Why anglicans pray for the dead

My step father died last sunday. I found myself the last week praying for the repose of his soul. I know that me doing this is out of the Catholic in me.

Is there baises for praying for souls of the departed thou in Anglicanism? Just wondering if anyone smarter than me my drop a quote for or against and explain in context of the Anglican tradition. Rev , Jul 8, In my own movement over decades! I've found it helpful to distinguish praying "to" someone who is dead e. Some will insist there is in Scripture no command or example of praying for the dead or praying to the dead.

One might also insist that there is no command to avoid such prayers addressed to the dead so long as it does not amount to necromancy! These issues came very much to the forefront of my thoughts when my nine-year old daughter died of a brain tumor.

About two weeks before she died, when we all knew that her death was imminent, she asked me what it was like to die, whether it was a terrible experience.

Not having had much experience to draw on! I was left with the little I had learned about the deaths of brain tumor patients, assuring her that I would always be close by to insure her comfort and that for her — because she was a Christian, trusting in Christ for her eternal destiny — there were a number of hints from our Lord Himself about the experience of dying e.

I told her many other things, gathered from the accounts of parents who had attended the deaths of their own children from brain tumors I was a member of an online forum dealing with such matters. Your article leaves the door open for a practice which is not Biblical and practice which is not consistent with the Anglican formularies.

It is not right and good to pray for those who are asleep in Christ. And you have distorted the original prayer from the BCP on which you appear to have based your point. We are not praying for them, but for ourselves. As an Anglican priest I have no problems with praying for the departed or asking them to pray for me. I realize this is from the Orthodox perspective I think this author handles the matter quite well. I think this can be cleared up by differentiating mediation and intercession.

There is one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. Neither the Virgin Mary nor any other saints, dead or alive, can serve as a mediator for our salvation. However, as Christians we are called to intercede for others and there is no indication in the Scriptures that his command to intercede for the world ceases upon our physical death.

On the contrary, we see clearly in Revelation that the saints are praying for those still on the world in an intercessory way. If we are one body of Christ, on earth and heaven militant and triumphant if you will , and we have a mystical communion with one another through Christ in the Eucharist and the means of grace, it is perfectly logical and biblical for any Christian dead or alive to intercede for any other Christian dead or alive , and it follows that if intercession is commanded, requesting intercession is permissible.

I pray that there are far more developed congregations in the States that can partake in this beautiful and profound practice. It has been interesting for me to read the other replies. On paper, they each look very different than how they appear when lived out. Praying for the dead would only provoke more idolatry and false worship of the dead. One only needs to see the explosion in those praying to Santa Muerte Saint Death.

There are too many theological hurdles and too many spiritual minefields to navigate for me to ever promote, or even mention, such an act as praying for the dead.

When left unchecked, these doctrines are simply too dangerous to practice among a laity who have barely grasped the basic fundamentals of the Gospel message. Practices such as praying for the dead, within a Central America context, will only lead to a congregation of well-intentioned but lost Churches void of the ability and authority to righteously guide Her flocks.

Joshua, you have made certain points that need to be challenged. First, arguments from silence works both ways. Scripture does not also forbid the praying for the dead. Second, we pray for dead not for their salvation or to get them out of Purgatory which is not biblical.

We pray for the dead in paradise so that they will have increase in the virtues and the blessings they now have. Third, invocation of saints does not necessarily undermine the omnipresence and omniscience that belong to God If IOS is based on general knowledge and general intercession.

Instead, they have a limited general knowledge that their are those who have asked for their prayers, and they intercede generally for them. This does not require omniscience and omnipresence, indeed we on earth do that often.

However, your concern is not without merit. I have been just as critical of RC apologists who have defended IOS in a manner which they ascribe to the saints what belongs to God.

The homilies also were addressing the Roman error. Granted, the Roman error is still prevalent, and thus it makes sense pastorally not endorse a practice that is ripe for abuse. Yet, there has also not been an Anglican consensus of a blanket condemnation of all IOS. Both Anglo-Catholics and Anglo-reform tend to solidify their positions in manner that is not true to the more nuanced via media position that anglicanism has held on this issue.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Previous Next. Why Pray for the Dead? Share This! About the Author: Anglican Compass. Anglican Compass is your guide to Anglican life. We're here to help you navigate the Anglican tradition with clarity and charity.

Related Posts. All Things Anglican by Throup Review. August 16th, 0 Comments. August 12th, 0 Comments. July 19th, 3 Comments. June 21st, 1 Comment. Finding a Fuller Table in Anglicanism. April 6th, 6 Comments. Ray Kasch March 22, at am - Reply. Greg Goebel March 23, at am - Reply. On these and similar questions, many Anglicans hold one view, others hold another, and still others suspend judgement. What is eternal life? That is, eternal life is a relationship with the eternal God.

According to the Bible, eternal life is a gift of God to us through our faith in Jesus Christ, not a natural endowment. Eternal life refers primarily to the quality, rather than the duration, of life. The converse of this state of blessedness is hell, or separation from God. Eternal life can begin on this earth but it does not end with our death. We have been created with a desire for communion with God, and God satisfies this desire by holding us in being, in this life and beyond this life, with a love that is stronger than death.

The Bible treats a human being as a unity, rather than as a soul imprisoned in a body. Hence, in the fuller life beyond this one, there will be something corresponding to our bodies, but we cannot possibly envisage the precise nature of such life. Should we pray for the dead? Should we pray for anyone? If God knows what is best, need we ask for it? Christ clearly encouraged us to pray for each other and for ourselves Matt. We naturally pray for those we love, and we are commanded to pray for those who do not love us Matt.

Should we, then, pray for the dead? Prayer for those on this earth is not always a specific request for a specific need. Do the dead need our prayers?