The Intercession of Saints: Convoluted Remants of Pagan Worship,

haha hes wearing a hat

>>1640340
It's a very nice hat, though.

>>1640340
>tfw no bara tiger husbando

>>1640310
Firstly, that is a nice hat.

Secondly, God has limitations or maybe just doesnt give a shit about tiny problems. SO you pray to the middle men, like if you need rain to come, or you want fortune in your new business. I always imagined God as being more concerned with bigger macro regional situations. So the saints or the Virgin are like the backup in case God doesnt care about your problems.

>>1640441
>God has limitations or maybe just doesn't give a shit about tiny problems
This goes against literally everything in Abrahamic theology. It's even more evidence that the concept of intercession by saints is a holdover from Indo-European paganism, because this is exactly how those religions viewed their gods. Christianity, especially Roman Catholic Christianity, is simply a variation on old-style Indo-European paganism with an Abrahamic coat of paint slapped on top.

Intercession isn't just nonsensical, it's impractical. You're overextending your prayers to people who can't answer them, won't hear them; and should you believe they can "put a word in" for you to God, God has to answer the prayers anyways, which makes it pointless.

If you believe they can put a word in for you to God, that's also silly. This isn't to deny the religiosity of saints. It's to deny their preference in speaking to God on your behalf. For your prayers. Which you ultimately have to ask for in the case that God answers them.

>>1640310
I recall reading James of Voragine saying something like 'ah, well, no matter what, most Christians will always prefer to pray to their favorite saints, with their nice little stories to which they can relate, so let them keep their saints even if they could just pray to God'

A bit like when the church changed pagan festivals into christian ones. 'They like their dances and songs? Fine, let them just add a few christian prayers, that will be better than upseting them by banning the whole thing'.

>>1640476
I could also say that some medieval priests said that pilgrimages were maybe a bit silly, because God can hear you just as well in your home as in Jerusalem.

So I think many theologians were aware of the problem. But they had to remember that most people were not, and are not, deeply intellectual.

File: bakemono_o45kmbLAyB1rcmkybo1_1280.png (822KB, 1071x613px) Image search: [Google]

822KB, 1071x613px

>>1640441
>Secondly, God has limitations...

Chrisitians hold that God is all-powerful/almighty, all-knowing, all-seeing, and omnipresent, however.

>>1640310

the idea is simple

the prayers of a very holy man are more effective than those of the average guy.

we tell people to pray for us, because it isnt useless or pointless, having people pray for you is better that only you praying for you.
according to St James
"For the continual prayer of a just man availeth much"
monks and nuns were/are people who for centuries were considered useful to society because their job was praying all the time.


intercession of saints is asking the top tier christians of history, with whom we are in communion, to pray for us.
We think they are as aware of the current time as Moses and Elias who appeared in the lords transfiguration.

the high place of the virgin mary is because she gave birth to God.

In the apocripha, which is Jewish, not pagan, and older than Christianity, you have intercession of saints btw. And those books were used by the first christians.

God exists outside of time, there is no past or present for him

A person in the year 2016 who goes to a cemetery and reads "here lies xxxxx who died in 1850 please, pray for him" may save the soul of that person who died over a century before. For God past or present or future doesnt exist.

>>1640459
>Roman Catholic Christianity, is simply a variation on old-style Indo-European paganism with an Abrahamic coat of paint slapped on top.
And that's what I like about it. The continuity and essence of an IE religion without dealing with the edginess of neo-paganism.

>>1640441
>God has limitations so he needs little magical helpers

We are talking about the terrifying, omniscient and omnipotent creator of the universe, not fucking Santa Claus