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Feb 13, 2012 -- 11:20AM, TemplarS wrote:

If you feel the need: why not simply offer a prayer that God be merciful?

The system of beliefs and practices to which I adhere discourages prayers for the dead; and the reason for that is as simple as it is practical. If my friend went to hell, there is of course no hope of mercy; ergo: any prayer offered for him in that state would just result in a ping. And if he went to heaven, then he doesn't need prayer anyway. In point of fact, by all rights, my friend, if he went to heaven, ought to be praying for yours truly since the prayers of someone already in heaven are far more likely to be heard than mine.

Feb 13, 2012 -- 12:23PM, Webers_Home wrote:

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Feb 13, 2012 -- 11:20AM, TemplarS wrote:

If you feel the need: why not simply offer a prayer that God be merciful?

The system of beliefs and practices to which I adhere discourages prayers for the dead; and the reason for that is as simple as it is practical. If my friend went to hell, there is of course no hope of mercy; ergo: any prayer offered for him in that state would just result in a ping. And if he went to heaven, then he doesn't need prayer anyway. In point of fact, by all rights, my friend, if he went to heaven, ought to be praying for yours truly since the prayers of someone already in heaven are far more likely to be heard than mine.

FYI : the system of beliefs and practices to which I adhere rejects the theory of a purgatory.

Cliff
/

The one question from which no person can escape and we all must answer is, just who is

Jesus ?

Jesus demands that we all must answer who He is :

 "But whom say ye that I am?"

    ( Matthew 16:15)

We cannot escape answering.

Pilate , and his wife , troubled and desperate at His very presence tried frantically not to answer

the question of who Jesus is  and failed miserably:

            " Have nothing to do with that just man , for I have suffered many thing this day in a dream because of him. "  ( Matthew 27:19)

          "...he took water  , and washed his hands before the multitude , saying I am innocent.."

                                 ( Matthew 27:24 )

The centurion at the foot of the cross had to decide who Jesus is:

              "  Truly this was the Son of God. "

                   ( Matthew 27:54 )

 While not 100% certain ,  the best indicator you can have of  " where your friend is " would

be in the  decision we all know he made concerning who is Jesus , and more importantly what

impact on his life did his decision have? 

Feb 13, 2012 -- 12:23PM, Webers_Home wrote:

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Feb 13, 2012 -- 11:20AM, TemplarS wrote:

If you feel the need: why not simply offer a prayer that God be merciful?

The system of beliefs and practices to which I adhere discourages prayers for the dead; and the reason for that is as simple as it is practical. If my friend went to hell, there is of course no hope of mercy; ergo: any prayer offered for him in that state would just result in a ping. And if he went to heaven, then he doesn't need prayer anyway. In point of fact, by all rights, my friend, if he went to heaven, ought to be praying for yours truly since the prayers of someone already in heaven are far more likely to be heard than mine.

FYI : the system of beliefs and practices to which I adhere rejects the theory of a purgatory.

Cliff
/

Why put limits on God's mercy?  

If prayer in general is capable of influencing God to do something he would not do otherwise (which may be worth a separate discussion) I see no reason why prayers for the souls of the dead would be any different from any other type of intercessory prayers.  

I would expect them, in fact, to be more effective.  Many other common prayers seem to be limited by facts relating to the material world we live in; praying for God to keep someone safe on an airplane flight is not notably effective in cases where the mechanic forgot to put the right bolt in the right hole. 

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Feb 14, 2012 -- 1:12AM, SeraphimR wrote:

As far as prayers for the dead are concerned, we can still appeal to God's mercy before the final judgement, surely.

Not so if you're one of the world's 1,142,604,000 Roman Catholics.

Very nice, Basil