Praying to the dead is forbidden — the 1 Samuel 28 (Saul/Samuel) incident is a divine rebuke, not a model; this applies to Catholic prayers to saints

1 Samuel 28 — three key observations: (1) It appears to be the real Samuel, not a fake apparition — God used it to rebuke Saul; (2) The medium herself was shocked, suggesting this was not normal even for her — God did something exceptional; (3) The example shows someone going to a pagan medium — using this as justification for contacting the dead inverts the meaning. The blanket OT rule: contacting the dead is forbidden even for pagan nations — so it is not merely a Mosaic law provision but a universal moral prohibition. In the NT, Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4 comforts grieving believers by pointing to the resurrection — never suggesting they can pray to or contact the deceased. Mike rejects the Catholic analogy ("you ask living humans to pray for you") — God's explicit prohibition transcends ability; just because God could relay prayers through the dead does not mean He will or that we should build doctrine on it.