Does Praying to Saints Equal Worshipping the Saints?

Tim Staples' Blog ^ | November 11, 2013 | Tim Staples

[Alex Murphy]

I thought the saints in Christ were still sleeping unless of course we are in the last day. If they are sleeping would they even hear us?

That's what helpdesks are for - to wake them up when a call comes in for them.

[faucetman]

Worship? Depends, COULD be. In any case it’s just silly. Why would you go to “an” (one of many) assistant coach, when you can go right to THE (One and only) head coach?
“What would Jesus THINK?”, “What would Jesus FEEL?”, if you bypass Him for a mere mortal? Jealousy?

Exodus 20:5 “....for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God....”. Deuteronomy
4:24 “For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.”
Deuteronomy 5:9
Deuteronomy 6:15
Deuteronomy 32:21
Joshua 24:19
Nahum 1:2
Exodus 34:14

Why WASTE a prayer to a saint, when you are supposed to go to God Himself? For what reason would you pray to a saint? Saints after all, are mere mortal men.

It could appear to be “worship” in the light of how Catholics worship Mary. (about Mary worship, there is NO DOUBT, just denial).

I would say... Pray/worship, to others than God, at your own risk.

[ravenwolf]

That’s what helpdesks are for - to wake them up when a call comes in for them.

---

Thats good, but i assumed they were talking about dead saints, for instance Mary who will not be raised until the last day.

[SkyPilot]

Don't pray to dead people.

Pray only to God. Jesus is God, and He is the only way.

1 Timothy 2:5

"For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."

[GonzoII]

"Don't pray to dead people."

Who are these people in Revelation seen in heaven? They don't appear dead to me.

Rev 5:8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.

Rev 6:9-10 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?

And God is the God of the living:

Mk 12:27 He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err.

[Wuli]

“I suppose if you think that God is not capable of knowing your needs or hearing your prayers, you might feel the need to ask someone else.”

I agree. When G-d, the father and Christ, His son, ultimate power of the universe is open to your prayers, why would you pray to any lesser source.

If, it is by G-d’s grace alone that G-d aids us in our life, why would you not ask G-d for His grace on you, why would you aim your entreaty below G-d?

Why do Catholics “pray to their Saints”? Because it venerates their human institution and it venerates it’s all-to-human acts of naming saints, which truly in G-d’s eyes ONLY G-d knows as worthy of such a title, or not.

[aimhigh]

John 16:23“And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.

Jesus talks about us praying directly to God the Father. Why - because the Father loves us.

[jimbobfoster]

John 14:6
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

I Timothy 2:5
For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus

[taxcontrol]

When Jesus was asked by the Apostles how to pray, he did not instruct them to call on Moses, or the angles, or any of the prophets in the old testament. What Jesus taught was to pray directly to God.

Given the choice between following Jesus’s teaching and some other man made tradition, I will follow Jesus.

[Dr. Thorne]

2Co 5:20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.

The original Greek word translated as "pray" in this passage is "deomai" which means "to want, desire or ask". Paul is simply asking his readers to be reconciled to God. It's obvious that asking a living human to do something is completely different from praying to God which assumes that God can hear our thoughts and spoken words even though we cannot see Him.

Your snarky parsing of words is Clintonian and unworthy of a believer.

[editor-surveyor]

>> “Does Praying to Saints Equal Worshiping the Saints?” <<

.
Yes, of course it does, but the real point is that most of them are not saints anyway, they burn in hell as you pray to them.

Necromancy is a sin.

[editor-surveyor]

>> “I didn’t know St. Paul was an idol worshiper...how about that?” <<

.
How foolish!

Paul didn’t pray to them, he prayed to the Father FOR them.

[Bullpine]

The council of Trent in 1545 tipped the hand of the catholic church and its attempt to convince men that the pope and church ( humanist ) doctrine ( praying to dead people as an example) has dominion over Gods word.

CANON 9: “If any one saith, that by faith alone the impious is justified; in such wise as to mean, that nothing else is required to co-operate in order to the obtaining the grace of Justification, and that it is not in any way necessary, that he be prepared and disposed by the movement of his own will; let him be anathema.”

Gods word however gives us the truth.

Romans 5:1
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

John 5:24
Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

Ephesians 2:8-9
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Etc. Etc. Etc.

[editor-surveyor]

>> “Why WASTE a prayer to a saint, when you are supposed to go to God Himself?” <<

.
Because they subconsciously know that they are not his, and thus are unworthy to call on him?

[Gene Eric]

This Roman Catholic only prays to Christ, nothing else.

[Amendment10]

Regarding prayer, I keep things simple by noting that the Lord’s Prayer begins with “Our Father.”

[DungeonMaster]

Does praying to the sun mean you are worshiping the sun?

[GeronL]

Pray to a Saint?

Why would anyone who calls themselves a CHRISTian pray to a dead mortal human?

Do they think Jesus is just not powerful enough to hear their prayers and he needs help from dead humans?

I really never got that.

[GonzoII]

"Does praying to the sun mean you are worshiping the sun?"

You need to talk to a sun worshiper.

[DungeonMaster]

Do they think Jesus is just not powerful enough to hear their prayers and he needs help from dead humans?

Catholics definitely don't think Jesus is powerful enough. They don't think belief in His death on the cross is powerful enough to get one "Saved". They don't even believe in that term. They don't think He is powerful enough to inspire the scriptures such that they are complete. They also don't think He is powerful enough to properly tell us about Mary so they had to do a lot of work there.