Is praying to Mary any different than communing with the dead or consulting spirits? If so, how?
406037
Mary DID DIE.  The only people in the Bible who went to Heaven body and soul, were Enoch (Genesis), Prophet Elijah and The Lord Jesus Christ.\n\nThe story of Mary was concocted to please the pagans who were joining the church. They wanted a goddess and the leaders decided it should be Mary.  This terrible abomination continues to this day, but praise God, many Catholics are reading the Bible for themselves and are realising that praying to the dead and a dead Mary is exactly the same as consulting spirits.\n\nLook to the word of God for your answers like you have done with this question and you won't go wrong.  Jesus loves you.
125772
I don't think people of any reason pray to Mary. At least I hope not. That would be like praying to your great great great grandma....she won't answer you either. Mary is dead. She died a looooooong time ago. I wish people would let her rest in peace. She lived, God used her to bring for the Christ child, she grew old, she died. Just like us, we do his work then we outta here.
166500
Holy Mary - Mother of God.\n\nI always wonder how she felt about it, being a mother of the savior. people were close to Jesus, but only his mother knew what's inside him & was the closest to him by nature. I also wonder what happens if she said: No & just ran away scared.
285157
Do Catholics not pray to saints?  For me, prayer and worship go hand in hand.  Do Catholics not pray to statues of the Virgin Mary?  Perhaps I am misinformed, but I doubt it.
542650
Yes! speaking or praying in tongues is a way to communicate with God that only He understands. It takes complete submission on your part and to focus on His glory and to praise and worship Him. I was only and am only able to pray in tongues if I think of only Him and my heart feels so complete. It is an act that should be achieved by every Christian. God wants us to have a relationship with Him and I think this is one of the ways to display your filling of the Holy Spirit. Continue to read the bible, Know Jesus is our Lord and Savior, and get others to come to Heaven with you.
1012402
You should not pray to Mary.  She was not divine, merely favored.  God is the only one...God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Trinity.
85111
You can't communicate with spirits because they don't exist. Neither do ghosts. You can, however, convince yourself that you do, in which case talking to them could be easy.
519380
Catholics are simply asking Mary, who is with God, to take care of us.  FYI, you can ask anyone who has passed on to go to God for you. It doesn't mean you are worshipping Grandma Jenny or Uncle Abe.  After all, you can ask your mom to ask your dad for a favor, but you know that your dad is the one doing the favor -- allowance, borrow the car, whatever.
1186686
in virgin mary rather than jesus
766307
Yes Richard especially as this is the month that the church remembers in a special way the Holy Souls in Purgatory, there are many prayers with a plenary indulgence attached to them you can buy a little prayer book and say them however the Chaplet of Divine Mercy is a powerful obtainer of the release of souls.\n\n2 Machabees 12:46, it is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead,that they may be loosed from sins.
324924
Yes. And I know the religious arguments set forth by some in certain faiths against such things. But I also know that many religions accept such things as normal, even good. I have experienced, first hand, such communications. I wonder if the religious folks who say its wrong can do that? I mean, base what they say about in on actual personal experience, rather than what someone else said in a book written in a different language, in a different culture, centuries ago? Probably not. But that's OK, they can believe what they want. I do. And I know, from my own experience, that people who have passed on can and do communicate. Spirit communication with departed souls is a very real thing. And can be a very wonderful experience.. And its them, not some "fallen angel" or "evil spirit" pretending to be them. How do I know THAT? I've talked with them.
1048815
Catholics practice Mary worship (worshipping the dead woman), worshipping the idols inside the cathedrals, worshipping the "saints".  Catholics don't think highly of the Bible and read it rarely.  Catholics baptize (sprinkle) infants.  Catholics leaders, for the most part, are fond of Latin.  \n\nBaptists generally have nothing to do with idols (except Christmas trees).  Most Baptists believe in the Bible and believe in baptism by immersion (bury the old man).  Most do not baptize infants.  They wait for the age of accountability.  Baptist leaders speak English or the language of the audience.
630214
We can no more prove that saints hear our prayers than we can prove the existence of God. Christianity is based on faith not proof.\n\nEveryone in heaven or on their way to heaven are saints. You, me, my deceased grandmother, Mary the mother of Jesus, and Mother Teresa. \n\nCatholics and many other Christians believe in the Communion of Saints where all saints are intimately related in the Body of Christ, a family. When you die and go to heaven, you do not leave this family.\n\nAs part of this family, you may ask your family and friends here on earth to pray for you. Or you may also ask the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Andrew, or your deceased grandmother in heaven to pray for you.\n\nWith love in Christ.
711875
Witchcraft is not a religion!  You do NOT have to be Wiccan to practice witchcraft! With that said, there are many types of magic that are forbidden in the bible, such as sorcery, trafficking in spirits, divination, poisoning, even ledger demain. However  there is one form of magic that is not taboo in the christian faith.  That type of magic is Theurgy, a type of magic in which you invoke the power of the divine and direct that power to accopmlish goals & aspirations.   A common form of theurgy is prayer, also healing circles, some pentacostal practices use a ritualized practice of theurgy which often results in strange occurances such as speaking in tounges, trance possession by the holy spirit, even siezure like activity.  This is all theurgy.  Witches use theurgy too, you dont have to "worship nature" to be a witch, you can worship or work with whom ever you want, to be honest! Including the Christian God, Jesus, Mary< the saints, pagan gods, ancestors, land deva's or land wights, what have you.  Theurgy invokes the power of the divine force,\nhowever you percive it.  If your perception of divinty is JHVH, or Jesus then you can practice theurgy and still remain a faithful christan.  You commit no sin in that aspect.  If you wish to practice other forms of magic that are taboo in the bible then confess your sins, do your penance, or simply ask God's forgiveness... He is supposedly a loving father after all... \n\nAs for the person who said "suffer not a witch to live"... You do realize that the bible was not originally penned in English? right?  It has been translated from hebrew to aramaic,  to latin, to german to english... and sometimes mis-translations occur.  The original intent of that statement was "suffer not a poisoner to live." Please try to educate yourself on your own religion before trying to force it down someones throat...
921708
Here we go Again.\n\nThey are NOT prayed to, they are prayed through and with.  In the prayer Catholics ask for their help, as a mediators.  Suppose you want to meet with the Kind, can you just go directly to the Kind, walk  into his house, and ask Him for what you want! No.  Each Saint, is a patron of something.  such as Patron of children, of lost causes, etc.  If all we need is to go directly to God, then what was the need for God to send us so many Prophets, Saints, and other to aid us! think of that one!\n\nI hope that was helpful.  It is not to, but through them.  OK!
407060
I quit being catholic because of these things.. Like I have always wondered why they taught us to pray to the saints and Mary when it is made clear in the bible that our prayers are to be to God only..If you ask a priest you will most likely get a 30 minute answer that answers NOTHING...I am still looking for those answers so good luck...Just read your Bible and go by that . It won't lie to you.
1140484
Prayers are the Christian equivalent to Spells. They both have just as much effect as the other.