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To: Lauren BaRecall
I didn't mean "honoring" her - Protestants do (well, most of them anyway, including me), indeed, honor and respect Mary for who she was as the mother of our Lord and what she did. When I say "Marianism is anathema", I mean the practice of praying to Mary as one prays to God (for Protestants, any prayer directed to anyone or anything other than God is idolatry), as if she could actually hear or do anything about anything or anyone here on earth. Also, Protestants find the entire notion incompatible with her status as a limited human consciousness. If Mary could possibly "hear" all the "prayers" directed to her, from potentially billions of people, it would require her to be omnipresent (and there's really no way to argue that she could hear all the prayers of all the people in the world and respond by interceding for all of them, without some kind of implied omnipresence - which would make her having attributes we only apply to God himself). This is what I meant by what Protestants find anathema.

We certainly don't disrespect her, and we love and admire her, even above all others. But the Mary of history that we respect and honor is not the same individual as what we believe to be the Mary that the Catholics have created. Protestants see the Catholic Mary as a construct created by the Church, an idol, who has been elevated to a virtual Fourth Person of the Trinity. I realize Catholics think we're wrong about that, and that they will deny that that is how they view or treat Mary. I'm just telling you that's how Protestants see it and understand it.

112 posted on 04/22/2008 8:26:02 AM PDT by Boagenes (I'm your huckleberry, that's just my game.)
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To: Boagenes
I'm just telling you that's how Protestants see it and understand it.

And in doing so, such Protestants are saying No, Catholic, you do not believe what you say you believe. Quite the opposite! You believe what WE say, and you're quite evil and decidedly naughty for doing so.

THAT is bearing false witness.

113 posted on 04/22/2008 8:30:13 AM PDT by Petronski (Vivat Benedict XVI!)
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