>> You said Jesus prayed for the dead.
>
> I said no such thing sir.
Ah, you didn’t say it, but Kirkwood did.
> When Jesus was on this earth, prayer for the dead was
> well established:
So was idolatry, murder, adultery, theft, covetousness. That does not make it the right thing to do.
> Were is it that Jesus teaches we are NOT to pray for the
> dead?
This is argumentum ad ignorantiam, and is not a valid argument. Sorry.
> Was He here to change the law?
No He was here to fulfill it.
Now, if you can show me in Exodus, Numbers, Leviticus, or Deuteronomy, where Israel were commanded to pray for the dead, you’ll have a valid argument.
> they found under the coats of the slain some of the
> donaries of the idols of Jamnia
Sorry, not in my Bible. Maybe it’s one of the appropriately named Apocryphal books, for which there is no corroboration elsewhere in Scripture.
Here is what the Bible says about the dead.
Heb 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.
Heb 10:4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.
There is much more, but you should study it on your own.
But it is in mine, sir.
We can agree that Christ was silent on the subject. We can also agree that it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins - even good intentions may be abused. We need not discuss necromancy or divination.
If your argument is that sin may not be remitted in the hereafter, then we will disagree: "And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but he that shall speak against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him neither in this world, nor in the world to come."
"The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much." It would be foolhardy for the one that prays to assume to know that which will be accomplished and how it shall come to pass. There should be more prayer rather than less as I see it. The act of prayer may bring temporal benefit, even if the prayer is for the dead. So I see nothing wrong with intercessory prayer - so long as the practice is not abused.
I pray that I have not done so here.