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To: Cronos; presently no screen name; LowOiL
Actually the counterfeit false churches (7 or more) are the ones that have been formed by various cult-leaders (what’s your pastor’s name again?).

The original New Testament church had no priests and no pope. The NT church did not pray to the deceased saints, or Mary . Mary was a part of the NT church, but she was not the church. There is no record of Mary after Pentecost when she received the Holy Spirit.

The reason we do not hear of her after that is that she was not essential or a part of the development of the New Testament church

She was respected by the disciples I would think, ..but no one felt she was important enough or essential enough after Pentecost to write about.

There is no record of the apostles or disciples going to visit Mary and ask her prayer or intercession.. none , nada.. If that was to be practice in the new church they would have modeled it and the Holy Spirit would have seen that it was left for us to know through the infallible word of God

If Mary was sinless, God would have wanted to be glorified for sparing mary the sin of Adam, if He had assumed Mary into the heavens He would have recorded it in His word for our edification and His glory

The Catholic church has deified Mary, intentionally or not. In doing that they have removed themselves from the gospel of Christ and instead preach another gospel that has a god that does what his mother tells him, so she is the one that one goes to in time of need

Gal 1:8

1,597 posted on 12/08/2010 1:32:02 PM PST by RnMomof7 (Gal 4:16 asks "Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?")
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To: RnMomof7; presently no screen name; LowOiL
Actually, your statements are utterly false:

1. There ARE priests mentioned. Priests (presbuteroi) are also known as "presbyters" or "elders." In fact, the English term "priest" is simply a contraction of the Greek word presbuteros. They have the responsibility of teaching, governing, and providing the sacraments in a given congregation (1 Tim. 5:17; Jas. 5:14–15).

2. Bishops, including the Bishop of Rome are mentioned. Bishops (episcopoi) have the care of multiple congregations and appoint, ordain, and discipline priests and deacons. They sometimes appear to be called "evangelists" in the New Testament. Examples of first-century bishops include Timothy and Titus (1 Tim. 5:19–22; 2 Tim. 4:5; Titus 1:5).

3. +Peter has a role as first among equals among the Apostles.

4. . "A phenomenon of great significance in the patristic period was the rise and gradual development of veneration for the saints, more particularly for the Blessed Virgin Mary," writes respected Protestant patrologist J.N.D. Kelly. ". . . Earliest in the field was the cult of martyrs, the heroes of the faith whom Christians held to be already in God’s presence and glorious in his sight. At first it took the form of the reverent preservation of their relics and the annual celebration of their ‘birthday.’ From this it was a short step, since they were now with Christ in glory, to seeking their help and prayers, and in the third century evidence for the belief in their intercessory power accumulates" (Early Christian Doctrines [1979], 490).

5. The official prayers of the Mass (see a sacramentary, our official Mass book) address the Father through the Son in the Holy Spirit at every Mass, including feasts of Mary and the saints. Never do we pray these official prayers in the name of Mary or any other saint.

6. Cyril of Jerusalem, in his Catechetical Lectures, which were composed around the year 350, wrote the following: "Then we make mention also of those who have already fallen asleep; first, the patriarchs, prophets, apostles, and martyrs, that through their prayers and supplication God would receive our petition" (23:9).

7. The Didache clearly identifies the practises and beliefs of the Early Christians (it was written around 70 AD) and guess what -- it describes the practises of The Church!
1,734 posted on 12/09/2010 1:25:34 AM PST by Cronos (Et Verbum caro factum est et habitavit in nobis (W Szczebrzeszynie chrzaszcz brzmi w trzcinie))
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