LibertyGirl77wrote: Maybe when someone gives me a Biblically-sound reason to attempt to communicate with Mary or win her favor, I'll give the Catholic Church a second look.
Dear Liberty, I wish to first thank you and commend you for your gentle and reasonable approach to disputation on this subject. Your very Christian approach is quite refreshing.
And I wish to thank all the other Catholic posters who provided such an immense exposition on the Catholic position on Mary, but whether it's Mary, or praying to saints or the celibate priesthood, etc., etc., I ultimately find that Catholics and others will probably have no common agreement until there is a unified understanding of Mt 16:18 "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it."
Please take a look at what more learned Catholics than I have to say about the Peter/Rock issue:
http://www.catholic.com/library/Peter_the_Rock.asp
I believe in the Pope mostly because I am a cradle Catholic. But recently I have had online debates with Protestants on the issue and have been amazed that some very good people have false beliefs about the Catholic Church becase of shoddy scholarship that is believed by too many Protestants.
Since Jesus is "the way, the truth and the life", I ask that you please take a look at this issue and please try to determine where the real truth lies on this cardinal (hinge) matter.
Thank you, I will take a look at the website. I do have my disagreements with the idea of the papacy. I just don't read an entire doctrine into that verse as the Catholic Church does. I tend to take the text very literally. When I study the language and cultural context behind the verse, sometimes new perspectives are opened up to me. Perhaps, eventually, this will be one of those instances. I have my doubts, though.