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Needtostop
Guest
Why are many protestants opposed to honoring the Blessed Virgin Mary?
Why are many protestants opposed to honoring the Blessed Virgin Mary?
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Christine85
Guest
Because they think by doing that it takes the focus off Jesus .
But we know that’s not the case if we do love Mary she leads us even more so to Jesus.
But we know that’s not the case if we do love Mary she leads us even more so to Jesus.
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andreashofer
Guest
Often they have struggle believing in her virginity, her purity, her sinlessness as the Mother of God. Why would I honor a woman, who is as sinful as myself? Pride comes and leads to ignorance.
Many protestants make their own doctrines about our Lady and deny her being the Mother of God, but rather just a Mother of a holy man. Why would I honor the mother of a holy man, when I think I am a holy man myself? Pride comes and leads to ignorance.
Protestants are protesting against the Sacredness of our faith purely out of pride, jealousy and greed. They often don’t respect their own soul and body as something so precious and vulnerable that is has to be carried through this world by a mother so tender and loving as our Lady of Medjugorje. Jesus gave us his own Mother in order to carry us in her spiritual womb. What is born of the flesh is flesh, of the spirit is spirit.
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Zosimus41
Guest
Probably something simple like just because we honor her.
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HelenRose
Guest
That is a misleading question. Most protestants do honor her. They don’t understand our veneration and think that we have crossed the line of honoring her to worshiping her.
I think that they have missed one of the most beautiful gifts that Christ has given us. His Mother.
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myc1972
Guest
I had a co-worker tell me once “That she was just a tool, used by god” There are so many wrong things with that statement. God would not just have just anyone carry his son. He would pick someone Pure and Holy, that was made worthy of praying to.
If a person can’t believe that than they don’t believe in Jesus.
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Credo_ergo_sum
Guest
Lutherans and Anglicans aren’t opposed to honoring the Blessed Virgin.
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JRKH
Guest
I don’t believe that “most protestants” are opposed to honoring the mother of Christ. It is they type and degree of honor that is the sticking point and others here have touched on these:
- Takes away from Jesus
- Runs dangerously close or crosses the line from veneration to worship
etc.
That said, most people I have spoken with have no problem “honoring” Mary as the mother of the savior, the blessed instrument of God, and a great example of submission and obedience in faith and trust to God’s Will. All of these are things that we honor her for too.
Where they draw the line tends to be in other matters which are, in some/many cases, broader than just “Marion” veneration. For instance, some protestants do not hold with prayer to the saints - such would naturally include prayers to the BVM. Likewise, those who hold to a “soul sleep” concept would believe that Mary, like the other saints is not in heaven but in the grave awaiting the second coming.
There are many issues involved and they can be quite interrelated. I have read some writings of saints that make me cringe. The writing is so “Mary” focused that it really DOES sound and feel like “Mary worship”. I know that this is not their intent, but likewise I know that such writing, such promotion etc will be just as troubling to many a protestant who is investigating the Church.
For myself, I am often reminded of the last words of our lady recorded in the Bible. “Do whatever he tells you to do”. I then take this as the best and greatest instruction from my Heavenly Mother, who I love very much. I honor her by doing what Jesus tells me to do which is to Love the God and Love neighbor.
Peace
James
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just_came_back
Guest
They willfully ignore Hebrews 11 and the “great cloud of witnesses” along with “God is not the god of the dead but the god of the living.”
They have no problem asking somebody else here on Earth to pray for them in their time of need, yet ignore the ones in Heaven that are closest to our Lord to help intercede for us as well. Christ IS the great intercessor but his chosen ones have a role as well. Just being in Heaven is not the final reward for them and I saw a video, brilliantly done, by an LCMS professor, that stated too many denominations followers just want to “get to Heaven.”
That is not the FINAL OR BLESSED REWARD. The resurrection and the world to come is. It all ties together. Peace.
They have no problem asking somebody else here on Earth to pray for them in their time of need, yet ignore the ones in Heaven that are closest to our Lord to help intercede for us as well. Christ IS the great intercessor but his chosen ones have a role as well. Just being in Heaven is not the final reward for them and I saw a video, brilliantly done, by an LCMS professor, that stated too many denominations followers just want to “get to Heaven.”
That is not the FINAL OR BLESSED REWARD. The resurrection and the world to come is. It all ties together. Peace.
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Delaine75
Guest
From my own experiences talking to my Protestant friends, they think that by honoring Mary, we are worshiping her the same as we worship God. For some reason, they won’t believe that we are honoring Mary as the Mother of God and a powerful intercessor who only wants to bring us closer to her Son, not her herself. Therefore, very few of them (sadly) place any importance on Mary at all except around Christmas time. 
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AnneElizabeth
Guest
As its been said, some Protestants do honor The Blessed Virgin. Others are wary about it.
I’m sure if you did a internet search on the question you would find a myriad of answers as to why they oppose it.
When I was with some Baptists years before my conversion, they told me about a part in Scripture where there is someone called the “Queen of Heaven” who was honored and this angered the Lord. It is in the book of Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 7:18 “… the women knead the dough, to make cakes for the queen of heaven; and they pour out drink offerings to other gods, that they may provoke Me to anger!”
I think they were wary of the fact that Catholics call The Blessed Virgin “Queen of Heaven” and the Baptists coupled that fact with this Scripture verse. They don’t want to provoke God to anger, so they stay away from Marian devotion, veneration.
I’m sure if you did a internet search on the question you would find a myriad of answers as to why they oppose it.
When I was with some Baptists years before my conversion, they told me about a part in Scripture where there is someone called the “Queen of Heaven” who was honored and this angered the Lord. It is in the book of Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 7:18 “… the women knead the dough, to make cakes for the queen of heaven; and they pour out drink offerings to other gods, that they may provoke Me to anger!”
I think they were wary of the fact that Catholics call The Blessed Virgin “Queen of Heaven” and the Baptists coupled that fact with this Scripture verse. They don’t want to provoke God to anger, so they stay away from Marian devotion, veneration.
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AbideWithMe
Guest
This is the best answer on this thread by far.
I honor Mary as the mother of my Lord and as an example of trustful obedience. Those things in themselves would call for me to highly honor her.
So, perhaps it comes down to Catholics explaining better, and non-Catholics listening better.From my own experiences talking to my Protestant friends, they think that by honoring Mary, we are worshiping her the same as we worship God. For some reason, they won’t believe that we are honoring Mary as the Mother of God and a powerful intercessor who only wants to bring us closer to her Son, not her herself. Therefore, very few of them (sadly) place any importance on Mary at all except around Christmas time.
On the explaining side - describing the difference between latria and dulia.
On the listening side - have an open mind to what is said, and not simply what one has always thought.
Jon
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JRKH
Guest
This can get into some tricky areas that are not simply “Marion” in nature. In short, trying to explain “Marion” beliefs can (and likely will) quickly spread to other areas.
- The whole idea of saints and intercession etc comes into play.
- Reliance on “Scripture” vs extra-biblical “Tradition” likewise will enter the picture.
- …fill in the blank…
Peace
James
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Ad_Honorem
Guest
I was flicking through the mostly Protestant/Evangelical TV channels here in the UK about a month ago and noticed this being talked about on one channel.
It seemed the main crux of their opposition boiled down to the name “Mother of God” as they felt this showed Catholic’s placed Mary as somehow superior to God Himself.
It seemed the main crux of their opposition boiled down to the name “Mother of God” as they felt this showed Catholic’s placed Mary as somehow superior to God Himself.
Thanks, James. Hope you are well.=JRKH;9494216]
Let me respond a to a couple of points.
True, and yet belief in or practicing of invocation can be held as a separate issue. Many Lutherans do this.
True again, so it might depend on the type of protestant one is speaking about. Lutherans, for example, consider most marion beliefs to be adiaphora, and therefore pious personal opinion.
there’s alwasy some of these.
And I think this is the big area - the dogmatic requirement to believe them.
But all that said, a starting place for all of this is not necessarily accepting marion beliefs, but at least understanding them before one rejects them.
I also think that Catholics need to be aware of the fact that honoring her does not necessarily have to look like the way Catholics honor her.
Jon
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KathleenGee
Guest
Yes, the Lutherans and Anglicans have devotion to Mary and give her honor, but not the same as Catholics/Orthodox.
I think the bigger momentum behind this perception of Catholics worshipping Mary is the intense indoctrination by fundamentalist preachers who put such fear into their followers against Catholicism. They are profoundly stuck in their emotions and fear to the point of obsession on the outward exterior practices of our faith, with no receptacle to hear what is the truth of our practices.
There is a new Catholic here on CAF who was most adamant in telling his fundamentalist associations his beliefs, and they continued to insist the contrary. So dialogue is very hard.
However, we don’t know how many evangelical and fundamentalist ministers are studying our faith and coming into the Church either. When they do, they go through alot of suffering and rejection by their former members…to the point they don’t associate with them any more because of this. But someday, most likely, they will help followers come to Mary.
I had a supernatural experience regarding her…she manifested herself to me on Christmas Day in theItalian missions in Africa…she made my suffering light, she brought the presence of heaven to me, surrounded me with it…nothing extraordinary or taking me out of my place…but this presence of heaven also had with it the absence of sin.
The presence of sin brings such a sense of oppression and darkness to our daily lives…it is the norm for us…the daily life composed of shadows and divisions and fractures…from God and each other.
When people go to Lourdes, many times their condition doesn’t change, but Mary has given them greater strength and made their crosses lighter and more bearable.
I think the bigger momentum behind this perception of Catholics worshipping Mary is the intense indoctrination by fundamentalist preachers who put such fear into their followers against Catholicism. They are profoundly stuck in their emotions and fear to the point of obsession on the outward exterior practices of our faith, with no receptacle to hear what is the truth of our practices.
There is a new Catholic here on CAF who was most adamant in telling his fundamentalist associations his beliefs, and they continued to insist the contrary. So dialogue is very hard.
However, we don’t know how many evangelical and fundamentalist ministers are studying our faith and coming into the Church either. When they do, they go through alot of suffering and rejection by their former members…to the point they don’t associate with them any more because of this. But someday, most likely, they will help followers come to Mary.
I had a supernatural experience regarding her…she manifested herself to me on Christmas Day in theItalian missions in Africa…she made my suffering light, she brought the presence of heaven to me, surrounded me with it…nothing extraordinary or taking me out of my place…but this presence of heaven also had with it the absence of sin.
The presence of sin brings such a sense of oppression and darkness to our daily lives…it is the norm for us…the daily life composed of shadows and divisions and fractures…from God and each other.
When people go to Lourdes, many times their condition doesn’t change, but Mary has given them greater strength and made their crosses lighter and more bearable.
J
just_came_back
Guest
Which just proves evangelicals are dumber than a door knob when it comes to the Trinity. Oh they will SAY the believe the F,S, AND HS are one yet bring up “MOG” and I’ve heard “Jesus is not god, he is son of god”…boggles the brain!
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