Re: The Communion of Saints

And another thing...
Where in Holy Scripture does anyone pray to a deceased person other than God for what ever reason? Where does it encourage believers to do so? Yes, I know the deceased are "alive", but I can't find any Biblical warrant for believers here on earth praying to the departed believers.

Seeking a Biblical basis for these practices may seem to contraindicate my previous comments regarding Sola Scriptura, but it really doesn't. For although I may not believe that Scripture is FORMALLY sufficient, I do believe in the MATERIAL sufficiency of Scripture. In other words, although we need the interpretive framework of the Apostolic Tradition and the authority of the Church, Scripture contains all the MATERIAL necessary for salvation. This was the teaching of the church fathers. It is this fact which may differentiate between Tradition handed down "once for all" and "traditions" which crept into the church through the passage of time. What I'm trying to ask is that if a practice/doctrine was absent from the Apostolic kerygma as summarized by the "rule of faith" and inscripurated in the New Testament Canon, why should I believe it? For I can point to different church fathers who made claims of an Apostolic "tradition" which contradicted one another. Hence the need for a CANON.

But enough rambling--the hour's late.