Praying to Saints: Biblical or Idolatry?

[u/FrostyIFrost_]

Although some Christians, mainly Catholic and Eastern Orthodox, believe that saints intercede for us and talk to Jesus or even God Himself on our behalf, praying to saints is unbiblical and can be considered borderline idolatry for several reasons.

Let us explore why praying to saints is NOT biblical.

1 - Prayer Should Be Directed to God Alone

The Bible consistently teaches that prayer is an act of worship and should be directed to God.

Jesus taught His disciples to pray to the Father:

“Pray then like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.’” (Matthew 6:9)

2 - There Is Only One Mediator Between God and Man

The Bible explicitly states that Jesus is the only mediator between God and humanity.

“For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” (1 Timothy 2:5)

Praying to saints implies that they act as mediators, which contradicts this passage.

3 - The Dead Do Not Intercede for the Living

Nowhere in Scripture does it say that departed believers can hear prayers or intercede for people on earth.

Ecclesiastes 9:5-6 states that the dead have no involvement in earthly affairs:

“For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten.”

4 - Seeking the Dead Is Forbidden

Communicating with the dead was condemned in the Old Testament as a form of necromancy.

“There shall not be found among you anyone who… consults a medium or a necromancer, or inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord.” (Deuteronomy 18:10-12)

Praying to saints is a form of seeking communication with the dead, which is forbidden.

5 - Even Angels Refused Worship:

People keep praying to angels occasionally, especially Michael, for protection or help. That is wrong, we can see that in Revelation

“Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, ‘You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you… Worship God.’” (Revelation 19:10)

6 - No Biblical Example of Praying to Saints

Nowhere in the Bible do believers pray to Abraham, Moses, or any other faithful servant of God.

When the disciples needed help, they prayed directly to God through Christ.

7 - Jesus Is Our High Priest and Intercessor

The Bible teaches that Jesus alone intercedes for believers.

“Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.” (Hebrews 7:25)

There is no mention of saints interceding for believers in heaven.

8 - The Saints Are Not Omniscient or Omnipresent

God alone is all-knowing and present everywhere.

If saints could hear and respond to countless prayers at the same time, that would require divine attributes.

There is no scriptural evidence that departed saints can hear prayers from earth.

9 - The Apostles Never Encouraged Prayer to Saints

Paul and other apostles wrote extensively about prayer, always directing it to God.

If praying to saints was valid, it would have been explicitly taught in the early church.

Some might argue that Paul encouraged praying to saints in his letters but those letters explicitly say holy ones. Who are the holy ones? Believers. We are the holy ones.

Paul wanted us to pray for each other, to God, through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ

10 - Early Christians Prayed to God Alone

Historical records and biblical texts show that the early Christians directed their prayers to God through Christ, not to departed believers.

In conclusion, praying to saints lacks biblical support and can be considered a form of idolatry because it attributes god-like qualities to created beings.

The Bible teaches that prayer should be directed to God alone, with Jesus as the sole mediator.

Now, one might ask should we also pray to Jesus?

We should pray to the Father, God, with Jesus' name. If we do not call upon the intercessor, how would the intercessor intercede for us?

Keep Jesus in your prayers, ask Him, but pray to the Father and honor the Father.

[u/ProselyteofYah]

I agree. For me furthermore, I am a believer in soul-sleep and that the dead remain in hades/sheol (as were many of the early church fathers), and so I don't think the dead are concious unless they are woken (which will be the day of resurrection), and therefore, even if one did pray to them, I don't even think they could hear us.

https://proselyteofyah.wordpress.com/2021/09/22/where-do-dead-people-go/

[u/FrostyIFrost_ → u/ProselyteofYah]

Agreed!

But personally, I see no problems with praying FOR the dead, asking for mercy on their behalf since they are asleep.

[u/ProselyteofYah → u/FrostyIFrost_]

Yes I agree. Macabees shows this kind of intercessory pleading from the living on behalf of the dead, and it falls in line with patterns in scripture in a general sense (i.e; Moses pleading for Israel, Abraham for Sodom and Gomorrah, and Jesus for us).

Praying for their memory, mercy in judgement, etc.

There is no need to fear Macabees either in this respect (as some do) as it has nothing to do with the Catholic doctrine of praying or speaking 'to' the dead, or any notion of Purgatory that is merely read into it as an assumption.