What are the Characteristics of God that are His and His Alone?

[Cassandra]

I believe that God is Creator, All Knowing (Omniscient) and Present Everywhere (Omnipresent).
He is Love and All Goodness. He is Just.He is Long-suffering. He is Eternal(Father, forgive me if I have forgotten something)

This is my question:
If God is the only Omnipresent Being, how can people say to pray to Mary or a saint, when only God can hear that? Are you supposed to pray to Mary, and God hears it, to God telling Mary, and then Mary telling God? That is how it would have to work, isn't it?Same thing with the saints.

 

[quietthinker]

I think 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 reflect God's characteristics and we can push it further and include Matthew 5:3-12
God does not ask us to be something he is not.

1 Cor. 13:4-8
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails.

Matt. 5:3-12
“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

 

[Robert Gwin]

I believe that God is Creator, All Knowing (Omniscient) and Present Everywhere (Omnipresent).
He is Love and All Goodness. He is Just.He is Long-suffering. He is Eternal(Father, forgive me if I have forgotten something)

This is my question:
If God is the only Omnipresent Being, how can people say to pray to Mary or a saint, when only God can hear that? Are you supposed to pray to Mary, and God hears it, to God telling Mary, and then Mary telling God? That is how it would have to work, isn't it?Same thing with the saints.

A couple of things enter into my mind Cassy, 1st, and although humans do not have the capability to understand this, Jehovah was not created, He had no beginning. Secondly, nothing else existed, therefore everything originated from Him. Extremely hard to understand, but that really stands out to me.

 

[Lambano]

I believe that God is Creator, All Knowing (Omniscient) and Present Everywhere (Omnipresent).
He is Love and All Goodness. He is Just.He is Long-suffering. He is Eternal(Father, forgive me if I have forgotten something)

This is my question:
If God is the only Omnipresent Being, how can people say to pray to Mary or a saint, when only God can hear that? Are you supposed to pray to Mary, and God hears it, to God telling Mary, and then Mary telling God? That is how it would have to work, isn't it?Same thing with the saints.

God has an Administrative Assistant in the call center whose job it is to screen all the prayers and take messages for the saints, which she then leaves in their individual mailbox slots.

....
Since I consider Catholics to be my brothers and sisters in Christ (regardless of whether or not they consider a Methodist to be their brother), I don't feel like bashing them. They're not going to change. What is that to me? Jesus said, "You follow me!".

 

[Brakelite]

I think 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 reflect God's characteristics and we can push it further and include Matthew 5:3-12
God does not ask us to be something he is not.

1 Cor. 13:4-8
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails.

Matt. 5:3-12
“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

I love that you mentioned 1Cor.13. It was only a few years ago that I realized those beautiful descriptives of love reflected the character of God Himself, and in doing so offering us hope that we could be the same.

 

[Cassandra]

God has an Administrative Assistant in the call center whose job it is to screen all the prayers and take messages for the saints, which she then leaves in their individual mailbox slots.

....
Since I consider Catholics to be my brothers and sisters in Christ (regardless of whether or not they consider a Methodist to be their brother), I don't feel like bashing them. They're not going to change. What is that to me? Jesus said, "You follow me!".

That is not a bash. I worry about them praying and venerating those who cannot hear them. I think I am asking a valid question. If they cannot hear the prayers, perhaps then the wrong entity is being prayed to. It is one thing to love your brethren, but if you thought something odd, wouldn't you say something or at least inquire? My whole family is Catholic, except for me. I am not bashing.
The question was posted to be thought about.

Can Mary and the saints have those attributes that God has?

Would Jesus want us praying to someone who cannot hear? I'm not saying that in a snotty way. I don't know why you read it that way.

 

[GaryAnderson]

Hey Cassandra, yes you are correct in your OP in regards to the “How”, which is essentially the Holy Spirit. That explains the How.
To explain the “Why” take a look at this article here: Why the Orthodox "Pray to" Saints

I realize that for non Catholics or Eastern Orthodox Christians this may seem odd but everyone in our church doesn’t worship an object or a person. We worship the God of the Bible and the strictly follow the teachings of apostles who spread the word in the Mediterranean area right after Jesus arose and left his final instructions.

 

[GaryAnderson]

I also think that this shouldn’t be a division point because we are all Christians believing in Christ but for some people I realize that this is a big deal.

 

[GaryAnderson]

This also ties in to the Prayers for the dead which many Christians reject but we do it for the following reasons:

First and foremost, we pray for the dead because the Bible tells us to. As members of the Church, the Body of Christ, we are exhorted to pray for one another (James 5:16). Whether we live or die, “we belong to the Lord” (Romans 14: eight). For we are “members of His Body, of His flesh and of His bones” (Ephesians 5:30). The Church is “the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God”. As such, she includes “tens of thousands of angels” and “the spirits of righteous people made perfect” as well as those of us alive on earth (Hebrews 12:22-24).

Because of Christ’s resurrection and victory over death, death does not end our membership in the Body of Christ. For neither “death nor life […] will separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39). We remember that God “is not the God of the dead, but of the living – for all are alive to Him (Luke 20:38). Therefore, we pray for both the living and for the “dead in Christ” (1 Thessalonians 4:16).

The most notable examples of prayer for the dead in Scripture are perhaps Judas Maccabaeus and Saint Paul the Apostle.

Judas Maccabaeus offered sacrifices and prayers for his fallen soldiers with the future resurrection of the dead in mind. As he said: “It is therefore a good and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, so they may be set loose from their sins” (2 Maccabees 12:39-46). Most Protestant Bibles don’t include this book as part of the canon. However, both the Orthodox and Roman Catholic canons use the Septuagint version of the Old Testament cited by Christ’s apostles in their writings.

Secondly, we have the Apostle Paul, who prays for his departed friend Onesiphorus. As he writes: “May the Lord grant that he find mercy from the Lord” on Judgment Day (2 Timothy 1:16-18).
And so we do likewise!

As Christians, we have hope in Christ both in this life and in the age to come. As He tells us: “I am the One who lives, and became dead, and behold I am alive for ages and ages […] And I hold the keys of death and death’s underworld” (Revelation 1:18-19). So, we turn to Him in prayer for both the living and the dead, as the church has always done.

 

[quietthinker]

I love that you mentioned 1Cor.13. It was only a few years ago that I realized those beautiful descriptives of love reflected the character of God Himself, and in doing so offering us hope that we could be the same.

I find 'love holds no record of wrongs' gives me a particular perspective I have not always held. It throws a spanner in the works of how I have seen.
How do I reconcile this with judgement as I have understood it?

 

[Pearl]

God is infallible - he doesn't make mistakes or get things wrong.

 

[Brakelite]

I find 'love holds no record of wrongs' gives me a particular perspective I have not always held. It throws a spanner in the works of how I have seen.
How do I reconcile this with judgement as I have understood it?

Well, they'd still those pesky books to be opened. But we know one of them is destined for the dump.

 

[Desire Of All Nations]

This may or may not have anything to do with the thread, but i just want to point out that Protestants shouldn't be calling someone a "Reverend" either. That's another blasphemous habit that needs to be stopped immediately.

 

[Lambano]

God is infallible - he doesn't make mistakes or get things wrong.

That's how He got to be God.

 

[Nancy]

God is also: Just, Jealous, Wrathful, righteous, All powerful and All knowing...But then, "He wages war in righteousness"
Perfect in ALL His ways :)

 

[quietthinker]

God is infallible - he doesn't make mistakes or get things wrong.

'and the LORD was sorry that he had made man on the earth and he was grieved in his heart' Genesis 6:6...sorry Pearl, just gotta stir the pot :)

 

[Nancy]

'and the LORD was sorry that he had made man on the earth and he was grieved in his heart' Genesis 6:6...sorry Pearl, just gotta stir the pot :)

Hi Q.T.
This has crossed my mind many times and broken my heart to boot! It also intones that God gave us free will...IMHO.

 

[quietthinker]

Hi Q.T.
This has crossed my mind many times and broken my heart to boot! It also intones that God gave us free will...IMHO.

Hey Nancy, just imagine how God feels when after pouring out heaven in Jesus, men killed him...
Just imagine, although that's hardly possible, how God feels when he see's all the injustices going on....not just now, but throughout the whole history of Earth.
Can we even understand the term 'long suffering'?
Is it high time I shut my prattling gob?

 

[Nancy]

Hey Nancy, just imagine how God feels when after pouring out heaven in Jesus, men killed him...
Just imagine, although that's hardly possible, how God feels when he see's all the injustices going on....not just now, but throughout the whole history of Earth.
Can we even understand the term 'long suffering'?,
Is it high time I shut my prattling gob?

Before I got to the second last line, the word "longsuffering" flew into my mind. How to fathom just HOW long it is! Yeah "hardly possible" is right. Just think of how some people get to us sometimes, and we cut them off because we can't/won't deal with their stuff,
Oh prattle on Q.T., you're allowed :)

 

[Bob Estey]

I believe that God is Creator, All Knowing (Omniscient) and Present Everywhere (Omnipresent).
He is Love and All Goodness. He is Just.He is Long-suffering. He is Eternal(Father, forgive me if I have forgotten something)

This is my question:
If God is the only Omnipresent Being, how can people say to pray to Mary or a saint, when only God can hear that? Are you supposed to pray to Mary, and God hears it, to God telling Mary, and then Mary telling God? That is how it would have to work, isn't it?Same thing with the saints.

I am not a believer in praying to people, even deceased ones.