Thank you for your clarification, but it seems to make your objection even more difficult to understand.
If you believe in the Body of Christ and the Communion of Saints then physically dead or physically alive, there would really be no difference with respect to praying for, with, and to the dead.
Well you have three prepositions here, all of which need analysis.
Praying “for” the dead may only make sense if you believe in purgatory, believe it is a place of suffering, and believe that praying for those in purgatory can help them get out of there quicker.
Since I don’t believe in purgatory, does not make sense.
Praying with the dead…well I do find it credible that those in heaven have a type of prayer ministry. Maybe it can be a form of creative prayer to think of your prayers as joining those who are in heaven. Haven’t tried it myself, but maybe I can envision it.
Praying to the dead. Well you say that is not the case. Don’t you claim that you are really asking those in heaven to join you.
Big difference. If that is the case you shouldn’t word it praying to the dead.
Anyway, it would make sense if I knew that those in heaven had at least enough awareness to be aware of everybody’s prayers at the same time. While that may not technically be omniscience and/or omnipresence, it seems pretty darn close to it, so close that I am not going to buy into it without good reason to.
If they do not have this capability, then asking the saints to pray for us makes as much sense as asking the church in Moscow to pray for us without the use of electronic equipment or snail mail.
We can, of course, never pray for any of the dead, but that would be uncharitable since we can relieve some of their suffering with our prayers.
…if you believe in purgatory as a place of torment you want to get out of asap.
We do not have to pray to the saints, but I would rather think that God listens to those who have achieved His reward of Heaven when they ask Him to help.
…if you believe that the saints have the ability to hear the prayers of everyone on earth.
One also has the option of trusting God that He can manage heaven by Himself and that if God wants a physically dead saint to pray into certain situations that God is certainly able to make it happen.
And certainly you do not have to ask the Blessed Mother for aid, yet how can any son refuse requests from His mother?
…if you believe that Mary has the ability to hear everyones prayers at the same time, and has enough influence in heaven to override the will of God. Then that request through Mary would be an automatic.
That sounds too much like what I would hear on Trinity Broadcasting myself.
It was at her request that Jesus began his public ministry. He seems like a dutiful, obedient, and loving Son. I do not mind having His mother, OUR mother, on my side!
Oh I am sure that she is on our side. Whose side would she be on anyway? It does not mean that I have to talk to her what with her being physically dead and all that.
I am sure that ytou have heard all of this before, so if I might ask - what exactly strikes you as strange about praying for or to the dead?
Same thing that would strike me as strange about asking the church in Tibet to pray for me without email, snail mail, or any other medium between myself and them.
