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Mary Worship? A Study of Catholic Practice and Doctrine
Park View ^ | July 2001 | Mary Ann Collins (A Former Catholic Nun)

Posted on 02/10/2011 7:57:12 AM PST by Christian Engineer Mass

Jesus said that the truth will set us free. (John 8:32) However, He did not say that the truth would necessarily be easy to accept. It was painful for me to learn the information that I am about to share with you, but it was also liberating and it led to a closer relationship with God.

As a faithful Catholic, and later as a nun, I practiced Mary worship for many years without realizing it. The prayers and practices were so familiar. They were taught to me by good people, sincere people that I trusted. I prayed rosaries and wore a scapular and engaged in other “devotions” which I honestly thought were good and pleasing to God. Because of my lack of knowledge of the Bible and of Church history, I honestly had no idea that I was actually worshipping Mary.

If modern Catholic teachings and doctrines about Mary are true, then they will not be contrary to Scripture, the writings of the Early Fathers, or the decrees of past popes. For a devout Catholic to question these issues and put them to the test can be painful. It certainly was for me. However, it would be far more painful to have God correct us when we face Him on Judgment Day.

LETTING THE CATHOLIC CHURCH SPEAK FOR ITSELF

I believe in letting people speak for themselves. Therefore my primary sources about Catholic doctrines and history come from the Catholic Church.

First and foremost is the official Catechism of the Catholic Church which was written for the purpose of summarizing the essential and basic teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. It was approved by Pope John Paul II in 1992 and the English translation was released in 1994.

(Excerpt) Read more at parkviewgospelhall.com ...


TOPICS: Catholic
KEYWORDS: catholicbashing; fictionalformernun; mariolotry; notanun; pretendformernun; unsubstantiated; yopios
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To: Turtlepower

“Scripture is self-evident so the books that you are referring to were never true scripture to begin with.”

So you are God then, and what doesn’t fit gets tossed out.

Even Popes aren’t that powerful!


141 posted on 02/10/2011 11:01:56 AM PST by BenKenobi (Don't expect to build up the weak by pulling down the strong. - Silent Cal)
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To: CharlesWayneCT; Carpe Cerevisi
... so I let it go.

Oh, thank goodness! Carpe Cerevisi, you were fortunate, this time. But be careful, Charles is 'in charge'.

142 posted on 02/10/2011 11:03:08 AM PST by Servant of the Cross (the Truth will set you free!)
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To: RobRoy

Jesus from the Cross:

“Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to his mother, ‘Woman, behold your son!’ Then He said to the disciple, ‘Behold your mother!’ And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.” (John 19:25-27, NKJV throughout unless otherwise noted.)
The Amplified Bible quotes verse 26 of John 19 as follows:

“So Jesus, seeing His mother and the disciple whom He loved standing near, said to His mother, [Dear] woman, see, [here is] your son! “


143 posted on 02/10/2011 11:07:22 AM PST by Kansas58
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To: Siena Dreaming

“You don’t need to ask your family members for prayers...you have Christ Himself taking your prayers and praying on behalf of you to the Father.”

Oh sure. You think Catholics disagree with you?

We can take it to Christ whenever we want, and he will hear us and help us. But we are commanded by Christ to pray for one another! You ask, we’ll do what we can to ask Christ to help you. Just as you would for us.


144 posted on 02/10/2011 11:07:22 AM PST by BenKenobi (Don't expect to build up the weak by pulling down the strong. - Silent Cal)
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To: Siena Dreaming

I believe that scripture and tradition are inspired by the Holy spirit. Scripture is a part, not separate from tradition.


145 posted on 02/10/2011 11:10:04 AM PST by BenKenobi (Don't expect to build up the weak by pulling down the strong. - Silent Cal)
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To: BenKenobi

“Hmm, so presumably Pope Gelasius is one of the ‘Good popes’?”

OK, so you accept that the apostolic line is broken. That’s good.


146 posted on 02/10/2011 11:12:17 AM PST by Christian Engineer Mass (25ish Cambridge, MA grad student. Any potential conservative Christian FReepmail-FRiends out there?)
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To: Kansas58

Most Lutheran Bibles have those books in them. In the US they did till WWI when Wilson wanted to make Lutherans more like Anglicans and purge them of their hunnic influence.


147 posted on 02/10/2011 11:12:33 AM PST by redgolum ("God is dead" -- Nietzsche. "Nietzsche is dead" -- God.)
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To: Mr Rogers

Thanks very much. I’ve been to that site a good many times and have no idea how I missed that portion and links.

Regards


148 posted on 02/10/2011 11:12:33 AM PST by Rashputin (Barry is totally insane and being kept medicated and on golf courses to hide the fact)
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To: BenKenobi
You think Catholics disagree with you?

Many do. As I said...I've had Catholics say to me that they feel too dirty to go directly into God's presence.

But we are commanded by Christ to pray for one another!

When you find this command given by Christ it is only given to the living, not those who have passed on.

149 posted on 02/10/2011 11:12:40 AM PST by Siena Dreaming
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To: Salvation

>>Obviously you don’t believe in the Resurrection of Christ or the Resurrection of the Dead.<<

Actually, that is core to my belief. However, for this particular space/time continuum (reality), the resurrection (other than the first fruit - Christ has not yet happened. The bible is VERY clear about that.

However, once resurrected, can one enter our reality at any point in time? I dunno. Again, it is that 1 Cor 13:12 thing.

>>Mary was assumed into heaven — Early Church Fathers have written about it. She is alive, just as Christ is alive in heaven.<<

Oh for crying out loud. The Jewish leaders contradicted scripture with their teachings and a lot of Jews believed them. It appears that many Christians are making the same mistake. It’s right there in the Bible. It’s not that complicated. Seriously. It’s not.

>>What don’t you believe about the words of the Blessed Virgin Mary — her last ones in the Bible?

“Do whatever He tells you.”<<

You mean when he turned the water into wine? And I don’t know where you are going with bringing up that scripture. What I mean is the one of the main messages of the NT is to do what Jesus tells us. That is not what we are debating here.


150 posted on 02/10/2011 11:13:17 AM PST by RobRoy (The US Today: Revelation 18:4)
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To: Turtlepower
I cannot find online at the Vatican the documents that this "former nun" paraphrased. I have found websites that purport to quote these documents; Pope Benedict XVs apostolic letter "Inter Sodalicia", 22 March 1918 and Pope Pius IXs encyclical "UBI PRIMUM, On the Immaculate Conception", 2 February 1849. However, these websites provide no link to the actual documents in their entirety. Some of the protestant sites have much different wording and/or provide only snippets of the documents. I will note that what "she" attributes to Pope Pius IX is, while included in UBI PRIMUM, On the Immaculate Conception, appears to be a quote from St. Bernard of Clairvaux, 1090-1153.

Having read what is available, I come to the conclusion that her excerpts are, like the rest of her presentation, taken out of context and are thus disingenuous.

151 posted on 02/10/2011 11:13:49 AM PST by A.A. Cunningham (Barry Soetoro is a Kenyan communist)
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To: Salvation

>>What don’t you believe about the words of the Blessed Virgin Mary — her last ones in the Bible?<<

BTW, a little off topic, but when I hear people say “blessed virgin Mary” I am reminded of the main character in a bad movie called “Talledega Nights” where, when saying grace, the main character prays to “baby Jesus”.

He grew up.


152 posted on 02/10/2011 11:15:18 AM PST by RobRoy (The US Today: Revelation 18:4)
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To: BenKenobi
I believe that scripture and tradition are inspired by the Holy spirit

If so, it would seem logical to assume you consider the scripture infallible, just as you consider the Pope infallible because of the presence of the Holy Spirit.

153 posted on 02/10/2011 11:15:27 AM PST by Siena Dreaming
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To: Siena Dreaming

Therefore, Christ is the only mediator but there are many intercessors just as Scripture states.


154 posted on 02/10/2011 11:16:19 AM PST by A.A. Cunningham (Barry Soetoro is a Kenyan communist)
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To: BenKenobi

A Catholic does NOT need permission, from the Church, to marry a non-Catholic.

You are wrong, if you were trying to make that point.


155 posted on 02/10/2011 11:18:03 AM PST by Kansas58
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To: A.A. Cunningham
but there are many intercessors just as Scripture states

I'm not sure I said differently.

156 posted on 02/10/2011 11:18:59 AM PST by Siena Dreaming
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To: RobRoy
I'm well aware of who Melchisedech, first mentioned in Scripture in Genesis 14 as the priest who offered a sacrifice of bread and wine, is.
157 posted on 02/10/2011 11:23:00 AM PST by A.A. Cunningham (Barry Soetoro is a Kenyan communist)
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To: Turtlepower

Actually, we do not consider any Pope infallible in all things.
Only when “speaking from the throne of St. Peter” as it is called.


158 posted on 02/10/2011 11:25:08 AM PST by Kansas58
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To: RobRoy

I believe that either you or your wife are being dishonest.


159 posted on 02/10/2011 11:25:55 AM PST by A.A. Cunningham (Barry Soetoro is a Kenyan communist)
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To: BenKenobi

>>Mary was just a woman, so we’d expect to hear about Elizabeth as often as we do Mary.<<

Are you arguing who should be more “famous”? If you compare the offspring of Elizabeth (the reason for her fame) and the offspring of Mary (the reason for her fame), which of these women would you expect to hear the most about?

>>I’ve yet to hear a protestant (and I was a protestant), ever preach a sermon on Mary, despite her prominence in Luke 1. Why is this?<<

As a protestant I have heard sermons on Mary, Ruth, Naomi, Soloman, David and pretty much every other called out character in the bible. It is usually based on what they did, their adherence to God’s instruction and the outcome. That may be why even a sermon on Judas brings enlightenment.

Maybe you were going to a limited focus church.


160 posted on 02/10/2011 11:28:16 AM PST by RobRoy (The US Today: Revelation 18:4)
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