Why do Catholics pray to Virgin Mary and other Saints when God Is the only one who can help u ???
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!
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.
1047219
There is only one God and that WHOM they pray to.\nThe Father; The Son; The Holy Ghost; The Father is the Holy Ghost; The Deity of Jesus Christ is the Father; The Deity of Jesus Christ is the Holy Ghost; Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; Matthew 28:19; I John 5:7;
1091222
Yes. That is correct. For those who say they only pray for Mary's intersession, Jesus Christ is the only one true intercessor. Mary can do nothing for you. I would like someone to show me in the Bible where they get this from. This is a product of man not God. Someone told someone to start praying to Mary so they did. That is just like worshiping another God. Why don't catholics read the Bible and not just take the word of a human, a priest.
578978
To april_hwth: Catholics don't pray to popes and saints as an end. They pray to saints to intercede on their behalf to God since they are already in heaven and can effectively communicate with God. Catholics can also pray directly to God, if they so choose. \n\nThe Rosary is one type of prayer asking the Virgin Mary (who is a saint) to intercede to her son Jesus on behalf of the person. It is not the only prayer that Catholics employ, but it is one of the more popular ones.\n\nAnd Catholics believe that faith is not enough to get to heaven. You should do all you can to do good works and help others because you'll find Jesus while doing good works. Faith without good works is dead. What are you supposed to do, just keep believing in Jesus and not do anything good? Is that fair for the people who spend their entire life doing good? Will they get the same reward as someone who honestly believes in Christ but does nothing good? Even Jesus did good things...and all Christians should do their best to emulate that good example, which does include good works.
257455
Call it what you want, catholics do venerate Mary, and the bible never says to do this. this is not an attack on Catholic church, but there is too much emphasis on ritual, the rosary and the saints can do nothing for your soul, that is dependent on you believing and accepting Christ, reading the bible and worshiping in spirit and in truth, which the catholic church does not do because they are so hung up on ritual. Isaiah speaks about how much God dislikes ritual, though it has it's place, it should not shift the focus away from God, which it does and God does not like that. Hey why don't you do a proper search before you swallow your doctrine whole, you might find that the catholic church really has alot of un-truths.
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.
285256
Most people’s prayers are of the nature of begging God for some favors.\nThey are utterly illogical, because God is believed to be all-knowing, and all-loving. The problem is that most people’s spiritual development stagnates somewhere at the age of 4 or 5, and their “God” just a magnified Daddy, or Mommy
171386
I was sad to see all the hateful and negative comments you got on this question earlier. Maybe you hit a nerve. Yes, God wants us to pray for unbelievers and believers, anyone who the Spirit puts on our hearts to pray for. It is His will that we do this. If we ask anything according to His will... He also says not to be anxious. The Spirit is the one that convicts of sin, that brings their heart to repentenance. It's not our job, it's His. All we are called to do in bringing someone to the understanding of who Christ is, is to be is who we are and share our testimony of who He is to us.\n\nFaith is the assurance of hope. Only they can keep or strenghten their faith. We can not do this for them. We can share our faith, and what God has said of it. Share the chapters listed below in the book of Hebrews. Thank God for using you in this way. Give Him the praise and the glory, for it is by His grace and mercy alone that He will touch their hearts, just as He touched yours. May God bless and encourage you, as you share His love and your own love for others.
454144
I was raised a Catholic, which taught me nothing except what I had to fear, what I had to do in order to get to heaven and not hell.  Go to confession regularly.  That was always a nightmare, telling a priest my most personal information.  What bunk!!  God has done nothing for me in this life.  He never took away my pain and misery.  I learned to deal with that on my own.  So why would I need a god?\nGod takes many forms and ideas.  The fact that every nation on this earth has a god of some kind, proves that he does not exist, otherwise we would all believe in the same god.  We create misery and wars in the name of god.  That is supposed to be a good thing?\nI see god in nature all around us, the renewal of life, the oceans, the mountains, the prairies and deserts. And lastly but not least....the devil can be your god, and that is not a good thing......\nBeing a good person is what it is all about!
1006958
Well some people find nice to do so ( I think ) But being a christian our Part is to forgive them.Because they donot know what r they doing..........so just pray for urself ......me and for them...........May God Bless You
508548
Let us take you questions one by one. I am sorry if this is long but your question is long.\n\n"The Bible says to worship and pray to Jesus Christ because He is the only one that can save you." - Catholics believe that Jesus died on the cross for ours sins.\n\n"Catholics pray to Mary the mother of Jesus. Don't you think that that's against Christ?" \n- No, Jesus talked to his mother, why can't we? Catholics believe that all Christians are part of the body of Christ and thus are intimately related to each other. This friendship or family relationship does not end at death. I may ask you to pray for me, or I may ask my deceased grandmother to pray for me, or I may ask a saint to pray for me, or I may ask another saint, the only person in all the Bible who was addressed as "full of grace" by an angel of God, to pray for me. We worship God. We honor people who have truly followed God's will, our parents, grandparents, Mother Teresa, and the saints including Mary.\n\n"Who came up with rosemary beads?" \n- There are different theories of who came up with rosary beads. Prayer counters have been used in many religions for thousands of years. It is thought that early religious monks, most of whom did not know how to read, used prayer counters as they daily recited all 150 psalms to help them keep track of where they were.\n\n"Their baptism is in the title words, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. The Bible plainly states to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. (Acts 2:38)"\n- Jesus' last words to the apostles in the Gospel of Matthew (28:19) were "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."\n\n"Also, they sprinkle the water on people's heads. The Bible also clearly states to be submerged underwater to be baptized."\n- I am sorry but I cannot find the word submerged in relation to Baptism in the Bible. People were baptized in a river but beyond that I not sure. Please give me a verso to look up. When Jesus talks about Baptism, he talks about it being with water but not how.\n\n"I do not mock the Catholic faith, but just clearly see Truth. Truth is that Jesus Christ died on the cross to save us for our dirty rotten sins."\n- We are all looking for truth and, Catholics agree, Jesus did die on the cross to save us form our sins.\n\n"Mary, the mother of Jesus, did not die on the cross. Mary cannot save us, so why pray to her?"\n- See above. To ask for prayers only.\n\n"Why does the Pope never marry? The Bible said that if a man find a wife, he has favor with God."\n- Jesus and John the Baptist did not marry. It is a long tradition in Judaism and Christianity that some people dedicate themselves entirely to God and remain celibate.\n\n"Also, where is the pope in the Bible? Not in there. Hmm.. "\n- Matthew 16:17-19 states, "Jesus said to him in reply, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." This is the main passage that Catholics believe that Jesus made Peter the first pope.\n\nThe similarities between Catholicism and other Christian denominations are greater in number and more important than a few differences.\n\nWith love in Christ.
633568
I see that you are fearful of what people may say. I know how that's like " in school I had to pray for a friend right in front of the whole school and i did it. If you are christian and someone ask you to pray for him/her right  here  and there or a brother ask you to help him pray for a person that second go ahead because god is with you guys. what a honor to pray for someone who understand that they need god to help him/her. Also you lay hands on him/her. Don't misunderstand what I am saying just put a hand over his/her head and pray your heart. The Prayer can be about healing if they need it or about over all status.
815069
Because you have not allowed the saintly worshipping of jesus christ swallow your entire life. Allow prayer take over your life and you will be fulfilled with heveanly wisdom. May the power of christ compell you!
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.
440034
a lot of good answers I see. a lot of the catholic religion is herisey. however, they do beleive in God and Jesus. Many are good people and many of them are saved by grace. but I would never pray or bow down to Mary or say 7 hail Marys. The Bible doesn't say to do that and no code will reveil something like that. their are other things too. the bottom line is, if you are going to worship this God and Jesus, do it as the bible says to do it. Try reading it for the facts. anything else is false and heretical.
614784
I am a Catholic.  Catholicism is the oldest Christian religion.  All other Christian religions came from Catholicism.  We do not worship statues and rosaries or even the Virgin Mary.  We worship God alone.  God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  3 persons in one God.  Just as 3 leaves make up one clover.  We ask Mary and other saints for intersession to Jesus.  It's no different than you asking someone to pray for you before a test or surgery.  We venerate certain statues or crucifixes.  This is not worship.  It is a sign of respect to the actual person or act that is being depicted.  Please do not think we worship anyone other than God Almighty Himself.