be in the constant presence of the Lord God? You do, right?

Stay with me, now. If someone is praying (entreating, requesting) to a saint ... who is in heaven ... to AGREE WITH THEM IN PRAYER to God, where do you think that person's thought is focused? On Saint Whoever? If so, why not just stop at the dear saint instead of asking "pray for me to the Lord our God"?

You'll say that we don't need a middleman, that we can pray directly. That's absolutely true. AND WE DO. We also believe that saints can be intercessors for us. Unless you've never asked for or agreed in prayer with another believer, you are familiar with the concept. There's no conflict, and no blasphemy.

Oh, and about the buildings. Saints led exemplary Christian lives and preserved the faith down through the ages. All Christians, not just the liturgical denominations, owe them at the very least a debt of gratitude. Ever heard of posthumous honors? Buildings, public places, etc., named after exemplary people? We name our church buildings to honor the saints, and pray (to God, by the way) that we learn to follow their examples. That's the difference between us and those who name their universities and ministries and mega-churches for the living; we kinda like to wait until the saint's entire life can be evaluated before we hold him or her up as a hero of the faith.

Answer 3

I believe we can pray for those on the front lines like Franklin Graham or Joyce Meyers that are not saints but major leader heads that they remain safe and above reproach. I think the praying for the saints concept was those who are among us and doing the Lord's work. I think if the original disciples saw this practice today they would come into the room and say no no no pray just for their safety please petition Jesus/God for we were only small small fraction of what our Glorious Lord is.

Seems like a lot of fancy robes to me.

Answer 4

It is no more blasphemous to ask a saint in heaven to pray for you than asking a friend or family member to pray for you. St. James wrote "The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful (5: 16)"

It would be considered blasphemous to worship anyone other than God and this is why Catholics do not worship saints in heaven.

Answer 5

In my opinion, yes, they are. Were the people bad? No. Did they do good things? Yes. Are they in heaven now? Only God knows. But to clarify your statement, the Catholic church canonized the saints, not the church as a whole. We are to pray to God, the father, through God, the son, Jesus. He is our mediator with God. The ONLY one.

Answer 6

many human beings have seen catholicism to be blasphemous, the two in the previous and nevertheless immediately. in actuality, this is the very rationalization why many different sects of christianity began in the 1st place. the protestant reformation passed off because of the fact martin luther and his followers believed that catholicism grow to be blasphemous. in school they taught us that islam got here approximately because of the fact muhammed observed the the numerous issues that have been occurring in the catholic church and he thought they have been blasphemous and idolatrous and stuff, so he began islam. i do no longer understand if this is traditionally precise or no longer, however.

Answer 7

I figure, people pray through saints to God, they interceed for you. The other stuff, about churches named after them and prayers, are a way of reminding people of them, so we dont forget them. They are a way of saying- hey look, this guy was just a herder, carpenter, taxcollecter, person like me, and he overcame worldly desires to lead a good life and be a saint. Of course thats just my opinion!

Answer 8

There is no benefit praying to saints created by certain fellowships. They cannot answer your prayers.. All Christians themselves are saints made righteousness with God's righteousness in Christ Jesus. All the promises of God are yes and amen in Christ Jesus. We are called by Jesus to pray to our Father in His name.

Answer 9

Yes. We are to pray ONLY to GOD, in Jesus's name.




FYI - any one who accepts Jesus as their Lord & Saviour is a saint. (We may not always behave like one - or at least, man's perception of a saint - but the bible says the faithful are His saints! Psalms, Acts, Romans, Philippians, etc)

Answer 10

Saints are the image of God himself. God has sent them on Earth to guide us into the spiritual path. Saint is one who takes your hand and handovers you into the hands of God to take care of us and he is the one who reminds you of your mistakes and helps in correcting the same.