Who is a saint?

[Messenger]

First, what the Catholic Church teaches:

www.newadvent.org/cathen/02364b.htm

First, let's take this quote:

Canonization in the Catholic Church is quite another thing. The Catholic Church canonizes or beatifies only those whose lives have been marked by the exercise of heroic virtue, and only after this has been proved by common repute for sanctity

Heroic Virtue?

Then we see this:

Catholics, while giving to God alone adoration strictly so-called, honour the saints because of the Divine supernatural gifts which have earned them

Earned them?

Then we have this:

It follows naturally that for the public veneration of the saints the ecclesiastical authority of the pastors and rulers of the Church was constantly required.

Veneration of the Saints?
Putting people ahead of God?

Do I need to go on? What we are seeing here, that the Catholic Church is saying that what matters to God is WORKS!!!!!!!

What does Scripture says about how God thinks of our works?

Ephesians 2:8-9 (New International Version)

8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast.

What does Scripture say about how God thinks of our works?


Isaiah 64:6 (New International Version)

6 All of us have become like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;
we all shrivel up like a leaf,
and like the wind our sins sweep us away.

And then we have "veneration of the saints"?

Isn't this idol worship?

If any of these "saints" did what they were supposed to have done, do Catholics really think that these PEOPLE were the ones to have done all these wonderful things? What about giving the credit to God? Where does THIS come in?

We can't WORK our way into Heaven!!!!!!!!

NO matter what WE DO, it will never be enough!

We are saved by GRACE-NOT WORKS!

Grace is a GIFT! Since when do we work for a gift?

Grace means "unmerited favor" WITHOUT any thought of repayment!

That's what God offered all mankind, through the death of His son, Christ Jesus!

But WE have to Choose or Reject it!

Bill

[catholicdefender]

The historic Christian practice of asking our departed brothers and sisters in Christ—the saints—for their intercession has come under attack in the last few hundred years. Though the practice dates to the earliest days of Christianity and is shared by Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, the other Eastern Christians, and even some Anglicans—meaning that all-told it is shared by more than three quarters of the Christians on earth—it still comes under heavy attack from many within the Protestant movement that started in the sixteenth century.


Can They Hear Us?


One charge made against it is that the saints in heaven cannot even hear our prayers, making it useless to ask for their intercession. However, this is not true. As Scripture indicates, those in heaven are aware of the prayers of those on earth. This can be seen, for example, in Revelation 5:8, where John depicts the saints in heaven offering our prayers to God under the form of "golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints." But if the saints in heaven are offering our prayers to God, then they must be aware of our prayers. They are aware of our petitions and present them to God by interceding for us.

Some might try to argue that in this passage the prayers being offered were not addressed to the saints in heaven, but directly to God. Yet this argument would only strengthen the fact that those in heaven can hear our prayers, for then the saints would be aware of our prayers even when they are not directed to them!

In any event, it is clear from Revelation 5:8 that the saints in heaven do actively intercede for us. We are explicitly told by John that the incense they offer to God are the prayers of the saints. Prayers are not physical things and cannot be physically offered to God. Thus the saints in heaven are offering our prayers to God mentally. In other words, they are interceding.
www.catholic.com/library/Praying_to_the_Saints.asp

[Messenger]

Putting people before Christ.

Crediting people with doing "supposed" miracles, instead of crediting God.

Where does Jesus come into all of this?

According to what Scripture says, a "saint" is someone who has accepted the forgiveness of Christ, that was purchased by His death & resurrection, & given their lives to Christ.

There is NO Scriptural basis that any "person" should be a subject of worship, as catholics say here:

It follows naturally that for the public veneration of the saints the ecclesiastical authority of the pastors and rulers of the Church was constantly required.

Don't you see what catholics are saying here?

Where is any example of this garbage found in Scripture?

Look at what SCRIPTURE says here:

John 14:6 (New International Version)

6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Now, veneration is a word that is not commonly used today, so let's take a look at it's definition:

dictionary.reference.com/browse/venerate

ven·er·ate
   [ven-uh-reyt]
verb (used with object), ven·er·at·ed, ven·er·at·ing.
to regard or treat with reverence; revere.

Origin:
1615–25; < Latin venerātus, past participle of venerārī to solicit the goodwill of (a god), worship, revere, verbal derivative of vener-, stem of venus, presumably in its original sense “desire”; see Venus)

Do you see what the origin of the word "venerate" says here:

to solicit the goodwill of (a god), worship, revere, verbal derivative of vener-, stem of venus, presumably in its original sense “desire”; see Venus)

To worship.
To solicit the good will of a god.

and what is it's root?

Venus-the Roman goddess of love!

This is paganism!

public veneration of the saints

has its roots in paganism!

This is the SUPPOSED "church" that Christ founded?

A church that has it's beliefs based in PAGAN PRACTICES?

And catholics call their "church" "christian"?

There is nothing "christian" in following PAGAN PRACTICES!

How many hundreds of millions of catholics have been deceived by a proven PAGAN-based church, (as I show here), into "believing" that they will go to heaven when in reality, their destination is the lake of Fire.

Veneration CLEARLY CONTRADICTS Scriptures teachings, as seen here:

John 14:6 (New International Version)

6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

And "catholicism" is the "church" that Christ founded?

A church that practices "PAGAN PRACTICES"?

Judge for yourself here.