SCG - I am so glad you posted this.What do you think of this explanation of Saints?
http://www.gotquestions.org/saints-Christian.html
Question: "What are Christian saints according to the Bible?"
Answer: The word saint comes from the Greek word "hagios" which means ?consecrated to God, holy, sacred, pious." It is almost always used in the plural, ?saints.? "?Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he did to Your saints at Jerusalem" (Acts 9:13). "Now as Peter was traveling through all those regions, he came down also to the saints who lived at Lydda" (Acts 9:32). "And this is just what I did in Jerusalem; not only did I lock up many of the saints in prisons ? ?(Acts 26:10). There is only one instance of the singular use and that is "Greet every saint in Christ Jesus?" (Philippians 4:21). In Scripture there are 67 uses of the plural ?saints? compared to only one use of the singular word ?saint.? Even in that one instance, a plurality of saints is in view ??every saint?? (Philippians 4:21).
The idea of the word ?saint? is a group of people set apart for the Lord and His kingdom. There are three references referring to godly character of saints; "that you receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints ?" (Romans 16:2). "For the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ" (Ephesians 4:12). "But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints" (Ephesians 5:3).
Therefore, Scripturally speaking, the ?saints? are the body of Christ, Christians, the church. All Christians are considered saints. All Christian are saints?and at the same time are called to be saints. 1 Corinthians 1:2 states it clearly, ?To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy?? The words ?sanctified? and ?holy? come from the same Greek root as the word that is commonly translated ?saints.? Christians are saints by virtue of their connection with Jesus Christ. Christians are called to be saints, to increasingly allow their daily life to more closely match their position in Christ. This is the Biblical description and calling of the saints.
The very bottom paragraph is the one I want to address, because I think it makes some very good points. I am not saying that I agree with everything there, but it is the most interesting, and is fairly close to what actually is, and/or what actually happens. >>
How does the Roman Catholic understanding of ?saints? compare with the Biblical teaching? Not very well. In Roman Catholic theology, the saints are in Heaven. In the Bible, the saints are on earth. In Roman Catholic teaching, a person does not become a saint unless he/she is ?beatified? or ?canonized? by the Pope or prominent bishop. In the Bible, everyone who has received Jesus Christ by faith is a saint. In Roman Catholic practice, the saints are revered, prayed to, and in some instances, worshipped. In the Bible, saints are called to revere, worship, and pray to God alone.
I hope you don't mind, but I color-coded the separate points I want to make.
First in reference to the blue:1) Venerated, beatified, and canonized - yes that's how they usually do it, and by a man, like a Pope.
1a) Since when does an ordinary man get to decide who becomes a saint and who doesn't? Why? Because the pope thinks (and is believed by some) to be a direct link to God?
1b) Since when does one become a saint by decree of a man or an organization, instead of by God?
1c) The list from the link I previously supplied had, oh... what ... maybe 100 names or less. So I would ask one - are there just a mere few considered to have this exceptional holiness?
1d) And why is it that some are made saints posthumously? For example, Sir Thomas More, during the time of King Henry VIII was not canonized until 400 years after his death (in 1935). Why did it take Popes that long to figure out .... oh yeah he should be a saint too?
2) Catholics and some other Christian religions do the following: pray to, revere and worship saints - yes that they do.
2a) My mother would pray to St Christopher, the patron saint of travel. I asked her ... "who was Christopher? Was he an apostle?" She responded no. I asked, "did he contribute by writing a book of the bible?" She responded no. "Ok", I said, "so did someone else write about him?" She said, she didn't know. (B-T-W answer is NO). So I persisted and asked, "well did he do something special to become a saint?" She said, probably. (BTW answer is no - Christopher isn't mentioned in the bible as a saint or holy one, and in fact I don't think the name pops up at all in the scriptures as anybody. (Go figure.)
2b) She would also: pray to Mary (The Hail Mary among others); sings hymns to Mary (Ava Maria and Salve Regina among others); have feast days for Mary (Feast of the Immaculate Conception, and Feast of the Assumption among others - 19 feast days in all); and even special flowers that are said to symbolize her virtues and attributes. Additionally: the month of Mary is May; Saturdays are also dedicated to Marian Devotions; let's not forget the scapulars; the miraclous medal and so on. I asked her once, "with all that you celebrate/ venerate Mary for, how is it that you have time to venerate God? You have more things devoted to her, than anyone else.
2c) I was Catholic, and I grew up with an altar in our home, complete with statues, rosary beads, crucifixes etc. My mother would kneel before the altar, and bow her head in front of a statue, and call out a saints' name she wanted to pray to. Yet she did not think she was worshipping them. Ah yeah - this is worship, and the bible states that it is - false worship that is. - Idolatry.
Second in reference to the green (piggybacking on 2c): One should pray to God alone and only - no one and no thing else. Pray to God through Jesus, for he is the one mediator between us and God, but not priests, angels, rosary beads, statues, saints, or those that have passed on. There are many scriptures to back this up.
So do I know that they do all this wrongly - yes. Do I define saints the same way as these people - no. I am not dodging the question, and have answered some of it, but my post is already lengthy, and it is hard to address all of it in one post. But what a great post by you, SCG.
Perseverance of the Saints FTW.
And yet you still believe? You were so lovely a few weeks ago, when you accused me of heresy.