Posted on 04/25/2007 6:54:31 AM PDT by NYer
Mary isn’t worshiped in the Roman Catholic Church.
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I assure you with 100% confidence, emphatically that that statement is NOT 100% true.
In other words, if that statement is supposed to mean that there is 0.000000% Mary worship in the Roman Catholic Church—then it is a VERY FALSE STATEMENT.
RC folks hereon—some of them—have been honest enough to guesstimate that idolatry in the congregations they are familiar with probably doesn’t go above 5%—15%. But any is too much.
And lack of candor or awareness of that fact is not admirable.
Hear prayers, provide special intercession as the Mother of the Son of God, that she is the Mother of God, that she is the mother of the church, that she is the Queen of Heaven, that she was immaculately conceived, that she was ever virgin, the dispenser of all grace, that she gave birth while keeping a hymen intact, or that she is our co-redeemer, that she appears to people with messages, that she makes statues bleed, that she performs miracles from heaven,
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INDEED.
However, I think the position is:
OF COURSE IT’S TRUTH—THE MAGICSTERICAL SAY SO!
!!!!TRADITION!!!! SAYS SO.
CUSTOM SAYS SO!
THE BISHOPS AND CARDINALS SAY SO!
Besides . . . Mary is suchhhhhh a warm comforting image . . . it FEEEEELLLLS SOOOOOO WONDERFUL. It MUST be right.
There are “St Mary’s Lutheran” churches, as well as “St. Peter’s”, “St Paul’s”, etc. No one says that orthodox Lutherans worship Mary. So if we can have a “St. Mary’s”, so can Roman Catholics, without being accused of idoloatry.
The Lutheran Book of Concord (which revisionist Lutherans prefer to ignore) says that Mary is Theotokos (the Birth-Giver of God) and the Mother of God. If she were not, than Jesus is not God and the Incarnation is not real. Mary received the title Theotokos in an early Ecumenical Council, which the vast majority of the world’s Christians accept.
As shown by the Magnificat, the Theotokos does not want to be worshipped as a goddess, but points the way to worship of God. But she should be honored as the Mother of God.
Also as quite literally shown in the Theotokos Icon believed to be first written by St. Luke (no surprise...who recorded the Magnifcat?) in which the God-bearer points to her Divine Son.
Actually, this phenomenon changes my views on that score!
Sounds like these Lutherans are more than a little ways down that slippery slope.
Blasphemy is a San Francisco value.
I think blasphemy is a San Francisco . . . idol; habit; hobby; trademark; hallmark; passion; recreation; avocation; occupation; . . . .
AS do all of us who are followers of Jesus Christ, Protestants, Catholics, et al. I am weary of repeating this, but it seems that if we are not Catholic, we are not Christians in some eyes. I know I am, and I do not follow myself, if so, I would most likely get banned! :-)
Here we go again.
“...it seems if we are not Catholics, we are not Christians in some eyes”
ladyinred, I am sure you know that this isn’t really true in general. Anecdotal at best.
I have been a Catholic since my conversion 58 years ago and not once—not once—have I ever heard from a priest in the pulpit, that other non-Catholics were not Christian. Not once in 58 years, daily Mass , some 17,600 sermons and not once did I hear anything anti-Protestant.
At parish meetings, prayer groups, functions, etc., no one speaks of non-Catholics as not being Christian.
OTOH, when I made the choice to become Catholic in my 20’s, my Sountern Baptist friends told me that I “was going to hell”. So help me, that is true. Do I hold that attitude against all Baptists? Absoultely not. My 2 sisters are Baptist and I know that not all Baptists would say that.
Catholics recognize Protestant baptisms and Protestant marriages by ordained ministers as validly Christian.
That’s why “seems” and “some” don’t tell a true picture.
Here we go again.
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Not sure what you’re meaning is.
IF your contention is that I’m being fiercely, intensely mockingly ridiculingly satirical again . . . you’re wrong. I could show you the difference, if you wish.
If you think that my commitment is to write only in a way that pleases everyone and with the mildness and somethingness of a wet petunia, that’s likely wrong, too.
I shall continue to prayerfully apply my commitment in as Godly and Biblical a fashion as I can manage. At some point, I suppose, I’ll just have to ignore the wails and whines that I’m not conforming to someone else’s image.
In terms of post 182: That’s my EXPERIENCE of a quite a number of RC’s. A huge percentage of those I’ve met. Well over 50% of those I’ve met. If you think I’m going to pull punches on what MY EXPERIENCE is and in describing that experience—you are wrong. However, I did take significant pains and efforts in post 182 to tone it down and make every line as mild and still true, as I could.
I do not at all feel compelled to try and become a Christian or writer in anyone else’s image.
Yet you pray for Mary to pray for you any you wear amulets of different saint and even ask for them to pray for you. It sounds like you are talking out both sides of your mouth. This woman has only taken the next step and called Mary a Goddess. And all this from the ones who say they have the only true church blah blah blah.
I say that the only way to the Father is through faith in his son and faith that Jesus came to earth as a fleshly man and became obedient to the death of the cross, went to hell and rose again the third day. He is now seated at the right hand of the Father making intercession for me and you and mankind.
In acts 7:56 before Stephen was about to be stoned to death he said "Behold I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."
I will say this, all power in heaven and in earth was given to Jesus upon his resurrection so that would put him in charge of heaven and earth until all thing are put under his feet and then it will be handed over to God the Father.
LOL!
Uh, He’s God. It’s interesting how many ways the bible says it without saying those exact words though. His names alone are proof enough.
Explain my post then or should I just take your word for it? Can you answer the questions I posted?
I do not pray to Mary or any other saint. I pray only to the Father, through the Holy Spirit, in the name of Jesus. Furthermore, I do so without ridiculing other believers in Jesus whose sectarian or liturgical practices differ slightly from mine.
5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
I also really like John 17:5
And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.
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