Dare To Ask Talk And News About Our Differences - This topic has 42 replies, 43 voices, and was last updated 18 years ago by
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Why do Catholics pray to the Virgin Mary when the Bible clearly states that all power is in Jesus? Mary was merely a vessel God used to bring forth His Son. Once Christ was crucified, no more is mentioned about Mary in the Bible. The Bible states that there is one mediator between God and man, and that’s Christ Jesus. I rarely hear a Catholic speak of Jesus; it’s always Mary.
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Name : Redeemed-One30100, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Age : 54, City : Newport News, State : VA, Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,Ignorance!!! Let me tell you I come from a country that 80% or more are catholics (Mexico) but that’s not the only reason they pray to the virgin mary. Tradition, I hear it from public, friends, even my own family …’My father and my mother used to to take me to church’ So we start doing the same thing saying the same thing but never realizing why we do it. If they could only read the Bible, not as a book but as an awakening, we could problably be better humans.
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Name : jc, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Hispanic/Latino (may be any race), Age : 38, City : la mirada, State : CA, Country : United States, Education level : Less than High School Diploma, Social class : Lower class,first off, i’m catholic and i find it very offending that you would say such a thing! most people have that stereotypical image of catholics praying to mary and that it’s ‘all about mary’ bullshit. we don’t pray to mary, we pray to jesus christ. we may ask mary to pray for us but we don’t pray to her
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Name : Cassie32417, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Philippina, White, and Latina, Religion : Catholic, Age : 15, City : Summerville, State : SC, Country : United States, Occupation : student, Social class : Upper middle class,It may seem that way based on the time of year. Catholics tend to celebrate different saints and desciples at different times of the year. One thing you have to remember is that God chose Mary out of all other women to bear his son. That alone should tell you how important she was. The other thing to think on is when the bible was written. Back then women were not important and thus were not major parts of any history or story. You can see the difference in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Luke’s book speaks to a much more feminine audience.
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Name : Frank, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 31, City : Kansas City, State : MO, Country : United States, Occupation : IT, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I am not Catholic but my friend is and she claims that she believes the Power is in Jesus, but Mary is the Chosen One who is highly favored, and that makes her VERY holy.
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Name : Chasity D., Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 18, City : New York City, State : NY, Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Upper class,For one thing THE Bible you are referring to is most likely the King James revision of the Bible. Roman Catholics use the Douay Bible. So, there is no ‘THE Bible.’ Did you even know that much? Secondly: To refer to Mary as ‘merely a vessel’ is to offend and understate the importance of women and motherhood. Mary was not simply a uterus with legs as some Protestants would have us believe. Indeed, women in general are often thought of as such. As a woman and a mother, I have never thought of myself as a ‘vessel.’ The ‘vessel’ brought forth our Saviour. Mary was chosen by God, he didn’t bump into her in line at Walgreen’s and go ‘she’ll do.’ She is the human part of Jesus as much as God is the divine. In short, Mary’s humanity is what makes Jesus available to us. To lose Mary is to lose the goodness of motherhood and deny the feminine aspect of Christinity. Catholicism falters in many ways in its regard for women- but that it has held onto the sancitiy of motherhood through Mary – this is one way in which women are honored. This is completely absent in Protestant theology. Third: When I attend Mass, the Gospel is read from and a sermon is given. Same as your church. I don’t know what Catholics you are listening to. To say we ‘rarely’ speak of Jesus and ‘always’ of Mary is an uninformed and naive exagerration. Frankly, that you finished 4 years of college without the ability to filter and process information that doesn’t fit into the dogma you know is frightening.
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Name : Christina32050, Gender : F, Religion : Catholic, Age : 30, City : Pittsburgh, State : PA, Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,Since Mary is the Mother of Jesus (and this is the way it was explained to me) she is also close to God and also it has always been known that women have a soft heart so you pray to her for Mercy and that she will pray for you to Jesus or to God.
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Name : Hannahlore, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Christian, Age : 17, City : St. Louis, State : MO, Country : United States, Social class : Lower middle class,Having been raised in the Catholic church, I know that the basis of ‘faith’ was tradition and Catholic doctrine. The basis of Biblical faith is the Bible, which points to Christ Jesus alone. Since the Catholic church was the ‘keeper’ of the Book, Catholics believed what the church taught even when there were inconsistencies between Scripture and Catholic doctrine. Most Catholics(not limited to Catholics alone) are unable to see the differences between church practice and what the Scripture teaches. Why was Mary the chosen intercessor? The authorities of that church age carried the concept of intercessor to a new level where Mary was the intercessor to the Intercessor, Christ Jesus.
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Name : Arnold Urbonas, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 50, City : Edmonton, State : NA, Country : Canada, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class,As a Catholic, I ‘adore’ Mary as I would my own mother. We pray to Mary to ask for her help and intercession, along with our prayers to Jesus. If your mother asked something of you, would you do it? Don’t you think Jesus would do the same? Rev. 5:8 speaks of the saints prayng for us, if they pray on our behalf, why wouldn’t Mary? Mary is mentioned in Rev 12:1-6 and also in Gen. 3:15.
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Name : Delana Arnaud, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 27, City : Eunice, State : LA, Country : United States, Occupation : homemaker, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,Veneration of Mary, whom we view as the Mother of God, is as old as the Church itself. You mention the Bible. Christ founded a Church; only later did the Church decide what books were to be contained in the Bible. So if you believe the Bible, you indirectly, at least, acknowledge the authority of the Church. The Church has always honored Mary, sought her intercession and held her up as the perfect Christian; true, the Bible says little about Mary, but it is the Church’s perennial practice we should look to, not the Bible alone. Catholics say this ‘Church’ is the Catholic Church; Orthodox say it is the Orthodox Church; Protestants pretty much ignore the first 15 centuries of the Church altogether, blithely dismissing much of it as the ‘Dark Ages.’ Not to honor Mary and seek her intercession would go against 20 centuries of Catholic and Orthodox tradition. I am not clear on how someone can accept the Bible and ignore the first 15 centuries; frankly, most people have never given this much thought.
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Name : Augustine23575, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 42, City : Columbia, State : SC, Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I can’t wait to hear the response on this because I have always wondered this myself!
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Name : Cheryl32328, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Pentecostal, Age : 30, City : Fayetteville, State : GA, Country : United States, Occupation : Nursing student, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class,Actually we only speak of Mary once, and it is during a prayer to honor Mary for the sacrifice of bearing us her son. It is also the only time a woman is honored in the Bible. I believe the reason for this is to show the importance of women in general; if there were no Mary (mother) there would be no Jesus (child). It is to teach us to honor and respect women and mothers.
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Name : Patrick Davis, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 25, City : Kansas City, State : MO, Country : United States, Occupation : Software Engineer, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I received some instruction in Catholicism as a child, and I think the idea is to communicate with God through a more human intermediary. Where does the Bible state that Jesus is the only intermediary? Usually when I hear a Christian making that argument, they either can’t refer to a specific passage, or the passage is very vague. And bear in mind that God did NOT write the Bible; human witnesses wrote it, edited it to suit their prejudices, and translated it badly.
I’ve also heard that the focus on Mary is a tradition going back to goddess worship in Rome before mainstream acceptance of Christianity. Also, as a woman, I am offended by your referring to Mary as a ‘vessel.’ I hope that is not the way you view your own body. Finally, if you believe that Mary’s influence is overestimated because she is human, how could you possibly use your own human judgment to speak for God when you call yourself ‘Redeemed One’?
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Name : Cathy32450, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, Age : 24, City : New York, State : NY, Country : United States, Occupation : teacher, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,Obviously you have not talked to many Catholics. I am only 17 and know that Jesus is prayed to much more than Mary. The reason, however, that some may pray to Mary is that she was the mother of Jesus and was able to allow him to grow inside her. She was chosen from among all women to uphold the ideals of God and produce a child of such honesty, wisdom and holiness. She is not just a vessel but a woman of grace and is prayed to because she sits at the right hand of the Father and is the most important saint in Jesus’s life. He may have had the most high Father, God, but he praised his mother, and so should we.
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Name : Ginger, Gender : F, City : Grass Valley, State : CA, Country : United States,Just as Mormons have been distracted from Christ with Joseph Smith, so have Catholics been distracted by Mary. My grandfather is Catholic, and I am Methodist. I have posed your question to him many times. He has the same answer every time: ‘Mary and the Saints can intervene to Christ for you.’ I don’t believe that. It is sad that as Christian people Catholics do not believe they can talk to Christ directly. Christ is indeed the only mediator between you and God, and the only one by which man can reach God.
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Name : Melinda S., Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : --, City : Fairfax, State : VA, Country : United States, Occupation : student, Social class : Middle class,
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