Protestants: If you die and you left your family on earth, would you stop loving them?

[Mannyfit75]

I have a question for Protestants who have issue with asking Saints to pray for this question.

Scenario: If you die today, and you left behind your family on earth, and you live out the commandments of God, and you gain heaven. Would you cease to stop loving your family on earth while you are in heaven?

If you do love them, would you not be concern on their well being of their soul. How would you handle this? Would you just pray to God and forget your family? or would you go still love your family, and ask God to ask favors and blessings for your family? Wouldn’t this be consider interceding in behalf of your beloved.

I want a straight answer. I know this does go very very deep.

 

[Syele]

Of course I would still love my family! You seem to misunderstand. The reason we don’t pray to Saints isn’t that we think they do not care, it’s because they are Usually not aware of what we are doing/asking them. I don’t believe that dieing and going to heaven makes you omnipresent or all-knowing, though God may allow Saints to see things on earth sometimes. I’m sure that I would pray on their behalf even not knowing what they are doing. I’m even MORE sure though, that I would trust God has their best interests at heart and that they are safe in His hands. How much more faith and love we will have once we are in heaven!

 

[Mannyfit75]

Of course I would still love my family! You seem to misunderstand. The reason we don’t pray to Saints isn’t that we think they do not care, it’s because they are Usually not aware of what we are doing/asking them. I don’t believe that dieing and going to heaven makes you omnipresent or all-knowing, though God may allow Saints to see things on earth sometimes. I’m sure that I would pray on their behalf even not knowing what they are doing. I’m even MORE sure though, that I would trust God has their best interests at heart and that they are safe in His hands. How much more faith and love we will have once we are in heaven!

I don’t so. I do think the saints are aware of what is going on earth. The Book of Revelation gives testimony to this.

I also believe Heaven is outside time and space. I believe saints are given the beautific vision from God, and they become aware.

In Rev. 6:9-11 it reads, "When he open the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne; they cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell upon the earth?” Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer.

 

[Syele]

I wasn’t asking you to believe as I do, just explaining what I believe as you requested. The idea that we don’t pray to Saints cause Saints don’t love us is… well… crazy.

And I jsut don’t see how Rev. 6:9-11 says Saints are omnipresent or all-knowing. I currently know the world is in need of God’s judgement, and I am certianly not omnipresent or all-knowing.

 

[Mannyfit75]

I wasn’t asking you to believe as I do, just explaining what I believe as you requested. The idea that we don’t pray to Saints cause Saints don’t love us is… well… crazy.

And I jsut don’t see how Rev. 6:9-11 says Saints are omnipresent or all-knowing. I currently know the world is in need of God’s judgement, and I am certianly not omnipresent or all-knowing.

I didn’t say they are. By themselves saints are not omnipresent. By God’s grace, they can be given insight about world events. Like those approved Marian apparitions.

 

[Syele]

I believe God may or may not allow them to know about world events or even know what one person on earth may be up to. But, to pray to them, Ask them for stuff, assumes they can directly hear you. And in the Case of Mary and popular Saints assumes they can hear each individual prayer and petition.

Technology allows me to occasionally call my dad in another state, that doesn’t mean I can just talk to him from anywhere and he knows what I asked. To simply expect God to relay the message each time is a bit presumptuous since God gave us those limitations. I believe it is the same with the Saints. God may allow them access to the Earth at times for any particular reason, but I don’t have any reason to believe that if I randomly ask Mary or my Great-Grandmother to pray for me that they will be focused on me at that particular moment.

now if they appeared to me and I knew they were in fact there, I’d talk to them.

 

[Mannyfit75]

I believe God may or may not allow them to know about world events or even know what one person on earth may be up to. But, to pray to them, Ask them for stuff, assumes they can directly hear you. And in the Case of Mary and popular Saints assumes they can hear each individual prayer and petition.

Technology allows me to occasionally call my dad in another state, that doesn’t mean I can just talk to him from anywhere and he knows what I asked. To simply expect God to relay the message each time is a bit presumptuous since God gave us those limitations. I believe it is the same with the Saints. God may allow them access to the Earth at times for any particular reason, but I don’t have any reason to believe that if I randomly ask Mary or my Great-Grandmother to pray for me that they will be focused on me at that particular moment.

now if they appeared to me and I knew they were in fact there, I’d talk to them.

Your last sentence settles what intercession saints is. It is us talking to them, in prayer. We pray together with them to God.

 

[Syele]

Your last sentence settles what intercession saints is. It is us talking to them, in prayer. We pray together with them to God.

I already knew that. I just don’t talk to people who I believe are a. somewhere else and b. not able to hear me atm. Anytime a and b are settled and they are here, well, I won’t ignore them. Otherwise, I remain unconvinced that I am not talking to midair.

 

[VWcrazy]

Anytime a and b are settled and they are here, well, I won’t ignore them. Otherwise, I remain unconvinced that I am not talking to midair.

Just like Thomas. He didn’t believe until the Lord had him touch His wounds.

 

[Syele]

Just like Thomas. He didn’t believe until the Lord had him touch His wounds.

I believe many things on faith. But I do prefer to have some good reason to believe. Thomas had Jesus standing right there talking to him. I do not have any evidence that the Saints are next to me. There are any number of things I could make up that would be nice to believe. That wouldn’t make them true.

 

[VWcrazy]

I do not have any evidence that the Saints are next to me.

So little faith…

 

[Syele]

So little faith…

I also have no evidence that Aliens are invading my home right now and I must wear a tinfoil hat to prevent them from sending beams out to read my mind. Yet, I bet instead of questioning my amount of faith you would have agreed with me on the point that they are not doing so.

People always base their faith on some sort of information they actually have. Otherwise, they are called lunatics.

 

[VWcrazy]

People always base their faith on some sort of information they actually have. Otherwise, they are called lunatics.

Like the Bible? You are calling Catholics lunatics now? I find that extremely offensive.

 

[Mannyfit75]

I think Syele means well, but I think he/she is not so clear on what Communion of Saints is. I think many of us, Catholics have explain what Communion of Saints mean. It is us, together the the saints in heaven, and saints in purgatory, praying together to God as one body of believers together with the choir of Angels.

 

[Syele]

Like the Bible? You are calling Catholics lunatics now? I find that extremely offensive.

You are twisting what I said.

I’m saying faith has to have some basis to it. Otherwise it’s lunacy. Surely you don’t think your faith has no basis? I said I saw no basis and you answered I had too little Faith. I’m jsut saying we are not called to baseless faith. Catholic or otherwise. If we were, why would we have anything to go by at all?

 

[Ginger2]

I do think the saints are aware of what is going on earth.

So, I died and when to heaven. I’m praying for my family’s well-being. But for what ever reason God allows someone I love dearly to be tortured for weeks and then murdered.

I don’t think heaven is like that. There may be rare - very rare - instances where they are allowed to know what is happening her, but it is not the way you seem to think. That would make heaven a place of suffering, and pain.

 

[Syele]

I think Syele means well, but I think he/she is not so clear on what Communion of Saints is. I think many of us, Catholics have explain what Communion of Saints mean. It is us, together the the saints in heaven, and saints in purgatory, praying together to God as one body of believers together with the choir of Angels.

I am a she my pic is in my profile.

There is a difference between not understanding something and simply not believing it’s true the same way you believe it’s true. Franky, I get tired of being told I do not understand everything just because I disagree.

 

[Mannyfit75]

I am a she my pic is in my profile.

There is a difference between not understanding something and simply not believing it’s true the same way you believe it’s true. Franky, I get tired of being told I do not understand everything just because I disagree.

If you are tired of being told that you don’t undertand, then you should not have issue with asking the saints to pray with us to God.

Of course, the reality is this. You believe intercessionary prayer is Un-Biblical.

 

[Syele]

If you are tired of being told that you don’t undertand, then you should not have issue with asking the saints to pray with us to God.

Of course, the reality is this. You believe intercessionary prayer is Un-Biblical.

Understanding does not always equal belief. I understand that my Daughter wants to BE Hannah Montana, doesn’t mean I think she will be.

I don’t believe it’ s Un-Biblical. I simply believe it’s not in the Bible. Big difference. To my knowledge, the Bible also never mentions house insulation, 747 jets or Moonsand. Doesn’t make it wrong to insulate my house, ride in jets or let my kid play with moonsand.

I never said it was “wrong” to talk to Saints. I said I won’t unless I have some basis to believe they are here where I am or are in a position to hear me. So far, in this or other threads on the matter (or anywhere else), no one has given me anything to base such a belief on.

I don’t go around demanding you don’t talk to them. You have some basis to belief that they are there. (The Catholic Church tells you so and you trust them, that is a basis.)

Why is it that you cannot believe that I both understand what the communion of the Saints is and yet don’t subscribe to the belief? Why does it have to mean I’m ignorant?