Is It Wrong for a Baptist to Carry or Use a Rosary?

[South Bound]

I pray to the living. Praying to the dead is worthless.

Well, that's even sillier than praying to Mary, since you guys are the ones who are always telling us that the living need to pray to the dead because their proximity to God makes their prayers more efficacious.

I ask the living to pray for me. Asking the dead to pray for me is worthless.

You also pray to Mary, who is dead, and to various dead "saints".

You're encouraging us to do commit the same sin.

Second, you're not merely "asking them to pray for you". You're praying to them.

If you mistakenly categorize people in Heaven as dead....I can see your misunderstanding. If you categorize people living on earth as dead, I can see your misunderstanding.

I hope I did not break the rules of this forum....I am just responding to this mischaracterization.

And where does the Bible tell us they went to Heaven while still alive? Or is that just one of your traditions?

Incidentally, would you mind explaining who you believe those individuals the Bible describes as "the dead in Christ" are?

I am sorry if I overstepped my bounds
I did not encourage praying the rosary in the Baptist subforum

as stated earlier the term "rosary" can refer to the set of prayers and meditations

or the term "rosary" can mean the physical chaplet that looks like a necklace with beads or knots with a Crucifix on it.

while the set of prayers might go against the Baptist faith
the physical chaplet with a crucifix on it is not intrinsically against the Baptist faith

or do I misunderstand the rules?

You realize these chaplets include prayers to Mary and may include prayers to other dead people, right?

How is that not a sin and "intrinsically against the Baptist faith"?

Jesus left us a Church, not a rosary.

As Baptists, we possess the fullness of the faith. Why do we need to commit the sin of praying to dead humans when we can pray to a living God?

Catholics and Baptists have different understandings of the communion of saints

Correct. Baptists believe that when people die, we are not to contact them, while Catholics just redefine "dead" so that it's no problem.

like th1bill said, it is neither sinful or holy, it is just an object

Except that Catholics believe that some objects are holy. That's why they keep relics and body parts of popes and alleged dead "saints".

so if the object in question helps remind the OP of the grace and mercy of God, then I say it is good that she carry it.

I disagree. Uzzah did what he did with the best of intentions, because he loved the Lord. And God still struck him dead because he sinned.

Even something with good intentions can be bad. In this case, while there is nothing wrong with a memento that helps you to reflect on the grace and mercy of God, if it is a memento that encourages a pagan practice, such as praying to the dead, it is sinful.

I don't think that praying to the physically dead is a sin, but just meaningless.

The Bible says it's a sin. I have to go with the Bible on this one.

 

[concretecamper]

Well, that's even sillier than praying to Mary, since you guys are the ones who are always telling us that the living need to pray to the dead because their proximity to God makes their prayers more efficacious.



You also pray to Mary, who is dead, and to various dead "saints".

You're encouraging us to do commit the same sin.

Second, you're not merely "asking them to pray for you". You're praying to them.

If you mistakenly categorize people in Heaven as dead....I can see your misunderstanding. If you categorize people living on earth as dead, I can see your misunderstanding.

I hope I did not break the rules of this forum....I am just responding to this mischaracterization.

 

[FreeinChrist]

How is praying to the dead not sinful?

I don't think that praying to the physically dead is a sin, but just meaningless.

As you know, Baptists pray to God in the name of Jesus Christ, and because God is omipresent, we are heard, The physically dead are alive spiritually but are not omnipresent and do not hear our prayers without God.

Carrying a rosary is not a sin - but the "hail May" stuff takes it to an unacceptable practice for this Baptist.

 

[th1bill]

If you mistakenly categorize people in Heaven as dead....I can see your misunderstanding. If you categorize people living on earth as dead, I can see your misunderstanding.

I hope I did not break the rules of this forum....I am just responding to this mischaracterization.

I pray for peace among the both of you. This can become a great teaching time or it can become, and right now is tilting toward, a nonproductive altercation. Because I have friends that are churched in different denominations, I know we view the scriptures differently.

In scripture we see that iron rubbing iron sharpens the iron. There are saved men in the RC Church just as there are lost men there. The same is true of any denomination, including the Baptist Church. The Saved man is indwelt with the presence of the Holy Spirit, no matter the denomination making any Saved Man or Woman, first, a Christian and after that a Baptist, Pentecostal, Catholic and so on.

Now, if we read to study the Word, Jesus, the Son of God/God, teaches us that many will approach Him saying, Lord, Lord, we did this and we did that in your name and He wil tell them He never knew them. And He taught us not to remove the Tares (lost men) until the Harvest (Rapture).

Then, in the last three verses of Matthew, Jesus sends us forth to make disciples. And if they will not hear our message, we are to kick the dust off our feet and to move on, not to stand there and fight them.

This can be an opportunity for both of you to learn your differences and your similar or even same principles and this can result in one or both of you understanding the scriptures better.

May the blessings of God fall on both of you. Amen!

 

[th1bill]

I don't think that praying to the physically dead is a sin, but just meaningless.

As you know, Baptists pray to God in the name of Jesus Christ, and because God is omipresent, we are heard, The physically dead are alive spiritually but are not omnipresent and do not hear our prayers without God.

Carrying a rosary is not a sin - but the "hail May" stuff takes it to an unacceptable practice for this Baptist.

AMEN!

 

[Rhamiel]

If you mistakenly categorize people in Heaven as dead....I can see your misunderstanding. If you categorize people living on earth as dead, I can see your misunderstanding.

I hope I did not break the rules of this forum....I am just responding to this mischaracterization.

Catholics and Baptists have different understandings of the communion of saints, out of charity and respect for this subforum and for our Christian brothers and sisters who post here, maybe we should just leave it at that.
we are guests

Carrying a rosary is not a sin - but the "hail May" stuff takes it to an unacceptable practice for this Baptist.

I understand where you are coming from. I never encouraged Catholic style prayer, all of my comments about the Rosary was in reference to the physical object.
like th1bill said, it is neither sinful or holy, it is just an object

so if the object in question helps remind the OP of the grace and mercy of God, then I say it is good that she carry it.

 

[South Bound]

in what was is the rosary pagan???

As I explained a couple of times before in this thread, it's pagan in the sense that it encourages prayer to the dead, a pagan practice.

Catholics don't worship Mary. Please do not say things that are offensive to them.

Actually, they do. You can call it "veneration" all you like, but whatever you call it, it still contains defining elements of worship.