Posted on 02/19/2010 5:07:29 PM PST by bogusname
Roman Catholic theology often parallels Mary the mother of Jesus with Jesus Himself in His work of redemption. For example, Jesus is born without the stain of original sin, and so is Mary. Jesus lives a sinless life; so does Mary. Jesus remains a virgin all His life; Mary is Ever-Virgin. Jesus is the Redeemer; Mary is Co-Redemptress. Jesus is the one Mediator between man and God, yet Mary, too, is Mediatrix. Jesus is bodily assumed into heaven; so is Mary. Ascribing Christological attributes such as these to Mary historically has been a source of contention between Protestants (who see no basis in Scripture for these beliefs), and Roman Catholics (who emphasize the role of Tradition in these matters).
Defining Terms. All of these beliefs, save two, are official Roman Catholic dogmas. The exceptions Co-Redemptress and Mediatrixare nevertheless hallmarks of Roman Catholic devoutness that many believe to be ripe for dogmatic definition.
These two titles, often considered as a single role for Mary, are technically distinct. Redemptress broadly involves Marys active decision to bring redemption to the world by agreeing to become the mother of Jesus, whereas Mediatrix has to do with Marys active work in continually advocating for the salvation of those who take refuge in her. The Roman Catholic teaching for both is summed up well in the document Ineffabilis Deus: All our hope do we repose in the most Blessed Virginin the all fair and immaculate one who has crushed the poisonous head of the most cruel serpent and brought salvation to the world [hence, Redemptress];... in her who, with her only-begotten Son, is the most powerful Mediatrix and Conciliatrix in the whole world;...in her do we hope who has delivered us from so many threatening dangers.
(Excerpt) Read more at equip.org ...
Well said. Their knowledge of truth is limited by their own interpretation of scripture. At last count over 30,000 Protestant denominations, 30,000 different interpretations of scripture.
Discuss the issues all you want, but do not make it personal.
AYE AYE.
Shame on me for getting carried away.
I’ve allowed some of the excesses today to become particularly annoying. My fault.
Jesuits do. At least. I know this. It's fact.
wonderful little compendium!
I am describing a very real self-aware spiritual entity who performed a major job of identity theft, and then used said stolen identity to lead many away from God and into eternal damnation.
Granted, there are many sincere Catholic Christians who are simply "getting a little on the side," and keeping a parallel worship apparatus in place for the mother goddess. Our side of the family tree has its own problems. Many sincere Protestant Christians support the cult of Caesar with offerings of something far more precious than money, or a token pinch of incense -- they render unto Caesar that which is God's their own children.
Like I said, as long as you're leaving out the Blessed Virgin Mary, I couldn't care less what you post.
Then Christians shouldn't pray for each other, because that's mediation.
His word. In Fact He clearly excludes another
In fact, 1 Tim 2:5 does nothing of the sort, and says nothing like what you claim it says. The word translated "one" is heis ("one, unique, primary"), not monos ("one and only one").
But you don't even need to know Greek to see that. Read it in context:
1 Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.
If you look up "intercession" in the dictionary, you'll find that it's mediation for a lesser party before a greater party. All you have to do is look two verses away to see that your exegesis is wrong.
Paul's point here is not that Christians mediate before the Father in place of Christ -- and no Christian believes that they do -- but the Christians are commanded to mediate for each other with Christ, not instead of him, and he -- the one mediator -- then mediates those petitions to the Father.
Mary doesn't mediate with the Father except through and in Christ, Paul doesn't, Timothy doesn't, the Pope doesn't, I don't, and you don't. That's Catholic doctrine, and it's Biblical doctrine.
As I've said before, Protestants only believe in this "only one mediator" stuff when they use it to attack Catholicism. The rest of the time, they're busy publishing "prayer requests" which ought to be totally out of line if there's only one mediator.
Citation and link, please?
There are also many sincere Catholic Christians who actually believe and practice Catholic doctrine, which completely denies and rejects the existence of any "mother goddess".
(More correctly, the term "god," correctly understand, can only apply to the Triune Deity. See Aquinas' arguments about "necessary" versus "contingent" existence. Mary clearly falls on the "contigent" side: we know the names of her mother and father, for crying out loud. We aren't Mormons, and we don't believe in multiple little "gods" or "goddesses" running around.)
Of course it does, and that is how the Church uses it to describe Mary, as an active participant WITH God, in His Redemption of man through the birth, death and Resurrection of Jesus. It's nothing more complicated than that.
Why do you think God created Mary as sinless? Because of her state of Grace, she made the decision (yes, the DECISION, after all, God gives us ALL Free Will) to say YES, and be that vessel by which Jesus would come into this world, in order to redeem us from our sins.
Our God is an Awesome God.
It was almost poetry in its perfection.
[and stop giving away my umlauts to strangers]
“Why do you think God created Mary as sinless?”
He did not create her sinless, she was a virgin girl, with a sin nature just like every other girl who lived under Adam’s condemnation. Jesus took on his humanity from his mother and in that humanity was tested and tempted just like we are and as was Mary. The difference being, we sinned as did Mary, but Jesus did not.
And, where in all of the Catholic Church’s teachings on Mary is it asserted than there is any Savior other than God made Man, Jesus?
Indeed Christ is our redeemer, but as scripture says "For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:" (eph 2:8)
If Mary dispenses all graces she is the one that gives the grace needed to be saved. Salvation is in HER hands
Jesus ascended into Heaven, Mary was assumed by Him. Jesus is the Savior, Mary is saved by Him. Jesus is perfect, Mary was perfected. Protestants thrive on the misstatements of Catholic theology and belief.
When a line of reasoning leads to an absurd conclusion, the reasoning is proven wrong, not the conclusion proven right.
Exactly...
Act 2:21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
No one who calls on the name of Mary for salvation, or to get salvation for himself/herself thru Mary from Jesus will get any where near Heaven...
Never to heard from again...
Mary, as Catholic belief impels, ascended into Heaven both body and soul. For a full nine months the Christ shared her flesh and blood and was of her flesh and blood. St. Ann and St. Joachim her parents did not bear the Christ and this is the defining point of difference.
Of course we do strictly rely on the Bible...The bible tells us that it includes everything we need to know to become Christians...To get saved...To live eternity in heaven...To become the church of Jesus Christ...
Your religion adds to the scripture and takes away from the scripture in spite of how the scripture condemns you for it and you call it your tradition...
That's fine...I don't have any problem with your religious tradition...Until you tell me you will kill me if I don't accept it...
You can pray to saints...You can pray to Mary...You can pray to Humpty Dumpty...I don't care...
But then to claim your unGodly and unBiblical tradition is just as legitimate as the God breathed words of the Holy Spirt and claim that YOU are the church Jesus founded is beyond the pale...That's right up there with 'Al Gore invented the internet'...
There is a Christianity found in the scriptures, alone...The means of Creation is there...The means of salvation is there...The set-up and operation of the Christian church is there...There is nothing that needs to be added...
I agree, your type of Christianity is not in the scriptures...We all agree on that...
The bible is not incomplete...There is a Christianity there...We are THAT Christianity...
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