jmoon@lehi3b15.csee.lehigh.edu (Jonggu Moon [890911]) (11/09/90)
One day our IV chapter was having a hot prayer session, when in walks a lady who says that her mother had died and asked us to lift a prayer for her mother. Well, during the prayer, we prayed for the daughter ( that she would know the love of God and feel the caring and support of Christ ). Later, we tried to explain to her that we believed that we should NOT pray for the dead since we are not given authority over that realm ...yet. So were we right or wrong ? ^>*<^ ////\ -o-o- ( o ) / \i hunger [Presumably by IV you mean Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, a group that works primarily on college campuses. You might want to consider the fact that Christians are told to bring all of their concerns to God in prayer. After a loved one dies, it seems perfectly natural to bring your concern for them to God. I understand why the Reformers considered some 16th Cent. Roman Catholic practices in this area to be in need of change. Some care is needed to guard against superstitious practices or those contrary to our understanding of salvation. But a flat prohibition against prayer for the dead seems to me to be inhuman and contrary to clear Biblical instructions. I cannot conceive of any Christian group refusing to pray with someone who comes to them, telling them in effect that they should not bring their concern on that subject to God. --clh]