Rock - just so you know, this isn’t against you or anything you said, just an explanation and relaying my feelings of some I’ve encountered here and there over the years.
I’m Catholic (born and raised) and get a little upset when some Protestants or others (not all of them) say that by praying to saints we are worshipping false idols or worship dead people (as you said). I was named after a couple of saints and I look at them as special friends (for lack of a better term) and pray or talk to them from time to time (I also talk to my deceased Mother and Father from time to time, and will being doing the same with my step-father who just passed away this week, which is why I’m taking the ferry today). All that said, there is only one Jesus, who is my Lord and Savior and He deserves special reverence, prayers and attention. He can cleanse and save me, the saints cannot.
Sorry for your loss of your FIL. Prayers up for you and your family.
This Baptist Pastor....well I dunno, maybe I encouraged him by my ire at the Pope.
Which has nothing to do with nothing.
But he did rave about these statues and priests which know nothing for lack of marriage and how no one should be baptized before age 21.
Or something.\
The Catholic church has changed a lot of things over the years and while it was happening I might have griped but first, getting rid of the Latin mass was a good idea. And yeah you don’t find so many statues of saints all around the altar any more. Communion is now given out by euchristic envoys, a much better system.
Now I hear they’re considering female Deacons.
Well I just don’t know.....
Catholics and Orthodox are the only Christians still around from the time of Christ. The rest of the faiths came along and were started by man and the vast majority came along 1,500 years after Christ died on the cross.
I’m so sorry to hear about the loss of your step father. My sincere condolences.