Does a person have to be dead to be considered a saint?
452871
Saint means sanctified. When we accept Jesus into our heart, the bible says that we are indwelt by the holy spirit. So regardless of papal or catholic declarations, all those who truly have made Jesus their lord and savior are Saints. It is His blood that has washed us clean of all iniquity and we are sanctified by Him, made Saints by Him.
552029
Only when the body of the deceased is covered with a sheet, way up to the chin, then that deceased person won't wear shoes.\n\nOn the other hand, yes.
836709
No, you must, of course, believe in Christ as Savior to get to heaven.  The pope can guarantee NOTHING!
1058352
Yes.  When a person dies there Spirit/Soul go to the place the Lord has prepared for them. \n\n   The spirits of terror are demons.  Satan is a spirit.  familiar spirits.  There are other spiritual wickedness.  Don't confuse them with your loved one that died.   God commands us not to talk to the dead, because all we get in the communication is familiar spirits associated with family curse. \n\n God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in Truth.  There are spiritual Godly Angels.  When someone becomes a  born again Christian, there is a Spiritual rebirth.   A new man in Christ.
726966
Yes, you can make that request, but it's up to the pertinent authorities to decide whether your request is granted or not. This decision will depend greatly on the circumstances surrounding the demise. If the deceased had a history of a terminal or life-threatening disease, and there's no evidence suggesting that foul-play or medical malpractice was involved, then an autopsy will not be necessary. If the person died under suspicious circumstances [suspected homicide, suicide or drug overdose], the person was alone or unattended at the moment of death, any kind of violence such as child abuse, domestic violence or signs of other criminal activity is involved or suspected, or the cause of death cannot be established by an external examination of the body, then an autopsy is in order. It is also mandatory if a person dies in a hospital less than 48 hours after being admitted for treatment.
78438
Yes, they are all saints. I do know that Saint Margaret and Saint Catherine were virgins and martyrs. They have that in common. Saint Margaret and Saint Cahterine are ranked as one of the fourteen most helpful saints in heaven. I would assume that Saint Michael is there also. So, I think that may be your answer?
767445
Catholic and Orthodox churches create new saints.  Many reformed churches (in particular the C of E) are happy to work with the old ones, but not the newer ones since they split with Rome.\n\nPatron saints are ones with a particular connection with an occupation or some other group of people.  Sometimes the connection is obvious: at other times it's a bit obscure.  Why England should have an Armenian soldier as our patron saint, I've no idea.
988893
One can deduce that such places exists by logic.\nConsider two twin brothers. One is a killer, rapist and a thoroughly bad human being. The other is caring and strive for the betterment of human society. He respects others and do whatever he can to make them happy. Lets say the former{the bad twin} became rich by robing and killing while the other remained poor because he was unwilling to harm anyone. Do they both deserve to parish after death in the same way? If there is a GOD and he is just than this is impossible so there must be some reward or punishment after death!
354691
Beatification\n\n\n\nIn Catholicism, beatification (from Latin beatus, blessed, via Greek μακάριος, makarios) is a recognition accorded by the church of a dead person's accession to Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their name (intercession of saints). As far as the word "beatification" is concerned, its use probably does not antedate the fourth century, when it was introduced in the church at Carthage, but the fact is certainly older. In the earlier ages this honor was entirely local and passed from one diocese to another with the permission of their bishops. This is clear from the fact that early Christian cemeteries contain paintings only of local martyrs. The history of the process is more closely examined in the article on canonization. It should be noted that some of the beatifications by bishops in the Middle Ages are almost scandalous by modern standards. For instance, Charlemagne was beatified by a court bishop shortly after his death. He was never canonized, and his veneration has been mostly suppressed, though permission is given to celebrate Mass in his honor in the cities of Aachen and Osnabrück, though without using the title of "Blessed".\n\nBeatification primarily differs from canonization in this: that the former implies (1) a locally restricted, not a universal, permission to venerate, which is (2) a mere permission, and no precept, while canonization implies a universal precept.\n\nSince the canon law reform of 1983, one miracle must be proven to have taken place through the intercession of the person to be beatified, though this requirement is waived for those who died a martyr. More about the process can be found in the article on canonization.\n\nA person who is beatified is given the title "Blessed." The feast day, however, is not universal, but is celebrated only in regions where the Blessed receives particular veneration. For instance, Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha is honored in the United States of America and Canada. The Blessed may also be honored in a particular religious order. For instance, veneration of John Duns Scotus is found in the diocese of Cologne, Germany and among the Franciscans, among other places.\n\nBeatification is considered to be a step towards being declared a saint, usually following the step of being declared venerable and preceding the step of canonization as a saint. Unlike canonization, most theologians do not consider the declaration of beatitude to be an infallible statement of the Church.\n\nPope John Paul II (18 May 1920 – 2 April 2005) markedly changed previous Catholic practice regarding beatification. By October 2004 he had beatified 1,340 people, more than the sum of all of his predecessors since Pope Sixtus V (d. 1590), who established a beatification procedure similar to that used today.
441518
Many of the Saints in the Orthodox Church had children they were not forbidden to have children.  I know that some popes had children so some saints probably did too.
1052515
Actually some popes are canonized.  John Paul is undergoing the process now whereby you have to perform 2 miracles.  I believe that he cured a nun of Parkinson's disease for one.\n\nIt's specifically the Catholics that do that.  One must have also led an exemplary life as well.
621520
If a doctor or court were to sign a death certificate declaring you legally dead, and subsequently you came back to life, then you would have an argument that you had served your sentence completely.\n\nWhether such an argument would actually hold up in a court is arguable, because your revival would be in the same body with the same mind, fingerprints, memories, predispositions, etc. \n\nBut, it's an interesting question. \n\nHowever, if you only were medically dead for a very short time, and no death certificate was yet signed, then you would not have legally died, therefore you would not have served your entire sentence.
530199
The soul never dies.  The Greek word translated into "souls" below actually stands for "persons."  The soul is not a proven body part.  It is spiritual belief.\n\nNow the answer:  With God time is irrelevant.  The dead body lies in the grave.  The soul is in limbo, waiting for Judgment Day.  Someday there will be a resurrection into new bodies, needing no raiment nor sustenance.  Souls will enter Heaven or  Hell according to judgment of deeds while the body was alive.
106914
In that one minute, you are supposed to honor the deceased.  Some people sit in quiet reflection, others pray.  It's just a way of honoring and remembering the person who passed.  Similar to ringing church bells at a funeral or lighting candles at a vigil.
1031810
It's statistically improbable that a country could operate on such terms. I think perhaps what your friend meant is there are societies in the world where when someone dies, a new couple copulate and prepare to bring a new being to life. This is a spiritual practice as much as a population control mechansim, as they believe that the spirit of the person who died is reborn into the new addition to the society. Such practices are common in tribes and colonies that choose to maintain the prehistoric way of life, such as those living in the amazon, the congo and the himalayas.
493191
Whether or not Jesus was mortal shouldn't really matter, so far as I know. Jesus was supposed to die for humanity's sins so we could accept him as a savior, etc. The part about him bodily going to heaven after being resurrected was just a last miracle, a last hurrah, and to me doesn't seem necessary to the story. It would be easily enough taken as metaphor instead of literal anyway if physical proof came up to the contrary. Though you'd have to realize, with religious folk what is scientific isn't proof enough; heck, they don't believe in the dinosaurs half the time.
1019494
Everyone in heaven or on their way to heaven are saints. You, me, my deceased grandmother, Mary the mother of Jesus, and Mother Teresa. \n\nCatholics and many other Christians believe in the Communion of Saints where all saints are intimately related in the Body of Christ, a family. When you die and go to heaven, you do not leave this family.\n\nWith love in Christ.