Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uwm.edu!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: harry@atmos.washington.edu (Harry Edmon) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: Saints, Marianism, Protestantism, and the Bigness Principle Message-ID: Date: 8 Jul 90 04:00:13 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: Dept. of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Washington Lines: 28 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu In article mmh@cs.qmw.ac.uk (Matthew Huntbach) writes: > Veneration of saints arises from true fear of God. > When we ask a saint to pray for us, we join those recorded in > scripture, who feel unworthy to approach God directly. Jesus > certainly approved of this action as a sign of taking God > seriously. > > I feel that some forms of Protestantism do reduce God, and > thereby deny Him the respect due, which we are commanded to > give. My response as a Lutheran is that praying to saints instead of God can deny Jesus the respect due Him, since it reduces His work of reconciliation between God and Humanity. Certainly by ourselves we are unworthy to approach God. But through Jesus' death and resurrection we are worthy. Certainly the saints are valuable as examples, but praying to them to me seems unnecessary. In addition, praying to saint can result in abuses such as the elevation of saints to demi-gods in some areas of the world. Certainly this is not the position of the Roman Catholic Church, but it does happen. -- Harry Edmon INTERNET: harry@atmos.washington.edu (206) 543-0547 UUCP: uw-beaver!atmos.washington.edu!harry Dept of Atmospheric Sciences, AK-40 University of Washington