Praying to Mary and the Saints. These are legit questions to which I sincerely seek answers for.?

Question

What is the difference between what Saul did in 1 Samual 28 (Going to the Woman at Endor and seeking the guidance of the Prophet Samuel) and what Catholics do to Mary and the "Saints" (Praying to them for guidance)? Clearly, Samuel was dead and in the grave, and he is also a Saint, but Saul should not have done what he did, right? Are we not also commanded to abstain from divination and necromancy (communication with the dead)? --Deut. 18:9-12. Do we not ourselves become necromancers when we attempt to communicate with dead? I know that God is not the God of the dead, but of the living, but that doesn’t fit the context of what I am asking. There is a clear distinction between those that are physically alive and those that are physically dead in the Bible. And we are commanded not to try to speak or communicate with those that are physically dead. It is considered witchcraft, and it is an abomination before God. So, why do we attempt to contact physically dead saints?

-Bryan

Answer 1

Yes, you can say prayers to Mary and the saints, and what they do, is they put the prayers on these little holy post it notes, and tack 'em up on the holy fridge, and then when the almighty comes back from his hunting trip or wiping out an ancient civilization or two, he gets down to business and starts reading the post it notes.

Yeah. Really. Think about it.

Answer 2

Not all do. I know my mom does and tried to teach us to when we were small. Really its a long story because from the beginning God told Israel no to make no statue in earth beneath or heaven above or in the ocean because the Lord our God was a jealous God. Really worshiping statues has always been a problem God has always rebuked for. The problem is that inside mans or woman's heart there is something that tells us there is a higher power and people that don't know God has always made an image of what they believed there God would look like. As far as worshiping saint historically it was introduce by the Romans when Christianity was sweeping through the land. Have you ever herd the terminology if you cant beet them join them? That is exactly what happen, the roman were loosing to much power and control over the people and they decided to convert their gods to our brother in Christ like Paul, James John Luke, Peter etc. There sun goddess was transform to Mary and so Idolatry was introduce once again. This time they knew they were worshiping their gods but it attracted many who didn't know and fallowed their beliefs and their is where the Catholic church originated. I hope this help, really God only wants us to worship him alone.

Answer 3

1) The saints in Heaven are not DEAD. They are ALIVE in Christ. Thus no 'prayers to the dead' are taking place.

2) What Saul did was NECROMANCY with the intent of divining the future. Not PRAYER. Catholics don't go to witches and have a stance when they want to pray to the Saints.

Answer 4

"What is the difference between what Saul did in 1 Samual 28 (Going to the Woman at Endor and seeking the guidance of the Prophet Samuel) and what Catholics do to Mary and the "Saints" (Praying to them for guidance)?"

The answer is, nothing. Both are an abomination and an affront to GODs and Jesus's teaching, just like worshipping Christ as GOD is idolatry and a violation of GODs first commandment.

Answer 5

Hi Bryan, I'm not a theologian but I was a Catholic and now follow a Pagan/Wiccan Path which I integrate many of my Catholic beliefs. Catholics don't worship Mary and the Saints; they venerate them and show them respect and high regard. The Blessed Mother is considered very holy because she gave birth to Jesus. They do not worship them as a "god."

Think of a big company, would you go to the CEO if you have a question about medical insurance or would you talk to Human Resources? The same with Saints/Mary. Say you have a hopeless situation. Sure you absolutely pray to God about it but St. Jude also specializes in hopeless cases, so you send off a request to him to help you talk up the issue with the CEO of Heaven (aka God.) Suppose your son is ill/dying. Sure you pray fervently to God but you would send up a prayer to Mary who knows the pain of loosing a son. Maybe God will heal the boy and Mary will send you comfort for your sadness and anxiety.

As to it being neuromancy--to pray to someone who once lived--I don't think so. And you are talking to someone who does do neuromancy and I can tell you it is much different than praying to Mary/the Saints. Most neuromancy is for earth bound spirits and those who haven't made it to heaven yet. Also keep in mind that Saul had the Witch of Endor call back Samuel who had passed on to a greater realm (one should never tear a soul out of heaven to answer egotistical and self-serving questions here on Earth--it's a cruel thing to do and of course Samuel was angry.) Suppose your Mother is passed away or your Grandfather. Do you never lay in bed at night and talk to them asking for their guidance in life decisions or your problems--just like the guidance they would have given you in life. You don't demand your Mother's and Grandfather's presence and try to force them into reveal your life's future happenings. That's the difference. Talking to the dead is completely different that neuromancy (though Webster's dictionary probably says they are the same.) There is nothing wrong with talking to someone who has passed on, "Mom I still love you and miss you, I hope you can see me having my own son to love someday" as opposed to "Mom I summon you here by my word and demand that you reveal to me whether I will have a child in my future." There's a big difference.

Obviously I have rather non-traditional beliefs that don't adhere to most man made religions and religious laws. A word of caution, be careful with that Book of Deuteronomy. That has lots of ancient societal laws/beliefs. Don't pick and choose what you are taking to heart--you either have to take it as a whole as revealed TRUTH or look at it skeptically as the morals and day to day social laws of an ancient society. Because if you accept the no neuromancy as truth, then I hope you are not eating pork, keeping a kosher kitchen, not mixing dairy with meat, shunning shellfish. Only eating creatures with cloven feet and multi chambered stomachs. I hope you are stoning who needs to be stones and keeping your slaves happy. Also make sure you are having your wife and daughters move out of the home monthly while they menstruate too. When I was in Graduate School we had to read the Book of Deuteronomy and write a paper on it. If I got a couple of the laws wrong, forgive me, it's been a decade or so.

I hope I shed a little light on your question even though I don't follow the same religious path as you. I don't expect you to believe in or even like what I am saying, I just wanted to try to answer your question from a different perspective.

Have a wonderful holiday weekend!

Answer 6

the Roman Catholics will not agree with you that they are practicing necromancy. even if i am not Roman Catholic, i would be hard pressed to call praying to the saints necromancy.
a better term would be intercession. Roman Catholics seek the intercession of the saints and of mary, the mother of our Lord.
you do have a point. it is better to ask the saints who are alive to interced on your behalf, rather than live in uncertainty because you have asked the saints who already are in heaven to intercede for you.

Answer 7

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.

+++++

Now back to your question.

Samuel was not in heaven at the time of Saul. The Communion of Saints was not yet formed. Samuel was waiting in Sheol or the Bosom of Abraham for Jesus to open the gates of heaven with his Crucifixion.

The saints in heaven are not dead. They are alive and will be alive forever. Everlasting life in heaven with God is basic Christian doctrine.

We do not really ask for the saints for guidence. We ask them to pray to God that God will give us guidence. A small but important difference.

For more information, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, section 946 and following: http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt1sect2chpt3art9p5.htm#946

With love in Christ.

Answer 8

We are not suppose to pray to saints. The bible does not tell you to pray to saints, if it does please show me the proof.

The bible only says to pray to God the father through Jesus Christ alone and through his name. Example: Father in Heaven or God in heaven,(insert your prayer here) in Jesus name amen.

You are praying to Mary when you are not suppose to. I know it may be hard but really? Does the bible tell you this or not? If you read the bible you will understand alot more things.

May God bless you and guide you to his way.

Answer 9

Something new I learn, thank you.

Here is something else on Mariolatry.

Luke ch2, showed that Mary offered two turtledoves according to Lev12; one for BURNT offering and the other? For SIN offering, of course!! IT IS VERY CLEAR THAT MARY IS A SINNER AS she confessed so in Luke 1:46-47.

Furthermore, too many Caucasians are too proud to follow we men from the East. See the wise men that came from the East in Matt 2? They brought gifts....Mat 2:11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary His mother, and fell down, and worshipped Him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto Him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.

The wise men from the East came and worshipped 'HIM', they did not worship 'them', and they did not worship 'her'. The English is so basic.........O you proud stubborn Caucasians, learn from the wise men from the East......worship HIM, Jesus and HIM alone!! HalleluYAH! :-)

May God have mercy to grant light to the many deluded RC


.

Answer 10

I do not know about you but I only pray to God. I am not Catholic and have no time to pray to a million dead people.
God is the only one who can hear us and forgive us our sins.