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| Catherine Laboure: A Roman Catholic Saint |
According to the Random House Dictionary, a saint is: (1) any of certain persons of exceptional holiness of life, formally recognized as such by the Christian Church, especially by canonization; (2) a person of great holiness, virtue, or benevolence, and (3) a designation in certain religious groups applied by the members to themselves.
But how does the Bible define a saint? According to the Bible, a saint is anyone who is a true follower of God and a born-again believer in Jesus Christ.
For example, Hannah, the mother of the prophet Samuel wrote this concerning God's protection of his people: "He will guard the feet of his saints, but the wicked will be silenced in darkness." (1 Samuel 2:9)
King David wrote this concerning God's righteous people: "As for the saints who are in the land, they are the glorious ones in whom is all my delight." (Psalm 16:3)
David also wrote this: "Sing to the Lord, you saints of his; praise his holy name. For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime." (Psalm 30:4-5)
And the prophet Daniel wrote this concerning the people who will inherit the kingdom of heaven upon the return of Jesus Christ: "But the saints of the Most High (God) will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever--yes, for ever and ever." (Daniel 7:18)
Samuel and David lived 3,000 years ago while Daniel lived about 2,600 years ago. There was no church then. And yet they referred to God's true people as saints.
Unfortunately, saints are now considered legendary religious figures who served in such venues as the Roman Catholic, Coptic and Orthodox churches. Often, miracles are attributed to them. They are considered by many professing Christians to be closer to God than the average person and thus deserving of recognition, honor and worship.
In the Roman Catholic lexicon, a saint cannot be a living person. The person must be deceased before he or she can be considered for beatification. And the beatification process is a lengthy one.
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02364b.htm
What Roman Catholic beatification does is promote idolatry under the guise of honoring the servants of that church.
By taking the biblical designation for true, living servants of God and bestowing it upon dead Roman Catholic religious figures, the Catholic Church encourages its members to pray to and worship fallen human beings which is a violation of the second of the Ten Commandments. (Exodus 20:4-6)
The Bible warns us that we are to worship only God who consists of the Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit. In a conversation Christ had with Satan who offered him the kingdoms of the world in exchange for his worship, Jesus said this: "Worship the Lord your God and serve him only." (Luke 4:8)
As such, we are forbidden from praying to church-appointed saints, Mary or to any human being. That constitutes idolatry. And those who practice idolatry--even out of ignorance--will not go unpunished by God.
This weekend, the Roman Catholic Church is set to canonize Pope John Paul II and Pope John XXIII. That will add to the growing list of church-appointed saints that Catholics are encouraged to pray to and worship.
And that will further underscore that the Roman Catholic Church is the identity of the mysterious whore of Babylon that the apostle John saw in his vision he received from God 1,900 years ago that's recorded in the Book of Revelation. (Revelation 17)
Samuel and David lived 3,000 years ago while Daniel lived about 2,600 years ago. There was no church then. And yet they referred to God's true people as saints.
Unfortunately, saints are now considered legendary religious figures who served in such venues as the Roman Catholic, Coptic and Orthodox churches. Often, miracles are attributed to them. They are considered by many professing Christians to be closer to God than the average person and thus deserving of recognition, honor and worship.
In the Roman Catholic lexicon, a saint cannot be a living person. The person must be deceased before he or she can be considered for beatification. And the beatification process is a lengthy one.
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02364b.htm
What Roman Catholic beatification does is promote idolatry under the guise of honoring the servants of that church.
By taking the biblical designation for true, living servants of God and bestowing it upon dead Roman Catholic religious figures, the Catholic Church encourages its members to pray to and worship fallen human beings which is a violation of the second of the Ten Commandments. (Exodus 20:4-6)
The Bible warns us that we are to worship only God who consists of the Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit. In a conversation Christ had with Satan who offered him the kingdoms of the world in exchange for his worship, Jesus said this: "Worship the Lord your God and serve him only." (Luke 4:8)
As such, we are forbidden from praying to church-appointed saints, Mary or to any human being. That constitutes idolatry. And those who practice idolatry--even out of ignorance--will not go unpunished by God.
This weekend, the Roman Catholic Church is set to canonize Pope John Paul II and Pope John XXIII. That will add to the growing list of church-appointed saints that Catholics are encouraged to pray to and worship.
And that will further underscore that the Roman Catholic Church is the identity of the mysterious whore of Babylon that the apostle John saw in his vision he received from God 1,900 years ago that's recorded in the Book of Revelation. (Revelation 17)
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