Posted on 04/14/2009 6:12:09 AM PDT by NYer
CALIFORNIA AVE. — Santa Monica Police are investigating an alleged hate crime after officials with St. Monica Catholic Church discovered a statue of the Virgin Mary beheaded shortly before Easter services commenced.
A priest found the 55-year-old marble statue, which stands on the corner of Seventh Street and California Avenue, decapitated around 5:45 a.m. on Sunday, spotting the head on the ground just a few feet away. The top of the statue was covered with a white plastic bag before service began.
“Even though it was a sad event, it didn’t take away from the joy of Easter and celebrating Christ’s resurrection,” Jason Farmer, the church spokesman, said. “The joy was still sustained and celebrated throughout the day.”
Police have not identified any suspects.
“Anytime a church or school is targeted, we look at it as a possible hate crime,” SMPD Lt. Darrell Lowe said. “In this case, since the vandalism was of a very important figure within the Catholic religion, we’re classifying it and investigating it as a hate crime.”
Authorities said they are not sure how the head was removed, but Farmer said that the top is not detachable.
The statue, which stands at about 5.5 feet tall and is mounted on a 3.5-foot-tall pedestal, was dedicated in 1954 in memory of Monsignor N. Conneally, who was the head of the church from 1923-1949.
The statue was vandalized in 2002 when both hands were taken off. The perpetrator was never caught, Farmer said.
The statue will be repaired and restored, Farmer said. A cost estimate was not available at presstime.
“The church considers it to be sad and there are certainly questions about why this was done,” Farmer said. “But our sadness is brief, especially in the celebration of Easter.
He said the church considers the incident as a challenge to be more welcoming and caring to those who are struggling or hurting in the community.
“What has happened to the statue is an invitation for us to live out a deeper, more profound love for others,” he said.
Anyone with information is urged to contacted the SMPD at (310) 458-8419.
melodyh@smdp.com
He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
Apparently Jesus did not agree with the veneration of Mary.
I simply don't agree with it.
Jesus didn't pray to her.
He never told us to pray to her.
He never called her a “saint”.
The Bible DOES warns us to not pray to dead people.
If Mary is SO important, why is she hardly even mentioned other than in the four Gospels?
Paul never suggests to pray to her, nor do any of the other NT authors and none suggest that she is better than anyone else.
In the earliest days of the church as told in the Acts of the Apostles, mary-prayer, nor Mary-worship, nor Mary-saint is even hinted at. If it was so important, why is it not preached about by Paul, John, Peter et al?
Yes, she is called “blessed”...but so are...
The peace makers
the poor in spirit
Thomas, who believed without seeing
You
me
all believers
..and I could continue.
No, the worship of Mary is
Not something that Jesus taught
not what the NT teaches as a whole
violates the OT direction against communicating with the dead
attempts to equate Mary to the status of Godhood
Sorry, but do not agree.
nothing personal, but it simply violates most of scripture.
Everyone has the right to worship whomever and however they chose. I happen to disagree with the veneration and worship of Mary. She has no ability to forgive sin. No one goes to the Father but through the Son.
Mary is not worshiped. There are passages about honoring the dead with prayers. If you want find them yourself.
Does your Mom or Dad die and you never pray to or for them again? Nada, forgotten gone?
Are you of the ilk that Mary is so unspecial that God used her like a whore? That God could come to earth, lie in a sinful womb, when God cannot and is not of sin. How unclean to lie in a sinful womb.
Mary is indeed special above all people, she is honored, not worshiped, big, big difference. She bore Jesus, she asked Jesus to perform His first miracle. (wedding at Cana) She says, “do as he says”. She is and has always pointed to Jesus, never herself. I will take Mary being on my side praying for me, my family and guess what you too.
Whether you want to believe it or not Jesus’ Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God is praying for you.
My dad died 4 years ago tomorrow.
I loved him very much.
No, I do not pray to him.
I pray to God, in Christ’s name.
I do not talk to him.
He is gone.
I do not pray for him.
For it is appointed a man once to die, then comes the judgement.
His salvation was sealed before his life ended.
My prayers for him will change nothing.
“Ilk”...rather sarcastic dont you think?
...regardless...
I never refered to, or even used the euphamism that you suggest for Mary.
Yes, mary was a sinner.
For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
That verse does nto say all have sineed, except for Mary. And Mary is never claimed anywhere in Scripture to be sinless.
Read Hebrews chapter 11 carefully and examine the lives of those whom God used.
You will see that ALL were sinners.
Rahab the harlot was used by God despite her sin.
Moses murderd the Egyptian...and God use him in a huge way!
...etc...
God uses the foolish things of this world to confound the wise.
Yes, He used a sinful woman to bear the Son, who, though tempted in every way sinned not.
if Mary pointed to Jesus, why do men point to Mary?
Why even pray to a dead human?
God stands at the door and knocks, desiring our praises that He delights to inhabit.
No.
Mary is not praying for me.
We do however have a comforter Who DOES intercede on our behalf.
God the Holy Spirit, Who interprets even our groans.
Not Mary.
>>>don’t wish to argue. You have your beliefs. No name calling here. I have my beliefs. God will sort the matter out. You asked me about the matter. I replied<<<<<<<
God’s peace to you.
You just didn’t read what I wrote at all, did you? Either that or you read it and didn’t understand it. Or you just want to defend your religion without giving thoughts that are new to you a just and honest hearing. Or - - ?
I gave Mary all the credit you give her for the Virgin birth of Jesus, which is the key to Christianity. Joseph was not His father; Father God was - by the Holy Spirit.
Why do you attribute things to me that I didn’t say and that I went way out of my way to clarify to you before you ever answered me?
“And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” Luke 1:43
As I said, Jesus was her (and Elizabeth’s) Lord even while he was in the Adamic body born of Mary, but when he resurrected he was in a new, spiritual body of physical flesh and bone (with no blood) (Luke 24:39) that Mary had nothing to do with.
Saying that Mary is the mother of the eternal God is an absurdity. How can she be the mother of God when God was existent eternally, before the world was created?
Bishops, of which there were usually more than one in each central church, were not much more than errand-runners - representatives between churches, carrying messages. Why should I put their word in authority above God’s?
It’s ironic you that bring up ignorance of scripture and the church. I don’t think I am having the problems with that that you are. If you knew the history of the Catholic church I don’t think you would stay in it. As for Holy Scripture, if the words of mere men compete with it in your mind, then you don’t understand the importance of it. God puts His word ABOVE His name! Psalm 138:b says, “for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name. “. Can men’s words be on THAT level?
Mary had nothing to do with anything on her own, except to say, “Yes, let it be done unto me according to thy word.”
If not for her yes, where would we be? The child to be born would be Holy, the Son of God. The Holy Trinity, God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, three in One. Jesus is God the Son. The three existed since the beginning.
Mary gave birth to God the Son, the Word, whom existed from the beginning, the Alpha and Omega. She is the Mother of God, Jesus is God the Son. She was born sinless. Adam and Eve were created sinless.
The Bible speaks of Jesus as the new Adam. Where is the new Eve? Mary. Remember as it is written in Scripture. I have not told you all, there is more.
God is limitless, the mind of man puts limits on God. Adam and Eve were sinless, Mary was The Immaculate Conception, born sinless to be the Holy Tabernacle of God the Son.
In Luke Mary says, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord: my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” Mary was saved by Jesus first. Jesus existed since the beginning.
I pray to Mary to help me follow Jesus as I should, I pray to saints, my family and for them too.
Most of all I have Jesus as my savior, God the Son. He gave me Himself on a cross and by His very life and existence since the beginning.
I honor Mary as being Jesus mother, she loves all of us and can pray for us too. I have a family in heaven to pray for me. I am thankful God loved us so much that He gave himself for out salvation first and foremost. He also gave us a family to help us. We are rich.
She's not dead.
You deny that Jesus Christ was God?
The Catholic Church was founded by Christ circa AD 33.
She's not dead.
You might be right about that one.
well - I do talk to my little girl and I ask her to pray for me.
So there.
What that is really all about is an effort to deny that an all-powerful God can do things that we cannot understand. If we can't understand it, He cannot do it.
False, by the way.
The Nestorian heresy is alive and well, I see.
that guy has one deadly hat.
“The Catholic Church was founded by Christ circa AD 33.”
The Catholic Church is founded on lies and forgeries. This is one of them. The Church of Jesus Christ, His body, was founded in 33 A.D.
The Emperor Constantine and Bishop Sylvester of Rome founded the Catholic Church in the Middle of the fourth century. The Christians left it.
“You deny that Jesus Christ was God?”
Please show me where I said that.
The ten commandments begin with “I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.
7: Thou shalt have none other gods before me.
8: Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth:
9: Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them.”
Mary had been made into a deity. Scripture warns us “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the MAN Christ Jesus - - - ‘ (emphasis mine) (I Timothy 2:5)
“What that is really all about is an effort to deny that an all-powerful God can do things that we cannot understand. If we can’t understand it, He cannot do it.”
I will say it again. Mary was the mother of the earthly body of Jesus, conceived by the Holy Ghost, and in the blood line of Adam. When He gave up the ghost, that was the end of THAT body.
When he arose from the grave, he had a NEW body, not of the Adamic blood line, but one similar to what we will have in the resurrection. It had flesh and bones BUT NO BLOOD.
Please do not conclude that I have said or believe anything other than the specific words that I have typed here.
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