I'm a Protestant Christian. Ask me anything!

[AlNg]

The Catholic teaching of Prayers to the Saints is that God directs the prayers to them.

The problem is that many Saints know only one language. How does Mary understand thousands of prayers being directed to Her at the same time and these prayers are being said in thousands of different languages. Would this be attributing too much power to a human being - i.e., to be able to hear and understand so many prayers all being said at the same time and all being said in thousands of different languages?

 

[JonNC]

I don’t see how the question can be “valid” unless you define the word “denomination”.

I don’t typically use the term denomination, but I think it is a valid question to ask what tradition/ communion/ denomination one belongs to.

 

[Wannano]

I think it is a valid question if the person does not list their association. However, it should not really matter but it helps negate the person if they have some ammunition about a particular denomination.

 

[Wannano]

If only 1% of two billion Catholics pray to Mary once a day it equals 231 prayers per second.

 

[AlNg]

If only 1% of two billion Catholics pray to Mary once a day it equals 231 prayers per second.

That would be 13,860 prayers per minute. And in many different languages. As you know, there are thousands of different languages spoken in the world today.

 

[GKMotley]

Without going into the details, since I’ve done all too often, that is indeed the question. How denomination is defined.

 

[gazelam]

It is also a question in Catholicism. God knows everything that will happen. It is all written down in stone in the mind of God and cannot be changed. Yet, humans have free will. Can a human exercise his free will to change what is written down in the mind of God as to what will happen. Or is it predestined that he will choose exactly as it was written down in the mind of God before he made his choice.

Catholics have their Magisterium to define the RCC position. But the OP self identified as Protestant and within that branch of Christianity things run the gamut from full blown predestination of everything everyone does to include the ultimate outcome to complete free will in all aspects. I’d like to understand where @nick2 falls within this spectrum and why if @nick2 so chooses.

For the record, I believe that God knows the outcome in advance, but I do not believe that He wills some to Heaven and the rest to Hell. But, rather each is given the opportunity to reach Heaven. I hope that helps…

 

[Isearch]

Here is the premise that you are holding that is considered erroneous by Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox:

• Knowing all the prayers of the faithful is a mark of omniscience

This is incorrect because:

• First, the number of prayers sent to the saints, though numerous, are nevertheless limited
• Second, one can only be truly omniscient when one fully comprehends the infinite (and only God can do this).

These are why I do not understand that objection made by some protestants.

 

[Athanasiy]

A lot of things are admirable in protestant communities but what is difficult for me to understand is street preaching missions in Israel and Conservative Muslim countries.
Sometimes the ways of preachings bring opposite results. More hates and anger, and more repulsion.

 

[historyfan81]

Well as a non Catholic myself what is your thoughts on the apostolic curch father’s ?

 

[historyfan81]

It does I think they are trying to imitate the first chirstians who did do street preaching

 

[AlNg]

Here is the premise that you are holding that is considered erroneous by Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox:

• Knowing all the prayers of the faithful is a mark of omniscience

I did not say that the saints were omniscient.

 

[Dougbro1]

How does Mary understand thousands of prayers being directed to Her at the same time

I think it’s pretty established that Heaven is outside time, so Mary has all the “time” she needs to understand them one at a time.

being said in thousands of different languages.

Translator apps can understand thousands of different language. We know God can work in ways better than any translator app, and God can allow the saints and Mary to understand these prayers. After all, if you met a loved one in Heaven who spoke a different language than you on Earth (supposing you used translator apps to communicate), I have extreme doubts that the two of you would not understand each other, over confusion of language, in Heaven of all places. One of the charisms of the Holy Spirit is speaking in tongues, and another one of them is interpreting them.

Would this be attributing too much power to a human being - i.e., to be able to hear and understand so many prayers all being said at the same time and all being said in thousands of different languages?

Naturally, no.
Since Heaven is outside time, and there are a finite number of prayers, it’s possible for any one of them to answer them one at a “time,” If you will. It’s not something out of bounds for those in Heaven.
As for the different languages, was it attributing too much power to the Apostles when the Holy Spirit descended upon them and they preached in many tongues? I think not.
Now if this was when the Holy Spirit was present to them only for a while, think of how it would be now that they are in the presence of God for all eternity. Language wouldn’t be a barrier when Heaven is involved.

 

[ReaderT]

@nick2:
Here is something that I can’t wrap my head around for the life of me.

The Holy Bible was canonized in the year 397 at the Council of Carthage (a church council where Bishops, Priests, and Deacons attended). The Council declared:

16 It was also determined that besides the Canonical Scriptures nothing be read in the Church under the title of divine Scriptures. The Canonical Scriptures are these: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua the son of Nun, Judges, Ruth, four books of Kings, two books of Chronicles, Job, the Psalter, five books of Solomon, the books of the twelve prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezechiel, Daniel, Tobit, Judith, Esther, two books of Esdras, two Books of the Maccabees.

17 Of the New Testament: four books of the Gospels, one book of the Acts of the Apostles, thirteen Epistles of the Apostle Paul, one epistle of the same [writer] to the Hebrews, two Epistles of the Apostle Peter, three of John, one of James, one of Jude, one book of the Apocalypse of John.

This order of books was then used for a thousand more years, all the way up into the King James Version, but then several books were removed by Protestants in the 1600s (Tobit, Maccabees, Judith, etc.) Why? Here are my questions:

1. If these books are not Canon, why did God suffer them to be part of the Holy Scriptures for 1,200 years? These were texts that people prayed over, referenced in argument, built theology from, and used to justify or forbid things.
2. If the Council of Carthage in 397 made mistakes by canonizing these books, who is to say they didn’t make more? How can we trust anything else they called Canon, then - including the rest of the Bible books?

 

[SeekerOfTruth7]

Brilliantly said!

God bless!

 

[JimmyDFG]

240 Catholic denominations and we know there is only one

The Catholic Church has 24 particular “types” or “branches” that have roots in 3 ancient Christian communities. Which all are in communion with the pope.

 

[huck]

The title says it all. Ask me anything regarding my faith and I’d love to give you a reason for why I believe what I believe and have a friendly discourse.

One thing I was sort of wondering about with regards to protestants, and I don’t necessarily want to argue about it, is the belief in the importance of accepting Jesus as your personal lord and savior. I know this belief is popular among evangelistic groups but I was wondering about more mainstream groups like Presbyterians and Episcopalians.

 

[englands123]

I am a Catholic. Ask me anything. Ask any of us anything.

OK, where did Christ teach bible alone?

The Lord is the Living word.
Yes he came to fulfil the scriptures and not to abolish them.

Before Christ there was no such thing as Christianity. He came in to this world as a Human being but at the same time the Son of God.

To gather up a new generation of people for his own. That is why he will judge us not the Father. The Father has given his son all Authority.

Jesus is the Church and whoever follows him will have eternal life. Scripture was a guide so to speak because as Jesus rightly said, you will not have me on earth forever.

A good example is divorce : Matthew 19:8

8 He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.

Jesus pointed out that these laws were given because of the hardness of people’s hearts, not because such laws were God’s desire.

Jesus did not agree with divorce and never has done and he also had very strong views regarding adultery…

 

[Cathoholic]

Welcome to CAF nick2.

God bless.

Cathoholic.

nick2 on WHY we should be sola Scriptura Christians . . .

Jesus taught from the scriptures alone

No He didn’t.

He talked about Moses’ seat.

That was not in Scripture when he talked about it.

St. John said there were MANY things Jesus did that are NOT in the Scriptures.

Here it is. . . .

JOHN 21:25 25 But there are also many other things which Jesus did; were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.

Do you think that this whole body of work that the world could not hold
included no teaching from Jesus?

(Remember too. “The world” can and does fit the Old Testament. St. John is talking about Jesus’s works that was beyond this.)

.

St. Paul said Jesus taught that it is better to give than to receive.

ACTS 20:35 In all things I have shown you that by so toiling one must help the weak, remembering
the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said,
‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

Where is THAT in the Gospels or the Old Testament?

And WHERE is the verse in the Old Testament that YOU seem to be teaching here on this point on?

Where is the verse that says . . . .

UNKNOWN VERSE (nick2 is appealing to) ? If I insist Jesus ONLY taught from Scripture, that means we must follow sola Scriptura.

Where is THAT verse?

 

[JonNC]

One thing I was sort of wondering about with regards to protestants, and I don’t necessarily want to argue about it, is the belief in the importance of accepting Jesus as your personal lord and savior. I know this belief is popular among evangelistic groups but I was wondering about more mainstream groups like Presbyterians and Episcopalians.

Its a phrase I’ve never been particularly fond of, myself. ISTM we receive Him.
I guess it’s the monergist in me.