Posted on 05/30/2008 10:21:34 AM PDT by Ultra Sonic 007
Some of you will remember my recent decision to become a Catholic. I suppose I should be surprised it ended getting derailed into a 'Catholic vs. Protestant' thread, but after going further into the Religion forum, I suppose it's par for the course.
There seems to be a bit of big issue concerning Mary. I wanted to share an observation of sorts.
Now...although I was formerly going by 'Sola Scriptura', my father was born and raised Catholic, so I do have some knowledge of Catholic doctrine (not enough, at any rate...so consider all observations thusly).
Mary as a 'co-redeemer', Mary as someone to intercede for us with regards to our Lord Jesus.
Now...I can definitely see how this would raise some hairs. After all, Jesus Himself said that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and that none come to the Father but through Him. I completely agree.
I do notice a bit of a fundamental difference in perception though. Call it a conflict of POV. Do Catholics worship Mary (as I've seen a number of Protestants proclaim), or do they rather respect and venerate her (as I've seen Catholics claim)? Note that it's one thing to regard someone with reverence; I revere President Bush as the noted leader of the free world. I revere my father. I revere Dr. O'Neil, a humorous and brilliant math teacher at my university. It's an act of respect.
But do I WORSHIP them?
No. Big difference between respecting/revering and worshiping. At least, that's how I view it.
I suppose it's also a foible to ask Mary to pray for us, on our behalf...but don't we tend to also ask other people to pray for us? Doesn't President Bush ask for people to pray for him? Don't we ask our family members to pray for us for protection while on a trip? I don't see quite a big disconnect between that and asking Mary to help pray for our wellbeing.
There is some question to the fact that she is physically dead. Though it stands to consider that she is still alive, in Heaven. Is it not common practice to not just regard our physical life, but to regard most of all our spirit, our soul? That which survives the flesh before ascending to Heaven or descending to Hell after God's judgment?
I don't think it's that big of a deal. I could change my mind after reading more in-depth, but I don't think that the Catholic Church has decreed via papal infallibility that Mary is to be placed on a higher pedestal than Jesus, or even to be His equal.
Do I think she is someone to be revered and respected? Certainly. She is the mother of Jesus, who knew Him for His entire life as a human on Earth. Given that He respected her (for He came to fulfill the old laws; including 'Honor Thy Father and Mother'), I don't think it's unnatural for other humans to do the same. I think it's somewhat presumptuous to regard it on the same level as idolatry or supplanting Jesus with another.
In a way, I guess the way Catholics treat Mary and the saints is similar to how the masses treated the Apostles following the Resurrection and Jesus's Ascension: people who are considered holy in that they have a deep connection with Jesus and His Word, His Teachings, His Message. As the Apostles spread the Good News and are remembered and revered to this day for their work, so to are the works of those sainted remembered and revered. Likewise with Mary. Are the Apostles worshiped? No. That's how it holds with Mary and the saints.
At least, that's how my initial thoughts on the subject are. I'll have to do more reading.
Defined as: somebody finding something in the Bible I don't think is there.
Defined as imposing your own ideas on the biblical text!
I was just repeating what I'd read from the Catechism, aka Catholic teaching. As most Catholics on this thread have asserted that there is a difference between the actions of people and what the Church teaches as doctrine, I stated what was said in the Catechism with that in mind. Because it was at a point where we had a back-and-forth series of 'Mary is X/Mary is not X, but Y' and whatnot (though we still have it going on now, but oh well).
It's time to stop the pretense of openmindedness.
If that were the case, why would I even bother posting? I'd just be nodding my head along with everything said about Mary by the Catholic Freepers, not even bothering to consider any accusations by the others (and there are some valid ones, have no doubt about that).
Right beneath the part you quoted, I said the following:
I will not deny though, reading through a number of the threads, that some take the idea of Mary's role in the Church WAY too far, overstating her position and ascribing to her properties that she does not have (Jesus "receiving an immaculate nature from a truly immaculate mother."? Really now.) Then again, as has been said a number of times by Catholics on this thread; the words of priests, followers do not equate to Catholic teaching. The Pope's words, when not proclaiming official Doctrine via an ex cathedra statement, do not equal Catholic teaching.
That's the basic gist of what I'm reading so far.
I recognize that a lot of people go too far with the role of Mary. And there are some questions to consider; given that "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God", how can one reconcile that with the Catechism doctrine proclaiming that Mary was born free of original sin (which, in my mind, is somewhat different from a normal sin, is it not? Original sin is our sinful state, where we are susceptible to the temptation of vice and evil...somewhat different from the actual act of sinning, isn't it?)? There are valid questions involved.
Which is why this thread is here, for one. I'm certainly enjoying the exchange (despite the textual blisters from a harsh barb or two). And best of all, I'm learning.
You are a Catholic through and through.
If I were, I wouldn't have posted this thread.
May God be with you on your journey.
And also with you.
I said "they" hate "us". And either they know who they are or they won't profit from reading my list.
I will stop saying it when it stops seeming to be true.
As for catching stuff, if a description of what I see is "stuff", who knows? Could be my fault, could be a problem in my description, or it might just be a problem in what I'm describing.
You said: Cough, cough (Acts 1), cough.
I see nothing in Acts 1 which contradicts what I said. Maybe if you provided a specific example of a story where parts of the story are historical and others are just tales, we could discuss it.
Or better yet, since you brought it up -- why don't you tell me which part of Acts 1 you DON'T think is a historical fact?
Fulfilling prophesy is a historical act.
Believe as we instruct you or you will be clubbed about the head and neck as the foolish rebel malcontent Romanist pigdog that we know you to be.
Love, C.
I’ll bet he had a plan B somewhere...LOL.
But don't ya think the pronouncements to the crowd would have been in Koine Greek ?
Well, I guess it could have been anyone in the line of David but the problem for them is that it wasn’t, it was Mary who was His mother. And if it had been another female from the line of David, then she would be the Mother of God.
As we know, God did not NEED Mary, He chose her. He didn’t NEED Abraham, Moses, Isaac, Joseph...he chose them.
Geesh, anything to dismiss Mary, anything to make her insignificant in the salvation story.
Some Catholics hate Protestants. Some don’t.
Some Protestants hate Catholics. Some don’t.
Sounds simple enough to me. Either ignore those who do hate, try to correct them if it’s misguided, or hate right back.
I’d prefer either option one or two.
...My point is that if you are in the middle of one type of story, you can't lift individual sentences out of the story and claim that the sentence is historical, while the next sentence must be just imagery.
Yes you can. The Bible is absolutely overflowing with such juxtapositions. Do I really need to cite some, or are you willing to condede the point now that I've made it explicit?
On what legend is the Immaculate Conception based?
I disagree with my priests all the time. In RCIA a preist gave some explanation and said, Is that okay?" and one of the Sponsors said, "NO!" emphatically. I usually don't make my disagreements so publicly but the priests I hang with know about them.
They even believe the clerics have the power to command God to do what they want.
WEll, it might help if you could find where we teach that. But absent your doing so, I'm going to file that as another example of, well, something other than the truth being told by our opponents.
We’ve got our share of them too, but they don’t voice anything but praise and thanks for the freedom they find in worship and the Word here.
You're just joking, right?
DEEPLY HUMBLED AND BLESSED, JIM,
Thanks tons.
It has greatly grieved me that I could not chime in on your prayer thread after my banning while I was visiting my blood dad in AZ.
I had not realized that I’d put you and prayers for you ahead of my own blood dad.
But that is the fact. You have that kind of rank in my life. Part of it is the enormous wealth of high priority benefit you bring, have fought for and represent vis a vis the Constitution and our beleagured Republic.
But a big part of it, too, is that the man I met in Cortez is overwhelmingly congruent with the best of FR’s goals and operations.
You have a lot of wonderful fiestiness about you. But you also have a depth and breadth of humility that is uncommon in folks with as much national and international clout as you have.
And, I confess that I’ve always looked on you as LOVEABLE BIG DADDY on FR out of my own emotional mangling and distancing stuff from both my Dad’s. I suspect that high respect and deep affection for you has likely embarrassed you more than blessed you but it’s still a fact.
Regardless. You have that kind of stature in my mind and in my heart.
Thanks for being you and for getting healthy again.
Wait just a minute! If God had a plan B (in case Mary said no), then her predestination is right out the window.
The supralapsarians are not going to like that theory one bit!
...of course, you both have interpreted Scripture by the guidance of the Holy Spirit (even though you are led to mutually exclusive conclusions)...
Welcome back. You were missed.
Joya
Prayers for your family.shalom in the arms of Yah'shua
Welcome back!
And neither do we. We just believe what it says. Try it sometime.
I don’t think they really hate us. I think they just love their own opinion so much that it just seems that way. Pride and vanity often sounds more like hate than self-love when you are on the receiving end.
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