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Should We Pray to Michael the Archangel?
Pope Francis tweeted: “Let us ask the help of Saint Michael the Archangel to defend us from the snares of the devil.” (source)Paul, Apostle of Jesus, wrote: “Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up…
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Prayers for the Dead and Marian Intercession
“I pray that, through the intercession of Mary Immaculate whom he so greatly venerated, the Lord may welcome this faithful pastor of the Gospel and the Church into His Kingdom of eternal joy and peace”, the Pope concludes. (Vatican Information Service, 5 September 2011) Notice that here the Pope is explicitly requesting Marian intercession for…
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Prayers to God Alone (and Worship to God Alone, in general) in the Early Church
To whom should prayers be addressed? They should be addressed to God alone. Augustine (354-430): As for those spirits who are good, and who are therefore not only immortal but also blessed, and to whom they suppose we should give the title of gods, and offer worship and sacrifices for the sake of inheriting a…
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What did the Early Church think of Prayer for the Dead?
Doubtless there were a variety of thoughts, but here is one (courtesy of Pastor David King): Lactantius (260-330): But if it appears that these religious rites are vain in so many ways as I have shown, it is manifest that those who either make prayers to the dead, or venerate the earth, or make over…
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Analogical Argument on the Object of Prayer
There are many great arguments that are presented as to why we should not pray to anyone besides God. One underused argument, however, is the analogical or typological argument. The Old Testament worship of God employed incense. That incense is a symbol and picture of our prayers. We can see its connection to prayer in…
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The real Francis Turretin on: Invocation of Saints by Prayer
Marc Lloyd has kindly provided a nice collection of quotations from the real Francis Turretin on the invocation of dead saints by prayer. (link). Of particular note, Turretin deals with the argument from requesting prayers from our fellow brethren. This argument’s been around a long time and is just as wrong today as it was…
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Sad News – "Jesus Christ" Not Welcome in PA State House
Apparently this is also old news, but it is reported that chaplains who pray in the Pennsylvania state House of Representatives are forbidden from using the name of Jesus Christ (link). There is such a thing as a state begging for God to send judgment upon it. Let us pray that instead he shows mercy.…
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Prayers For, To, and Through the Dead
Within Roman Catholicism (and within some other churches as well) there are prayers that are made for, through, and to the dead. We, as Reformed believers, reject all three of these categories but on different grounds. In discussing these issues with Roman Catholics it may be useful to be able to understand the different categories…
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>To Whom Can Roman Catholics Pray?
>That is to say, is it permitted by the sources of authority of Catholicism for the members of Catholicism to pray to anyone beyond God, Mary, and the saints? For some background, James Swan has been discussing this issue at his own blog (Can you pray to whoever you want to?). Book IV, Part II,…