4 Biblical Proofs for Prayers to Saints and for the Dead
Actually, the desperate extrapolative recourse such attempts must resort to are an argument against the very invention that can only wish was in Scripture, that of prayer to created beings in Heaven (PTCBIH).
1) Praying to Saints (i.e., Asking Them to Intercede): Rich Man and Lazarus
Zero "proof," let alone any support despite egregious extrapolation. No one here is on earth praying to someone in Heaven to intercede for them to God. Rather, both are in the same realm, as is the case with all two-way communication btwn created beings and those of Heaven, except God, and the rich man is asking Abraham to send Laz with water. And Abraham is not in Heaven anyway, yet.
2) Praying to Saints: Saul Petitions the Prophet Samuel After the Latter’s Death
Ditto. No one here is on earth praying to someone in Heaven to intercede for them to God. Rather, Samuel - if indeed it is him - is summoned into the earth realm by a witch, acting contrary to the word of God, and which is in order to get advice. The fact that Saul is so desperate that he must resort to a witch to engage in what is forbidden, and PTCBIH are so desperate that they must resort to this for support (and forget about "proof") leaves them both desperate in teaching contrary to the word of God!
The Apostle Paul Prayed for the Dead 2 Timothy 1:16-18 May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me
Desperation in deception #3. Paul is simply not praying to any created being in Heaven, and what he does express is more that of a desire, for Paul is not reticent to tell us when he prays, while it can only be presumed that Onesiphorus had died. Nor is this even support for RC Purgatory.
Jesus and Peter Simultaneously Prayed to Saints and for the Dead Tabitha was a disciple in Joppa who died. Peter prayed to her when he said “Tabitha, rise.” See Acts 9:36-41.Tabitha was a disciple in Joppa who died. Peter prayed to her when he said “Tabitha, rise.” See Acts 9:36-41. She was dead, and he was addressing her. There is no impenetrable wall between heaven and earth. This is not only praying to the dead, but for the dead, since the passage says that Peter “prayed” before addressing Tabitha first person. And he was praying for her to come back to life.
Which last ditch effort also fails, for once again, there simply is no praying to anyone in Heaven to intercede for them to God, or even to help the supplicant, for instead, as every believer did in prayers in Scripture, Peter prayed to God, and then commanded her to arise.
And no such desperation should be necessary for such a common Catholic practice, seeing there have always been plenty of created beings to pray to, and needful opportunities to do so or to give thanks to such, Yet there are ZERO examples of PTCBIH in Scripture, and despite there being over 200 prayers by believers in the Bible.
Yet Catholicism teaches their tradition (of men) of prayer to created beings in Heaven despite,
"Prayer to Saints" is not restricted to just them, but angels as well, and basically boils down to (based on what we do read in the Bible),
Holy Cow. Is that all you’ve got to defend praying to the dead?