Prayers For The Dead?

[aris2chat]

Prayers and mourning are for the living. Dead no longer need them or care.
Survivors need to seek their own solace, whatever gets them through the day and eventually move on. The dead or free. The living need to say their goodbyes and let go.

Prayers are not going to change the fate of the dead, they can only comfort the living

 

[Luddly Neddite]

All customs are to benefit and comfort the living. The dead don't care.

That has not been my experience.

Have you ever been dead?

 

[Meriweather]

Have you ever been dead?

Not eternally so, no.

 

[Blackrook]

Prayers for the dead is in Maccabees, which Protestants took out of the Bible.

 

[Spinster]

Prayers for the dead is in Maccabees, which Protestants took out of the Bible.

Good reason for it not being in the Bible, perhaps. Are you using the term "Protestants" loosely or were you referring to "religious" people? Or, was it "historians" or certain "publishers" that made editorial decisions. History isn't a true reflection of what took place, more now than ever.

 

[guno]

Some religions have them but they really don't make much sense.
If you are going to Heaven then you don't need them.
If you are going to hell you can't use them.

So is it guilt?

Think a lot of the things we do both religious and secular for the dead is more to show other living people that when they die they wont be forgotten. You're right, it doesn't do much for the dead person but it does a lot for those still living.

Jewish Prayers:Mourners Kaddish

The Mourners Kaddish | Jewish Virtual Library

The purpose of Kaddish is to glorify God despite losing a family member.

Are you Jewish?

Modern Orthodox. You should read the Kaddish in English; it's a beautiful praise of Hashem.

In a few days I will recite Kaddish for my father

 

[guno]

What does the Tanakh (bible) say about the dead

The Tanakh says the dead "know not anything" (Eccl. 9:5), they "do not praise the Lord" (Psalm 115:17), and that their thoughts have perished (Psalm 146:4).

Why Is There Little Mention of Life After Death in the Bible?

 

[Meriweather]

What does the Tanakh (bible) say about the dead

The Tanakh says the dead "know not anything" (Eccl. 9:5), they "do not praise the Lord" (Psalm 115:17), and that their thoughts have perished (Psalm 146:4).

And on earth, this is very true. We look at the dead and they don't know anything, don't praise the Lord, and their thoughts are no longer there.

The question is, what happens upon leaving existence on this earthly plain? Knowledge, praise, and thoughts leave with them and go where they go.

 

[guno]

What does the Tanakh (bible) say about the dead

The Tanakh says the dead "know not anything" (Eccl. 9:5), they "do not praise the Lord" (Psalm 115:17), and that their thoughts have perished (Psalm 146:4).

And on earth, this is very true. We look at the dead and they don't know anything, don't praise the Lord, and their thoughts are no longer there.

The question is, what happens upon leaving existence on this earthly plain? Knowledge, praise, and thoughts leave with them and go where they go.

Olam Ha-Ba: The Afterlife

Judaism 101: Olam Ha-Ba: The Afterlife

 

[Indeependent]

Think a lot of the things we do both religious and secular for the dead is more to show other living people that when they die they wont be forgotten. You're right, it doesn't do much for the dead person but it does a lot for those still living.

Jewish Prayers:Mourners Kaddish

The Mourners Kaddish | Jewish Virtual Library

The purpose of Kaddish is to glorify God despite losing a family member.

Are you Jewish?

Modern Orthodox. You should read the Kaddish in English; it's a beautiful praise of Hashem.

In a few days I will recite Kaddish for my father

It is important to concentrate on the meaning of words.
The glorification of God's and to ask God to increase peace in the world.
This allows your father, through you, to positively effect the world.