Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Venezuelan Bishops Pray to Virgin Mary to Free the Country from the ‘Claws of Communism’
Breitbart ^ | 2 Aug 2017 | Thomas D. Williams, Ph.D.

Posted on 08/02/2017 2:07:44 PM PDT by detective

The Venezuelan Episcopal Conference (CEV) has publicly invoked the intercession of the Virgin Mary to free the nation “from the claws of communism,” in a clear reference to the regime of President Nicolás Maduro.

“Blessed Virgin, Mother of Coromoto, heavenly Patron of Venezuela, free our country from the claws of communism and socialism,” the CEV posted on Twitter this Sunday, complete with an image of Santa Maria and a Venezuelan flag.

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


TOPICS: Catholic; Current Events
KEYWORDS: catholicbishops; venezuela
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 981-1,0001,001-1,0201,021-1,040 ... 1,281-1,286 next last
To: metmom
201
50%

"Who said to him: Why asketh thou me concerning good? One is good, God. But if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments."
[Matthew 19:17]

202
50%

"On these two commandments dependeth the whole law and the prophets."
[Matthew 22:40]

203
50%

"Thou knowest the commandments: Do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, bear not false witness, do no fraud, honour thy father and mother."
[Mark 10:19]

204
50%

"And they were both just before God, walking in all the commandments and justifications of the Lord without blame."
[Luke 1:6]

205
50%

"Thou knowest the commandments: Thou shalt not kill: Thou shalt not commit adultery: Thou shalt not steal: Thou shalt not bear false witness: Honour thy father and mother."
[Luke 18:20]

206
50%

"If you love me, keep my commandments."
[John 14:15]

207
50%

"He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them; he it is that loveth me. And he that loveth me, shall be loved of my Father: and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him."
[John 14:21]

208
50%

"Until the day on which, giving commandments by the Holy Ghost to the apostles whom he had chosen, he was taken up."
[Acts Of Apostles 1:2]

209
50%

"Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing: but the observance of the commandments of God."
[1 Corinthians 7:19]

210
50%

"If any seem to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him know the things that I write to you, that they are the commandments of the Lord."
[1 Corinthians 14:37]

211
50%

"Making void the law of commandments contained in decrees; that he might make the two in himself into one new man, making peace;"
[Ephesians 2:15]

212
50%

"Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, saluteth you, and Mark, the cousin german of Barnabus, touching whom you have received commandments; if he come unto you, receive him:"
[Colossians 4:10]

213
50%

"Not giving heed to Jewish fables and commandments of men, who turn themselves away from the truth."
[Titus 1:14]

214
50%

"And by this we know that we have known him, if we keep his commandments."
[1 John 2:3]

215
50%

"He who saith that he knoweth him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him."
[1 John 2:4]

216
50%

"And whatsoever we shall ask, we shall receive of him: because we keep his commandments, and do those things which are pleasing in his sight."
[1 John 3:22]

217
50%

"And he that keepeth his commandments, abideth in him, and he in him. And in this we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us."
[1 John 3:24]

218
50%

"In this we know that we love the children of God: when we love God, and keep his commandments."
[1 John 5:2]

219
50%

"And this is charity, that we walk according to his commandments. For this is the commandment, that, as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in the same:"
[2 John 1:6]

220
50%

"And the dragon was angry against the woman: and went to make war with the rest of her seed, who keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ."
[Apocalypse (Revelation) 12:17]


1,001 posted on 08/20/2017 7:47:54 PM PDT by ebb tide (We have a rogue curia in Rome.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 998 | View Replies]

To: metmom
Are YOU perfect as God is perfect?

Nope. Never said, I was.

But, my Church instructs me to imitate Jesus Christ as best I can.

I'm sorry yours doesn't.

1,002 posted on 08/20/2017 7:51:31 PM PDT by ebb tide (We have a rogue curia in Rome.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 997 | View Replies]

To: ebb tide

You’ve proven your point and the matter is now settled once and for all on Free Republic Religion Forum (and I believe you are correct):

The word “commandments” is in the Bible many times.

It’s to my eternal benefit that Jesus of Nazareth kept them all perfectly.

If Mary had been able to keep the Word of God sinlessly, there would have been no need for Jesus. Imagine that: Mary, the co-redemptrix, the perpetual sacrifice on your crucifix.

Ridiculous, isn’t it?


1,003 posted on 08/21/2017 5:47:20 AM PDT by Resettozero
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1001 | View Replies]

To: metmom; ebb tide
Returning briefly to the original subject of this thread, Mary's ability to answer prayer from folks in Venezuela, I think this article is pertinent:

Question: "Who is the Queen of Heaven?"

Answer: The phrase “the queen of heaven” appears in the Bible twice, both times in the book of Jeremiah. The first incident is in connection with the things the Israelites were doing that provoked the Lord to anger. Entire families were involved in idolatry. The children gathered wood, and the men used it to build altars to worship false gods. The women were engaged in kneading dough and baking cakes of bread for the “Queen of Heaven” (Jeremiah 7:18). This title referred to Ishtar, an Assyrian and Babylonian goddess also called Ashtoreth and Astarte by various other groups. She was thought to be the wife of the false god Baal, also known as Molech. The motivation of women to worship Ashtoreth stemmed from her reputation as a fertility goddess, and, as the bearing of children was greatly desired among women of that era, worship of this “queen of heaven” was rampant among pagan civilizations. Sadly, it became popular among the Israelites as well.

The second reference to the queen of heaven is found in Jeremiah 44:17-25, where Jeremiah is giving the people the word of the Lord which God has spoken to him. He reminds the people that their disobedience and idolatry has caused the Lord to be very angry with them and to punish them with calamity. Jeremiah warns them that greater punishments await them if they do not repent. They reply that they have no intentions of giving up their worship of idols, promising to continue pouring out drink offerings to the queen of heaven, Ashtoreth, and even going so far as to credit her with the peace and prosperity they once enjoyed because of God’s grace and mercy.

It is unclear where the idea that Ashtoreth was a “consort” of Yahweh originated, but it’s easy to see how the blending of paganism that exalts a goddess with the worship of the true King of heaven, Yahweh, can lead to the combining of God and Ashtoreth. And since Ashtoreth worship involved sexuality (fertility rites and temple prostitution), the resulting relationship, to the depraved mind, would naturally be one of a sexual nature. Clearly, the idea of the “queen of heaven” as the consort or paramour of the King of heaven is idolatrous and unbiblical.

There is no queen of heaven. There has never been a queen of heaven. There is most certainly a King of Heaven, the Lord of hosts. He alone rules in heaven. He does not share His rule or His throne or His authority with anyone. The idea that Mary, the mother of Jesus, is the queen of heaven has no scriptural basis whatsoever. Instead, the idea of Mary as the queen of heaven stems from proclamations of priests and popes of the Roman Catholic Church. While Mary was certainly a godly young woman greatly blessed in that she was chosen to bear the Savior of the world, she was not in any way divine, nor was she sinless, nor is she to be worshipped, revered, venerated, or prayed to. All followers of the Lord God refuse worship. Peter and the apostles refused to be worshipped (Acts 10:25–26; 14:13–14). The holy angels refuse to be worshipped (Revelation 19:10; 22:9). The response is always the same: “Worship God!” To offer worship, reverence, or veneration to anyone but God is nothing short of idolatry. Mary’s own words in her “Magnificat” (Luke 1:46–55) reveal that she never thought of herself as “immaculate” or deserving of veneration; on the contrary, she was relying on the grace of God for salvation: “And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” Only sinners need a savior, and Mary recognized that need in herself.

Furthermore, Jesus Himself issued a mild rebuke to a woman who cried out to Him, "Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you" (Luke 11:27), replying to her, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it." By doing so, He curtailed any tendency to elevate Mary as an object of worship. He could certainly have said, “Yes, blessed be the Queen of Heaven!” But He did not. He was affirming the same truth that the Bible affirms—there is no queen of heaven, and the only biblical references to the “queen of heaven” refer to the goddess of an idolatrous, false religion.

Recommended Resource: The Gospel According to Rome: Comparing Catholic Tradition and The Word of God by James McCarthy
1,004 posted on 08/21/2017 6:23:36 AM PDT by Resettozero
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1002 | View Replies]

To: ebb tide

Omniscient means to know everything, not *almost everything*. Posts 984 and 985, citing the same verse, document Jesus’ statement that, in His Incarnate form, He did not know everything. There is at least one fact that was known by God the Father but not by God the Son during the Incarnation. Therefore, Jesus was not omniscient at that time.

What is it, Ebb Tide, that causes you to claim Jesus, during the Incarnation, was omniscient when it is He Himself who reveals that He was not? What causes you to set aside the simple, straightforward statement that Jesus made, and which is recorded in Matthew 24:36?


1,005 posted on 08/21/2017 10:33:36 AM PDT by Fantasywriter (Any attempt to do forensic work using Inernet artifacts is fraught with pitfalls. JoeProbono)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 988 | View Replies]

To: Fantasywriter

‘adelphos,’ vs, ‘anepsios. i looked them up and it seems to be as you say.

But as you say they can have other meanings for instance i believe anepsios can mean nephew and ‘adelphos can mean brother of more than one kind

As i mentioned before, Navajo`s calls cousins brothers even though we have the exact names for each one.

They do not pay much attention to strong`s concordance.

But to be fair to you, you seem to be right on concerning the definitions which i can see i know very little about.


1,006 posted on 08/21/2017 10:57:04 AM PDT by ravenwolf (If the Bible does not say it in plain words, please don`t preach it to me.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 844 | View Replies]

To: Fantasywriter

Your comment reminds me of one of the reasons I like the New American Standard Bible so much.


Personally for just a few reasons i like the King James.


1,007 posted on 08/21/2017 11:01:31 AM PDT by ravenwolf (If the Bible does not say it in plain words, please don`t preach it to me.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 845 | View Replies]

To: metmom

Why would you think it makes sense in light of this?


But it says not one word about Mary having other children does it?, why would anyone insist that Mary had other children when it is not even mentioned?

Psalm69:8 I have become a stranger to my brothers, an alien to my mother’s sons.


You assume this is referring to Jesus but i very much doubt it.


1,008 posted on 08/21/2017 11:14:04 AM PDT by ravenwolf (If the Bible does not say it in plain words, please don`t preach it to me.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 855 | View Replies]

To: metmom

Also his step brothers, James, Joseph , Judas and Simon did not believe in him until after his death.


1,009 posted on 08/21/2017 11:21:03 AM PDT by ravenwolf (If the Bible does not say it in plain words, please don`t preach it to me.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 856 | View Replies]

To: metmom

And she gave birth to her firstborn son.

You can not know if it is a first born until the second one is born so any first child would be first born.


1,010 posted on 08/21/2017 11:26:27 AM PDT by ravenwolf (If the Bible does not say it in plain words, please don`t preach it to me.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 857 | View Replies]

To: ravenwolf

I’m glad you posted again. I’ve been thinking about words that were used ~2,000 years ago, and how their meanings are determined.

I’m sure you know that the New Testament is not the only Koine Greek writing available from the time of Christ. There are other works from the same time-frame.

Scholars study all the contemporary works of the earlier centuries in order to learn more about how various words were used. That is where the definitions found in Strong’s Concordance come from: actual writing in the relevant centuries. (Usage determines the meaning of words; dictionaries merely document such usage.)

Ravenwolf, I will put it to you straightforwardly. ‘Adelphos,’ was a very common, much-used word. If there were any incidences of it being used to mean, ‘cousin,’ we’d have heard about it. You know yourself who would have told us about it: Catholic scholars.

For example. We have Plutarch, Josephus and Chrysostom. If one of those had used, ‘adelphos,’ to mean, ‘cousin,’ there would be thousands of mentions of this fact. Anyone who believed Jesus had brothers would be (rhetorically) bludgeoned with it; we both know that’s true.

The reason there is no recorded usage of, ‘adelphos,’ to mean, ‘cousin,’ is because Greek writers would have used, ‘anepsios,’ instead. That is, after all, the word for, ‘cousin.’

One additional thing. The NT writers, guided by the Holy Spirit, knew how to record supposed—as opposed to real—relationships. Recall Luke 3:23, where it’s recorded that Jesus was the son, ***as was supposed,*** of Joseph. Luke is letting us know that people believed Jesus to be the son of Joseph. They were mistaken, but that was their belief.

Nowhere do the NT writers tell us that there were ‘supposed,’ brothers of Jesus. They are simply referred to as, ‘brothers.’ If they were anything else, we’d have been told, just as we were told that Joseph was not Jesus’ father.


1,011 posted on 08/21/2017 11:45:49 AM PDT by Fantasywriter (Any attempt to do forensic work using Inernet artifacts is fraught with pitfalls. JoeProbono)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1007 | View Replies]

To: ravenwolf

Agree with you that, ‘anepsios,’ can mean, ‘nephew,’ as well as, ‘cousin.’ That is entirely true. I belueve, however, that the two relationships are connected? For examole, if a person has a nephew, would not his/her children be cousins of that nephew?

‘Adelphos,’ is, as you mentioned, also used to describe spiritual brothers—i.e.: brothers in Christ. It is also used, in the form of, ‘adelphoi,’ to denote, ‘brethren.’


1,012 posted on 08/21/2017 12:00:11 PM PDT by Fantasywriter (Any attempt to do forensic work using Inernet artifacts is fraught with pitfalls. JoeProbono)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1006 | View Replies]

To: Fantasywriter

Not even going to correct all the typos. I have no idea how so many got into one post. It’s a blight.


1,013 posted on 08/21/2017 12:02:00 PM PDT by Fantasywriter (Any attempt to do forensic work using Inernet artifacts is fraught with pitfalls. JoeProbono)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1012 | View Replies]

To: Fantasywriter

Looks all correct to me. Would you please give an examole of one of the blight of errors?


1,014 posted on 08/21/2017 12:19:36 PM PDT by Resettozero
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1013 | View Replies]

To: Resettozero

Lol.

Guacamole.

Courtesy of Jeb.

But seriously, it’s frustrating. I try to proofread but something obviously went wrong. The after effects of the eclipse, maybe?


1,015 posted on 08/21/2017 12:24:10 PM PDT by Fantasywriter (Any attempt to do forensic work using Inernet artifacts is fraught with pitfalls. JoeProbono)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1014 | View Replies]

To: ravenwolf

Two points.

First off, the Gospels were written AFTER Jesus had dies and rose again. People knew by then whether or not there were any more.

Second, the Holy Spirit is the Author of Scripture and I daresay HE already knew whether or not there would be more before the fact.

So if the Holy Spirit says “ firstborn” and not “only” the Jesus was the FIRSTborn. There were more that followed.


1,016 posted on 08/21/2017 6:32:51 PM PDT by metmom ( ...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith..)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1010 | View Replies]

To: Fantasywriter; ravenwolf
Ravenwolf, I will put it to you straightforwardly. ‘Adelphos,’ was a very common, much-used word. If there were any incidences of it being used to mean, ‘cousin,’ we’d have heard about it. You know yourself who would have told us about it: Catholic scholars.

For example. We have Plutarch, Josephus and Chrysostom. If one of those had used, ‘adelphos,’ to mean, ‘cousin,’ there would be thousands of mentions of this fact. Anyone who believed Jesus had brothers would be (rhetorically) bludgeoned with it; we both know that’s true.


Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene.

John, Catholic chapter nineteen, Protestant verse twenty five
as authorized, but not authored, by King James

1,017 posted on 08/21/2017 7:29:38 PM PDT by af_vet_1981 (The bus came by and I got on, That's when it all began.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1011 | View Replies]

To: ebb tide
If you expect that I read every one of the posts from prots to me, you are wrong.

Then it's no WONDER you are still such a rabid Catholic!


2 Timothy 4:3
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

1,018 posted on 08/22/2017 3:24:53 AM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 966 | View Replies]

To: ebb tide
You don’t think Jesus already knew that fact?

Thanks for admitting it WAS a 'fact'.

1,019 posted on 08/22/2017 3:25:49 AM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 970 | View Replies]

To: Fantasywriter
Yet she obviously had expectations...

Yeah...

...to DRINK some more WINE!

1,020 posted on 08/22/2017 3:26:55 AM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 972 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 981-1,0001,001-1,0201,021-1,040 ... 1,281-1,286 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