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To: monkfan
How those requests get delivered has not been completely revealed to us, but there is reason to believe that the messages are somehow delivered by holy angels.

That's a major understatement. How about saying that there is absolutely no scriptural precedent for praying to the dead at all. All biblical teachings about prayer have God as the recipient of prayer from living people.

The reason to believe part of your statement is where I disagree completely. Believing in prayer to the dead involved believing that there is an avenue to God that is completely unmentioned in the bible, therefore the bible is incomplete.

I know that people that want to pray to saints and angels will continue, but lets just admit that it never once happens in the bible.

5,041 posted on 01/11/2007 7:38:09 AM PST by DungeonMaster (Acts 17:11 also known as sola scriptura.)
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To: DungeonMaster
"That's a major understatement. How about saying that there is absolutely no scriptural precedent for praying to the dead at all. All biblical teachings about prayer have God as the recipient of prayer from living people."

Given that the vast majority of scripture covers the time period preceding the resurrection of Christ, the founding of the Church and the subsequent martyrdom of saints, I'm hardly surprised.

"The reason to believe part of your statement is where I disagree completely. Believing in prayer to the dead involved believing that there is an avenue to God that is completely unmentioned in the bible, therefore the bible is incomplete."

I think you're putting too much effort into this misunderstanding. We believe that the prayers of the holy are most effective. It just so happens that the holiest people we know have reposed. The US Postal Service does not deliver across the veil and angels don't carry letters. That doesn't leave a lot of options.

As for the Bible being complete or not, I'd say your expectations differ from mine. I don't expect the Bible to tell me every little detail of what I need to know. Like, for example, how to perform a baptism. Or a liturgy. Or a funeral. Or, in this case, prayer. At some point, I have to take instruction from another source. That other source is the Church.

"I know that people that want to pray to saints and angels will continue, but lets just admit that it never once happens in the bible."

I can admit that. But then again, I wouldn't expect it to.

5,227 posted on 01/11/2007 4:32:43 PM PST by monkfan
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