I don’t think your a bad guy Roy, much to the contrary. I welcome your participation. Actually those who scare me are the one’s who remain silent in the assumption they have it all right.
I believe the Catholic Church did a great job teaching in the early years. Problem is that other’s even followed our mistakes.
What compounds the issue is they added to them instead of correcting.
If we follow the reformation and teaching in the Protestant Church, it becomes clear the Truth of Mary was very much existant in the church. Luther was Catholic learned. Baptist sang a hymn for the intercession of Mary as late as 1906 in all their Churchs. I have a copy of it here.
Dr Pelikan author of Mary “through the centurys” is a Lutheran and wrote one of the better biographys I ever read on Mary. His book was the result of the classroom debates prior to taking on the task of writting.
And the biggest opposition during those debates wasn’t the Christians or those of other faiths such as Islam. It came from indendent women who honestly believed, we who held to any belief in Mary were in fact hell bent in suppressing modern women in this period.
They put forth the proposition that “Mary was a Myth” designed specifically by men to control women, and keep them in the kitchen and bedroom. “Where they belonged” as we often joke about.
Obviously its about having respect for everyones position or point of view. Nonetheless there are also some very real truth’s about Mary. Which only can be denied by holding the belief that in fact there is no God. Or clinging to the authority of half-learned men. And using them as spirtual guides. And how often has this been a path of destruction?
The biggest issues came in the last 100 years. As I mentioned even up the late 1900’s Christianity wasn’t so much divided in the area of Mary. In the area of denominations we grew further apart from each other by the period of the Assumption. According to the belief of Christians of the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Catholic Churches, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, and parts of the Anglican Communion and Continuing Anglicanism, the Assumption of Mary was the bodily taking up of the Virgin Mary into Heaven at the end of her life. The Roman Catholic Church teaches as dogma that the Virgin Mary “having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.”
In his August 15, 2004, homily given at Lourdes, Pope John Paul II quoted John 14:3 as one of the scriptural bases for understanding the dogma of the Assumption of Mary. In this verse, Jesus tells his disciples at the Last Supper, “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and will receive you to myself; that where I am, you may be there also.” According to Catholic theology, Mary is the pledge of the fulfillment of Christ’s promise.
The Coronation of Mary was venerated especially in Art between the 13th to 15th century and well before the reformation. Early Protestantism and leading reformers such as Martin Bucer, Johannes Brenz and Bullinger accept Mary’s existence in heaven as self-evident as a matter of faith. Johannes Oecolampadius considers Mary as neck of the Mystical Body of Christ and Queen of all Heavenly Powers. Martin Luther, in a 1522 sermon at the Feast of the Assumption of Mary, states that she is there! Luther just didn’t rise to speculate how She arrived in heaven.
So how in the world the Protestant Church in 2011 has done an about face and somehow decide to “reject” the teaching of “all” Christianity is what we would would all like to know?
Catholic, Orthodox, Islam and Protestants all followed the belief of the Immaculate Conception. Martin Luther originally taught the Immaculate Conception.
So who’s belief are you following is not your own? And who has came along since these giants of the church who is worthy of believe in their teachings and what are their creditials? Whats make them right and the Prior 2000-years all wrong.
I see a lot of mislead individuals depending on their own thinking. And as its so well quoted by the Saints. When you are not following any confirmed belief in religion then in fact you are following your own religion not Christology
The facts of Mary speak for themselves in History. And on top of all this what we have to confirm the 2000-years of teachings is Fatima, and a dated, predicted, confirmed miracle from God. Which not only confirms all Catholic teaching but places Mary directly in Revelations chapter 12.
And is in fact the belief is correct and the Holy Spirit is who in fact is working through the Immaculate Heart of Mary? Then to boot the scripture verse of sin aganst the Holy Spirit not forgiven in this world or the next comes into action.
Who then is most affected by the propagated unbeliefs in Mary? It certainly isn’t Catholics or those who hold true to the beliefs of Marys reality. Whats most ironic then is that very Souls we debate who hold contempt, and are in jeopardy, are the same Souls which in fact we pray for.
Personally I believe satan is behind the scene’s and creates enough confusion to drag whatever souls he can away. And the truth is, its is Mary who is interceeding to God on behalf of those very souls.
God Bless, Gary
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