Agree or not? Fundamentalist doctrine contradicts itself by not allowing saved Saints in heaven to pray for us?

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Agree.

Then he (the penitent thief) said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."

He (Jesus) replied to him, "Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise." (Luke 23:42-43)

Before Jesus Christ died for our sins and opened the gates of heaven there were no saints in heaven. Therefore there are no Old Testament writings that would mention them.

Very few of the new Christians died before most of the New Testament was written. Therefore there is little in the Bible about asking saints to pray for us.

However the last book of the Bible does talk about the saints in heaven praying.

Revelation 5:8: Each of the elders held a harp and gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of the holy ones.

Revelation 8:3-4: He was given a great quantity of incense to offer, along with the prayers of all the holy ones, on the gold altar that was before the throne. The smoke of the incense along with the prayers of the holy ones went up before God from the hand of the angel.

The Holy Spirit guided the early Church in many things not explained in the Bible including how does the Body of Christ (believers) living on Earth relate to the Body of Christ (saints) living in heaven. We are still one Body.

Catholics share the belief in the Communion of Saints with many other Christians, including the Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, Episcopal, and Methodist Churches.

The Communion of Saints is the belief where all saints are intimately related in the Body of Christ, a family. When you die and go to heaven, you do not leave this family.

Everyone in heaven or on their way to heaven are saints, you, me, my deceased grandmother, Mary the mother of Jesus, Mother Teresa and Pope John Paul II.

As part of this family, you may ask your family and friends living here on earth to pray for you. Or, you may also ask the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Andrew, or your deceased grandmother living in heaven to pray for you.

Prayer to saints in heaven is simple communication, not worship.

Asking others to pray for you whether your loved ones on Earth or your loved ones in heaven is always optional.

And I have not even began to discuss saints as role models who said "Yes!" to God.

For more information, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, section 946 and following: http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt1sect2chpt3art9p5.shtml#946

Here is a 2003 statement by Evangelical and Catholic Christians together on "The Communion of Saints"
http://www.firstthings.com/article.php3?id_article=459

With love in Christ....Show more

This is not the issue - Why would you pray to a saint in heaven when Jesus is right next to them? The problem with the pope is the same. The bible clearly says there is no man between God and man but Jesus Christ so why do you persist in adding to the chain of communication?

Edit: I am not saying you are asking a saint to grant the request - I am saying you are asking a saint to pray for you when you should pray directly to God yourself. If you want to be scriptual about it we are all saints so why is one in heaven any more important than you?

Adam Baum: That is a valid point but I believe the ones that do it are under the false impression that the pastor is more spiritual or has more pull with God. Asking Benny Hinn to pray for me seems ridiculous now but I concede it is common in our churches and I did it at first as well until I felt God move me to dig my own well and stop drinking from other peoples.

Edit: I admit it took me a bit of pondering to see what you are saying and you make a good point. The miscommunication is that people in my church think you are asking the saint to answer the prayer not to merely pray for you which would not be such an issue. I still think direct is best but I accept your point....Show more

The problem lies with personal interpretations of scripture that are outside the authority of the one church that Jesus instituted, and is under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit was not promised to 30,000 denominational bodies but to one body and one only(the Catholic church) and this is why many of the Protestant sects are at odds with each other over scripture interpretations and various doctrines.
Contraception,Divorce and Regenerative Baptism are only a few doctrines were confusion and disagreement run havoc, and so we must conclude that if the Holy Spirit is directing these denominations then He is telling each one a different truth!
The second problem lies in the fact that Protestantism has a critical spirit, in fact it was born of a critical spirit(reformation) and can only continue in this way,and it will also continue to split and reform `ad infinitum`
The Body of Christ is composed of untold numbers of lesser mediators in Christ which pleases God and we read in scripture that the Angels bear our prayers and petitions before the throne of God, does this mean that Angels replace Christ as the one who has first place as mediator between God and man? of course it does not, Jesus is the firstborn of the spirit the first fruits and so it is right and just that Mary and the Saints share in His mediation.
Evangelicals/Fundamentalists need to be reminded that before 1930 no Protestant denomination would have agreed with Contraception or Divorce as they agreed this was against scripture,yet not so today where almost all of them have done an about face on these important issues.
The Catholic church is the only body on earth that holds to these doctrines and it has not backed down regardless of the pressures of the secular world, Protestantism however has sided with the `spirit of this world`on these issues, that same spirit that Jesus condemned and overthrew.
God bless....Show more

You are absolutely right.Jesus Christ the Almighty God and Prince of Peace has told his disciples in the Gospel of John on the matter on after-life that God is the God of the living not Dead this means the crowd and the disciples who listened to him knew that Abraham Issiac JAcob and Moses
Furthermore it has been proven that Enoch and Prophet Elijah loved God and always did his will even if he angered the wicked Queen and her her reformed husband Jezebel.The rest went to Purgatory who were released mostly in Heaven after the death of the Almighty God and Lord Jesus Christ
In the Book of Macabees.We see Judas Macabess offering money for the souls of the dead after the war against the Jews and their authoratative ruler
Saint Paul also says that we should pray to the Nobel Kings and Queens and of good people that they might interceeed on our behald to God
Yours in Christ...Show more

I think that the fundamentalist answer is fueled by the notion that to pray to a saint for intercession is somehow worshiping that saint and is therefore akin to idol worship--or some such nonsense. I think the answer you are receiving is based largely on the ignorance of many fundamentalist to the Catholic practice of praying to a saint for intercession....Show more