Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

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
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 141-160161-180181-200 ... 341-350 next last
To: Turtlepower

>>So does that mean Catholics worship the Pope since you consider him infallible?<<

Actually, the actions of some Catholics would give enough evidence for one to infer they do.


161 posted on 02/10/2011 11:29:19 AM PST by RobRoy (The US Today: Revelation 18:4)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 109 | View Replies]

To: RobRoy

“Because He hath regarded the humility of His handmaid; for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.” Luke 1:48


162 posted on 02/10/2011 11:30:31 AM PST by A.A. Cunningham (Barry Soetoro is a Kenyan communist)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 152 | View Replies]

To: Siena Dreaming

Neither did I.


163 posted on 02/10/2011 11:31:35 AM PST by A.A. Cunningham (Barry Soetoro is a Kenyan communist)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 156 | View Replies]

To: A.A. Cunningham

>>Do the saints in heaven pray?<<

It sounds like you are going somewhere specific, so I will be very specific in my response. First, an important clarification: I believe that when the bible uses the word “saints” it means all believers. And wherever I see the phrase “prayers of the saints”, as in Revelation, I believe it is referring to our prayers.

The other distinction I make is that based on what I see in scripture, time may not pass in eternity as it does in our “reality”. I see it this way: Time is a river that flows in an ocean called eternity.

Some will argue that Jesus appears in Genisis 32 and wrestles with Jacob.


164 posted on 02/10/2011 11:41:23 AM PST by RobRoy (The US Today: Revelation 18:4)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 111 | View Replies]

To: A.A. Cunningham
I had thought you said that it's not mentioned in Scripture that Christ intercedes.

Perhaps I misunderstood?

165 posted on 02/10/2011 11:41:38 AM PST by Siena Dreaming
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 163 | View Replies]

To: RobRoy

“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.”

Thank you. So veneration of Mary as the Mother of God is appropriate. Well said.


166 posted on 02/10/2011 11:42:20 AM PST by BenKenobi (Don't expect to build up the weak by pulling down the strong. - Silent Cal)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 160 | View Replies]

To: BenKenobi

You’re right....I must be divine if I claim an erronous book like the Book of Mormon, or any other fraud, is false.


167 posted on 02/10/2011 11:43:14 AM PST by Turtlepower
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 141 | View Replies]

To: Turtlepower

So if I consider, say, Hebrews a fraud, that means that Hebrews is the equivalent of the Book of Mormon?


168 posted on 02/10/2011 11:46:17 AM PST by BenKenobi (Don't expect to build up the weak by pulling down the strong. - Silent Cal)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 167 | View Replies]

To: BenKenobi

I said this: “power.

There is not one single place in the Bible where Jesus or his apostles or anyone else who was a follower of Jesus wrote in the Bible, where we are instructed to communicate with someone who no longer occupies their earthly flesh.”

And you respond with these scriptures (followed by a smarmy remark): “Matthew 17:1-9, Mark 9:2-8, Luke 9:28-36”

Yes, those scriptures are in my bible. :)

Please show me where they are instructed to communicate with someone who no longer occupies their earthly flesh? Or was that not the point of your post. If it wasn’t, I’m going to need more info on where you were going with those three scriptures.


169 posted on 02/10/2011 11:47:47 AM PST by RobRoy (The US Today: Revelation 18:4)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 114 | View Replies]

To: Siena Dreaming

As has been said already, the Pope is only infalliable when he speaks ex cathedra, and only on matters of faith and morals.

No such limitations abound by your appeal that you are infalliable in biblical interpretation by the Holy Spirit.

So you are more powerful than the Pope! No Pope has ever said, “we believe that these books are self-evidently not inspired, ergo we will take them out of the canon.”


170 posted on 02/10/2011 11:49:25 AM PST by BenKenobi (Don't expect to build up the weak by pulling down the strong. - Silent Cal)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 153 | View Replies]

To: BenKenobi

>>So when you believe that your own personal interpretation of scripture is inerrant, does this mean that you are God?<<

I think that is not what is going on. Rather, I think the protestants say we are ALL flawed, but the catholics here seem to think that the “church fathers” were not flawed. According to your own definition above, one would infer that this means that catholics do, in fact, deify “Church Fathers”. Actually, that may explain many of their actions regarding the Pope.


171 posted on 02/10/2011 11:50:22 AM PST by RobRoy (The US Today: Revelation 18:4)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 115 | View Replies]

To: RobRoy

Jesus communicated with the dead in the transfiguration. Does that mean he was a necromancer?

Jesus also never said, “don’t abort your children”, or those words thereof in scripture. He never says, “don’t beat your wife”. He never says, “homosexuality is sinful,” Arguments from silence are rather unpersuasive.

Arguments starting from the premise, Jesus never said X, generally all fit this form.


172 posted on 02/10/2011 11:53:05 AM PST by BenKenobi (Don't expect to build up the weak by pulling down the strong. - Silent Cal)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 169 | View Replies]

To: BenKenobi
No such limitations abound by your appeal that you are infalliable

Protestants don't claim that they themselves are infallible. They know that no man is infallible. However, they do often claim that the scriptures are infallible.

If you believe the Pope is infallible because he has the Holy Spirit, I would assume you would believe the same about the scriptures which are "God-breathed".

173 posted on 02/10/2011 11:53:13 AM PST by Siena Dreaming
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 170 | View Replies]

To: mtg

>>As one of the most Holy (Mother of God)...<<

There it is. To us protestants, we consider (at least I do) God to be holy. We are his creation. Yes, some followers of Christ do more good works and less bad works than others, but that is irrelevant beyond their own personal relationship with Christ. I don’t see people as having varying degrees of holiness as far as it concerns my personal relationship with my Savior.

Like many ancient characters in the bible, Mary is a person we can learn from as events about her actions are recorded as well as Jesus’ references to her. It ends there, as it does with David, Ruth, Judas, Solomon, etc.


174 posted on 02/10/2011 11:54:56 AM PST by RobRoy (The US Today: Revelation 18:4)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 116 | View Replies]

To: RobRoy

Apparently, “Catholics worship the pope” is not a strawman, whereas, “Protestants worship themselves” is a strawman.

All Catholics have said here is that the Pope is infalliable in certain circumstances, and when speaking on faith and morals, through the power of the holy spirit, not himself.

How does an appeal to the authority of the holy spirit qualify as deification in one instance, and not the other?


175 posted on 02/10/2011 11:56:02 AM PST by BenKenobi (Don't expect to build up the weak by pulling down the strong. - Silent Cal)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 171 | View Replies]

To: Siena Dreaming

If scripture is infalliable, and apparently, self-evidently true, why is there disagreement over the canon?


176 posted on 02/10/2011 11:58:01 AM PST by BenKenobi (Don't expect to build up the weak by pulling down the strong. - Silent Cal)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 173 | View Replies]

To: BenKenobi

>>But for some, she HAS TO BE ever-virgin or a lot of their deeper beliefs collapse...<<

I asked someone else, “Why this apparently irrational need to believe she died a virgin?” Their explanation was similar to what you say above.

I have no beliefs that depend on her being ever-virgin so I am able to read about her in the Bible with an open mind, avoiding reading too much between the lines.


177 posted on 02/10/2011 11:58:11 AM PST by RobRoy (The US Today: Revelation 18:4)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 119 | View Replies]

To: CharlesWayneCT

Thanks. I didn’t know. Sorry about that. I think that, in essence you are saying it was kinda sarcastic. And that makes sense.


178 posted on 02/10/2011 12:00:22 PM PST by RobRoy (The US Today: Revelation 18:4)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 125 | View Replies]

To: Paddyboy

>>So you don’t think I can speak to my Dad in Heaven or any of my friends who have passed on?<<

That would be my position.

>>Hardly a day goes by that I don’t ask my Dad or St Jude or Our Blessed Mother for their prayers to help me get through<<

Try Jesus.


179 posted on 02/10/2011 12:02:16 PM PST by RobRoy (The US Today: Revelation 18:4)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 131 | View Replies]

To: RobRoy

Actually, your statement isn’t correct either.

There are 4 major doctrines surrounding Mary. 3 of them hold together, one does not.

Perpetual Virginity.

Assumption of Mary

Sinlessness of Mary

Immaculate conception of Mary.

Her perpetual virginity is the odd man out. It stands by itself. The other three all rely on one another.

Immaculate conception - Spared from original sin at conception.
Sinlessness - Mary as the 2nd Eve.
Assumption - Assumed, “wages sin are death, sinlessness, no death”


180 posted on 02/10/2011 12:03:32 PM PST by BenKenobi (Don't expect to build up the weak by pulling down the strong. - Silent Cal)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 177 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 141-160161-180181-200 ... 341-350 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson