I was baptized and raised Catholic with priests and nuns in the family. I know what the Catholic church teaches and what its about.
While the Catholic church denies in words, as the FRoman Catholics do, that it worships Mary, since they attribute to her all the characteristics of God, give her the same titles that Christ and Christ alone is worthy to bear, and make statues of her to put in their churches to pray to her, yes, in fact they are worshiping her.
Take Mary out of a Catholic Church and watch what happens.
I agree with Mark Bsnr.
Take the Blessed Virgin Mary out of the Bible and watch what happens...the Incarnation and mankind's subsequent salvation fail to happen.
And yes, I am familiar with the argument that God could have just picked any woman who was of the House of David, but He DIDN'T, he picked the Blessed Virgin Mary. The REALITY is that our Lord didn't need to be born of a woman at all, He could have just appeared as an adult, He CHOSE His mother.
Anyone who says that indulgences have to do with purchasing forgiveness, as you did, either is ignorant or is mendacious. Sorry, those are the only choices. And I knew that before I became a Catholic.
I cannot speak to your intent. And by the justice and the rules of the forum, I may not speak to your intent.
But I not only can but ought to say that when you present indulgences as being about forgiveness you squander your credibility as an authority on the Catholic Church.
It is possible to make the mistake of reasoning from the particular to the general. That is, careless thinkers may say, "I was taught such and such, therefore everyone is taught such and such." But responsible adults "test [or prove] all things [and] hold fast to that which is good." Throughout my time as an Episcopalian I continually educated myself about my communion. In the process I learned about other Christian fellowships.
So I learned that it was simply a falsehood to present indulgences as being about the purchasing of forgiveness. Anyone who says that simply does not "know what the Catholic church teaches and what it's about."
I do not think most Catholics can see the depth of their devotion to Mary is as strong or stronger than it is to Christ. They just take all the prayers and devotions and novenas and the rosaries and the traditions (like the ave maria and the bride dedicating herself to Mary) , and the May crowning as part of their faith..they do not consider the energy and time they devote to her as opposed to the time and energy they give Christ..
As a Catholic I denied I worshiped Mary, it is only retrospectively I can see that there was no difference in the time or devotion between her and God
I think it starts with the TJTM at the top of papers in Catholic schools (to Jesus THROUGH Mary)..then there is the rosary you get with your 1st communion kit ..and the honor of crowing mary in your first communion outfit ...it is just ingrafted into Catholic kids so it seems right.. and the church names it veneration ... so to you thats what it is, even though the time spent on her steals time from Christ
I was baptized and raised Catholic with priests and nuns in the family. I know what the Catholic church teaches and what its about.
While the Catholic church denies in words, as the FRoman Catholics do, that it worships Mary, since they attribute to her all the characteristics of God, give her the same titles that Christ and Christ alone is worthy to bear, and make statues of her to put in their churches to pray to her, yes, in fact they are worshiping her.
Take Mary out of a Catholic Church and watch what happens.
= = =
VERY WELL AND ACCURATELY PUT.
THX THX.
Of course, the willfully blind tend to be like alligators living in de Nile in Egypt.