1. Those prayers sure sound “adoring” to me. “Most sacred...”, “Merciful...”, “O compassionate...”, “Holy...”, etc.
2. Nothing in Scripture warrants praising, unto deifying glorification, any other than God.
3. Scripture does not depict ANY “dearly departed” having power to influence the living world.
4. Saints have passed on. They are no more. They has ceased to be. They have expired and gone to meet their maker. The individual is now a stiff. Bereft of life, they rest in peace. If someone hasn’t stuck ‘em in a box they’re pushing up the daisies. The metabolic processes are now history. S/he’s off the twig. They’ve kicked the bucket, shuffled off their mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the choir invisible. They’re dead!
Nothing in Scripture portrays any of the dearly departed as having influence upon the living, be it directly or by intercession. Resurrection will come, but lacking physical embodiment there is no indication their spirit interacts with this world.
You wrote:
“1. Those prayers sure sound “adoring” to me. “Most sacred...”, “Merciful...”, “O compassionate...”, “Holy...”, etc.”
That wouldn’t surprise me that you misunderstand the prayers.
“2. Nothing in Scripture warrants praising, unto deifying glorification, any other than God.”
Well, since we don’t glorigy onto deification any saint your point is moot at best.
“3. Scripture does not depict ANY “dearly departed” having power to influence the living world.”
It doesn’t have to. Scripture was never intended to contain all truths.
“4. Saints have passed on. They are no more. They has ceased to be. They have expired and gone to meet their maker. The individual is now a stiff.”
Not at all. You are committing a serious error. An individual is his soul. Hie body is almost incidental. In other words, we are really our souls. Many people - like yourself - make the mistake of thinking we are our bodies. This is the direct result of the inherent materialism that comes from Protestantism. No body, no person so to speak. In reality, however, we are our souls. When you die let’s say you go to heaven. The resurrection has not happened. Have you gone to heaven or not? Yes, you went...even without your body. Thus, who we REALLY ARE is our soul AND NOT OUR BODY. I am surprised at how many people I encounter who do not understand this simple and undeniable truth.
“Bereft of life, they rest in peace. If someone hasn’t stuck ‘em in a box they’re pushing up the daisies. The metabolic processes are now history. S/he’s off the twig. They’ve kicked the bucket, shuffled off their mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the choir invisible. They’re dead!”
Souls in heaven are dead? You’re completely wrong. Since you believe in sola scriptura, show me where in the Bible it says those in heaven perpetually glorifying God are in reality just dead bodies rather than living souls alive in Christ. Can you do that?
“Nothing in Scripture portrays any of the dearly departed as having influence upon the living, be it directly or by intercession.”
Why would it have to show it?
“Resurrection will come, but lacking physical embodiment there is no indication their spirit interacts with this world.”
Souls in heaven interact with souls on earth through prayer and Christ’s grace.