Hi Cat .I did not bear false witness,Read it more carefully .My point was neither side should bear false witness. We should not say you worship Mary.You should not say we do not call Mary blessed and revered.That is all I was saying.
But you don’t. Besides a few times on an Internet forum, have you ever actually called Her blessed? Have you sung a song in Her honor besides a Christmas carol that might mention Her once or twice? Have you ever heard your pastor give a sermon praising Mary? Have you ever even considered the fact that Jesus had a Mother, and as He made Himself subject to His own Mosaic Law, He would have had to obey Her just like any other child?
The word blessed, like so many other words, with a differnt emphasis, can mean two different things. Look, bless-ed, and blessed! Mary was blessed among women, not above women! Our pastor has preached on the vital part that Mary played in the salvation plan, but stops short of lifting her up to a lofty position with Christ and God! Yes, she was a holy woman, but more important she was obedient to the voice of God! Should we ask her to intervene for us and pray on our behalf? I think not, we have a mediator who intervenes on our behalf, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Mary should not be discounted, neither shall she be exalted! God chose her, and sanctified her womb for the birth of our Saviour!
Nice try ,but I humbly disagree. It could be a synonyms in the Greek , I am not sure .For sure there was a reason why God chose “fault” and not “sin” .They have different definitions ,even in the English. A fault can be a lack, a weakness, an intellectual imperfection, a mistake, a failing. I may have a fault or weakness relative to a brother , where he is very strong in faith in praying for healing and I am not as strong. I have a fault for I should be more like my brother . Now if the Lord tells me to pray for a healing and I do not ,that is a sin. Sin is a moral evil,an offense against a religious law…Yes, in a very general and very broad sense, all faults are sin , that is missing the mark , not perfect as Jesus and God are. Certainly if you take that and make sub-topics with “mortal” and “venial” ,you should allow for variation between “sin” and “fault”.
As do we. If I had a dime for every accusation of Mary worship I would be retired.
The only woman God Himself would obey and be subject to.
Hence the great mystery of two wills, one human and one divine, in perfect harmony.
And what did He say?
Sounds a little self righteous or maybe like Mary needs defending against someone else’s view of her .Like what ,you have said 5000 rosaries and I only 300 ? Actually, I would not be here interacting and sharing with you, had it not been for such a clear and deep revelation of Mary and her spiritual walk. That is when I felt very strongly in sharing it on Catholic forum,and did so for a year. Truth is not shallow .It can be very deep and emotional. I am sure you feel that way with your beliefs on Mary also.(which I once held -devotedly).It is strange , but as you view my belief’s on her as perhaps shallow and cold,and misplaced , that is how I view my old catholic views compared to now. I mean no disrespect to your faith on Mary ,and do not expect you you to understand mine. But know this about mine -it is deep and moving also, whether I come to it every day, or once a week , or month, or year - she is rich and moving. Alleluia !
JL: According to Strong’s Concordance, #3900 paraptoma, can be translated fall, fault, offence, sin, trespass. The KJV uses fault, the NKJV uses trespasses with a footnote saying sins. Most all others use sins.
Well when you say you don’t believe Mary was a perpetual virgin, you could be right, and you could be wrong. I think it depends on how you interpret certain scriptures. There are some scriptures that you would definitely think that meant jesus had brothers and sisters- the catholics see them as cousins, the protestants usually see them as literal brothers and sisters. Especially when it said that she had Jesus her firstborn son, you would assume that is an indication to more kids, but catholics interpret that differently.Not catholic because: Do not believe in confessing to mortal men, calling the pope “holy father”, Mary was a perpetual virgin. Do not believe in transsubstantiation either!
In my opinion it’s unclear semantics in the Greek text, Scriptural silence on Mary’s virginity and the Christian world’s acceptance/rejection of Tradition that precludes a universal conclusion, rather than personal opinion of the text.
I haven’t heard this argument before, and I don’t think Mary’s marriage and capability of sexual relations are problematic.
Because the understanding of Christ as the Son of God, like it or not, hinges on His mother’s perpetual virginity.
You cannot get more intimate than the One Flesh Union, david.
Touche. I guess I’ll have to stick to pure religion : visiting the sick , feeding the poor, preaching good news etc. -being His literal, physical hands and feet and voice on this earth …As Paul said ,“let my own personal spirituality go under if it would just bring my brethren to faith, for that is what matters.”-paraphrased.
According to Ezekiel (44:2) only the Messiah can pass through the gate.
As with most Catholic things it’s not either/or but both/and.