[Havoc]

I always found it suspect that people wanted to push prayers to saints and dead family members, etc, knowing that Ecclesiastes flatly denies interaction between the living and the physically dead. If the scripture says it's impossible, it becomes a matter of semantic gymnastics to create a doctrine saying the opposite. Would like to hear your take on that, as I know what my Jewish Pop says about it (agrees with me and more). A little different subject than you were addressing; but...

[kosta50]

I always found it suspect that people wanted to push prayers to saints and dead family members, etc, knowing that Ecclesiastes flatly denies interaction between the living and the physically dead

The Orthodox Church asks for the intercession of the angels and saints. We believe that they are alive and as member of the Church (Triumphant), just as we do on earth (Church Militant), pray for all. The Scriptural backing to show that they can actually "hear" our pleas for intercession is, however, seriously lacking.

Scriptural support for the intercession of the angels is found in Zechariah 1:12-13. But, unlike the saints, the angels are messengers that are specifically sent to a location with a purpose.

Orthodox and Roman Catholic prayers to the saints are pleas, and are not to be confused for worship. Only God is worshiped. Surely, such pleas cannot do much harm, and hope is that that they are beneficial. We are not pleading with the physically dead, but with the spiritually alive.