Posted on 10/16/2009 8:26:49 AM PDT by NYer
After a lot of study of the Scriptures and the Church Fathers,
I’ve personally come to the conclusion that Protestants make too
little of Mary and Catholics make too much.
Given the current lay of the land, I’d give the edge currently
to Catholics as being closer to the truth - but still too
far from the center.
best,
ampu
Some modern Protestants appreciate Mary?
Some moder Protestants actually like Mary?
Gosh, that’s big of them.
God Almighty CHOSE Mary from the very beginning of the world to be the Mother of the Savior so the opinion of protestants, albeit a step up from the vulgar blasphemy of the past, is still very deficient.
I have never believed that - of course it mattered - Mary was of the Davidic lineage - a crucial point.
As an Evangelical, I have always known that everything else about who Mary was as a person is important.
After all, Jesus entrusted her to his closest friend before He died - Mary matters to me because Mary mattered to Jesus.
Thank you for posting this article on Mary - I try to look at what we have in common rather than points of contention - have a blessed day.
Are you being Ecumenical? No antagonism?
Luther, Calvin, and Other Early Protestants on the Perpetual Virginity of Mary
"Do whatever He tells you."
-Mary of Nazareth
:)
I’m asking for an explanation. I’m an evangelical Christian who cares to know what others think.
Colonel, USAFR
Since the tradition of the Church (including virtually all the early Protestant reformers, by the way) included the perpetual virginity of Mary, there is no reason to prefer an explanation that contradicts that belief, which was universally held until VERY recently (I think the religious wars in England is the first place the rejection of Mary's virginity crops up, among the Levellers and Fifth Monarchy men).
But, seriously, would YOU touch the Ark of the Covenant in that way? Remember what happened to Uzzah . . . .
The quote says “explicitly”, meaning no direct statement, but touched by some writings. And do you not realize that all Scripture is Tradition?
Love Begins With a Dream
by Bishop Fulton J. Sheen
http://www.catholictradition.org/Mary/dream.htm
“But God not only thought of her in eternity; He also had her in mind at the beginning of time. In the beginning of history, when the human race fell through the solicitation of a woman, God spoke to the Devil and said, “I will establish a feud between thee and the woman, between thy offspring and hers; she is to crush thy head, while thou dost lie in wait at her heels” (Gen. 3:15). God was saying that, if it was by a woman that man fell, it would be through a woman that God would be revenged. Whoever His Mother would be, she would certainly be blessed among women, and because God Himself chose her, He would see to it that all generations would call her blessed.
When God willed to become Man, He had to decide on the time of His coming, the country in which He would be born, the city in which He would be raised, the people, the race, the political and economic systems that would surround Him, the language He would speak, and the psychological attitudes with which He would come in contact as the Lord of History and the Savior of the World.
All these details would depend entirely on one factor: the woman who would be His Mother. To choose a mother is to choose a social position, a language, a city, an environment, a crisis, and a destiny.
His Mother was not like ours, whom we accepted as something historically fixed, which we could not change; He was born of a Mother whom He chose before He was born. It is the only instance in history where both the Son willed the Mother and the Mother willed the Son. And this is what the Creed means when it says “born of the Virgin Mary.” She was called by God as Aaron was, and Our Lord was born not just of her flesh but also by her consent.
Before taking unto Himself a human nature, He consulted with the Woman, to ask her if she would give Him a man. The Manhood of Jesus was not stolen from humanity, as Prometheus stole fire from heaven; it was given as a gift.
The first man, Adam, was made from the slime of the earth. The first woman was made from a man in an ecstasy. The new Adam, Christ, comes from the new Eve, Mary, in an ecstasy of prayer and love of God and the fullness of freedom.”
I like Mary. I’m in awe of Mary. She gets a pink candle for Advent. She was a Godly woman, who accepted a calling and a blessing. But just as the wise men worshiped and gave presents to Jesus, I do not give prayer, praise, or worship to Mary that is due to her son.
This article correctly implies that Marian Worship will never be accepted by Protestants until tradition is accepted. I do not believe tradition will be accepted by Protestants, so Marian Worship faces a big hurdle.
Appreciation of Mary is another thing all together. Every Christmas season we are reminded of Mary’s acceptance of and submission to God’s will.
The revulsion of Marian Worship is sometimes miss directed at Mary, the mother of Jesus, when it should be directed at the idea of Mary, the Queen of Heaven.
During my Grandmother’s funeral, I was looking around at the mosaics in the Catholic Church. I was disturbed by the image of Jesus bowing to Mary, offering her a crown while on His knees. I don’t see anyway to support this image based on scripture or the creeds.
Remember that when Christ was made man, he made himself subject to Mary and to Joseph. Luke 2:51. He knelt at their feet, obeyed them in all things, and served as a child serves.
J.R. Herbert, "Christ Subject to His Parents at Nazareth"
Because he humbled himself in all things, even unto death on a cross. Philipians 2:8.
Bears repeating! Thank you for posting that simple truth!
I try to look at what we have in common rather than points of contention
Absolutely right! In the current climate of secularism and relativism, now is the time for us to join forces on those areas we share in common. BTW - If you have not yet done so, I think you would enjoy the Roy Schoeman conversion story, posted at one of the comments above.
Wishing you a blessed weekend!
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