The first Orthodox Christian Tradition that I bumped heads with when I started to look into Orthodoxy was that of the intercession of the Saints. It didn't make sense to me that it would be permissible by God for us to talk to the dead, and much less in the spirit of prayer. For a Protestant, the dead are dead; they can't hear us nor can they see us. And what's more, it's forbidden.
Or so I thought.
Being Protestant, I am big on Sola Scriptura (or so I was...erhm). It is what defines the faith of the Protestant Christian. Without the Bible, there is no Gospel. Without the Bible, there is no Word of God; no truth to abide by. The Bible is the manual to every day living. Man-made traditions do not override the Bible; they are beneath the Bible. And if they contradict the Bible, one must throw the tradition out!
And intercession of the Saints to me (such as I was taught) was such a tradition; one that I thought was wrong and should be thrown out. I believed it to have been something that arose centuries later after the conception of Christianity. I did not believe it to come from Christianity.
However, after a few discussions here and there with a friend of mine who at time was also looking into Orthodoxy (and is now a catechumen - soon to be baptized... yay!), a little research on early Christianity (more on that later), I began to see that there was something deeper in that tradition - not only theologically, but spiritually as well.
The usual arguments are as follows:
"It's forbidden to talk to the Dead. Necromancy was actually punishable by death in the OT."
"Only God can hear and answer prayers. No one else is omnipresent and omniscient."
"Only Christ is our intercessor. There is no other than him."
"The Bible says that people are destined to die only once, and after that to face judgment. And that during that time, people are asleep. Daniel says that too..."
To be continued...
// For a Protestant, the dead are dead; they can't hear us nor can they see us. //
ReplyDelete"The living know they will die; but THE DEAD DO NOT KNOW ANYTHING, nor have they any longer a reward, for their memory is forgotten. Indeed their love, their hate and their zeal have already perished, and THEY WILL NO LONGER HAVE A SHARE IN ALL THAT IS DONT UNDER THE SUN." Ecclesiastes 9:5-6
It is a sad fact that many people who pursue orthodoxy do so because of the visual appeal of their various rituals and practices. The church buildings are replete with images what they call "icons" and special devotion and adoration are given to these man-made objects. Scripture clearly says that the DEAD KNOW NOTHING. But the orthodox WANTS to believe that the dead hears them. According to the orthodox, the dead are not only listening to us, but they can hear everyone's prayers (they are omnipresent). What absurdity!