Explaining various Marian titles

[kaizen]

I just noticed in many anti-Catholics I’ve met in my life: they dont’ seem to care whether the Immaculate Conception, Perpetual Virginity, Assumption, etc are Biblical or not. They focus all their energies trying to show that calling the Blessed Mother “Queen of heaven”, “refuge of sinners” “Mother of perpetual help”, etc are unbiblical and a clear indication that we are treating her a “goddess” superior if not equal to the Holy Trinity. Oftentimes, I tried my best to show to such people that none of the many Marian titles we ascribed to Our Lady makes her “divine”. But surely, it isn’t enough to tell them that a certain practice is “okay”. What they want is a Biblical basis. So how do we handle such a challenge?

Also, they criticize some Marian prayers wherein we “consecrate” our whole being to the Blessed Mother. They insist that this is a clear evidence of the so-called “mariolatry” of Catholics. As a response to this, I would usually tell them that whenever a person rides an airplane, that person is actually “entrusting” his whole self (and actually his whole life) to the pilot; and yet that doesn’t mean he is “idolizing” the pilot. But then again, they are not satisfied. What they want is the Biblical basis.

 

[Eileen_T]

Non-Catholic Christians have a problem with Mary. Why I don’t know.

Virtually all the founders of the Protestant denomimations, Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, and Cranmer, all had a devotion to Mary, accepted the traditional belief in the perpetual virginity of Mary, and her status as the Theotokos (Mother of God).

 

[vince2paul]

First, most of them are not open to what you’re going to say, so you’ll just waste your time and energy. Simply because they are already biased towards Mary. As Catholics, we all know that Sola Scriptura is never enough, it’s written in the last part of gospel of John that not everything is written in the bible.

 

[NotWorthy]

First of all, I’d assume they are asking an honest question. Because even if they are trying to bait you, someone else may be reading along to see how you can handle this subject. The accuser’s intentions will quickly show in the debate.

Ask them what they think of the title “Mother of God” and point out Elizabeth’s greeting in Luke, “and how is it that the mother of my Lord should come to me”.

Then point out the difference between “Non-Scriptural” and “Non-Versed”. For so many of Mary’s titles are in the Bible, you just need to go a little deeper than the typical person who simply looks for single verses. For instance, if Jesus is reigning as King in Heaven, then you can show how in Ancient Israel (the House of David) it was the mother of the king that reigned as queen (the Gibera). This was a real power, with a crown and throne, as demonstrated beginning with Bathsheba and running all the way through the book of Jeremiah, where even God recognizes the queen mother’s authority, by telling Jeremiah that the king and the queen mother will lose their crowns and their authority.

If you keep your tone light and informative, you won’t do a thing to the person debating you, but you will put a lot of questions in the heads of the honest people that are sincerely searching for answers. If you stoop to their level, you’ll just turn these “honest lurkers” to look elsewhere for the true church.

 

[MountainMan]

Kaizen - I have few thoughts in this area (none especially ‘original’) but no expertise, so take them for what they are worth:

As to Immaculate Conception: Gabriel greeted her as ‘full of grace;’ she could not have been so with even the slightest stain of sin.

As to Perpetual Virginity: Mary knew she was engaged to Joseph and that children follow from marriage: so why would she ask Gabriel how she could become ‘with child?’

As to her Assumption into Heaven: God sent a chariot to take Elijah to heaven in the sight of Elisha; God can do anything He chooses to do; is it not possible, even likely, that He would do something so great for the mother of His Son?

Chuck

 

[Joseph_B_Reyes]

Hello Readers -

Though The Blessed Mother has many Titles throughout the world, Our Blessed Mother still one of the same.

A Blasphemy against The Blessed Mother in any way shape or form commits BLASPHEMY against THE HOLY SPIRIT.

IT IS BY THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT WHICH COMES FROM THE GOD THE FATHER AND THE SON THE BLSSED MOTHER IS ABLE TO AMONGST US ON EARTH

 

[Tomster]

I just noticed in many anti-Catholics I’ve met in my life: they dont’ seem to care whether the Immaculate Conception, Perpetual Virginity, Assumption, etc are Biblical or not. They focus all their energies trying to show that calling the Blessed Mother “Queen of heaven”, “refuge of sinners” “Mother of perpetual help”, etc are unbiblical and a clear indication that we are treating her a “goddess” superior if not equal to the Holy Trinity. Oftentimes, I tried my best to show to such people that none of the many Marian titles we ascribed to Our Lady makes her “divine”. But surely, it isn’t enough to tell them that a certain practice is “okay”. What they want is a Biblical basis. So how do we handle such a challenge?

Also, they criticize some Marian prayers wherein we “consecrate” our whole being to the Blessed Mother. They insist that this is a clear evidence of the so-called “mariolatry” of Catholics. As a response to this, I would usually tell them that whenever a person rides an airplane, that person is actually “entrusting” his whole self (and actually his whole life) to the pilot; and yet that doesn’t mean he is “idolizing” the pilot. But then again, they are not satisfied. What they want is the Biblical basis.

Mary’s mediation is the crucial issue on which Catholic and most biblical Protestant theology divide. The reason lays hidden in the Protestant concept, or better, denial of merit.