So many catholic apologetics sites I've seen seem so frustrated with having to repeat the line that praying to Mary IS NOT worshipping her, that catholics do NOT worship statues, and other things - catholic.com makes these points as plain as day on their site, so why do fundamentalists continue to believe them? Why is intercessory prayer so offensive to them?
You pray to what you worship. And Mary is dead. She cannot make intercessory prayer for anyone, because she is not in this life anymore. And if they do not worship statues, then why do they kiss the feet of them? They may not call it worship, but they put all of them over Jesus Christ, and that does make it worship.
Raise Catholic
*Catholics do NOT worship Mary.
*Catholics do NOT actually pray to Mary and saints in the sense that fundies seem to think. It's more like a structured conversation where we speak to them and ask for intercession IN ADDITION TO our direct prayers to God. During masses which include the saints, it is said that "we ask for" their aid because they are considered to be favored among God's children. It is said that Jesus can not refuse a request from his mother.
*Catholics pray directly to God.
*Catholics do not view priests as mediaries, but teachers and guides.
*Catholics take the Holy Sacraments very seriously.
*Catholics in general are very educated and value science as well as the Word of God, and most of us are able to reconcile the Bible with scientific proofs and theories because we are not literalists and recognize parables and flowery language and stories as teaching tools.
*Mary is important because she bore the world it's savior and raised him. Her own COUSIN hailed her and "created" the Hail Mary verse when the baby, John the Baptist, leapt in her womb at the sight of Mary.
*Catholics pray directly to God.
*Catholics do not worship idols. Statues are visual reminders only. They are decoration. They are not intended to be prayed to or worshipped.
*Catholics follow the word of Jesus. We believe he is the Messiah and Son of God, part of the Holy Trinity. That alone makes us Christian.
*Catholicism is the Original Denomination of Christianity from which all other denominations stemmed off from.
*Catholics do not denegrate and disown ANY Christian who is genuine in his or her faith. We consider ALL denominations of Christians to be Christians EVEN IF we happen to disagree on minute details.
*We do not generally condemn anyone to hell. We leave that up to the fundies.
ETA:
*Catholics DO NOT kiss the feet of statues. Where in the world did that come from?
"worship is an acknowledgment of a higher power that you honor as more powerful than you, and go to with your needs in prayer...... is that what you do with Mary?"
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No, that is NOT what Catholics do with Mary. ONLY with God.
ETA: Catholics DO NOT place Mary as being equal to God. We don't even believe she's equal to Jesus. We DO NOT raise her to a level of divinity or deity. She was the human mother of the physical form of God, but that's arguing semantics and it's petty. She was just a human woman, but a very important human woman. That doesn't mean we worship her or consider her to be divine.
They read the KJV and take it literally. Even tho there are words and passages in the original text that have no translation. Funndies are rebels who hate the mother church ever sense Luther.
Matthew 6:7 KJV
Maybe it has to do with the rosary.
Catholics worship mary and statues which is idol worship.
Also, they don't get married which 1 Timothy 3:2 says religious leaders should be a husband of one wife.
1Timothy 4:3 says to stay away from those forbidding men to marry. That is a sin. To forbid men to get married and it causes all kinds of problems.
That is when men get into trouble. 1 Corthians 7:5 that is what it says.
do you believe in willful ignorance?
that's their case.
that's harder to cure (if there ever will be cure for it) than mental illness.
I think you need a definition of worship here......
worship is an acknowledgment of a higher power that you honor as more powerful than you, and go to with your needs in prayer......
is that what you do with Mary?
I don't care to answer with my thinking but with Gods. That way if you wish to argue, you'll have to take it up with Him.
John 4:23, 24, JB: True worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth: that is the kind of worshipper the Father wants. God is spirit, and those who worship must worship in spirit and truth. (Those who rely on images as aids to devotion are not worshiping God in spirit but they depend on what they can see with their physical eyes.)
2 Cor. 5:7, NAB: We walk by faith, not by sight.
Isa. 40:18, JB: To whom could you liken God? What image could you contrive of him?
Acts 17:29, JB: Since we are the children of God, we have no excuse for thinking that the deity looks like anything in gold, silver or stone that has been carved and designed by a man.
Ex. 20:4, 5, JB: You shall not make yourself a carved image or any likeness of anything in heaven or on earth beneath or in the waters under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them [ bow down before them or worship them, NAB]. For I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God. (Italics added.) (Notice that the prohibition was against making images and bowing down before them.)
Lev. 26:1, JB: You must make no idols; you must set up neither carved image nor standing-stone [ sacred pillar, NW], set up no sculptured stone in your land, to prostrate yourselves in front of it; for it is I, Yahweh, who am your God. (No image before which people might bow in worship was ever to be set up.)
Acts 10:25, 26, JB: As Peter reached the house Cornelius went out to meet him, knelt at his feet and prostrated himself. But Peter helped him up. Stand up, he said I am only a man after all! (Since Peter did not approve of such adoration when he was personally present, would he encourage us to kneel before an image of him? See also Revelation 19:10.)
John 14:6, 14: Jesus said to him: I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you ask anything in my name, I will do it. (Do you pray in the name of Jesus Christ, recognizing that as a sinful human you need his intercession on your behalf?)
Matt. 6:7: When praying, do not say the same things over and over again, just as the people of the nations do, for they imagine they will get a hearing for their use of many words.
I think that pretty much sums it up. I left out the part where Christ is the only mediator since it's already been pointed out.
Just a thought about Mary. The apostle Peter makes no mention of her at all in his inspired writings. The apostle Paul did not use her name in his inspired letters but spoke of her only as a woman. Gal. 4:4.
What about Christ himself. Luke 11:27, 28, JB: Now as he [Jesus] was speaking, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said, Happy the womb that bore you and the breasts you sucked! But he replied, Still happier those who hear the word of God and keep it! (This would certainly have been a fine opportunity for Jesus to pay special honor to his mother if that had been appropriate. He did not do so.)
What then.... DO YOU CALL..... "IT"... WHEN Catholics..... Pray.... TO... MARY.....!
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(1Timothy 2:5) For God is one, and there is one Mediator of God and of men, the Man Christ Jesus,
(1Timothy 2:5) For God
is one,
and there is
one Mediator
of God
and of men,
the Man
Christ Jesus,
NO where do the Scriptures..... SAY.... PRAY TO MARY...!
DO you know.... what JESUS..... said about giving..... MARY.... HIS MOTHER.... "ANY PLACE OF PROMINENCE?"
(Mat 12:46) But while He yet talked with the people, behold, His mother and His brothers stood outside, desiring to speak with Him.
(Matthew 12:47-to-50) Then one said to Him, = = Behold, Your mother = = and Your brothers stand outside, desiring to speak with You.
(Mat 12:48) And He answered and said to him who told Him, = = Who is My mother? = = And who are My brothers?
(Mat 12:49) And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, Behold, My mother and My brothers!
(Mat 12:50) For whoever = = shall do the will = = of My Father in Heaven, = = the same is My brother = and sister = = and mother.
Believe the SCRIPTURES...... -or- Believe the CC? ? ?
Thanks for Asking ! RR
For the same reasons people think Mormons worship Joseph Smith...ignorance!
because Catholics have statues everywhere
why have statues at all, no one even knows what they really looked like
(that reminds people of pagan idolatry)
(what about the prayers and "hail mary full of grace" )and there's a prayer hailing her and there's prayers to her and to saints - why is so much of a mention about Mary anyway, yes she was the mother of Jesus, but ANYONE could of been her
that's why
I don't believe that Chatholics worship Mary. I went to a Catholic school and having gone to one but not being one. I understand both sides. I'm just answering the question, I get it.
I see their point. All of the statues look like idols to them. I'm not too sure that it isn't the catholics who are missing the point.
Love and blessings Don
Many "Hate" what they perceive of Catholicism, not the "Truth" of Catholicism.
Bishop Fulton Sheen
Statues, pictures, honor other humans, these are NEVER on the same level as WORSHIP. I honor my wife with her picture in my wallet, I am NOT worshiping her. My children learned from pictures of Presidents, the alphabet, mathematical problems, etc... in the classroom.
Many of those who proclaim this very serious lie about Catholicism have been taught bigotry, prejudice and malice against their brothers and sister Christians. Many of these same bigots practice what they accuse Catholics of worship in their daily lives. Go Figure?!
Think about it...Prayer, statues portraying Mary,bowing down to these statues, adorning these statues with precious metals and carrying her in a parade honoring her, songs to her, gifts to her, lighting candles for her. These are all forms of worship.
"You will have no other God's before me"
"you will have no graven images...
'Who is my mother? Anyone who does the will of my father"
Mary called God her savior-what did she need to be saved from if she was not a sinner?
If Mary was a co-Redeemer then why did the early church fathers or the apostles not make mention of her in this way?
1 Tim, "We have one mediator between God and man, Jesus who is the Christ".
First off,you're not even supposed to pray to her-that is complete ignorance of The Saviors words-"No man comes to the father except through me"
Every time a hail mary is said this violates and contradicts Jesus' words.
Also if you study the evolution of church doctrine you'll see how Mary has taken a role more appropiate to co-redemtress and resembles nothing of the Mary of the Bible,Jesus' mother,more like the ancient heathen queen of heaven described in the prophet Jeremiah.
I live in a Catholic country,most of my family and relations are Catholic.
Where in the Bible is anyone ever shown to be praying to Mary. Throughout the Bible prayers are always offered to God alone. Prayer is a part of worship.
Because they are too ignorant to think for themselves and blindly believe the hatred and anti-Catholic propaganda that their pastors and churches spread without verifying it independently.
There's really no other explanation for it.
Yes you are right it's the "Hail Mary" and the "Rosary" that make people believe that Catholics pray TO Mary. I have tried to explain that the concept is to pray through her to her Son. I was told that is was unnecessary because you can pray straight to God. Don't even get me started on how I was made fun of trying to explain praying through the Saints. I'm still miffed about that. Oh I should add that all of this explaining I did was to Pentecostals when my parents converted. (I wanted to stay Catholic) They really think Catholics are twisted. They really shouldn't talk.
Peace.
because they call her holy and mother of God. only God is holy and he does not have a mother yes she was mother of Jesus on earth but he said call no one holy or father but God in heaven yet catholics call all priest Father and teh Pope holy father all is sin before God.
Because most (Not saying that all) don't bother to even research what is going on between Catholics and Mary. Some would rather stick with what they know and continue in ignorance.
And they take the Bible literally, if they did, then they'd also know that Jesus urged people to love one another, since we all are brothers and sisters, and to not judge.
The issue of Catholics praying to saints is one that is full of confusion. It is the official position of the Roman Catholic Church that Catholics do not pray TO saints or Mary, but rather that Catholics can ask saints or Mary to pray FOR them. The official position of the Roman Catholic Church is that asking saints for their prayers is no different than asking someone here on earth to pray for you. However, the practice of many Catholics diverges from official Roman Catholic teaching. Many Catholics do in fact pray directly to saints and/or Mary, asking them for help instead of asking the saints and/or Mary to intercede with God for help. Whatever the case, whether a saint or Mary is being prayed to, or asked to pray, neither practice has any Biblical basis.
The Bible nowhere instructs believers in Christ to pray to anyone other than God. The Bible nowhere encourages, or even mentions, believers asking individuals in Heaven for their prayers. Why, then, do many Catholic pray to Mary and/or the saints, or request their prayers? Catholics view Mary and saints as "intercessors" before God. They believe that a saint, who is glorified in Heaven, has more "direct access" to God than we do. Therefore, if a saint delivers a prayer to God, it is more effective than us praying to God directly. This concept is blatantly unbiblical. Hebrews 4:16 tells us that we, believers here on earth, can "...approach the throne of grace with confidence..."
1 Timothy 2:5 declares, "For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." There is no one else that can mediate with God for us. If Jesus is the ONLY mediator, that indicates Mary and saints cannot be mediators. They cannot mediate our prayer requests to God. Further, the Bible tells us that Jesus Christ Himself is interceding for us before the Father, "Therefore He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them" (Hebrews 7:25). With Jesus Himself interceding for us, why would we need Mary or the saints to intercede for us? Who would God listen to more closely than His Son? Romans 8:26-27 describes the Holy Spirit interceding for us. With the 2nd and 3rd members of the Trinity already interceding for us before the Father in Heaven, what possible need could there be to have Mary or the saints interceding for us?
Catholics argue that praying to Mary and the saints is no different than asking someone here on earth to pray for you. Let us examine that claim. (1) The Apostle Paul asks other Christians to pray for him in Ephesians 6:19. Many Scriptures describe believers praying for one another (2 Corinthians 1:11; Ephesians 1:16; Philippians 1:19; 2 Timothy 1:3). The Bible nowhere mentions anyone asking for someone in Heaven to pray for them. The Bible nowhere describes anyone in Heaven praying for anyone on earth. (2) The Bible gives absolutely no indication that Mary or the saints can hear our prayers. Mary and the saints are not omniscient. Even glorified in Heaven, they are still finite beings with limitations. How could they possibly hear the prayers of millions of people? Whenever the Bible mentions praying to or speaking with the dead, it is in the context of sorcery, witchcraft, necromancy, and divination - activities the Bible strongly condemns (Leviticus 20:27; Deuteronomy 18:10-13). The one instance when a "saint" is spoken to, Samuel in 1 Samuel 28:7-19, Samuel was not exactly happy to be disturbed. It is plainly clear that praying to Mary or the saints is completely different from asking someone here on earth to pray for you. One has a strong Biblical basis, the other has no Biblical basis whatsoever.
God does not answer prayers based on who is praying. God answers prayers based on whether they are asked according to His will (1 John 5:14-15). There is absolutely no basis or need to pray to anyone other than God alone. There is no basis for asking those who are in Heaven to pray for us. Only God can hear our prayers. Only God can answer our prayers. No one in Heaven has any greater access to God's throne that we do through prayer (Hebrews 4:16).
oh trust me we are well beyond frusterated. its becuase they believe there idiot preacher who is scaming them for their money, if they actually desired real knowlage of the faith they might should try actually studying it or reasearching it.
You are correct, they may well say those things. The real problem isn't that they worship her, it is they place her equal to or above God. "Mother of God" is just one example. The problem with this phrase is it places Mary above the trinity. The correct statement is "Mother of Jesus".
To my knowledge, there are no reliable accounts of miracles that were attributed to Mary during her lifetime. This automatically shows her lack of divinity, unlike Jesus who had performed, at a guess, several thousand miracles (including bring back to life of dead people). But that alone isn't a reason proof of divinity, but it is one sign of it. What is proof is that there were many prophecies which he had to fulfill, and did, in order for him to be considered as divine.
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LOL, Tango, I agree with you. willful ignorance is close-to-impossible to cure than mental illness.
to be honest, I think they feel the need to believe in the anti-Catholic propagandas than to study Catholicism for fear of finding loopholes in their own decided beliefs.
We believe that we only pray to God through Jesus and not to anyone else. Mary is just a regular person like the rest of us, just chosen to carry Jesus. We are all chosen to do something special while we are here on earth. She also needed to be born again and she is no one special in heaven. She does not intercede for us, no one in heaven can do this for us, only Jesus. Please forgive those that don't understand. I was raised catholic so I know where you are coming from.
anything catholic is offensive to them...His Church they call an abomination so there concept of truth is twisted
Because many fundamentalists haven't met enough real Catholics to understand that. I can't tell you how many times I've heard fundamentalist believers say, "Well, I only knew this one Catholic once, and he acted this way...." If they have the bad fortune to run into a nominal Catholic instead of a devout one, they will get the wrong idea. Another reason stereotyping a whole group by one or two individual members is just stupid.
Praying to Mary is a form of worship. We have only one interceder and that is Christ. Praying to any other being or saint, gets prayers nor further than the ceiling.
God bless and Happy New Year!
They believe in the priesthood of the believers. We believe that any person has direct access to God through Jesus Christ, not just a priest in the Catholic or Orthodox church.
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