The rosary is a damnable heresy, nowhere taught in the Word of God. I am saddened that so many people have fallen hook, line, and sinker for the damnable teachings of the Roman Catholic religion. I say “damnable teachings” because they are NOT based upon the Bible, but rather upon traditions and superstitious fairytales.
The following green paragraph is from www.Catholicity.com, titled “The Fifteen Promises of the Rosary.” I am going to refute these lies with the Bible, my responses will be in bold black type.
The Fifteen Promises of the Rosary
Our Lady made these promises to Christians who faithfully pray the Rosary:
- To all those who shall pray my Rosary devoutly, I promise my special protection and great graces.
It sounds great, but what is the “special protection” and what are the “great graces.” Talk is cheap, you’ve got to tell us more than that. And what’s with the “my Rosary” deal? If the rosary belongs to Mary, where does God fit into the picture? From all the time I have spent dissecting the Catholic religion, one thing is very clear to me…Roman Catholics are utterly consumed in mind, body, and spirit with the “blessed virgin Mary” while Jesus Christ is ignored. I triple dog dare you to watch any Catholic worship service and you’ll see Mary exalted to the heavens, but what does the Bible say concerning this heathen practice? The Bible declares…
“Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth” -Philippians 2:9,10
Listen to any Roman Catholic worship service and all you will hear is Mary, Mary, Mary! The Bible teaches that ONLY the name of Jesus Christ should be exalted, for there is NO salvation in any other name…
“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” -Acts 4:12
- Those who shall persevere in the recitation of my Rosary will receive some special grace.
There is absolutely nothing in the Bible teaching such foolishness. God never instructs us to recite anything; on the contrary, God condemns such practices…
“But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do…” -Matthew 6:7
Catholicism is as heathen as can be! I recently watched a bunch of nuns chanting the rosary on EWTN (the Eternal Word Television Network for Catholics). They just kept chanting…
Mary, Queen of Heaven…we pray to thee
Mary, Queen of all saints…we pray to thee
Mary, Queen of angels…we pray to thee
Mary, Queen of the holy rosary…we pray to thee
And so on…it lasted for several minutes.
Ironically, I frequently get e-mails from Catholics adamantly denying that they pray to Mary. What? Then what do you call the above chants? The nuns were reciting over and over…Mary, Queen of ____…we pray to thee.” They are indeed praying to Mary, wickedly so!
Folks, please do NOT be deceived by the devil, Roman Catholicism is straight out of the pits of hell. Jesus Christ is the ONLY Way to heaven, not the blessed virgin Mary. Furthermore, Mary did not remain a virgin (contrary to the perpetual virginity teachings of the Catholic religion). Please don’t be deceived by the double-talk of Catholics. In one breath they admit that Mary is not the way to heaven, yet as you will read in promise # 5 below, they do teach that praying the rosary to Mary guarantees heaven. God does not play Word Games like Catholics do; God said what He meant, and we had better listen to Him or else. Romans 3:4 declares, “… let God be true, but every man a liar…”
- The Rosary will be a very powerful armor against hell; it will destroy vice, deliver from sin and dispel heresy.
What a bunch of lies! Do you really believe that counting 59 beads and a cross on a rosary is going to accomplish anything other than wasting your time? Jesus never taught any such nonsense. The Bible never teaches us to count beads or pray a rosary. In Matthew 6:9-13, Jesus taught us how to pray…
“After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.”
Jesus said, “After this manner therefore pray ye…” Jesus didn’t tell us exactly what to pray, but He taught us in what “manner” to pray. I don’t see anything about a hail Mary in there. God wants us to adore Him, to worship His good and perfect name. God wants us to seek the kingdom of God first (Matthew 6:33), and God’s will in our life. God wants us to be repentant, humble, and forgiving of others. God wants us to pray to avoid temptation (to walk in the Spirit). God wants us to brag on Him and boast about His greatness and power. If you boil this prayer all down into simplest form, you basically have 2 things:
God is everything, and we desperately need God.
Roman Catholics foolishly and sinfully ADD Mary to the list. God will NOT accept any worship that includes Mary or anyone else.
Also, praying the rosary can’t dispel heresy because it is heresy itself. The Bible teaches that heresy is exposed by shining the light of God’s Word upon the darkness (Psalm 119:105). The Bible is a “lamp” unto our feet to light the path. God’s Holy Spirit is our guide to “guide us into all truth” (John 16:13). If a doctrine doesn’t fit within the parameters of the Bible, then it is heresy! If you don’t like this, then it is only because you do NOT believe the Bible. Praying the rosary will do nothing but waste your time and upset God.
- The rosary will make virtue and good works flourish, and will obtain for souls the most abundant divine mercies. It will draw the hearts of men from the love of the world and its vanities, and will lift them to the desire of eternal things. Oh, that souls would sanctify themselves by this means.
I dare you to show me any of the above claims from the Bible. The Bible teaches in John 17:17, ” Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” It is the Word of God that sanctifies us (sets us apart “from” the world and “to” God). Catholicism elevates the rosary above the Word of God. The rosary cannot sanctify you. How can you be sanctified by repeating a bunch of vain repetitions? The term “hail Mary” is NOT even mentioned once in the Bible! Not once! Think about it.
- Those who trust themselves to me through the Rosary will not perish.
This is one of the most blasphemous statements I’ve read. The Catholic religion teaches that those who trust MARY through the ROSARY will not perish. That’s a dirty lie of the devil. The Bible proclaims…
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” -John 3:16
You can pray a million rosaries and trust Our Lady of Fatima (Mary) with all your heart, but you WILL go straight to hell when you die and face the judgments of God. God sent His Son into the world to pay the price, the ransom, for our many sins. Jesus Christ has made salvation available to all men, all you need to do is to forsake your false religion, and place 100% of your faith in Christ alone, not the Great Whore of Catholicism. By the way, Mary (Jesus’ mother) is not the great Whore, Mary of the Roman Roman Catholicism has created a MONSTER out of Mary that is all a big lie. False doctrines such as “the assumption of Mary, “the “Immaculate Conception of Mary,” and Mary’s “Perpetual Virginity” are fictitious lies of the devil nowhere found in the Bible.
- Whoever recites my Rosary devoutly reflecting on the mysteries, shall never be overwhelmed by misfortune. He will not experience the anger of God nor will he perish by an unprovided death. The sinner will be converted; the just will persevere in grace and merit eternal life.
Wow! Talk about a flame-broiled whopper! This is extreme Catholic blasphemy against a Holy God. No sinner will ever be converted by reciting the rosary! The ONLY hope of salvation is through Jesus Christ ALONE…
“And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.” -John 6:40
“Never be overwhelmed with misfortune”? Again, it sounds great but it’s simply NOT true, Catholics suffer from misfortune just like all other human beings do. We live in a fallen world and suffering is simply a part of this temporal life, Christian or not. Being a Christian doesn’t necessarily make life any easier, but it does make life better because you have the Lord Jesus Christ by your side all the time. At what point did Mary become a superstar? It surely didn’t happen in the Bible. Roman Catholics and even Lutherans disgracefully elevate Mary to extreme levels NOT taught anywhere in the Scriptures. Mary was a sinful, but virtuous, human being who was graciously chosen by God to be used as a vessel to bring Christ into the world. Mary has no special position or recognition with God. Mary is NOT the “mother of God,” God has no mother. Mary was the mother of the man Jesus Christ, but the incarnate Godhead has no mother. Jesus Christ had NO earthly father, but was conceived by a miracle of the Holy Spirit of God. Mary was a good and respectable woman, but she was still a hell-deserving sinner, just like any other virtuous lady who is a child of God.
- Those truly devoted to my Rosary shall not die without the sacraments of the Church.
Can’t you see that the Vatican wrote this garbage? Fatima is a big Hoax! The Catholic religion is raking in billions upon billions of dollars from foolish people who are following the Unbiblical traditions of men. So now Mary is telling you that you need the sacraments if you really mean business, and if you don’t mean business then you have no guarantee of heaven. This is how the Catholic religion subtly mandates the sacraments. Do you see the gimmick in all of this? Every Catholic that I speak with says that the sacraments are not necessary for salvation, yet the black and white teachings of Catholicism contradict them. It’s so pathetic.
- Those who are faithful to recite my Rosary shall have during their life and at their death the light of God and the plenitude of His graces and will share in the merits of the blessed.
I dare you to show me this from the Bible. By the way, I’ve never heard a Catholic priest yet encourage his listeners to study the Bible for themselves. The Bible is the BIGGEST ENEMY of the Roman Catholic Church.
- I will deliver promptly from purgatory souls devoted to my Rosary.
There is NO such teaching as purgatory in the Bible. The foolish rich man in Luke 16 died without Christ and went straight to hell to suffer in torment. Jesus never said it was a parable (as He always did when He told a parable). Literal names were used (Lazarus, Abraham). It wasn’t a “certain man” in a “certain place,” the details were specific. We must accept the account as real. There is no teaching in the Bible of a temporal place of punishment.
- True children of my Rosary will enjoy great glory in heaven.
- What you shall ask through my Rosary you shall obtain.
- To those who propagate my Rosary I promise aid in all their necessities.
The above three promises of Our Lady of Fatima (Mary) are nonsense not found in the Bible. Jesus told us to pray in His name to the Father, no mention is ever made of Mary. Where in the world did the Catholic religion ever come up with this stuff from?, it certainly wasn’t from the Bible. Are the manmade doctrines of the early Catholic Fathers to be accepted as superior to the Word of God? The Vatican believes so.
It’s sickening that so many millions of people are starving to death around the world while the Vatican is decked out in the finest of precious ornaments, decoration, and priestly garb. While the priests are drinking from cups made of pure gold, children in many nations are drinking muddy water from rivers where animals and people defecate. “Promise” # 12 above says that Mary will “aid in all their necessities.” I wonder how many little children who are starving have been fed by Catholicism’s Mary. It’s obvious to any sensible person Catholicism takes in much more money than it gives out. Our Lady of Fatima is a liar!
- I have obtained from my Son that all the members of the Rosary Confraternity shall have as their intercessors, in life and in death, the entire celestial court.
- Those who recite my Rosary faithfully are my beloved children, the brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ.
- Devotion to my Rosary is a special sign of predestination.
Again, there is no Scriptural support for the above lies. Devotion to the rosary is a sign of spiritual blindness and misguided faith, nothing else. Those who recite the rosary are worshipping God in vain, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men…
“He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.” -Mark 7:6-9
I hope I have helped you a bit, to open your eyes to the lies of Roman Catholicism. I surely mean no harm to anyone; on the contrary, I took the time to write this article to WARN people that the Catholic religion is all a bunch of lies, based upon the traditions of men, and NOT upon the inspired and preserved Word of God.
If you want to go to heaven the Bible way, then ye must be born again!
The Following information is found at www.Catholic.org: (As above, my refuting comments are in bold white type)
I have included the following information to help you understand the rosary if you aren’t sure how it works. I think the more you understand the rosary, the easier it is to expose it using the Bible. Unbelievably, during one rosary prayer (a chaplet), a Catholic will pray 53 hail Marys! (as seen below). Each “hail Mary” prayer is 42 words long. 42 x 53 = 2,226 words just praising Mary! The devout Catholic who prays the rosary every day will praise Mary with 812,490 words in a year’s time. That is idolatry! Though someone might contend that half of the hail Mary prayer is a Bible verse, it surely has been taken way out of context. Jesus NEVER taught us to recognize Mary in any way. God NEVER asked us to recognize Mary in any way. Mary didn’t even exist in the Old Testament, but the Babylonian false god, the “Queen of Heaven,” existed (Jeremiah 7:18;44:17-19,25). Catholics even refer to Mary as the “Queen of Heaven.”
The Holy Rosary
“Step-By-Step” Instructions for Praying The Rosary
| Step I. | Beginning with the Rosary’s Cross: Begin as with all prayers In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. (making the sign of the Cross while doing that) |
| Step II. | On the single bead just above the cross, pray the Apostles Creed. This and all prayers of the rosary are meditative prayers |
| Step III. | The next cluster of beads are 3 bead, the “Hail Mary” prayer is said on these three beads. You pray the 3 Hail Marys while meditating on the three divine virtues of faith, hope, and love/charity. |
| Step IV. | On the next bead, which is a single bead, you announce the first divine mystery of contemplation. For example, if it were a Monday, you would say the first Joyful Mystery is “The Annunciation”, at this point you pray the “Our Father” prayer. |
| Step V. | Now this will bring you to the first decade, or set of 10 beads of the Rosary. You will then pray 10 Hail Marys while contemplating the first mystery, example: The Annunciation. |
| Step VI. | After the 10th Hail Mary you will have completed the first of 5 decades which make up a Chaplet of the Rosary. You now come to another single bead, at this point, you pray the… Glory be to the Father… then (on the same bead) pray the O My Jesus… then (on the same bead) announce the next or second mystery. For example: if its Monday and your praying the Joyful Mysteries, the second Joyful Mystery is The Visitation. At this point you pray the Our Father…. |
| Step VII. | You will now come to the second decade or group of 10 beads, you will now pray the 10 Hail Marys while contemplating the appropriate mystery. |
| Step VIII. | You continue to pray the rosary the same way throughout. If your intention is to pray a Chaplet (a single set of mysteries) at the end of the fifth mystery you will come back to the joiner, this is where the decades all join with the lower part of the rosary which contains the cross. When you come to the joiner, you decide whether or not you wish to say another Chaplet or end. If you decide to say another Chaplet you simply announce the next mystery and continue. If you wish to end, you simply say the Glory Be To The Father, the O My Jesus, The Our Father and end the rosary with the Hail Holy Queen and the sign of the Cross…….. |
Various Rosary Prayers in approximate order as prayed in the Rosary
THE APOSTLE’S CREED: I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried, He descended into hell; the third day He arose again from the dead; He ascended into Heaven, sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty, from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.
THE OUR FATHER: Our Father, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.
THE DOXOLOGY: Glory be to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. (this prayer is optional and may be said after all Glory Be to the Fathers…..)
O my Jesus, have mercy on us. Forgive us our sins. Save us from the fires of hell. Take all souls into heaven, especially, those most in need of thy mercy. Amen.
Everything was ok up until this point. Here we go again with the Mary stuff. Mary is NOT a mediator between us and God as the Catholics have made her to be. The Bible clearly teaches that there is ONLY One Mediator between God and man, the Lord Jesus Christ…
“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” -1st Timothy 2:5
THE HAIL MARY: Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
It is sinful for us to ask Mary to pray for us when the Bible CLEARLY teaches that Jesus Christ is the ONLY Mediator between God and man (1st Timothy 2:5). It surely wouldn’t be sinful to speak to a loved one in heaven, but they cannot speak to us or make intercession to God for us. When we want something from God, we should go to the Lord Jesus Christ and Him Alone. The whole basis of the damnable Catholic teaching on asking Mary to pray for us is that she is very dear and precious to God. No one has special priviledges with God. Catholics believe that Jesus is a mama’s boy, wrapped around Mary’s little finger. What Mary wants, Mary gets! I was disgusted recently while studying the Lutheran faith. Lutherans and Catholics both believe that God could not come to the earth incarnate without obtaining Mary’s permission first. Talk about blasphemy! I write these articles for a good reason, because the Catholic and Lutheran religions are both false religions leading to hell-fire and damnation!
DECADE PRAYER – (prayer for priests): God, our Father, please send us holy priests, all for the sacred and Eucharistic heart of Jesus, all for the sorrowful and immaculate heart of Mary, in union with saint Joseph. Amen.
THE SALVE REGINA (Hail Holy Queen): Hail Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life our sweetness and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve; To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us and after this our exile show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary!
V- Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God
R- That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
More Mary worship! “Hail Holy Queen?” You’ve got to be kidding me. Again, where did this extreme adoration of a sinner like Mary begin? It did NOT begin in the Bible or the early church. I’ll tell you where it began…In ancient pagan Babylon!
LET US PRAY: O God, by the life, death and resurrection of Your only begotten Son, You purchased for us the rewards of eternal life; grant, we beseech You that while meditation on these mysteries of the Holy rosary, we may imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
FATIMA PRAYER: Most Holy Trinity – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – I adore thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifferences whereby He is offended. And through the infinite merits of His Most Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg of Thee the conversion of poor sinners.
“Let this prayer be echoed all over the world.” - Mary
Fatima Prayer: My God, I believe, I adore, I hope, and I love You. I beg pardon of You for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope, and do not love You.
Mary, Queen of the Holy Rosary, pray for us. Mary, Queen of Peace, pray for us. Mary, Our Loving Mother, pray for us.
Isn’t it interesting that the “blessed virgin” of Catholicism is also called the “Queen of Heaven” by the Catholic church itself. Jesus said, “Ye worship ye know not what…” (John 4:22). Catholics have no idea what they are worshipping, they say it’s “God,” while idolizing Mary in every way. Mary is praised with over 2,226 words in every rosary prayer. Every rosary prayer! It is total blasphemy against God Almighty! God clearly said in Isaiah 42:8 that He would NOT share His glory with another…
“I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.” -Isaiah 42:8
Even in the commonly referred to “Lord’s Prayer” (which is really the “disciples prayer”), Jesus taught us to recognize God, and God alone…
“For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.” -Matthew 6:13
Don’t be deceived friend, if it’s wrong to worship the angels, then it is also wrong to worship a human being like Mary…
“Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind” -Colossians 2:18
MEMORARE: Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary that never was it known that anyone who fled to Your protection, implored Your help, or sought Your intercession was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, we fly to you, O Virgin of virgins, our Mother. To You we come; before You we stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not our petitions, but in Your mercy, hear and answer us. Amen.
The Fifteen Promises of Mary to Christians Who Recite the Rosary
| I. | Whoever shall faithfully serve me by the recitation of the rosary, shall receive signal graces. |
| II. | I promise my special protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall recite the rosary. |
| III. | The rosary shall be a powerful armor against hell, it will destroy vice, decrease sin, and defeat heresies. |
| IV. | It will cause virtue and good works to flourish; it will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God; it will withdraw the heart of men from the love of the world and its vanities, and will lift them to the desire of eternal things. Oh, that souls would sanctify themselves by this means. |
| V. | The soul which recommend itself to me by the recitation of the rosary, shall not perish. |
| VI. | Whoever shall recite the rosary devoutly, applying himself to the consideration of its sacred mysteries shall never be conquered by misfortune. God will not chastise him in His justice, he shall not by an unprovided death; if he be just he shall remain in the grace of God, and become worthy of eternal life. |
| VII. | Whoever shall have a true devotion for the rosary shall not die without the sacraments of the Church. |
| VIII. | Those who are faithful to recite the rosary shall have during their life and at their death the light of God and the plenitude of His graces; at the moment of death they shall participate in the merits of the saints in paradise. |
| IX. | I shall deliver from purgatory those who have been devoted to the rosary. |
| X. | The faithful children of the rosary shall merit a high degree of glory in heaven. |
| XI. | You shall obtain all you ask of me by the recitation of the rosary. |
| XII. | All those who propagate the holy rosary shall be aided by me in their necessities. |
| XIII. | I have obtained from my Divine Son that all the advocates of the rosary shall have for intercessors the entire celestial court during their life and at the hour of death. |
| XIV. | All who recite the rosary are my son, and brothers of my only son Jesus Christ. |
| XV. | Devotion of my rosary is a great sign of predestination. |
| (Given to St. Dominic and Blessed Alan) Imprimatur: Patrick J. Hayes DD Archbishop of New York) | |
WHY the Daily Rosary?
- Our Lady has 117 titles. She selected this title at Fatima: “I am the Lady of the Rosary.”
- St. Francis de Sales said the greatest method of praying IS- Pray the Rosary.
- St. Thomas Aquinas preached 40 straight days in Rome Italy on just the Hail Mary.
- St. John Vianney, patron of priest, was seldom seen without a rosary in his hand.
- “The rosary is the scourge of the devil” — Pope Adrian VI
- “The rosary is a treasure of graces” — Pope Paul V
- Padre Pio the stigmatic priest said: “The Rosary is THE WEAPON”
- Pope Leo XIII wrote 9 encyclicals on the rosary.
- Pope John XXIII spoke 38 times about our Lady and the Rosary. he prayed 15 decades daily.
- St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort wrote: “The rosary is the most powerful weapon to touch the Heart of Jesus, Our Redeemer, who so loves His Mother.”
- MARY, QUEEN OF THE HOLY ANGELS — PRAY FOR US!
- “Jesus, Mary, I Love You, Save Souls”
- J.M.J. = JESUS, MARY, JOSEPH – the Holy Family……
The Roman Catholic religion is a conglomerate of manmade traditions, hoaxes, false religions, and even many Christian teachings all MINGLED into one…but it certainly is NOT Christian. The devil is a master counterfeiter (2nd Corinthians 11:13-14). Satan always disguises his deceits and lies with elements of truth to deceive the masses. I pray that you won’t be one of Satan’s victims by adhering to the unbiblical heresies of Roman Catholicism.
May God bless you and open your eyes to the knowledge of the truth…
“Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” -1st Timothy 2:4
Warrior
This is unbelievable
Very Interesting!
Thank You!
Thanks for reading my blog ( Johnggsmith ) . I understand your comment.
Interesting reading…
I feel sorry for you, and I wonder what religion you practice that fills you with so much hate. Did you really do your research, or did you just ask some fickle Catholics who don’t really practice or know their religion? “Every catholic that you’ve asked” might not be the best reference for what the church teaches.
Roman Catholics certainly do not worship Mary. Prayers said to her are for guidance that God will hear our prayers. If you asked your own mother for help, it would not be considered “worshiping” your own mother. The Hail Mary is a prayer that asks her to “pray for us” –its a way of asking someone very close to God to help us pray to God so that there is more power behind our prayers. Its kind of like going to your friend and saying…hey, you know Jake better than I do, maybe you can ask for him to help me with something. In much of the same way, we go to Mary saying, you are closer to God than I am, help me to reflect on God and understand Him.
The Rosary also does not worship Mary, but it is meant to guide the reciter to ask Mary to pray to God for us. A large focus on the Rosary is to reflect on the holy mysteries, which center around Jesus (the crowning of thorns, the baptism, etc). You seemed to have missed how Jesus is a large center of the Rosary.
The church does not center on Mary, and the prayers said during mass are focused on God. If all you hear at church is Mary Mary Mary, then maybe you are the one overly focused on Mary and you need to step back and see God’s involvement in the mass.
The Bible is certainly encouraged, and there are 3 readings from the Bible at every mass. Catholics are encouraged to read these before mass and reflect on them to prepare for mass. We have a profound respect for Mary, and are asked to think of her as our heavenly mother. But we do not worship her as a god. And please don’t forget that God exists as 3 persons. Jesus is one, but you must not forget to recognize God the Father and the Holy Spirit.
Just because the Bible does not say “count beads and pray a rosary” it does not mean that it is wrong to do so. When you pray, do you open your Bible and simply repeat words on a page? Or do you reflect on yourself and pray with your own words? I find it hard to believe that the only things you say to God are straight, word for word, from the Bible. It is not wrong to have your own prayers, it is not blasphemous. Jesus asked his followers to not always just repeat his words, but to pray with their own words when they are in need, “pray that you might not undergo the test.”
I find it rather amusing that you choose this as your way of discounting Catholicism. I’ll certainly share this with others, as it is very amusing.
Ms. Jess, Thanks for your comment. Its seems that our article has offended you and in a fit of rage and frustration you have offered absurd points which contradict with your other ideas that you have mentioned. I would suggest you to look closely into your Roman Catholic Dogma. I do not know which part of the world are you a professing Catholic and it is certain by what you mention that Vatican changes its dogma country to country to suit its followers and its Sunday church collection maximized.
In the Old Testament G-d makes it very clear that He is One and there is no one else to be worshiped of even to intercede prayers to him. The problem with Catholics is that when we have a direct connection with G-d then why do we require such middle men or middle woman to take up our prayers to G-d. If that was the case then G-d would have mentioned at-least SOMEWHERE in the Bible. You might not be aware that the prayers to Mary was only made in practice by Pope Borgia and even the Mary portrait at the St. Peter’s Basilica is of Ewa Farnia ( his mistress ) and not of Mary. I cant believe that people still believe that to go to Jesus one has has to pass through Mary.
Yet the Bible tells me:
that all things are “by him [Jesus], and for him” (Col.1:16), “…of him, and through him and to him” (Rom.11:36).
Acts 4:12 clearly states: “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is NONE OTHER NAME UNDER HEAVEN GIVEN AMONG MEN, WHEREBY WE MUST BE SAVED.” (Emphasis mine)
So why worship Mary? How did Jesus’ offer to “Come to me…” (Jn.7:37) turn into “Go to Mary”? In the same book, “My Catholic Faith”, on page 204 we read: “WHEN DOES A PERSON SIN BY SUPERSTITION? – A person sins by superstition when he attributes to a creature a power that belongs to God alone.”
Catholicism has admitted by her own writings that it is a sin to attribute to a creature a power that belongs to God alone. Now we know that God possess the following attributes:
Omnipotent (all-powerful)
Omni-present (everywhere)
Omniscient (all-knowing),
“To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.” (Isa.40:25)
We know that the angels are not Omni-present as God is. Notice that after Daniel prayed, the angel sent by God was detained: “But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia. Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days” (Dan.10:13-14). (Emphasis mine)
When the Lord asked Satan: “Where comest thou?”, Satan answered, “From going to and fro in the earth and walking up and down in it.”
This Scripture verifies that even Satan is not Omni-present. Psalms 139 speaks of the Omni-presence of the Lord. “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou are there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.” (v.7-8)
Elijah, knowing that only God is Omni-present, mocked those who called on Baal saying,
“…Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked.”
Their reaction? The prophets of Baal cried even louder and cut themselves “till blood gushed out”, but still “there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded.” (I Kings 18:20-40)
God and God alone is Omni-present. God, and God alone, is the only one who can dwell in every man’s heart because He alone is everywhere. Therefore, when we call upon the Lord, we know He hears us. He is even at our hearts knocking at the door. (Rev.3:20) God alone can read the hearts of men and know their intent (Rev.2:23, Jer.17:10)
But what about Mary? Isn’t she omni-present? After all, you have millions of prayers a second being offered to her. People in Mexico, Russia, Europe, America, and all over the world, are praying the Rosary, asking Mary to be there at the hour of their death, asking her to guide them, help them, teach them, secure for them eternal redemption (something a Catholic believes that even Jesus did not do) and imploring her to come dwell in their hearts as though she were able to fulfill all these requests! A Catholic may deny that Mary is a god, but by asking all these things of her, she would have to be God to do them. She has powers and capabilities that even the pagan gods of Greece, Rome and Egypt did not possess, yet men called them gods.
Keeping this is mind, I would like to share with you some of my Catholic memories, and let our Christian readers decide if the Church of Rome has committed the “sin of superstition” (as they interpreted it – by attributing to a creature a power that belongs to God alone).
The following song, “Daily, Daily Sing to Mary”, I learned in 2nd grade. It was one of my favorites, and as a child, I sang it with all my heart.
“Daily, daily sing to Mary Sing, my soul, her praises due;
All her feasts, her actions worship, With the heart’s devotion true.
She is mighty to deliver; Call her, trust her lovingly;
When the tempest rages round thee, She will calm the troubled sea.
Gifts of heaven she has given, Noble Lady, to our race;
She the Queen who decks her subject, With the light of God’s own grace.” (Baltimore Catechism No.1, 63)
If Roman Catholics do not worship Mary, then why does line three say to worship her? Take in consideration that in Rev.19:10, it says, “And I fell at his feet to worship him [the angel of God], And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellow-servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God:”
Would the Catholic Church have me believe that Mary would accept what the angel of God rejected? Mary was a Hebrew woman who was acquainted with the book of Psalms 89:9 which says, “Thou [God] rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them”. But, she is now presented as telling the Catholic people that SHE can calm the troubled sea!
When Jesus calmed the raging sea, the disciples said, “What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” Mary is not God to command the sea, Jesus is. Line 8 of this song, above, says, “Gifts of heaven she has given” which for a Catholic means that Mary is the Mediatrix of all graces! This is truly the spirit of idolatry, for by “ONE SPIRIT” we have access to the Father, not two! (Eph.2:18, 4:4, I Cor.12:13)
As you may recall from the debate, the Catholic Church teaches that all graces flow through Mary; therefore, she is present in all the sacraments. That means, if a Christian attends mass or prays with a Catholic, he must join with the spirit of idolatry, who claims to be able to give the grace that God alone can give. Now we have Mary taking the place of the Holy Spirit! What blasphemy!
What more proof do we need that the Roman church has given to Mary the attributes that belong to God alone? Even Archbishop Paul Hallinan, in 1964 said that devotions and prayers to Mary were so exaggerated that they were a “blasphemy to the Son, an embarrassment to the memory of the mother and a pathetic deviation”.
There is a Catholic organization called “Legion of Mary” which has an “Apostolic Blessing” from Pope John XXIII, and from Pope Pius XI, “We give a very special blessing to this beautiful and holy work – the Legion of Mary.” On page 225 of their book, “Legion of Mary”, we read:
“Put thy feet into her fetters, and thy neck into her chains. Bow down thy shoulder and bear her; and be not grieved with her bonds. Come to her with all thy mind; and keep her ways with all thy power…Then shall her fetters be a strong defence for thee, and a firm foundation, and her chain a robe of glory. For in her is the beauty of life: and her bonds are a healthful binding. – Ecclesiasticus vi, 25-31, applied to Our Lady by the Church. Applicable by Legionaries to the Legion system and especially to the meetings.”
But, Jesus says, “Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden [to overburden with ceremony] and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” (Matt.11:28-30)
A Catholic reading this quote from Legion of Mary would find nothing offensive, but a Christian’s mind would be flooded with Scriptures rebuking such powers as belonging to anyone but God. A Christian would believe that he should go to God, for God Himself has said:
“For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is in all things that we call upon him for?” (Deut.4:7)
But a Catholic doesn’t have the confidence to approach God, so he depends on Mary to mediate for him. I remember when the nuns would tell us that Mary could get for us what God refused to give us. In one book, Catherine Laboure and the Modern Apparitions of Our Lady, page 237, Mary’s apparition at LaSalette is reported to have said, “‘Ah, if you knew what it costs me to withhold his avenging arm.’ It is costly; she must sometimes plead, but in the end she always prevails.”
Again, does the Catholic Church expect us to believe that Mary is more just than God? If God refused me something in His divine wisdom and perfect will, could Mary override His decision and attain for me a more just or superior course of action? That’s exactly what St. Alphonso Liguori says in Glories of Mary, page 149-150. Mary is “more prompt to answer than God or Christ”. This blasphemous statement means that the Catholic considers God and Jesus Christ to be less than perfect! They can make mistakes, and need Mary present to set them straight!
Job 4:17-20 says: “Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker? Behold, he put no trust in his servants; and his angels he charged with folly: How much less in them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, which are crushed before the moth?…Call now, if there be any that will answer thee; and to which of the saints wilt thou turn?”
I have barely touched the surface of the attributes of God that Romanism has unabashedly given to Mary. They go so far as to call her the following names that should belong to God or His Kingdom alone:
“Ark of the Covenant
Seat of wisdom
Morning star
The burning bush
Jacob’s ladder
Benefactress
Advocate
Helper
Guide
Foundation of the Church
Sign of hope
Restorer of life
Majestic cloud that led Israel
Many of our Christian readers are undoubtedly shocked at the unwarranted usurpation of our Lord’s titles. We suggest that the next time you’re by a Catholic bookstore, stop in and thumb through a few books on Mary. We’re sure you’ll be able to find even better examples of titles and attributes blasphemously misappropriated to an unscriptural Mary by the Catholic hierarchy.
The Scriptures use marriage to liken our relationship to Jesus (Eph.5:23-32), telling us we are espoused to “one husband” (2 Cor.11:2) I understand this, having had one husband for almost 25 years. Our relationship is based on intimacy shared in confidence. I would not go to my husband’s mother to ask her to speak to him for me. I am close enough to go to him myself.
I read in Legio Mariae, on page 158, “What, Mary not know in advance?” Quite a deceiving statement in light of Luke 2:48, where Mary sought Jesus for three days “sorrowing”. If she had foreknowledge, then why did she sorrow? Didn’t she know that, since it was the Passover, Jesus was only going to be missing for three days to foreshadow His own death? Why didn’t she know she would find him in the temple going “…about the Fathers business?” (Lk.2:41-50)
For my Catholic readers, I would like to leave you with one final thought concerning God: “Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.”
Amen Jess!
Well, show me one sentence in Bible which mentions rosary ? Besides even Ten commandments disaproves of such act. I feel sorry for Jess and Ms. Wagne. However, if your religion doesnt harm anyone then Its none of my business and one can even pray to a dog .
You have not offended me in the slightest! I believe I mentioned that I found your arguments to be rather amusing. I was simply trying to offer to explain how a Catholic sees Mary, because your experience of it does not reflect the entire congregation–not even close. Every good argument should have both sides represented, and so I was just offering the other side. Perhaps I have offended you.
I believe you have missed my points. I have never heard of some of your blasphemous prayers to Mary. Your examples of some Catholics going overboard with prayers to Mary cannot be generalized to the entire congregation. I certainly have never encountered so much attention to Mary in my church, and I am thinking that perhaps you come from a region that does. If anyone actually does believe they are worshiping Mary or that she has more power than God, then they are most certainly wrong. But the Roman Catholic Church does not promote this idea, and I have never met any Catholic that believes it. I have however, encountered many people who ask why we worship Mary, and I explain how they are looking at the picture completely wrong. When I am asked these questions, it gives me the impression that these churches are not teaching their own believes…but rather…making a point to disprove other religions. And that does worry me about the foundation of churches like that.
From how you talk about everyone else being wrong, you sound like a Jehovah’s Witness. By the way you first focused only on Jesus, you sound like a non-denominational. I am not sure what your religion is, but it shouldn’t be necessary to attempt to disprove other religions in order to justify the beliefs of your own. It gives the impression that your church is teaching it as a way to gain followers, rather than gaining followers by having a true message. It sounds coached. Once again, you have not offended me at all! You are entitled to your beliefs, and I am not going to sit here and tell you that you are wrong. Everyone must follow the path that works for them, and I do belive that your religion brings you closer to God. I simply wanted to explain some ideas that I believe you have misunderstood.
Well I am not Jehovah Witness nor am I a Roman Catholic, I am a Freethinker. My arguments are based on very personal research on site in different countries where Roman Catholicism is being practiced and for your kind information the worship of Mary is super-most at Vatican and the title “Mother of G-d” has also been declared by the Vatican. Therefore, Its evident that Catholicism is practiced on your country to suit the population. That means you’ll are not on the same board as per the Vatican dogma.
1) The Rosary itself is a vain recitation of Mary Mary Mary …..giving more importance to her. Well if she was that important or worked miracles then the apostles / disciples of Jesus would have given her more emphasis’s.
2) I am speaking of Roman Catholic dogma controlled by Vatican and incredibly declares Pope as the Vicar of Christ. I have not done research on any similar Catholic faith or its off-shoots.
3) The Christmas 2011 Holy mass live on our TV station – Pope gives more importance to Mary and calls her mother of G-d. Therefore, what you mentioned that Roman Catholic Church doesn’t promote this idea is useless. Perhaps you are not well read , I am not even speaking of you going to Europe, Asia and Middle East to do your research like me.
4) I don’t talk prove everyone wrong, but Its my moral duty to open the eyes of people from the silly dogmas which contradicts their own and waste time in churches and not doing service to humanity. I am just debunking the myths and truths. More ever your basis of worshiping Mary is totally wrong as at-least as as a free thinker and a former Roman Catholic myself, I wouldn’t pray to the pictures and statues established by Borgia to respect his whore ( Ewa Farnia ). Sorry I don’t believe in whore worships. Mary from Bible is just a mythological character of Jesus who is also a myth. Mary worship only gained importance after Pope Borgia came to power. Teachings of Mary worship are not mentioned in the Bible and also your silly idea of her being a virgin, she was not…Biblical Jesus had brother & sisters. Now don’t tell me that’s not in the Bible. The Catholic Rosary is largely a prayer to Mary. Though Catholics like to point out that they are not praying to Mary, the 2nd of the ten commandments clearly prohibits and warns us NOT to BOW DOWN to any graven image. God in the 2nd commandment even goes as far as to warn us against bowing down to the likeness of anything in HEAVEN OR EARTH. Mary worship is a sin! Pope John Paul II is a great Mary lover. In his book Crossing the Threshold of Hope, the Pope testifies that his personal devotion to Mary was developed at Marian sites such as Jasna Gora (home of the Black Madonna) in his homeland of Poland (Crossing the Threshold of Hope, p. 220). The Pope has “Totus Tuus” (All Yours) embroidered on his papal garments, designating his “abandonment to Mary” (Crossing the Threshold of Hope, p. 215). After the Pope was shot during an assassination attempt in May 1981, he attributed his subsequent recovery to Mary, and it was at shrines such as Jasna Gora and Fatima that he has expressed his thankfulness to the “Queen of Heaven.” He prays to Mary daily. This is an abomination unto the Lord.
According to the Marian Library, about 80% of the Catholic shrines are dedicated to Mary. (Several years ago, Wilson Ewin, who researched Roman Catholicism for many decades, reported that he knew of only one Catholic church in the world that is named for Jesus Christ. All the others are named for Mary or other Catholic “saints.”) Each year, 10 million visit the shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Mexico), 6 million to Lourdes (France), 5 million to Czestochowa (Poland), and 4 million to Aparecida (Brazil). Those are just a few of the shrines dedicated to a false Mary which are visited by millions of people searching for religious blessing and miraculous healing.
he Roman Catholic view of Mary is pagan, it is utterly pagan. Listen to what the [Roman Catholic] Church says,
1. Pope Benedict XV, in 1918 – “Mary suffered with Christ and nearly died with Him when He died, thus she may rightly be said to have redeemed the human race with Christ.”
2. Pope Pius XI, in 1923 – “The virgin of sorrows shared the work of redemption with Jesus Christ.”
3. Pope Leo XIII, in 1891 – “No one can approach Christ except through His mother.”
4. The Catechism, in the Sunday Missal (Catholic Catechism) says, “My salvation depends on Mary’s mediation and union with Christ, because of her exalted position as Mediatrix of all grace.”
5. Vatican II, said, “Mary’s intercession continues to win for us the gift of eternal salvation.”
Let me tell you something about Mary—she is not co-Redemptrix, she doesn’t mediate grace. She’s never heard a prayer from anybody. Mary has never heard anybody pray, and Mary has never done anything for anybody! She can’t hear prayers. Mary is just another one of myriad of saints who are in the presence of God. They don’t hear prayers—they don’t answer prayers. They don’t help people. They have nothing to do with what is going on in this world. They don’t know what you are thinking, what you are praying—they can’t hear you speak. They are not involved. No saints are, and Mary certainly is not.
That is a fabrication; that is a form of idolatry that has created in Mary another member to the Trinity, who hears and answers prayer and who mediates and dispenses grace. Nothing could be more foreign to Scripture. Mary has never heard anybody pray—ever at any time. Mary has never appeared to anybody, nor has she ever assisted anybody in anything.
Now there is immense pressure, however, because this cult is so vast in Roman Catholicism, on Pope John Paul II to exercise his power of Papal Infallibility and to affirm this as dogma. It’s there and it is believed, but it has never really been nailed down as official church dogma. There is a huge movement to bring this about. The dogma should state this (according to Catholic experts), “That Mary is co-Redemptrix, Mediatrix of all graces—an advocate for the people of God.” The Pope, by the way, has received, over the last six or so years, an average of 100,000 signatures a month to do this, to make this official dogma.
The idea is this, that somehow Mary mystically participated in the death of Christ and purchased redemption. That Mary participates in the work of redemption achieved by her Son, by being the source of redemption for sinners. The bottom line is this: God is a very reluctant Savior (in that view) and God isn’t really concerned about you. Jesus is a little more concerned about you, but He’s kind of a tough guy too, and He is not likely to save you and to give you what you want, but He can’t resist His mother. So, what you want to do is solicit His mother’s help and she’ll go to Jesus, and who can resist his mother?—Jesus is like all the rest of us.
So Mary participates by going to Jesus. They would say this, “The graces that flow from the suffering of Jesus, the graces of salvation, sanctification, the graces that flow from Jesus are granted to sinners only if and when Mary asks Him for them!—only if and when Mary asks Him for them! All prayers, all petitions from the faithful on earth must flow through Mary, who then brings them to Jesus.
Roman Catholicism is cultic—in that sense, that it has postulated a false god and created a system of worship around that false god, that destroys the purity and the singularity of the mediator work of Jesus Christ. This is not small stuff—this is huge!
During the 20th century, from almost every continent, visionaries have reported that Mary has appeared over 400 times, that is more than in the three previous centuries combined. She has appeared 400 times. Do you know the truth? She has never appeared once—anywhere, to anybody. I have read things (I told you about them, that she has appeared on a tortilla—that’s true, they built a shrine in Texas and tens of thousands of people went to worship the Virgin of the Tortilla. They had the tortilla . . . I mean, . . . you laugh at that, but that’s . . . then in the clouds . . . and you’ve read all of that.
Mary is believed to be the maternal mediator. Mary does not mediate. Mary does not hear prayers. Mary does not make appearances. Yet, tens of millions of people, literally tens of millions flood these shrines to worship what is imagined to be the appearance of the Virgin.
Pope John Paul II, who is the great leader of the Catholic Church, and is in many ways a monolithic, unilateral leader of the church, says this, and I am quoting from him, 1997, he said this, “having created man male and female, the Lord also wants to place the new Eve beside the new Adam in redemption.” The new Adam, of course, is Christ, and the new Eve is Mary. He goes on, “Mary, the new Eve, thus becomes the perfect icon for the church, we can therefore, turn to the Blessed Virgin, trustfully imploring her aid in the awareness of the singular role entrusted to her by God, the role of co-operator in redemption.” That is blasphemous!
He credits Mary with saving his life, in 1981, during an assassination attempt. Mary didn’t save his life. Mary wasn’t around. Mary is a spirit in heaven with all the rest of the saints who are there, doing what they’re doing and having nothing to do with what we are doing.
Perpetual Virginity of Mary, that doctrine in the Catholic Church, that she was a virgin until she died. Immaculate Conception, that she also was born by the Holy Ghost without a man. The doctrine of the Assumption of Mary, that she ascended into heaven without death. The doctrine of Mary as co-Redemptrix, and co-Mediatrix. All of those have come, or will come by Papal decree—they have nothing to do with the Bible.
Roman Catholic Church has done more crimes throughout history and they even rank higher than Islam in mass genocide.
You have not offended me, I hope I have cleared all your doubts. If we look in Biblical terms you can honour Mary just to say that she was chosen as Jesus Christs mother, but worshipping her is not Biblical. Outside the Bible all both are just Myths.
a) Mary worship can be traced back to each of the major periods of church history.Murder and scandal were mingled together to form a poisonous concoction of worshipping her over the early, medieval and modern church periods and continues to this day. Mary began as something simple and men who professed themselves to be wise began to twist the truth slowly.Writings during the early Church period fueled Mary-worship with the claims of her sinlessness, power and perpetual virginity. In 431 A.D., the Council of Ephesus gave Mary the title, “mother of God.” This claim was not saying that she was just the earthly mother of Jesus Christ, who was the Son of God, while at the same time was God in the flesh, which in their eyes would make Mary the literal mother of God. ( Doesn’t it prove that it were these few powerful people who decided to create her Holy image and so that they can use her as one more agenda in strengthening the sick and evil Roman Catholic church )
Fifth and sixth century worship of Mary can be linked directly to city of Ephesus. The Vatican calls Mary the “Mother of the Church” and credits her for making Jesus who he was. She is considered the “second Eve” in the same manner that Scripture calls Jesus the second Adam. ( Please tell me this is not blasphemy ? )
Another modern false view promoted is that since Mary shared her Son’s suffering on the cross, some Catholic theologians see her as fulfilling the Old Testament priestly role in offering sacrifice. This gives her more power and prestige in the eyes of the ones who want to see her in that praiseworthy light.
Clearly the Church’s trend has been to substitute devotion to Mary for devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ. The view of Mary as a person to whom all perfection and privilege must be attributed, and her promotion to a level above and not even with Christ, gives some indication of where Catholic doctrine is headed and where the worship of Mary is also heading. Once the false worship of Mary was conceived as an idea, and made real, it has been an ever evolving and growing beast against biblical doctrine. It shows how a small bit of corruption left alone over hundreds of years can keep getting worse and more powerful and Satan clearly uses it to deceive millions daily. Who would have thought that such an honor as being the lady to give birth to the Messiah would one day be twisted into such a plague of heresy?
The first 150 years after the birth of Jesus Christ there is virtually no mention of Mary in any writings, not even the apostolic writings. Justin Martyr and Irenaeus of Lyons began, by the late second and early third centuries, to write about Mary with some unusual theological stands. Irenaeus can be quoted saying, “The disobedience of the virgin Eve was atoned for by the obedience of the virgin Mary.”Around this time Mary began to be given attributes and character traits that were not inline with her biblical description by any means possible.
Perpetual virginity was declared unto her. This was simply meant Mary was a virgin before, during and after the birth of Christ. This can be found in the Catechism 496-511. Matthew 1:25 says, “And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son.” Joseph did not have a sexual relationship with Mary until after Jesus was born. That is what the word ‘till’ is implying. This does not line up with the Catechism pertaining to perpetual virginity of Mary. Jesus had brothers and sisters. The Bible even tells us their names. Matthew 13:55-56 says, “Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? And his sisters, are they not all with us?” The Bible clearly states he had siblings conceived by Mary and Joseph and to have siblings would have clearly meant her virginity was lost.Catechism 966 states, “Finally the Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all stain of original sin, when the course of her earthly life was finished, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory.”In Catholic terms this is referred to as the Assumption of Mary. Meaning her fleshly body and her soul were taken up to heaven and never experienced death. The Bible only speaks of two who were taken up not tasting death. Elijah and Enoch. There is no mention of this in the gospel of John, which was written about 85 A.D. Surely an event of this magnitude would have been recorded but there is no biblical basis behind it.
The Assumption of Mary was declared to be a dogma of the Roman Catholic faith in 1950 by pope Pius XII….
Dogma, according to one dictionary is described as an authoritative principle, belief, or statement of ideas, especially one considered being absolutely true…..
This is to say that to be a Catholic there must be no rejection of this belief. The problem of papal infallibility brings many questions to mind.
In 495 A.D., Pope Gelasius decreed this teaching as heresy rejecting it in totality and all of those who follow it. “Pope Hormisdas condemned as heretics those authors who taught the doctrine of the Assumption of Mary.”……
If two infallible popes declared this to be heresy and worthy of condemnation then how was it declared dogma in 1950? This contradiction screams for an answer but there is none to be given. Mary worship has never been constant since it began, yet it has been evolving and changing over the years. The Bible has not changed and God is the same forever so the answer to which one is right is obvious.
The slight elevations in the status of who and what Mary was in there earlier years would soon lead to a far more destructive and evil form of worship over time. This was the period in which the baby of Mary worship was conceived and nursed by the Devil and his workers.
Are you so threatened by view that you have blocked my comments?
And are you really offended that someone would refer to Mary as “helper” because that should be reserved for God?? Really??
Now thats what I call narrow understanding and narrow mind, look what religion does
. You were so soon to pass a judgment on me on what I feel. Does it look by my blog that I am a person who gets threatened ? I have written very serious issues which can cost my life, so why should I be afraid by your comments. I have 1000 friends on Facebook and I openly discuss sensitive issues, I do not have a fake profile on Facebook though. Kindly allow me some time to approve your comments as I am not sitting on internet 24/7., I hope you understand my sweet little Catholic friend.
I apologize for that last post, I think my comment was too long to post
Please feel free to write any amount of length you wish too, unless we don’t divulge from the topic and don’t hurt each-other. I always appreciate an intelligent debate like this and I admire your conviction of Faith.
So here is what I meant to say:
I can trace my religion back to Jesus Christ. You can trace your Freethinker religion back to yourself. I applaud you for finding the one true religion with your own wisdom and personal research.
Again, you are missing the point. Perhaps you did not read my explanation about how the rosary does center around Jesus. About how mass focuses on the Bible and Jesus, and the second half is completely dedicated to honor Him in the Eucharist. How we are not worshiping Mary, but rather, we are praying to her and asking her to pray FOR us to God. We are asking for her to pray for us, not to answer our prayers. The naming of the church after a saint does not take away from the fact that it is a temple of God. The saints are a reminder of how we should live our life to be pleasing to God, and they stand for an important message. There are a lot of churches out there, and it would be very difficult to find yours to visit if they were all named the Church of Jesus Christ.
You can recite Bible verses, and spit out tidbits of history, but you are missing some extremely basic points. I am starting to wonder how biased all of your research actually is.
You can trace back your religion to Jesus Christ or any other religion, but in the process do not forget to follow the real cause Humanity and love for nature around us. We are too much involved in all these traditions and rituals and prayers etc etc etc and forget our very moral duties and call. Well I don’t know how you help people around or how to protect the nature and its beings. I would not not pass my judgment on you, as I do not know you. I feel that after I broke these shackles of religion, I have come out very open free minded and see the world in larger perspective and greater love. ( Don’t consider my arguments as HATE, this is what religion does ). However, I would not get stuck up in attacking religious people as bad and Free-Thinkers as good. There is good and bad in every shape and part and side of humans. I do have some Catholic friends, who are even better than your Catholic Saints in their attitude, works and actions…more ever their cause for humanity. I would definitely take some good points from all religions and philosophers and thinkers of our world and put into practice and for my betterment and for the betterment of mankind. Subsequently I would not like to get stuck up in some traditions ( i.e rosary, pilgrimage, Eucharist, Hajj, Prayer meetings, Charismatic services etc ).
The Bible nowhere instructs believers in Christ to pray to anyone other than God. The Bible nowhere encourages, or even mentions, believers asking individuals in heaven for their prayers. Why, then, do many Catholics pray to Mary and/or the saints, or request their prayers? Catholics view Mary and the saints as “intercessors” before God. They believe that a saint, who is glorified in Heaven, has more “direct access” to God than we do. Therefore, if a saint delivers a prayer to God, it is more effective than us praying to God directly. This concept is blatantly unbiblical. Hebrews 4:16 tells us that we, believers here on earth, can “approach the throne of grace with confidence.”
First Timothy 2:5 declares, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” There is no one else that can mediate with God for us. If Jesus is the ONLY mediator, that indicates Mary and the saints cannot be mediators. They cannot mediate our prayer requests to God. Further, the Bible tells us that Jesus Christ Himself is interceding for us before the Father: “Therefore He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them” (Hebrews 7:25). With Jesus Himself interceding for us, why would we need Mary or the saints to intercede for us? Whom would God listen to more closely than His Son? Romans 8:26-27 describes the Holy Spirit interceding for us. With the 2nd and 3rd members of the Trinity already interceding for us before the Father in heaven, what possible need could there be to have Mary or the saints interceding for us?
Catholics argue that praying to Mary and the saints is no different than asking someone here on earth to pray for us. Let us examine that claim. (1) The Apostle Paul asks other Christians to pray for him in Ephesians 6:19. Many Scriptures describe believers praying for one another (2 Corinthians 1:11; Ephesians 1:16; Philippians 1:19; 2 Timothy 1:3). The Bible nowhere mentions anyone asking for someone in heaven to pray for him. The Bible nowhere describes anyone in heaven praying for anyone on earth. (2) The Bible gives absolutely no indication that Mary or the saints can hear our prayers. Mary and the saints are not omniscient. Even glorified in heaven, they are still finite beings with limitations. How could they possibly hear the prayers of millions of people? Whenever the Bible mentions praying to or speaking with the dead, it is in the context of sorcery, witchcraft, necromancy, and divination—activities the Bible strongly condemns (Leviticus 20:27; Deuteronomy 18:10-13). In the one instance when a “saint” is spoken to, Samuel in 1 Samuel 28:7-19, Samuel is not exactly happy to be disturbed. It is clear that praying to Mary or the saints is completely different from asking someone here on earth to pray for us. One has a strong biblical basis; the other has no biblical basis whatsoever.
God does not answer prayers based on who is praying. God answers prayers based on whether they are asked according to His will (1 John 5:14-15). There is absolutely no basis or need to pray to anyone other than God alone. There is no basis for asking those who are in heaven to pray for us. Only God can hear our prayers. Only God can answer our prayers. No one in heaven has any greater access to God’s throne than we do through prayer (Hebrews 4:16).
I have read Bible more than 1000 times and spent great deal of my youth in seminaries and Catholic Monasteries. After seeing the situation within these organizations, I was wondering “what on earth is wrong with the Catholics”. The Bible says something and they do something contradictory.
However, the bottom-line is if you are happy and convinced with your faith and if it helps others, then I its perfectly alright with that. None of my research is biased or it is heresy, I have traveled vast lands and explored many places like this to study about Hinduism, Christianity, Islam and Judaism.
Even the immediate followers of Jesus Christ didn’t know how to pray and once they asked Jesus “Lord, teach us how to pray”. Jesus simply told them to pray ….The Our Father…..I hope you know which prayer I am talking about. He didn’t say go to my momma Mary and pray to her and she will to G-d. . Well that same prayer has been my favorite prayer and even though I am not Catholic anymore, I still pray that prayer. Amen
You continue to give me the same arguments, over and over, and you aren’t hearing the real relationship that Catholics have with Mary. You put in tremendous effort to put her down and minimize her worth. Your refusal to love her or respect her must be very offensive to Jesus, who you claim to love so much. This is HIS MOTHER we are talking about. How would you feel if your friends stopped speaking to your mother, because she doesn’t mean anything? She is just a means to an end. She brought you into the world and that is all she is worth, and they openly argued with people about how your mother is not important and no one should visit her or speak to her. Would you be offended or pleased?
I continue to offer the same arguments because you are unable to comprehend the truth and Its a shame that you are fallen trap to this evil blind faith of Roman Catholics. I have not made any efforts to put her down, I have just taken the case Biblically, because when I read the Bible I dont think that as a Christian someone should go to such great lengths to insult your own Bible G-d. Its a disgrace that a mere character has been considered as Mother of G-d just because some people in the 3rd century wanted to incorporate Goddess Diana into the Christian faith. When St. Paul lost against the Church of Ephesus then who am I to win against you. To reiterate my argument I still offer respect to your biblical character of Mary, but cannot call her G-d. Leave aside the virginity myth, which she was not after the birth of Jesus. Joseph consummated the marriage after the birth of Jesus,and Jesus had other brothers and sisters. I dont understand that if she was mother of G-d then why was Jesus always rude with her calling her WOMAN and never ever called her MOTHER.
I am really enjoying speaking to you. Have a great day and blessed Sunday..lady.
G-d bless you too !!!
I don’t understand the refusal to call her the ‘mother of God,’ unless you don’t believe that Jesus is God (which would be blasphemous in my opinion). She is the mother of Jesus (God), the mother of God. The commandments do ask that we honor our father and mother, and this extends to Jesus’ father and mother as well (and if you can’t see that in the commandments, I think you fail to read the Bible properly, because it has great teachings and passages have a deeper meaning than the literal interpretation)
I did enjoy speaking with you about this. I enjoy hearing the ideas of others. God bless.
The reason she cant be called Mother of G-d is because she is not. Even Jesus Christ called her woman, so much for the Mother of G-d. According to the Biblical concept Jesus had to be born somewhere or else He would be just killed by the Romans managing that jurisdiction or Perhaps he wouldn’t be tolerated by the Jews. Therefore, Mary was just an earthly prop for Jesus’ birth, that’s all. There isn’t any intersection or middle woman required for anyone to pray to G-d. Eventually the term Mother of G-d is totally inappropriate and foolish. By offering her that title you are making Yahweh so much angry, isn’t it? If I had to go by your theory, then I should consider Joseph as Father of G-d.
I agree with you that we should honor our parents, and show should Mary & Joseph deserve the same respect, but nothing compared to G-d.
The Bible doesnt mention anywhere that we need to adore her as G-d or mother of G-d. She is just a character in the story.
You say that Catholic mass is Mary Mary Mary. (http://thesundaymass.org/video) I challenge you to find any mass that says her name more than God’s) Your statement is a lie, and I don’t even want to mention who else preaches with lies.
Just for fun, I watched Catholic mass online after church this morning. I wanted to just take a random mass and count how many times they mention Mary, and how many times they mention God. During today’s mass (NOT including the readings or the homily, or the songs..because all of those can change from week to week)… but to count the parts that hold constant for every mass. (I may have missed a few, these were said so often that it was difficult to catch them all)
God was mentioned 38 times
Jesus was mentioned 27 times
Lord was said 36 times
He (in reference to God or Jesus) was said at least 14 times
You (in reference to God or Jesus) was said at least 22 times
Mary was said 2 times: once in a prayer that speaking about Jesus “born of the virgin Mary”, and once when they were referring to a collection of people “Mary, the apostles, and all of your saints”
Well the rosary is about Mary Mary Mary. Like I said Mass is a standard process which lately people have lost interest and the turnout is become lesser. Besides, what are the Legion services, rosary service and Novena being given so much importance in Church. In fact these three have more turnouts then the mass. People are losing interest in Mass. Mind you like I said the Catholic dogma changes place to place and not necessary what I have seen is practiced in your parish. My statement is not a lie.
You watch mass online for fun ? Amazing, isnt it.
Try the rosary service, legion of Mary service and novena service and find out for yourself all about Mary.
Our main topic of argument is rosary or Mary worship, lets not divulge from that subject. If you would like to discuss other parts of Catholic dogma then we can discuss point to point basis on that.
Mary isn’t the mother of Jesus?
Acts 1:13-14:
“All these with one accord devoted themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus….”
Matthew 2:11
“…and going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and
they fell down and worshiped him….
Luke 1:41-43:
“And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “BLESSED ARE YOU AMONG WOMEN, AND BLESSED IS THE FRUIT OF YOUR WOMB!! And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”
Most importantly, Jesus gives Mary to us as our mother:
John 19:25-27:
When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, ‘Woman, behold, your son!’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother!’ And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.”
Exactly !!! I am glad you put down those versus. None mention her as Mother Of G-d. She is just Mother of Jesus and surprisingly Jesus never calls her Mother.
Once again, you are back to that same argument that Catholics put Mary on the same level as God, or put her even higher. This entire time I have been trying to explain to you that your perception of this is wrong.
We don’t need Mary as a mediator to pray to Jesus. We enjoy having His mother to talk to. Its because we love her. She raised Jesus, loved and took care of Him!!! Why wouldn’t I want to talk to her and honor her?? I speak to her because I love her, not because I need a mediator. I don’t need the Bible to tell me that I should love Mary, even though it does say (from a passage that I already posted to you) that we should think of her as our mother. But it just comes from loving Jesus, I want to love His family as well. I think its a very natural thing to want to love the family of the ones you love.
Certainly most Catholics do put her same level and some even put her higher then G-d. The problem with Catholic faith is its dogma changes from country to country to suit the needs of people. I have visited several countries and I speak from personal experience. Its possible that in your church Mary is not considered G-d or placed on same level as G-d. Your emotional talks about theology dont gel well. I would rather lay my emphasis on close scrutiny of Bible and not by our own views. Well you dont need Bible to tell you to love her, you are right, infact you are supposed to love everyone. Jesus earthly life was as a human being and we cant mix his earthly life with his heavenly abode or his G-dly superpowers. Jesus earthly life is purely a metaphysical example to follow, if one needs to follow which is indeed hard to follow.
And because I love her, does that mean I love her more than God Himself?? Of course not. I love God above all things. Human beings are quite capable of loving more than one person at a time, and loving them on different levels. I love my friends, but I love my parents more. I love Mary, but I love God more.
You need to step back and try to understand how we see Mary, and accept that you are maybe stretching the truth a bit. It is very damaging to be preaching lies about someone’s faith.
With today’s mass, (excluding the readings and songs–which by the way, did not mention Mary at all… they mentioned the resurrection of Jesus, keeping the commandments, and Jesus revealing His wounds). Mass today mentioned God or Jesus 137 times, and mentioned Mary 2 times (once in a prayer while referring to Jesus, and once in a sentence that refered to her with the apostles and saints).
I have showed you bible passages that refer to how she is the mother of the Lord, and how we should respect and honor her as our own mother.
I have tried to explain how we ask her to pray for us, not to answer our prayers.
I am not sure what else you have to argue here.
Who said that you don’t have to love her. I presume Love is the main theme of Christianity and we should love everyone around us. Apparently any comparison of Humans with G-d is ridiculous. I am not speaking about Mary worship at your local church but overall importance of Mary around Catholic church. I am not sure you are aware of the rosary prior to mass which are conducted especially for Mary and the Wednesday novenas to worship Mary.
The Mass is usually a standard process and doesn’t necessarily stress on Mary alone. In fact Mary is like a Marketing strategy of Vatican, ready to use whenever the church collection and footfall becomes weak. They will infuse Mary now and then with some apparitions and miracles so that people will return to the faith.
If you have shown me the passages from Bible, I guess that does not imply her as superpower, but it only shows how one should treat his/her parents as offered examples in passages by Jesus. Well I do not call my Mother woman, but Mom. I suppose it was too hard for Jesus to call her as his mother.
Once again one doesn’t need to pray to Mary or ask her to pray to G-d. Biblicaly you are wrong on this point and the rosary is just recitation of Hail Mary and Holy Mary…etc….
The idea of my essay is on rosary ……therefore, its wrong dear.
Thanks
Anil Machado
Do you find the word “woman” to be derogatory in any way? I don’t. It may have been from respect that he called her woman. Is that all the proof you’ve got that she’s not deserving of respect? Because she’s a woman? Do you need some descriptors in front of it so it sounds better? So if a man
says to his wife: “You’re a beautiful woman” Is your response going to be: “Oh did you hear that man call her woman?? How dare he! He must really not respect his wife!!” Just because it is not the norm for us to call our mothers “woman” does not mean it was meant as disrespectful.
I’m not talking about my own mass. I travel a lot, and I attend many churches in different regions. This is just how it is… I haven’t found any differences.
The word “woman” is not atall derogatory and please do not try to put words in my mouth. Your problem is that you assume a lot in vain. I was referring to Mother of God ( as Catholics mention ) has not been used by anyone including Jesus to define Mary. She was merely an earthly mother according to the Bible, nothing more than that, no superpowers, no interceding, no mediator for prayers ( which Jesus makes very clear in Bible ). If you find hard to digest that as Catholic and still offer vague explanations in vain, then I am helpless in your case to change your thinking. Well calling a wife beautiful woman is totally different grammatical sentence and calling ones own mother as woman every now and then is something to ponder.
Mind you there are several books from that period which doesn’t define calling mother as woman, a mother was always called as Mother in their languages even that time. Therefore, your argument serves no point.
Are you claiming now that you DO love Mary? Because I can’t tell. Maybe it was when you described her as “just an earthly prop for Jesus’ birth, that’s all.” That is not respect, love, or even slight admiration.
You preach to me about how the mass is all about Mary… let me quote you:
YOUR words:
“Listen to any Roman Catholic worship service and all you will hear is Mary, Mary, Mary!”
“Roman Catholics are utterly consumed in mind, body, and spirit with the “blessed virgin Mary” while Jesus Christ is ignored. I triple dog dare you to watch any Catholic worship service and you’ll see Mary exalted to the heavens”
I took your dare, and Gee… I heard God, Jesus, Lord…137 TIMES. Mary was mentioned TWICE. After I gave you those numbers, you’ve magically changed your mind and NOW you are saying that it doesn’t necessarily stress on Mary alone. Pick a side here!! Do you believe your own statements or don’t you?? You can’t claim both ways. Sometimes the mass does have a reading or a homily about Mary, just as it would about anyone else in the Bible. With those 137 mentions of God, I doubt that even services that pay special attention to Mary would take any focus away from God.
And as a final point about how much of a hypocrite you are,
The argument you’ve first presented focused on debunking the rosary by making claims like “the bible says” “where in the bible does it say” … etc.. Apparently you view the Bible as truth, and you want to follow what it says. Yet you also posted in another blog about how the book of Revelation is false, and you were looking into how Genesis might have been written for special interest by various people. Are you telling me that you think you can pick and choose which parts of the Bible you want to believe? Do you believe in the words of the Bible or don’t you? You can’t preach to me THE BIBLE SAYS THIS, THEREFORE IT IS TRUE… and then turn around and say, WELL MAYBE NOT THIS PART, A LITTLE BIRDIE ONCE TOLD ME THAT THIS PART MIGHT BE A LIE.
Dear Jess,
Once again as Christian you seem to lose your cool and judge others more often then non-religious people. “Do not judge others”.
My argument Rosary was written longtime back when I was in my early twenties and I refer to your stupid idea of rosary with the Bible. So whats wrong in that, what I presented is to prove with your Bible.
However, I did not say that the entire Bible is true, the more I discovered about the lies of Bible I have always covered it more and more on my blog. I guess you are too soon to jump on conclusions baby girl.
I do not believe in words of the bible since longtime and there are some old articles which I had written which I have not deleted. It makes me only see how one sided view we have when we are religious like you.
Well at one point of my life I was preaching but not anymore, since you raised the debate on rosary being in line with Bible I continued with your argument according to your Bible, but if you ask me the entire book is BS.
Thanks
Warrior,
Geesh, why didn’t you say that in the first place (about not believing in the Bible)! That explains a lot! Please accept my apology for calling you a hypocrite, I can see that it was premature and incorrect.
I did not mean to make you feel judged. That was not my intention. You are absolutely free to believe what you believe, and share your thoughts about it. You are very well read and I am sure you have a lot to offer. But on my side of things, I am trying to explain how your representation of how Catholics practice is not accurate. I am the one practicing it, I should know what I believe. You are the one who judged me in the beginning with the accusation that the Catholic religion comes from the pits of hell. You posted this blog because you wanted to judge Catholics.
I am not losing my cool or yelling. I am excited and full of passion about this argument, and I suppose it came off with the wrong tone.
I do wish you well, I hope you continue to pursue your devotion to learning, and although we both continue to disagree, I have enjoyed the debate.
Jess
Jess,
You can be a Roman Catholic or Muslim or Born again Christian. We all can be something what we are born in or change our religion as we mature by age. Enlightenment of self is useless if its not put in practice of serving our fellow brothers and sisters. I was born in Roman Catholic family and then over the years I have switched to evangelism and then to several other sects of Christianity. I wont hide that I was also a hardcore Catholic like you or maybe more on extreme, if someone would even speak against my religion then, I would just beat up the other person and ensure that he lands in a hospital. lol.
However, as years passed by I realized that my search for G-d never ended and I never was content with such religious dogmas. The main problem raised when I read the Bible again and again and again…in a funny way we can say read it million times. Its then that I discovered the flaws in it, the contradictions, myths and ever changing character of G-d in it. The nail in the coffin was later when I was in research and archeology in Middle east and then when I really did some ground work I discovered even further that these religions sucks. I will not say that religion only carries bad, there are some good points in it and I have picked up good points from all the religions from world,its just like we read a book from one author and take the good sentences from it. Eventually I took all these religious books just as some novel and put the good points in my life to work.
It was my pleasure to argue with you on this subject. I wish you good luck and great health. Please do read my other posts and let me know your feedback, maybe in some posts I might be wrong.
I also enjoyed this debate and must say you are very strong in your faith., please use your faith to help others and in mission work…we all pray and pray and pray and don’t do real work for our fellow humans, the animals, the nature and the little kids who dont have parents. If your religion puts you on good mission work then I feel its your victory and I would be happy to lose against you on that point.
G-d bless you
Anil Machado