I know many protestants do not agree with praying to saints. But that is not the important part here. Whether you think praying to them is right or wrong is not my question. Someone in answer to one of my questions about Mary said "She is dead". Implying that asking her to pray for you is pointless because she is dead. Is any Christian ever truly dead? We pass from this life to life eternal with Jesus. I would almost say the Christians who are with Jesus are the one's who are really alive. So why call them dead?
2007-10-31 16:46:04 · 22 answers · asked by Bible warrior 5 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
dreamdress2 - No I do not think Mary was sinless. As to whether she was assumed into Heaven alive or not. I really don't know and think it is not important. You say even Jesus had to die. This is true but neither Enoch or Elijah had to die before being taken into Heaven.
The thing about them praying to Mary and saints and it took me a while to understand this. Is that they do not consider it praying as we pray to God. Think of it as asking a friend at church to pray for you. That is how they see it. They just figure that the saints are with Jesus and thus their prayers would be more effective and get to Him first. I am not saying I agree with it. But done in that way I don't really see anything wrong with it.
2007-10-31 17:35:59 · update #1
Isabella - Very nice explanation. I can understand praying to saints the way Catholics do it. Although I must say I am still on the other side of the fence from you guys on purgatory. I just can't find anything to back it up. I have read the verses used to support it but I find it vague at best.
2007-10-31 17:40:46 · update #2
Exactly! Thank you my brother!
Not only Christians but everyone's soul is immortal. Our body dies but our soul do not. So all the souls with Jesus our Lord has even more effective prayer since they are all with Him. They continually worship Him in heaven. That's why we Catholics believe to ask prayers from the saints and from Mother Mary. They might be physically dead (except Mother Mary and the others) but spiritually very alive.
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
2007-10-31 18:53:44 · answer #1 · answered by jake 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well once a person dies there is only the body left, and sometimes people keep ashes of the body, a thing we can actually feel, but our soul our being is what leaves and the soul the being can never die. The body itself dies and when that happens the soul leaves to another place but, being a catholic, I was thought to pray to saints to help us with God, because two prayers are better than one, and gives us more faith more purpose. It's the "helping one another" thought and I guess it's the idea that we also think of god as authority but, we should just pray directly to him, because no matter what happens in our lives, he loves us no matter what.
So the body is dead, but our soul our being never dies.
2007-10-31 16:54:45 · answer #2 · answered by Angel L 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Atta Boy Edge keep thinking along those lines---if we are dead when we die then why have faith at all---rising at the last judgment is no more than what the Pharisees believed---this was nothing new---what was new is what Jesus said to Martha when she said she knew Lazarus would rise on the last day---he said "I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE" What he was saying is if you become part of my body you will not die at all. Because he lives ---we live in him. The only way we would die is if Christ never had risen.
2007-10-31 17:21:09 · answer #3 · answered by Tina T 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Non-catholic christians have a problem in differentiating between the two words Prayer and Worship. They also like making stuff up about stuff they don't bother studying about or just regurgitate what others have said. I'm an agnostic but I'll defend anything that is wrongly attacked
2007-10-31 16:54:32 · answer #4 · answered by chocolateman 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
to some of the people who have answered, prayer is not the same thing as worship, we pray to saints and mary to ask them to pray for us, it is no different than asking a person that goes to your church to pray for you or another person because you are sick, or going through hard times, like someone else said, two prayers are better than one
2007-10-31 16:58:13 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Good point! Even if she was sinless, and even if she did ascend into heaven, and even if she didn't have sexual intercourse and children Bible so clearly says are Jesus brothers and sister aren't but relatives, even if we agree with all of this unbiblical things - Bible never assumes she has any role in our salvation and sancitification!
Saints (all belivers who died) are not dead, but are sleeping!
Soli Deo Gloria!
2007-10-31 20:25:41 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is unclear where Christian's go. some say we are dormant (dead) in the grave until judgement day. Others say that we automatically go to heaven with Jesus.
There is a part where it says the dead in Christ will rise first. Well if they are already in heaven how can they rise?
So this is all unclear there is also the parables that they first go to a place called Abraham's bosom. Waiting for actual judgement day.
2007-10-31 16:56:29 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
So, why not then, pray to your Grandmother who died in Christ...or one of the apostles? Why pick out Mary? Was she divine in any way? Do you truly think she was born without sin as Jesus was? Some Catholics do...do you think she ascending up into Heaven without going to the grave,,,as some Catholics do? Even Jesus had to die and go to the grave....I have known many Catholics in my life,,,and they are good, loyal people,,,but they need to read their bible and stop this praying to Mary...it cannot be defended,,,,it is wrong...not one scripture says to pray to Mary..or ask her to intercede for you....it says Jesus is the ONLY mediator between God and man..which part of this is hard to understand...ONE mediator...Jesus...
2007-10-31 16:58:50 · answer #8 · answered by dreamdress2 6 · 0⤊ 3⤋
All we need to agree on is that Jesus died and we can have salvation and go to heaven by asking Him to come into our heart and be our Lord and Savior. Those that are with Jesus are alive and having a great time.
2007-10-31 16:52:23 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 2⤋
So where does the Resurrection of the saints come into so? If they are already alive, why do they need to be resurrected on the last day?
2007-10-31 16:55:50 · answer #10 · answered by Emerald Book Reviews 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋