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Answering objections to saintly intercession

The video responds to the claim that Scripture nowhere commands prayer to saints or the Virgin Mary. The speaker points out that the biblical canon itself and the principle of sola scriptura are also absent from Scripture, exposing an inconsistency in the objection. He notes that prayers for the dead appear in 2 Maccabees, a book removed from the Protestant canon, and cites Christ's promise that whoever believes in him will never die.

From this he argues that the faithful in heaven remain alive in Christ and therefore continue to pray, so death does not silence their intercession.

Key moments

  1. The speaker asks where in the Bible it says to pray to saints or to Mary, stating they never saw such commands.
  2. The speaker calls it hypocrisy that a woman believes things the Bible does not explicitly say.
  3. The speaker asks where the canon of Scripture is found in the Bible and where the idea of sola scriptura is found in the Bible.
  4. The speaker says prayers for the dead appear in the Bible but Protestants removed that book.
  5. The speaker cites Christ declaring that those who believe in him will never truly die.
  6. The speaker argues that if believers never truly die, entering heaven would not silence their prayers.
20 opinions in the discussion 15 participants, 14 replies to each other The opinion with the most support She's absolutely right, there is literally no example of anyone praying to anyone other than God in the Bible. Read the discussion
113 comments at the source Original on Instagram

Discussion · 20

Opinions are anonymous retellings of real comments from the original discussion. The same colour marks the same participant.

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  • opinion#3323

    She's absolutely right, there is literally no example of anyone praying to anyone other than God in the Bible.

    • opinion#3327

      You just made that up. Yes not all groups had second maccabees, but some did. Also why are you letting Jews tell you the canon instead of the early Christians?

    • opinion#3328

      The Apostles used the Septuagint Bible which included those books and never questioned it

  • opinion#3324

    The books that protestants "removed" from the Bible were supposedly from the old testiment. None of the ancient manuscripts dating back to before Christ contained them. The Jews had many well reserved copies of scriptures, none of which contained the several books that the Catholics added hundreds of years after Jesus's death. Those books also contradict the rest of scripture in multiple ways.

    • opinion#3329

      bro Protestants have removed whole NT books and several verses as well, James is a good example because James emphasizes faith without works is dead and that stomps on the Protestants believe once and be saved nonsense

    • opinion#3330

      No James is still in the Bible, and it still contains that verse. It is however NOT saying that you must do good works in order to be saved. That would contradict multiple other books and verses in the Bible. If you read it in context you will understand that it is talking about the fact that SALVATION will RESULT in good works, and if there are no good works then there is not salvation. But good works are a result of salvation, and salvation is not a result of good works. Because that wouldnt make sense if you compared it to the gospel message.

    • opinion#3331

      You are aware of what the LXX is, right?

  • opinion#3325

    The Apocrypha does not confirm the invocation of the saints btw

    • opinion#3332

      Incorrect actually: the Bible alludes to the concept that the authority of God's word is above tradition! (Mark 7:8-9, 13, Matthew 15:3;6). Scripture alludes to Sola Gratia many times actually (Ephesians 2:4-5, Romans 11:6, Titus 3:5). Sola fide is also alluded to as well (James 2:24, Romans 4:6-8, Mark 10:46-52).

    • opinion#3333

      I'm genuinely confused by this comment right here. Lutherans never condemned tradition, never condemned the church fathers, nor the history of the church. Lutherans never even split from the church, they were forced out and excommunicated! We still have bishops today who ordain priests, we still have authority from the church through our synods & the ordained priests. Lutheranism is a historic tradition! Regardless of your opinion or not. For Lutherans, it was never about starting a brand new church, but it was all about going back to the original church! If God says it in his holy scriptures, we affirm it!!

    • opinion#3334

      He was never rejected by orthodoxy. Lutherans came to an Orthodox patriarch seeking out a stamp of approval. The rejection idea only works with Roman Catholicism. Luther could have and should have become Orthodox. He had good reasoning to push back against the papal church, but still.

  • opinion#3326

    In Revelation 5:8 the word used for Saint (in Greek) is the same one used in Mathew to describe Christians on earth. So it would read something like. "The elders fall down in worship to Christ in heaven, holding the prayers of the Christians on earth"

    • opinion#3335

      That's a really bad translation you're reading, which one even is that? And what part of that verse makes you think the prayers were prayed to the Elders? And why are you getting practical doctrine from revelations...

    • opinion#3336

      Catholics use that verse to argue for intercessory prayer. But it never actually points to intercessory prayer. Nowhere else in the Bible does either. It's a pagan tradition from the Greco-Romans that got imported into Christianity.

    • opinion#3337

      I didn't claim it was a verbatim translation, just used it to illustrate my point. Go ahead and compare with whatever translation you prefer. I also never claimed who the prayers were to (neither does the scripture). Would you agree that contextually, the Saints in heaven are possessing (holding/hearing) the prayers from the Saints on earth?

    • opinion#3338

      Interesting, I'm not Catholic but through scripture it's clear that the Saints in Heaven hold your prayers (Rev 5:8). Supplication, prayers, intercession be made for all men (1 Timothy 2:1). Prayers of a righteous man avails much (James 5:16). Those with Christ in heaven are not dead, but alive (Mark 12:27). Also the distinction between intercessory prayers (asking) and prayers to God. That lays an elementary understanding of the intercession of the Saints.

    • opinion#3339

      no… the elders include more than even just humans… so are you telling me the elders and other beings that aren't human received prayers there? The prayers are depicted as incense bowls.. That's imagery that doesn't ever convey that the "prayers" were directed to these elders…

    • opinion#3340

      What do you mean, no?? Saints can refer to Christians in Heaven, Christians on earth, or Angelic beings. I can assure you the elders falling down before Christ in heaven are Saints. I never made a claim about who the prayers were directed to.

  • opinion#3321

    The Apocrypha cannot establish doctrines or dogmas; only the supreme authority in matters of faith counts, which is the canonical Holy Scripture, the inspired Word of God. Saint Jerome says: "Whatever is outside these must be placed among the Apocrypha. Therefore, Wisdom, which is commonly called the Wisdom of Solomon, the book of Jesus son of Sirach, Judith, Tobit, and the Shepherd are not in the canon." (Prologus Galeatus) Sola Scriptura does not appear in the Bible, but the absence of the term does not invalidate the doctrine: the word Trinity is not explicitly there either, though the essential doctrine of the Holy Trinity is deduced from Holy Scripture. Sola Scriptura does not reject the authority of the Church, Apostolic Tradition, the Church Fathers, ecumenical councils, ordained ministers, or the historical continuity of the Church. It affirms that Holy Scripture is the only infallible norm and the supreme authority in matters of faith and doctrine. The Church has authentic teaching authority, ministerial but subordinate to the Word, not independent, not above it, or on the same level. In 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Paul teaches that all Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete and fully equipped for every good work. That shows the divine inspiration, authority, and…

  • opinion#3322

    You could make the same argument the other way: where in the Bible does anyone pray to Jesus specifically? They didn't, because prayer is a means of communication with the immaterial, so they could have just talked to Jesus and Mary directly lmao.