Do Protestants pray for Souls?

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A friend of the family recently passed away, and I tried to say a nice thing to my Mom by saying “I will pray for her” she looked a little puzzled and she said we should pray for her family, that she is in a better place. I then said “we should still pray for her soul though”. I could tell that she was a little confused by this. I am a convert to Catholocism. My family are Nazarenes. I can’t quite remember do protestants pray for the dead…how do they see this practice. What are the differences here?
 
I used to be an Anglican, and some Anglicans pray for the souls of the dead.
 
In general, no. After death, according to most Protestant theology, there is no “purging” of sins, which prayer can benefit. For those who believe there is, most put that process completely in God’s hand once someone has passed on and see “praying” for the diseased as pointless.
 
Do they take offense to saying " I will pray for a persons soul?"
If it is there friend. Is it because it sounds as if there is doubt they are in heaven
 
Most protestants do not pray for the dead. They believe the purging process is instant and needs no prayer. So the second a person dies, they are in heaven. If that is true, than no prayer is needed. So saying"I will pray for him" could almost be an offense to some. It gives the impression that the soul is not in deep heaven yet. I would suggest saying something like, “I’ll be praying for you and your family.” Continue to pray for the deceased man, but I wouldn’t mention it to his protestant relatives.
 
Depending on the Protestant tradition, some believe in a soul sleep, some believe in a Purgatory that isn’t called purgatory. You are made perfect after death but it isn’t called Purgatory. Or you are perfect already and no purging is needed or there is no cleansing and you are just made to look perfect. So you are clean in the eyes of God. Regardless, I would steer away from these type comments as some people are touchy about their beliefs and especially with a death in the family it can just cause problems. Pray for them and not mention it. As Trumpet said say something like, I will pray for you and your family.

In Christ
Scylla
 
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Gregory24:
A friend of the family recently passed away, and I tried to say a nice thing to my Mom by saying “I will pray for her” she looked a little puzzled and she said we should pray for her family, that she is in a better place. I then said “we should still pray for her soul though”. I could tell that she was a little confused by this. I am a convert to Catholocism. My family are Nazarenes. I can’t quite remember do protestants pray for the dead…how do they see this practice. What are the differences here?
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Absent from the body, present with the Lord pretty well covers it. I did read about one non-catholic woman who said she went to heaven and saw that the souls coming from earth were submerged in a body of water (like baptism by immersion) and this cut the ties to earth, washed away all the impurities. So easy…so I guess if you were really bad, you went straight to hell.
Protestants are so lenient. She wrote a book, I think it’s called Gates of Heaven or something like that. I can find the exact title if someone wants to know. Anyway, she told of families having picnics, etc.
 
They do not believe in the Communion of Saints. Which is why we can pray for the souls in purgatory.
 
Gregory,

It is simple. Tell them that since God is not constrained by time, I pray for the dead so that God can take my prayer for their salvation and apply it back in time to when they were alive for love knows no boundaries of time.
If God is all-mighty, there is no reason why He could not do this.
 
This type of thinking also has infected under-catechized Catholics. That’s why we often get eulogies at funeral Masses that sound like canonizations. Ignorance about the Faith aside, the worse thing about this is we thereby deny probably very much needed prayers for those in Purgatory. After I’m gone, I hope you ALL pray for me!

For those of us who pray regularly, we should make extra sacrifices and “pray for the poor souls in Purgatory who have no one to pray for them.” **
Good and gentle Jesus,
Whose loving Heart was ever troubled
by the sorrows of others,
look with pity upon the holy souls in Purgatory.
Eternal rest grant unto them, O, Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon them. Amen.
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**
 
wacky&wonderful:
Absent from the body, present with the Lord pretty well covers it. I did read about one non-catholic woman who said she went to heaven and saw that the souls coming from earth were submerged in a body of water (like baptism by immersion) and this cut the ties to earth, washed away all the impurities. So easy…so I guess if you were really bad, you went straight to hell.
Protestants are so lenient. She wrote a book, I think it’s called Gates of Heaven or something like that. I can find the exact title if someone wants to know. Anyway, she told of families having picnics, etc.
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I found the title. It’s Within Heaven’s Gates by Rebecca Springer. Amazon.com and 16 reviews.
 
Hi Gregory, many of us protestant believe tha when one dies they enter eternity, go directly to judgement ( hebrews 9:27 ) and from Judgement at the end of time — just think of it like jumping from the middle of the floor to the end of the floor where judgement occurs — from judgement to heaven. Some believe the presence of the Lord himself cleanses us from any unconfessed sin.

Generally, we are not offended, we just think you all are wierd.

👍
 
Most protestant groups don’t pray for souls.

In their theology (which use to be mine) there wouldn’t be a lot of point. Once you’re dead you either end up in heaven or hell and no amount of post-death prayer will change that.

I know C S Lewis prayed for souls.

Years ago I was leading the morning prayer service in an Anglican (lowest of the low Anglican) church and asked someone if they would like prayer. They asked me to pray for their dog who had died. Now, I was someone who wouldn’t have considered praying for their wife if she had died (no point) so to pray for a dead dog was beyond me.

I got away with it though - with a long prayer of thanksgiving for the life of the dog, and praying for the owner of the dearly departed pet. Phew.
 
Some Protestants must think that the dead saints are in a sleep state untill the “Last Judgement Day”. They don’t want to pray or speek to the saints because they think it is a sin to be in contact with the dead. I told this one Calvery Chaple(Bible only) friend of mine some of the Bible passages that say even the dead are alive in Christ so he would see that Mary and the Saints of the Church are with God and we can pray to them. It seemed like a new idea to him and he had nothing to say to refute it.

Jeffrey
 
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Gregory24:
A friend of the family recently passed away, and I tried to say a nice thing to my Mom by saying “I will pray for her” she looked a little puzzled and she said we should pray for her family, that she is in a better place. I then said “we should still pray for her soul though”. I could tell that she was a little confused by this. I am a convert to Catholocism. My family are Nazarenes. I can’t quite remember do protestants pray for the dead…how do they see this practice. What are the differences here?
Click to expand...
Anglicans generally pray for the dead today. (Most modern Anglican liturgies include prayers for the dead, although this is not the case in all the older Prayer Books.) Most other Protestant churches do not do so as part of their public worship (I’m not sure about the Lutherans), but individuals within those churches sometimes do so, and the more “mainline” churches are unlikely to be upset if someone prays for a dead person in church (though they may think it’s odd). Obviously the more hardline Protestant churches regard such a practice as useless at best and a form of necromancy at worst.

Edwin
 
If the souls of the departed did not need prayer, then praying for them would be to no avail, but it wouldn’t hurt you or them. (If you were deceased and enjoying heaven, and a friend on earth prayed for you every day, it may not help you - but wouldn’t it be a beautiful expression of love and concern for you?)

However, if the souls of the departed DID need prayers, then praying for them would truly be an act of Christian love and mercy. Whereas NOT praying for them would deny them aid in their time of need.

He who prays for souls, therefore, either prays to no avail or he helps those souls.

He who does not pray for souls, therefore, either does not pray to no avail or he offers no help to souls in need.

Take your choice.

Thal59
 
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