You fail to show where my argument is off on any levels. When you reject a doctrine based upon the absence of Christ personally commanding anyone to write, when He did so in Rv. 1:19 and by His Spirit and angels elsewhere, then you are essentially arguing “only what Christ said in the gospels is what Christ taught, or only recognizing that as authoritative. Which is one of the problems with this parroted polemic.
That is the argument we Catholic use against being Bible-only.
Which is also an invalid argument.
Don’t confuse worship and prayer. Catholics only worship God.
And so one can kneel before a statue and praise and adulation of the entity it represented in the unseen world, and as having Divine powers and glory, and make offerings and supplications to such as having Divine power in Heaven, which was never done in Scripture except to God, and not cross that invisible line btwn "hperdulia" and "latria."
I think you refer to Catholics praying to the Saints or to Mary. In this case, it is to ask them to pray to God for us. It is the same way someone would ask a friend or buddy to ‘put in a good word for me.’
But which ignores the manifest separation btwn realms - which is consistent with the principle of separation seen throughout Scripture - and of powers in which only God is addressed in prayer to Heaven, and alone in Heaven is shown able to immediately know the all thoughts/prayers of mortals on earth addressed to Him.
Communication btwn created beings in Scripture always required a one to one personal encounter in the same realm, while the Holy Spirit never shows any mortals except pagans addressing anyone else but the Lord in prayer to Heaven.
No does elders and angels in a future time of judgment offering up prayers as memorial to God, as priests did with incense in the OT, constitute prayers being addressed to them and knowing all these thoughts of men toward them.
Moreover, the Spirit sets forth Christ as the only Heavenly intercessor btwn God and man, (1Tim. 2:5) and as uniquely qualified to be so, having been tempted like as we are, yet without sin, (Hebrews 4:15) and who ever lives to make intercession for believers, (Heb. 7:24) and by Him believers have immediate access into the Holy of holies to commune with God. (Heb. 10:19)
In addition, the Lord's own instructions on prayer specify "Our Father who art in Heaven, " not "our Mother/saint/angel," and the Holy Spirit in born again believers cries "Abba, Father," (Gal. 1:6) not "Mama, Mother."
The fact that believers can call upon Christ (Acts 7:59; Rm. 10:13; 1Co. 1:2) testifies to His Deity and oneness with the Father.
Over 200 prayers to God vs. 0 to anyone else in Heaven, renders extrapolating PTDS out of earthly relations to be presumptuous at best, and essentially is adding to God's word.
What? “When you reject a doctrine based upon the absence of Christ personally commanding anyone to write.” If you’re going to make up your own arguments and then prove them wrong, there is really no point in a discussion.
Scripture tells us not to be Bible-only:
“But there are also many other things which Jesus did; which, if they were written every one, the world itself, I think, would not be able to contain the books that should be written” John 21:25.
“Therefore, brethren, stand fast; and hold the traditions which you have learned, whether by word, or by our epistle. 2 Thessalonians 2:14
Statues are reminders, same as photographs. You run-on sentence says statues have “Divine powers and glory” Rubbish.
“But which ignores the manifest separation btwn realms “ Well, thanks for the laughs. Between realms? Wow. What realm are you on?