Loving Mary...

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Most protestants don’t give any thought to Mary, she’s not on their radar screen, I say that as a formerly devout altarboy from the 1950’s who converted to pentecostalism about 40 yrs. ago and reverted back to my catholic faith last March. When I first returned, I had a strong mental block to praying to Mary, so I did something bold in my mind by wearing the miraculous metal and asking the Lord if it was OK. So I prayed “O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee.” Since then I have no problem asking for the prayers of the Mother of God, Mary most holy, I am completely convinced of the Immaculate Conception, the Assumption, Perpetual Virginity, and Coronation of Mary as Queen of Heaven.:extrahappy:
Well, firstly…Welcome Home!

:hug3:

It’s always been odd to me how they attempt to place limits on who God chooses to use. Moses, Elijah, etc…can all be Saints in heaven, but “not” the mother of Jesus Christ?
 
It’s always been odd to me how they attempt to place limits on who God chooses to use. Moses, Elijah, etc…can all be Saints in heaven, but “not” the mother of Jesus Christ?
I don’t think anyone who acknowledges the saints could possibly not acknowledge the Blessed Mother. However, most Protestants do not acknowledge the saints, and of those who do, few make a practice of asking any of them for prayers.
 
I don’t think anyone who acknowledges the saints could possibly not acknowledge the Blessed Mother. However, most Protestants do not acknowledge the saints, and of those who do, few make a practice of asking any of them for prayers.
Hannah,

Survey question: Of all the Protestants you know, who are happier more “Christlike” Christians, the nuetral Protestants or the anti-Catholics?

For me, nuetral Protestants always seemed truly joyful and anti-Catholics truly miserable.

What’s your take as an “insider”? 😉
 
Well, firstly…Welcome Home!

:hug3:

It’s always been odd to me how they attempt to place limits on who God chooses to use. Moses, Elijah, etc…can all be Saints in heaven, but “not” the mother of Jesus Christ?
Thanks! All yall as we say in Texas, for the welcome. I wish someone could explain to me as well why pentecostals have no qualms about idolizing their leaders, (some of whom are hucksters), yet they would never think of asking one of the saints or Mary to pray for them. I don’t think they thoughtout or understand theirown beleifs, much less those of the catholic church either. Is it ignorance laziness of thinking or most likely Satan has blinded our minds, I thank Jesus, Mary and Joseph, St. Michael the archangel, who defends us in battle, St. Jude the saint who gives me joy and Blessed Mother Theresa of Calcutta for setting me free.:tiphat:
 
Thanks! All yall as we say in Texas, for the welcome. I wish someone could explain to me as well why pentecostals have no qualms about idolizing their leaders, (some of whom are hucksters), yet they would never think of asking one of the saints or Mary to pray for them. I don’t think they thoughtout or understand theirown beleifs, much less those of the catholic church either. Is it ignorance laziness of thinking or most likely Satan has blinded our minds, I thank Jesus, Mary and Joseph, St. Michael the archangel, who defends us in battle, St. Jude the saint who gives me joy and Blessed Mother Theresa of Calcutta for setting me free.:tiphat:
I was literally thrown out into the street by a Pentecostal I was living with.

Why?

Two reasons.
  1. For laughing at Benny Hinn when he appeared on tv. she asked my why I was laughing and I told her that he was busted by several new programs as being a scam artist and proven a false prophet all on video. She cried out that he’s “annointed”.
  2. She said that she’d never trust anything that the Catholic Church created. I told her they created The Holy Bible. She said we didn’t even exist back then. OK. So, after a day on her sister’s computer, of course, I was vindcated…vindicated my way right out of her home.
Oh, wait, the straw that broke the camel’s back…

…she swore that The Passion of The Christ was a “Protestant” work. Little did she know…I told her that not only was Mel Gibson a Catholic, but he was even more orthodox Catholic than I was having his own chapel and making sure that The Vatican okayed the film before completing it.

She yelled at me that he wasn’t a Catholic, but a Christian! A Pentecostal Christian!

Ok. I told her to Google him then. She said she’d do better, that her mom was very wise on such matters, that she’d ask her.

Next day, she comes home at 10:00 at night and walks right by me. I ask her how her day went and if she spoke to her mom.

She came in the room, and said…“You were right. Mel Gibson is Catholic. Now you have to get the “F” of my house. I want you out of my house. I rebuke you. You have a demon in you. I am an expert at excorcizing demons from people.”

:eek:

Believe you me…I was a lot more scared of her than she could ever be of me.

I left the next day!

😃
 
I made the statement that Catholics and Muslims love Mary more than Protestants do. For this, I was called presumtuous.
It is presumtuous to assume you know people’s hearts and how they feel just because they belong to one group or another. Stereotyping a group is never a good thing to do…
I’d like to give Protestants a format to defend themselves against my statement.
That’s good. But from a lot of your posts it doesn’t seem that anything protestants say to you changes your mind about them. You have a pretty set view of us as a whole…
Now, I can’t speak for Muslims in detail, but I know that they love and revere Mary. They even have an entire book of the Koran devoted to her. I’ll hope that a Muslim can enlighten us all (and if neccessary, correct me if I’m wrong on what I believe they feel for her) on how their faith sees Mary, the mother of Jesus.
Right on…
As for Catholics, I can’t speak for every last Catholic, but generally speaking, we love her. We have no issues with veneration of Mary. We see her as our mother (as Jesus is our brother through our common Father Who is God, The Father).
For the most part protestants do disagree with calling her our mother. But there are some protestant beliefs systems that acknowledge her with this title. For myself, I revere her as a wonderful and brave woman who said YES to God even if it meant danger for her. That is awesome and a great example for the rest of us.
We ask her to pray for us.
Good for you. I don’t particualarily believe that she can hear us because God is the only one I have been instructed to pray to. If I can just go to Him, why bother Mary while she enjoys her riches in Heaven? But that’s just me. Since God is the one who will help I go to Him.
We defend her when others belittle her or impune her reputation.
Who does this? I have never heard a protestant belittle or impune her reputation… Or is disagreeing with the catholic church on this doing those things?
We are jealous for her image to the world and guard it against misrepresentations.
Not quite sure what this means… Please explain what you mean by this statement…
We praise her.
Praise is reserved for God and God alone.
We mention her regularly.
As long as it is not more than you mention Christ then I have no problem with this. I just find that my time is more productive focusing on Christ and NO ONE else.
We have always felt this way, since the beginning of Christianity.
Funny, the bible hardly mentions Mary after her involvment with Christ’s ministry beginning. You would think that if she had such a HUGE impact on christianity and the first christians she would be mentioned a whole lot more. I believe she has importance and without her, things would have been much different. BUT she is a mere human like ourselves who needed a savior as much as we do. If we put any more on her we give her a stature that isn’t suited for her. And one not intended by Christ.
Former Catholics who’d go on to be the church fathers of the Protestant Reformation also venerated Mary (Luther, Calvin, Zwigli, etc…).
Sure, there is nothing wrong with believing that she played an important role. Just not as important as Christ. And that is what makes a lot of protestants (and even a few catholics) nervous.
The non-veneration of Mary was created post Reformation by anti-Catholic Protestants and is a relatively new practice having only been employed during the last 400 years.
Do you believe that protestants, who don’t venerate Mary as catholics do now, are anti-catholic?
But for 2,000 years, Christianity has loved and revered the woman who gave up her only born Son so that man would be saved.

We are grateful to her.
Love her as a sister in Christ, yes! Love her for more than what she is, no. She made a great example for the rest of us. But she did not make the ultimate sacrifice, Christ did. And that is what we should have our focus on. Not a mere human who allowed God to incorporate her in His Holy Plan.

Continued…
 
Continued from above…
Jesus, Who is The Life, came through her womb, therefore, our eternal Salvation Who is Christ came through her womb…her womb gave us life…just like a mother does to any child born naturally.
Her womb didn’t create Christ. Christ existed before she was a glint in Eve’s eye. God uses incredible people. I have never denied that she was and is incredible and amazing. But Christ is my Savior and my Love and only He deserves my veneration.
Scripture calls anybody who follows Christ the children of the woman who gave birth to Jesus Christ (Revelations 12:17).
I believe that the woman foretold in that vision is the Jewish Nation and the children are the christians that were born out of Christ’s Sacrifice. Mary is one of those children.
So, we love her as Jesus Himself loved her…as our own mother.
Even Jesus didn’t give her the pedistal that many christians do. (Matthew 12:47-49 ) He never disrespected her but he never gave her a station above the others. He made sure we were taken care of by His disciples and He made sure she was taken care of by making sure one of His disciples took care of her. Every respect He gives to her he gives to us.
Non-Catholic Christians, the question is to you…am I wrong to assert that Catholics and Muslims love and revere and hold Mary in higher esteem than you do?
Higher esteem, maybe. But catholics do not revere her more. I believe that protestants have a very high reverence for Mary. We just choose to focus more on Christ than Mary.
If so, I welcome your explanation & correction because I would love to be wrong about this one. I really would. I would really like to know that you consider Mary (as The Scriptures tell us) the mother of all Christians and that you love her even more than Muslims do.
Mother of all Christians? No, I do not believe this. But she is a wonderful and awesome example for us. To give her any less would be a shame.
Do Catholics and Muslims love Mary more than non-Catholic Christians?
If we say no, would you even believe us? Previous posts say no. It’s a shame really…
 
Now, I can’t speak for Muslims in detail, but I know that they love and revere Mary. They even have an entire book of the Koran devoted to her. I’ll hope that a Muslim can enlighten us all (and if neccessary, correct me if I’m wrong on what I believe they feel for her) on how their faith sees Mary, the mother of Jesus.
Hi

MaryMeriumMaryam has a special significance in Islam. Mary and her son JesusYeshuaIssa are among the many Signs of GodAllahYHWH as mentioned in Quran but not well understood by our Cathlic friends.

[21:88] And remember Dhu’l-Nèn, when he went away in anger, and he was sure in his mind that We would not cause him distress and he cried out in the midst of his afflictions: ‘There is no god but Thou, Holy art Thou. I have indeed been of the wrongdoers.’
[21:89] So We heard his prayer and delivered him from his distress. And thus do We deliver true believers.
[21:90] And remember Zachariah also when he cried to his Lord: ‘My Lord, leave me not alone and Thou art the Best of inheritors.’
[21:91] So We heard his prayer and bestowed upon him John and cured his wife of sterility for him. They used to vie with one another in good works and they called on US in hope and in fear, and they humbled themselves before US.
[21:92] And remember her who guarded her chastity, so We breathed into her of Our Word and We made her and her son a Sign for all peoples.
www3.alislam.org/showChapter.jsp?ch=21&verse=91

Thanks
 
Praise is reserved for God and God alone.
So was The Archangel Gabriel wrong to praise Mary when he approached her in Luke 1?

Definition of praise:
praise .
–noun
  1. the act of expressing approval or admiration; commendation; laudation.
  2. the offering of grateful homage in words or song, as an act of worship: a hymn of praise to God.
  3. the state of being approved or admired: The king lived in praise for many years.
  4. Archaic. a ground for praise, or a merit.
    –verb (used with object)
  5. to express approval or admiration of; commend; extol.
  6. to offer grateful homage to (God or a deity), as in words or song.
    Idiom
  7. sing someone’s praises, to praise someone publicly and enthusiastically: He is always singing his wife’s praises.
Luke 1:28
And the angel came in unto her, and said, “Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.”
As long as it is not more than you mention Christ then I have no problem with this. I just find that my time is more productive focusing on Christ and NO ONE else.
Well what about the part that Jesus said that we were to love each other as He loved us?

Do you think He loved Mary up to a certain point then stopped?

Or did He love her as a mother?

And if He loved her as a mother, and He told us to love her as He loved her
(as she is included in His wish to God that we all love each other as He loved us),
then is it wong for us to love her as He loved her?

I think that whenever we love Mary or each other for that fact, it’s very productive. Jesus never said love Him to to the exclusion of anyone else.

In fact, He chastized people who “only” loved Him and ignored others (this is a long one, but worth it…):

Matthew 25:31-46
31When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

32And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:

33And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

34Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

35For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

36Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

37Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

38When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

39Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

40And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

41Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

42For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:

43I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.

44Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?

45Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

Therefore, those who love those who follow and love Jesus and who do not limit their love for them will also be loved “by” Jesus.
 
Funny, the bible hardly mentions Mary after her involvment with Christ’s ministry beginning. You would think that if she had such a HUGE impact on christianity and the first christians she would be mentioned a whole lot more.
Yeah, Protestants like to use that “mentioned” thing until we talk about Peter’s leadership in The Church, then they say it doesn’t matter how many times one is mentioned in the Bible (Peter’s mentioned more times than all the Apostles combined and 2nd only to Jesus). Off topic, but I just wanted to point that inconsistancy in Protestant beliefs there.

Now, back to Mary…“you” would think, but “you” didn’t write The Bible. God did. Your value and manner to measure importance in Scripture is deduced from “human” reasoning. How many times is the word “and” mentioned in Scriture? Probably more than Jesus’. Is “and” then more holy or important than Jesus? Grammatical usage or mentions do not importance make. Besides, not all that Jesus said is in The Bible either. Does that make what wasn’ written in The Bible “less” important?

And her impact on Christianity was the biggest of any Christian…she brought forth Christ.
I believe she has importance and without her, things would have been much different. BUT she is a mere human like ourselves who needed a savior as much as we do. If we put any more on her we give her a stature that isn’t suited for her. And one not intended by Christ.
Whoomp! There it is! LOL!

Mary a “mere” human? How many humans were chosen by God to bear His Son?

You compare yourself to Mary? Are yo worthy to carry His Son in your womb? Impossible, you like me are born of sinful flesh, therefore your flesh has origial sin on it. Jesus couldn’t have been formed “of” sinful flesh for is (according to Jesus’ own words) if the tree was rotten, so would the fruit be.

Since Jesus is “of” Mary physically for no man contributed one gram of DNA to Him, then because He was pure, so she too had to be pure.

If you had to send your kid to school, would you send him on a filthy bus or a clean bus? If you’d send him on a clean bus, wouldn’t Jesus be sent (as The Son of God!) on the cleanes bus around?

How did Christ intend for us to view Mary? This is how…
John 15:12
“This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.”

How did Jesus love Mary?
Then you too are commanded (not suggested) to love Mary as He has loved her.
Sure, there is nothing wrong with believing that she played an important role. Just not as important as Christ. And that is what makes a lot of protestants (and even a few catholics) nervous.
Only Protestants suggest anything near that (that Mary is believed to have performed a role as important as Christ). Catholics have never stated that. Only Protestants bring that theory up.

It’s true. Find me one Catholic that ever stated that.

I’ll find you Protestants who say what you say all the time.
Do you believe that protestants, who don’t venerate Mary as catholics do now, are anti-catholic?
No. They just don’t love her near as much as we love Jesus’ mother.
 
Love her as a sister in Christ, yes! Love her for more than what she is, no. She made a great example for the rest of us. But she did not make the ultimate sacrifice, Christ did. And that is what we should have our focus on. Not a mere human who allowed God to incorporate her in His Holy Plan.
Hmmm…where do I start?

A “sister” in Christ? Where in the Bible does it say that?
I’ll show you where it says that she is our “mother” in Christ:
Revelations 12:17
“And the dragon was wroth with the woman (Mary),
and went to make war with the remnant of her seed (her children besides Christ),
which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ (Christians) .”

If you “only” lover her as a “sister”, then your love is limited to that of a sibling (even though Scripture clearly states that she is the mother of Christians).

[And before you find in a Protestants Apologetics site that the woman mentioned in Rev 12 is not Mary (who was the only woman to give birth to Jesus Christ, the King of Kings, the One Who would rule all nations with an iron rod), remember, Jeruselum is barren and cannot bear children (and “that” is Scriptural).]

Only Protestants bring up things that never happened (that Mary made the ultimate sacrifice). We never state that and that is never a point of contention. Why bring it up? I’ve no clue.

A “mere” human that allowed God to incorporate her in His holy plan?

Wow. So a person who God finds favor in is “mere” to you?

You have no repect for those God favors. That is an insult even if you don’t know it. She is not “mere” which literally means:

mere
adjective
  1. being nothing more nor better than: a mere pittance; He is still a mere child.
  2. Obsolete.
Wow…Jesus’ mother…just “mere”.

Is a clean bus to send your kid to school in just a “mere” bus when compared to a filthy bus?
 
Let us remember, that only a minority of Christians believe that Mary wasn’t who she was and that was introduced in Europe only afer the 16th Century.

The overwheming majority of Christians believe in Mary as someone “special” and as set aside from “mere” humans.

Remember, she wasn’t saved by Jesus Christ’s sacrifice.

She was saved before Jesus was even born.

It wasn’t Christ’s birth that saved mankind, but his death.

For her to call herself saved by God,
she had to be, well, “saved by God”.

Why can’t they just admit it…just say it!
It would be so liberating!

Say “We don’t love Mary as much as Catholics and Muslims do.”

I know it sounds incomprehencable, but it’s true and the truth shall set you free.
 
I made the statement that Catholics and Muslims love Mary more than Protestants do. For this, I was called presumtuous.

Do Catholics and Muslims love Mary more than non-Catholic Christians?
Well, what is the purpose of patting Islam on the back for honoring Mary, when they totally deny Jesus as God and savior of all mankind? This Mary Islam “honors” is not the Mary told of in scripture where God chose to bring Jesus into this world.
 
Matter of fact, that’s a good point to dig up…what’s the percentage of Christians who don’t love Mary as much as universal Christians do?

I remember it being about 15% (since Catholics and Orthodox have nearly identical beliefs Marian-wise).

That alone comprises 85% of the total Christian population.
 
Well, what is the purpose of patting Islam on the back for honoring Mary, when they totally deny Jesus as God and savior of all mankind? This Mary Islam “honors” is not the Mary told of in scripture where God chose to bring Jesus into this world.
Why not nurture what we agree on?

Even Jesus showed the good that non-believers did when teaching His own followers.

If Jesus could do it, why can’t I?
 
Lev,

Didn’t Jesus pat the Samaritan on the back when He told the Parable of how a Samaritan (an enemy to the Jews) did the right thing while two Jews did the wrong thing?
 
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