...when you ask your Christian friends to pray for you, you don't think that interferes with Christ's mediatorship; But when Catholics ask their Christian friends in heaven to pray them, you all of a sudden say THAT interferes with Christ's mediatorship?
(NOTE: Before anyone brings up "conjuring the dead", that only refers to 2-way communication. But in Hebrews 12: 22-24 it says that as we approach God, Jesus and the angels, we also approach "the spirits of righteous men made perfect". In other words, THE SAINTS )
More scripture references are at
http://www.catholic.com/library/Praying_to_the_Saints.asp
2007-11-24 08:19:38 · 13 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
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).
Since the practice of asking others to pray for us is so highly recommended in Scripture, it cannot be regarded as superfluous on the grounds that one can go directly to Jesus. The New Testament would not recommend it if there were not benefits coming from it. One such benefit is that the faith and devotion of the saints can support our own weaknesses and supply what is lacking in our own faith and devotion. Jesus regularly supplied for one person based on another person’s faith (e.g., Matt. 8:13, 15:28, 17:15–18, Mark 9:17–29, Luke 8:49–55). And it goes without saying that those in heaven, being free of the body and the distractions of this life, have even greater confidence and devotion to God than anyone on earth.
2007-11-24 08:21:52 · answer #1 · answered by Catholic Crusader 3 · 3⤊ 1⤋
Ok , but the Book doesn't say that we should take those saints or angles as mediators but Jesus Christ only. It's lucid. He says that when we go to heavens we will meet all those. Only the last verse has to do with mediatorship.
Good Luck!!
2007-11-24 08:34:59 · answer #2 · answered by cleopatra 4 · 0⤊ 3⤋
Why make so much ado about nothing. One can take any one verse from the Bible to support what they want. One should look at the whole picture. Jesus is in all of us, so if you pray to your grandmother who you know is in heaven you're praying to Jesus. Peace
2007-11-24 08:33:54 · answer #3 · answered by PARVFAN 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I am not sure why you think the two can be related in any manner. If I ask a friend to pray for me, I am not praying to my friend... that would be stupid. I am asking him to put me into his prayers when he prays to God. God hears both my friends prayers and mine.
If I would pray to a dead person God would not hear my prayer, and neither would the dead person. I don't have that kind of time to waste.
2007-11-24 08:23:44 · answer #4 · answered by L.C. 6 · 0⤊ 3⤋
i love how most of the people answered "we ask them to pray for us, we don't pray to them"
completely oblivious that pray means "to ask"
somehow, asking a person to pray for you is fine
but asking someone who believed in Christ and thus has everlasting life (all who believe in Him might not die but have everlasting life) is idolatry.
a double standard
2007-11-24 09:24:52 · answer #5 · answered by Quailman 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I'm not christian, but I wonder why anyone would need to pray to anyone other than God himself.
What's wrong with going straight to the top, no middle man?
God isn't deaf, He hears us all, knows our hearts, so why not pray directly to Him?
2007-11-24 08:25:58 · answer #6 · answered by Squirrley Temple 7 · 0⤊ 3⤋
I choose to bypass the "saints" and go directly to Christ, you know, like it says in scripture.
2007-11-24 08:23:23 · answer #7 · answered by rico3151 6 · 0⤊ 3⤋
because you are ASKING someone to pray for you not PRAYING TO SOMEONE aka saints as the catholics believe.
it says in the bible "I AM A JEALOUS GOD" people shouldnt pray to false gods aka saints!!!
former catholic now protestant
2007-11-24 08:31:20 · answer #8 · answered by surfcarolinagurl26 3 · 0⤊ 4⤋
You asked this yesterday...
Didn't get the answers you liked?
Your name is still blasphemy.
----------------
And the Saints aren't in heaven....
No one goes to heaven until after the judgement....
2007-11-24 08:22:04 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 4⤋
"...There is only one God; there is also one mediator between God and humankind, Christ Jesus..."
2007-11-24 08:27:53 · answer #10 · answered by Averell A 7 · 1⤊ 3⤋