L
LilyM
Guest
God bless you mike. Don’t beat yourself up about doubt - doubt isn’t sinful in itself, and you’re doing the right thing by reading up on the beliefs and keeping an open mind rather than just dismissing it out of hand as a lot of people would do.I don’t know, I’ve tried and I just can’t get around the Marian Dogmas. I don’t know how many books I can read, or articles, or radio archives I can listen too, or how much I can pray about it without any answer, or if it is an answer it’s the opposite.
This is from this topic (and I’m not picking on you Semper Fi, you made a lot of good points, and I’m sure to those who accept Marian Dogmas, this is a great point, just one that’s tough for me.):
That is tough for one to grasp, and at the same time see how we are not exalting Mary to the same stature as Christ.
For those of you strong in your faith God Bless, but not everyone is. Not everyone was blessed to be raised in a home with parents that catehchized them, or brought them up in the faith, made them attend Mass, explained the doctrines. But when you come back in and can’t come to grips with certain issues, which make you worry that you are commiting a possible offense against God, you can start to become depressed even. I think I’ll take a break from this, slow it down and start at square one again.
Thanks for all of your replies.
I think previous posters have mentioned, and I can’t stress this enough, the fairly big difference between Jesus ASCENSCION and Mary’s ASSUMPTION. Jesus went bodily into heaven under his own power as God incarnate. Mary was taken into heaven by God’s (Jesus’?) power, not her own.
Can you see the difference between Enoch and Elijah being taken alive up into heaven by God as a reward for their good lives, and what Jesus did under his own power? This isn’t exalting them to the same status as God at all, it’s simply a manifestation of HIS power and love for them.
In your previous denomination were you taught that at the end of time there would be a ‘rapture’, where believers would be taken bodily into heaven? Same thing applies.
Teachings such as the Assumption, Immaculate Conception, Co-Redemption and Co-Mediation are not easy to grasp, even for a cradle Catholic like me at times. They are the Church’s way of affirming Mary’s unique status among humans - second only to that of Jesus himself. She truly is the first and best Christian of all. God knew that she would be - remember that He chose her of all women who ever have been and ever will be to bear His son. Just as Jesus was an extraordinary human being, so did Mary have to be to be fitting as his mother.
All the other apostles and disciples sometimes made mistakes, often seriously failed to grasp what Jesus taught, certainly all needed a lot of help and forgiveness time and time again. Mary, from what we see of her, really doesn’t. Even her question to the angel is much more a gesture of appropriate humility than a serious disagreement with God’s plan.
Anyways, good luck, keep reading and praying about it, and the answer will come. Know you’re in my prayers too