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aksmoot
Guest
Can I be Catholic if I do not personally believe in the Rosary or pray it?
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po18guy
Well-known member
Of course! It is a devotion, and is contemplative prayer, which is an unknown concept in many other churches. It remains a prayer and a great help, and I had substantial problems with it for a long time, but the Holy Sprit graciously erased my doubts and disagreements. You do know its purpose and content, don’t you? Knowing that will greatly ease your difficulties with it. Just ask!
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DavidFilmer
Guest
Absolutely. The Rosary is only a private devotion.
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Cluny
Guest
I believe in the Rosary.
I’ve seen them with my own eyes.
I even have a couple around the house!
I’ve seen them with my own eyes.
I even have a couple around the house!
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Chiltepin
Guest
It is possible that as a Catholic you would go to Confession and be asked to pray a decade of the Rosary as your penance. This seems pretty common, but maybe your confessor would consider that you do not have this devotion?
po18guy
Well-known member
Here is a link to the scripture found in the Rosary. It is certainly worth a read. Also, know that the purpose of the contemplative Rosary prayer is the Gospel. While praying it, you are contemplating the Gospel of Christ. As I mentioned, this is a type of prayer generally unknown outside of the Catholic Church, so it likely appears rather odd or uncomfortable to one who has just entered the faith.
ewtn.com/Devotionals/prayers/rosary/scripture.htm
Christ’s peace be with you.
ewtn.com/Devotionals/prayers/rosary/scripture.htm
Christ’s peace be with you.
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Benedict108
Guest
What is it about the rosary that you take issue with? It is a Marian devotion which has been propigated by many saints and popes. Is it only the rosary that you take issue with or is it any saintly devotion?
Pax tecum.
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Shin
Guest
What do you mean by ‘believe in’? Depending, yes or no.
You do not have to pray it, but it shows imprudence not to be able to understand its place.
Regardless it is not wise to refrain from it unless one has significant other devotions (the Rosary however is in the heights of the best).
Although it can take time for a person to find his comfort level with it, and it is not unusual for a person coming in to the Church to approach it slowly or take time to adjust to these sorts of devotions.
You do not have to pray it, but it shows imprudence not to be able to understand its place.
Regardless it is not wise to refrain from it unless one has significant other devotions (the Rosary however is in the heights of the best).
Although it can take time for a person to find his comfort level with it, and it is not unusual for a person coming in to the Church to approach it slowly or take time to adjust to these sorts of devotions.
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Br.Rich_SFO
Guest
It is a personal devotion.
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broski234
Guest
It is not considered a doctrine. Doctrine is the only thing that is binding. Devotions and customs are always subject to change. But, there is plenty of scripture involved in the rosary and in meditating the mysteries. I’m just curious, why don’t you believe in praying the rosary?
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tobinatorstark
Guest
May I ask why you don’t believe in the Rosary???
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Ignatius
Guest
No problem. The Rosary is a private devotion that is not required.
However, I must say, you are missing a wonderful devotion that I have found to be a great help in overcoming sin and increasing knowledge of the Gospel because it is meditation on the Gospel and the life of Christ…
God bless
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Ignatius
Guest
No problem. The Rosary is a private devotion that is not required.
However, I must say, you are missing a wonderful devotion that I have found to be a great help in overcoming sin and increasing knowledge of the Gospel because it is meditation on the Gospel and the life of Christ.
God bless
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aksmoot
Guest
I do understand the Rosary and it’s Gospel foundation. I do appreciate Mary and honor her for her part in Salvation. I am just not comfortable with calling her Mother of God or for giving her so much devotion. I have read “Catholic and Christian” and have had generous Catholics give me plenty of other materials that justify and explain the Rosary, why Mary can safely be called Mother of God, and so forth. I am just uncomfortable with it. I am not saying that I think it is sacreligious or anything, but I wondered if it is necessary to becoming Catholic.
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neophyte
Guest
No it’s not necessary, but it’s a wonderful thing.
As I was becoming Catholic, it took a long time for me to become comfortable with the Catholic practices of devotion to our departed bretheren. All of my Protestant upbringing rebelled against them, and there were times I became physically ill over it.
You don’t have to participate in those practices… but I suggest at least being open to letting God draw you to them. Ask him to help you do whatever he wants.
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LilyM
Guest
Aah, this is a little different. Mary’s title of Mother of God is in fact a dogma - proclaimed at the Council of Ephesus way back in the 4th (I think) century. The four Marian dogmas (Perpetual Virginity, Mother of God, Immaculate Conception and Assumption) are indeed necessary beliefs for a Catholic.
Perhaps read up on the dogma.
Put simply - Jesus was one person with two natures - human and divine. A mother is the mother of a whole person, and can never just be mother of part of that person.
For example - I am soon to be a lawyer. My mother can therefore rightly be called ‘mother of a lawyer’. Doesn’t mean that she made me a lawyer, or that she must be a lawyer herself, or anything like that, but it is nonetheless a true description of her. In fact even if she didn’t contribute a cent to my legal education and qualifications, it would STILL be true. By virtue of being my mother she is mother of ALL that I am.
Mary is mother of Jesus (the whole singular person, containing the two natures, human and divine) - Jesus is God - therefore necessarily Mary is Mother of God. Elizabeth acknowledged this when she said to Mary ‘how is it that the MOTHER OF MY LORD should visit me?’. Who is Elizabeth’s Lord? Certainly not the mere human nature of Jesus of Nazareth, but God the son, of whom she acknowledges Mary as the mother.
To say otherwise is to say that His divinity is separate from His personhood. It is to say that rather than being a single person, the God-Man, He was in fact two separate persons, one human the other divine. Now THAT would make no sense.
None of this means you need ever pray the Rosary, but you DO need to understand the Mother of God dogma.
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passus
Guest
While you do not have to have a devotion to Mary, you do need to accept that Mary is the “Mother of God.” The Virgin Mary as Theotokos is an official Church teaching–dogma in fact–that, like any other Church teaching, all Catholics must subscribe to.
**EDIT: **LilyM beat me to it.
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Benedict108
Guest
It is understandable that you may be uncomfortable with the rosary but keep the following in mind:
Pax tecum.
PS: I should add that there are now 20 Mysteries because there are the Mysteries of Light.
I hope this gives you a deeper reflection upon the Rosary and can perhaps help you to overcome you reservations.
Pax tecum.
PS: I should add that there are now 20 Mysteries because there are the Mysteries of Light.
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John_Russell_Jr
Guest
answers.com/topic/rosary
You will find a link on the above website to the rosary pope - Pope Leo X111 who wrote a record eleven encyclicals about the rosary. You should make an effort to learn about this great gift from God and our mother. Do some reading. It may help. God bless.
You will find a link on the above website to the rosary pope - Pope Leo X111 who wrote a record eleven encyclicals about the rosary. You should make an effort to learn about this great gift from God and our mother. Do some reading. It may help. God bless.
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broski234
Guest
Good Point!
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