True. But we use them to transmit, store, analyze, and respond to information; in other words, to communicate. They give human beings capacities which are strictly natural, finite, but beyond the physiological.
"In order to process an “infinite” amount of data...they would need the divine attributes of omnipresence and omniscience. "
True. That is why the word "infinite" makes your statement correct; but not the word "billions." Humans can receive, analyze, and respond to "billions" of communications already.
"You are also stuck in the strange situation of depending on the righteousness of a created being, rather than the righteousness imputed by faith in Jesus Christ, the latter of which makes the believer very much both a King and a Priest in the sight of God (Rev 5)."
Not true. I depend on the righteousness of no created being. I depend on the Lord Jesus Christ.
"Even if they are in infinite heaven, they’re still, by your own admission, dealing with an infinite amount of data. "
Not true. I made no such "admission". You missed the main point. They are NOT dealing with an infinite amount of data. Infinite does not equal "dozens," or "lots," or "a really, really, big number" or "billions." Infinity is infinitely greater than any number.
Humans have the theoretical capacity, even in the natural plane,to deal with anything that is numerical. Infinity is not numerical.
"Mary is said to be hearing, personally, the prayers and devotions of human beings here and now...Unless you have a heavenly UPS system delivering the prayers into eternity, which, of course, isn’t what the RCC teaches."
I have mercifully left out the nonsense about the toast. What I did assert, is that even if Mary can hear 5 or 5x101,000,000 prayers, she is still operating in a finite capacity. Even cyberscience could give a mere, finite, natural person such a capacity. It is not a capacity which (even as a natural phenomenon) would be restricted to God.
Mary's capacities are finite, but of course not technological. They go beyond technological to preternatural, that is, enhanced not by mastery of energy and materials, but by God's gracious gift. Super-communicativity is something God could grant to any person in heaven, angelic or human.
For instance, the Book of Revelation tells us ( Revelation 5:8, and Revelation 8:3-4) that the angels offer to God bowls of incense "with the prayers of all God's people." This is an image of super-communicativity. The angels are offering our prayers. Our prayers --- billions --- are going through them!
"There’s only one God, and one mediator between God and man, Christ Jesus."
True. And an emphatic AMEN!
I'm glad we can agree.
“True. But we use them to transmit, store, analyze, and respond to information; in other words, to communicate.”
There is no heavenly cell phone system which enables human beings to personally hear and understand every prayer in the world. There is no digital software made by a heavenly Bill Gates that gives to a human being the comprehension and power to understand every prayer directed to them on the planet. It is, very simply, the height of superstition and idolatry that causes people to think that a human spirit can be in more than one place at one time.
“Not true. I depend on the righteousness of no created being. I depend on the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Too true. To pray to any other person, even for the purpose of them relaying the message to God, is essentially to say that you need their personal righteousness to give power to your prayer, that you need someone else to mediate on your behalf to Christ, instead of Christ Himself who imputes upon you His righteousness in the first place, the same Christ who said we ought to pray in His name to the Father, and never said to pray in the name of Mary.
“Not true. I made no such “admission”. You missed the main point. They are NOT dealing with an infinite amount of data.”
Then we’re back to billions, every day, that will go on till the crack of doom, especially since you Catholics are so fond of repetitious prayers.
“What I did assert, is that even if Mary can hear 5 or 5x101,000,000 prayers, she is still operating in a finite capacity. Even cyberscience could give a mere, finite, natural person such a capacity. It is not a capacity which (even as a natural phenomenon) would be restricted to God.”
There is no human being in the world who can process 5x101,000,000 prayers everyday. To claim that there is one who can, is to make them God.
“For instance, the Book of Revelation tells us ( Revelation 5:8, and Revelation 8:3-4) that the angels offer to God bowls of incense “with the prayers of all God’s people.””
Those prayers are offered to God directly, not to Mary or anyone else. Nor are they literally the prayers of the Saints, as prayers are often symbolized in the scriptures as incense, and they were offered in the Temple service in Jerusalem while the Jews prayed (Psalm 141:2, Luke 1:9-10). The Jews often spoke of something as being what it symbolized. The passover, for example, is called the Lord’s Passover, even though it only represented the passover.
Furthermore, say the incense does not just symbolize prayer, but is literally the prayers transubstantiated into incense. One would then presume that Mary goes up to the incense before the throne of God and breaths it up, thus retransforming the prayers from incense back to information, absorbing the prayers of “all God’s people” through this method. In this case, she would still need the mental faculties to understand all the prayers in the world, in all the various languages, and to know personally the person who gave each and every prayer.
Mind you, the RCC does not teach that the prayers are delivered to her, but rather that she hears them personally, as one who is present with the individual.
Here are a bunch of Papists praising Mary for the smell of Roses sensed during their adoration of their idol. Supposedly, it is evidence of her presence:
http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?t=22577
“True. And an emphatic AMEN!”
Then you’ve renounced prayer to the saints, since it makes of them gods and mediators in heaven?