Does the pactice of praying to "saints" go against the Bible?

Answer 1

there is a big difference between praying "to" saints and praying "for' saints as tebone0315 suggests is OK. No where in the Bible are we ever told to pray to the dead, even if they are eternally alive in Christ. The dead know nothing. It is not their job to take our prayer to God. There is one mediator between God and man... the man Christ Jesus. We are to pray in His name and authority. When King Saul tried to reach out to the dead prophet Samuel, it angered God and he lost the 'anointing' and it was then given to David. There is a price to pay for doing what God hates. Because of the price that Jesus paid for our sins, we no longer have to go through priests or sacrifices because the price has been paid forever. The veil in the temple was torn in two at the death of Jesus, exposing the altar, opening the way for every man, woman and child to come to God for themselves. The first prayer God wants to hear from us all, is "God, be merciful to me a sinner." Then he hears your prayer and cleanses you from sin. After than, the way is clear... pray and talk to God for yourself.

Answer 2

We pray to God. We worship our Lord God Almighty.

We ask the saints to pray 'with' and 'for' us. We do not worship the saints.

Therein lies the difference....

""We know that "the prayer of a righteous person has great power" (James 5:16). Who could be more righteous or pray more fervently than those already perfected and in the Lord's presence? We know that they care for us, "There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents" (Luke 15:7). And finally we see that they present our prayers along with their own to Jesus: "The four living creatures and the twenty four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and with golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints" (Revelation 5:8). Also, "And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to mingle with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar before the throne. And the smoke of the incense rose with the prayers of the saints from the hand of the angel before God" (Revelation 8:3-4). ""
~~adapted from staycatholic.com

read more from the Book of Revelation.

Answer 3

not only against but truly unbiblical, for God said;1Co 6:2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
That once you're part of the family of God (True Born Again Christian) you're considered a saint and will be one of the judges of the world with Christ Jesus someday!
Rev 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

Answer 4

The saints in heaven are more alive to God than we are! They are not dead in the spirit. they are free from all pain, hurt and fear. Therefore if Paul exhorts us to offer "supplications, prayers, petiti0ons and thanksgivings..." (1 Tim 2:1), who better to ask for prayer than someone who is no longer bogged down by the sins, cares and responsibilities of this world? Jesus is NOT the only mediator of our prayers......he is the ONLY mediator of our SALVATION (1 Tim 2:5).

Besides......in Revelation, the prayers of the saints are offered to God by angels: "Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand" (REV 8:3-4). So............................prayers of angels and saints are very worthy.

Answer 5

Jesus taught us how to pray. Every time He prays it's to the Father and He is our example that we should follow. The Lord's prayer, "When you pray, say 'Our Father who art in heaven..."

Saints are something the Roman Church came up with, nothing in Scripture mentions saints other than the fact that all believers are saints.

Answer 6

Yes is DOES go against the Bible!

1 Timothy 2:5-6 (New International Version)
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society


5For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6who gave himself as a ransom for all men—the testimony given in its proper time.

Did the "saints" die for mankinds sins? NO!

Jesus did!

Answer 7

Jesus Christ said: “You should pray like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, . . . ’” So prayers are to be addressed to the Father. Jesus also said: “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one can come to the Father except through me. If you ask for anything in my name, I will do it.” (Matt. 6:9; John 14:6, 14, JB) Thus Jesus ruled out the idea that anyone else could fill the role of intercessor. The apostle Paul added regarding Christ: “He not only died for us—he rose from the dead, and there at God’s right hand he stands and pleads for us.” “He is living for ever to intercede for all who come to God through him.” (Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:25, JB) If we truly want our prayers to be heard by God, would it not be wise to approach God in the way that his Word directs? .............Rom. 15:30, JB: “I beg you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of the Spirit, to help me through my dangers by praying to God for me.” (The apostle Paul, himself a saint, asked fellow Christians who were also saints to pray for him. But notice that Paul did not address his prayers to those fellow saints, nor did their prayers on his behalf replace the personal intimacy that Paul himself enjoyed with the Father by means of prayer. Compare Ephesians 3:11, 12, 14.)

Answer 8

there is nothing to support the idea of human-designated 'saints' OR for praying to anyone other than God...Christ taught us to pray to 'our Father in heaven'...as a Christian, i believe that His teachings are the 'default setting' for Christians...those who choose to follow their church instead of their Savior may disagree...

when you pray to 'saints', you're doing two of three things...

1) treating another person as God
2) trying to communicate with the dead(necromancy, a BIG no-no in the bible)
3) wasting your time

#1 OR #2 could apply, but #3 ALWAYS applies

Answer 9

The are people - the creation - we have been given the Holy Spirit and Jesus who taught us to pray.
It seems like we should seek our God rather than the creation of God.

Answer 10

MARY is a familiar figure to most people who know anything about Christianity. The Scriptures relate that Almighty God particularly blessed this young woman by choosing her to be the mother of Jesus. Jesus’ birth was unique in that Mary was a virgin when she conceived him. Certain churches of Christendom have long reserved a special veneration for Mary. In 431 C.E., the Council of Ephesus proclaimed her “Mother of God,” and today many people are taught to pray to her.*
Sincere worshippers know that they must address their prayers to the right person. What does the Bible teach in this regard? Should Christians pray to the Virgin Mary?
Many who pray to Mary have been taught that blessings can be gained by the repetition of set formulas—prayers such as the Hail Mary, Our Father, and others. For Catholics, “the most widespread form of Marian devotion [that is, devotion to Mary] is without doubt the rosary,” says the book Symbols of Catholicism. The rosary is a religious exercise in honor of the Virgin Mary. The term also refers to the string of beads used to count prayers. “Five sets of ten beads, separated by an individual bead,” explains the same book, “are an invitation to fifty recitations of ‘Hail Mary’, five of ‘Our Father’, and five of ‘Glory be to the Father.’” Does God listen with favor to the devout recitation of the rosary?
The fact that the Scriptures do not teach Christians to pray to Mary in no way implies a lack of respect for the role she played in the outworking of God’s purposes. The blessings that come through her Son will be to the eternal benefit of all obedient mankind. “All generations will pronounce me happy,” Mary herself stated. And her cousin Elizabeth said that Mary was “blessed . . . among women.” Indeed, she was. It was a wonderful privilege for Mary to be chosen to bear the Messiah.—Luke 1:42, 48, 49.
However, Mary is not the only woman whom the Scriptures call blessed. Because of the actions that Jael took for the benefit of the ancient nation of Israel, she too was said to have been “most blessed among women.” (Judges 5:24) Faithful Jael, Mary, and many other godly women mentioned in the Bible are certainly worthy of our imitation—but not of our veneration.
Mary was a faithful follower of Jesus. She was present on various occasions during his earthly ministry and also at his death. After Jesus’ resurrection she was “persisting in prayer” with Jesus’ brothers. This gives us reason to believe that along with them she too was anointed with holy spirit at Pentecost 33 C.E. and thus shared the hope of being part of the bride class that will reign in heaven with Christ.—Matthew 19:28; Acts 1:14; 2:1-4; Revelation 21:2, 9.
None of this, though, authorizes us to pray to Mary. Heartfelt prayer is an essential part of worship, and Christians are encouraged to “persevere in prayer.” (Romans 12:12) However, all such worshipful devotion should be directed to Jehovah alone, through Jesus Christ.—Matthew 4:10; 1 Timothy 2:5.