Religion & Spirituality - 1 July 2007

When Fundamentalists study the writings of the "Reformers" (or founders of their particular sect) on Mary, the Mother of Jesus, they will find that the "Reformers" accepted almost every major Marian doctrine and considered these doctrines to be both scriptural and fundamental to the historic Christian Faith.


Martin Luther:

Mary the Mother of God

Throughout his life Luther maintained without change the historic Christian affirmation that Mary was the Mother of God:

"She is rightly called not only the mother of the man, but also the Mother of God ... It is certain that Mary is the Mother of the real and true God."1

Perpetual Virginity

Again throughout his life Luther held that Mary's perpetual virginity was an article of faith for all Christians - and interpreted Galatians 4:4 to mean that Christ was "born of a woman" alone.

"It is an article of faith that Mary is Mother of the Lord and still a Virgin."2

The Immaculate Conception

Yet again the Immaculate Conception was a doctrine Luther defended to his death (as confirmed by Lutheran scholars like Arthur Piepkorn). Like Augustine, Luther saw an unbreakable link between Mary's divine maternity, perpetual virginity and Immaculate Conception. Although his formulation of the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception was not clear-cut, he held that her soul was devoid of sin from the beginning:

"But the other conception, namely the infusion of the soul, it is piously and suitably believed, was without any sin, so that while the soul was being infused, she would at the same time be cleansed from original sin and adorned with the gifts of God to receive the holy soul thus infused. And thus, in the very moment in which she began to live, she was without all sin..."3

Assumption

Although he did not make it an article of faith, Luther said of the doctrine of the Assumption:

"There can be no doubt that the Virgin Mary is in heaven. How it happened we do not know."4

Honor to Mary

Despite his unremitting criticism of the traditional doctrines of Marian mediation and intercession, to the end Luther continued to proclaim that Mary should be honored. He made it a point to preach on her feast days.

"The veneration of Mary is inscribed in the very depths of the human heart."5

"Is Christ only to be adored? Or is the holy Mother of God rather not to be honoured? This is the woman who crushed the Serpent's head. Hear us. For your Son denies you nothing."6 Luther made this statement in his last sermon at Wittenberg in January 1546.



John Calvin: It has been said that John Calvin belonged to the second generation of the Reformers and certainly his theology of double predestination governed his views on Marian and all other Christian doctrine . Although Calvin was not as profuse in his praise of Mary as Martin Luther he did not deny her perpetual virginity. The term he used most commonly in referring to Mary was "Holy Virgin".

"Elizabeth called Mary Mother of the Lord, because the unity of the person in the two natures of Christ was such that she could have said that the mortal man engendered in the womb of Mary was at the same time the eternal God."7

"Helvidius has shown himself too ignorant, in saying that Mary had several sons, because mention is made in some passages of the brothers of Christ."8 Calvin translated "brothers" in this context to mean cousins or relatives.

"It cannot be denied that God in choosing and destining Mary to be the Mother of his Son, granted her the highest honor."9

"To this day we cannot enjoy the blessing brought to us in Christ without thinking at the same time of that which God gave as adornment and honour to Mary, in willing her to be the mother of his only-begotten Son."10



Ulrich Zwingli:

"It was given to her what belongs to no creature, that in the flesh she should bring forth the Son of God."11

"I firmly believe that Mary, according to the words of the gospel as a pure Virgin brought forth for us the Son of God and in childbirth and after childbirth forever remained a pure, intact Virgin."12 Zwingli used Exodus 4:22 to defend the doctrine of Mary's perpetual virginity.

"I esteem immensely the Mother of God, the ever chaste, immaculate Virgin Mary."13

"Christ ... was born of a most undefiled Virgin."14

"It was fitting that such a holy Son should have a holy Mother."15

"The more the honor and love of Christ increases among men, so much the esteem and honor given to Mary should grow."16

2007-07-01 10:14:56 · 11 answers · asked by C R 2

The contrast between right and wrong, innocence and guilt can't possibly be greater than at a moment like that. Can a forgiveness that profound be the hardest thing for a transgressor to accept? Could it actually be an impediment to a horrible act being atoned for?

Please don't mistake, I think anyone who can give such forgiveness is a saint. But is the effect on the perpertrator positive or negative? or does it even matter?

2007-07-01 10:14:49 · 7 answers · asked by zingis 6

2007-07-01 10:12:12 · 26 answers · asked by Ladette 2 Lady 1

By that I mean - People often quote scripture to prove a point, or win an argument - yet the bible also states that menstruating women are unclean and should be kept away from, and that youths who disrespect their parents should be stoned to death. It also states that homosexuality should be punished with death. Surely if you take one comment literally, then you must take all of them literally?

How can a Christian decide which verses are to be followed, or which should be ignored? Or is it simply ignorance and trillions of Christians simply aren't aware that there are many many seemingly bizarre statements within its pages that any right thinking human being would scoff at and ignore.

I'd love to see genuine answers from genuine believers, as it seems to me to be a gaping hole in the validity Christianity.

2007-07-01 10:11:58 · 37 answers · asked by melonhead_redline 1

satan will do anything to fool people and keep them from the truth of Jesus. satan wants all the souls he can get in hell with him. thats why we all need Jesus in our life. Jesus loves you. praying for the lost

2007-07-01 10:11:26 · 16 answers · asked by fantasypurplerain 2

that people who commit suicide automatically go to hell?

2007-07-01 10:11:17 · 12 answers · asked by tweak548 2

Any kind of books... fiction, non-fiction, sacred, whatever. And what is it that draws you back to a particular book?

2007-07-01 10:07:37 · 32 answers · asked by dreamed1 4

2007-07-01 10:07:30 · 17 answers · asked by sasyone 5

failable, so why does the catholic church's catcheism say that the pope is infailable...would not this be a blasphemy to say that one is infailable or unable to be wrong or sin...as for that matter does not the bible say that no one should call any spiritual leader father as the bible says there is but one father and that be thy lord GOD and not to call no one father but him...would it not also be blasphemy to call the pope father ...

2007-07-01 10:07:26 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous

Certainly Abraham, Moses, Noah, Salomon.... are perfect example of people who didn't worship Jesus, but they worshiped GOD as one. So are just destin for hell because God created them before Jesus.

2007-07-01 10:05:50 · 24 answers · asked by weezee 3

... spiritually speaking

2007-07-01 10:04:54 · 15 answers · asked by Anonymous

2007-07-01 10:01:56 · 19 answers · asked by TRACER ™ 6

If I was 'sent' hell it certaintly would be againt my will.

Like when you get sent to prison, no matter how you try to say the criminal is sending hemself there, he is going there against his will, no one freely elects to go to prison.

In the same way, no one freely elects to go to hell, no matter how you try to say they are 'sending themselves there'.

So does the existance of hell impede on our free will in the most importaint way?

2007-07-01 10:01:06 · 20 answers · asked by Anonymous

2007-07-01 10:00:56 · 15 answers · asked by jokey_joko 1

#1 We will finally establish that this city; in order to properly represent the human peoples should NOT be just the center of the 3 Monotheistic religions. Talk about stupidity and a way of excluding 3/4 of the world.
#2 All of the Old City will be made way for a modern building artifact, so that those in the future may know that we tried to overcome the idiocies of the 3 primary religions. Christians, Jews, and Mulsims, will all have the lowest levels of the ediface.
#3 Icons to the place Mohammed took off, Jews wail, and Christians fight over where something occurred will be put to dust...ju#5st where they belong. Talk about stupid fights.
#4 We, humanity, will have a council, and no one people shall have veto powers, and a seat on this council shall not be permanent.
#5 Is this doable?

2007-07-01 10:00:49 · 6 answers · asked by DanielofD 2

A Man Marries A Women And After Somedays, The Man Gives A Divorce to his wife.....BUT after a while he realizes that he was wrong and he shoudnt have done wat he did.
If He Wants To Marry his Previous wife(and the wife also wants to remary him), What Should he/they do?
Should he/they just go and marry? OR There's something else that your religion says about that?

2007-07-01 10:00:23 · 29 answers · asked by Rose 3

is this question an original copy or a true replica of one i asked earlier?

2007-07-01 09:57:31 · 18 answers · asked by G8danelady 1

I admit it: I am a terrible flirt! I love flirting, do it constantly, flirt with both men and women, have probably flirted with a lot of the regulars on here. If I haven't gotten around to you yet, your turn is coming.

Here's the thing; I'm an Atheist, my girlfriend is Christian. She takes the point of view that flirting is as bad as cheating, and she bases it on some Biblical principle or other. I've been unfaithful to her in the past, and so I think this is something she's sensitive about.

I have to stress, however, flirting is not cheating. It isn't! I think that my girlfriend is using her religion to criticize an innocent behaviour of mine that she doesn't like. Beating me up with God, as it were. Where exactly in the Bible does it say "thou shalt not flirt"? I think flirting makes people feel good---how can she justify her belief that it is equal to cheating with religion......?

This flirtatious question has been brought to you courtesy of Jack

2007-07-01 09:56:05 · 33 answers · asked by Anonymous

I call it....

The atheist fish!!!

(I will now start fishing men.)

2007-07-01 09:55:35 · 9 answers · asked by DEPRESSED™ 5

plz tell ur experience

2007-07-01 09:53:24 · 16 answers · asked by Anonymous

2007-07-01 09:53:04 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous

I've seen simalar questions, but here is a difference. If you have noticed, MANY dangerous cults have been gone after by governments and shut down. A cult is defined as one or more of many elements..., I've listed the most serious 3. See if any or all fit ISLAM....
1. The religion controls what it's believers are allowed to know.
2. The religion threatens it's members with death if they leave or convert to another religion (remember Jim Jones in Giana?)
3. The religion promotes violence in it's teachings.

Many cults have been shut down by governments. whether 1,000 members or 1,000,000 members makes no difference.
Kookie cults are not defined by the number of it's members.
And anyone answering this question with the old "look at the middle ages with the christian church", give it a rest with that answer. This is 2007, not the middle ages...and to use that is just a diversion from the question.

2007-07-01 09:51:21 · 24 answers · asked by Anonymous

JWs, if as you claim stauros is properly translated "stake/torture stake" what would have been the correct Greek word to use if Jesus had died on a cross?

2007-07-01 09:48:37 · 13 answers · asked by AQ4U 1

2007-07-01 09:48:17 · 25 answers · asked by LaserPhaser 2

"The Lord's Supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby members of the church, through partaking of the bread and the fruit of the vine, memorialize the death of the Redeemer and anticipate His second coming" (Southern Baptist "Faith and Message," June 14, 2000).

Was it not in the breaking of the Eucharistic bread that the disciples might catch a fleeting, nearly mystical, glimpse of the Risen Lord (Luke 24:30-31)?


Was Paul lying when he told us that when we partake of the Eucharist, we are partaking of the substantial and quite material presence of Christ Himself: "The blessing-cup, which we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ; and the loaf of bread which we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ" (1 Cor. 10:16)? Does Paul say anything about the Eucharist being a mere symbolic act? Or does he use stark and clearly simple language that suggests a sharing in the material body and blood of Christ?


Do not Paul and the three Synoptic Gospels use equally clear and simple language when they record the words of consecration, "this IS my body"? Is not the simplest, clearest interpretation of the Bible usually the best?


Was Paul misleading us when he severely warned that, "anyone who eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily is answerable for the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone is to examine himself and only then eat of the bread or drink from the cup, because a person who eats or drinks without recognizing the body is eating and drinking his own condemnation" (1 Cor. 11:27-29)? Does Paul say that we are profaning a symbol, or are we are actually profaning the body of Christ? Does Paul not go on to say that partaking of the Lord's Supper without recognizing that body, upon self-examination, is itself to eat and drink condemnation unto oneself?

2007-07-01 09:47:56 · 9 answers · asked by C R 2

2007-07-01 09:47:32 · 9 answers · asked by LaserPhaser 2

2007-07-01 09:46:42 · 16 answers · asked by LaserPhaser 2

I dont think humans have the ability to contruct meta physical places of infinate torture and pain. At least this human doesnt.

So admit it please, God created everything according to you, and since Hell is something, God created it.

2007-07-01 09:46:09 · 31 answers · asked by Anonymous

If one purchases a Quran, Bible or Torah then treats that book inappropriately or uses it as an article of protest: do other individuals have any right to physically stop the one so maltreating or abusing what some or they themselves consider a sacred book ?

2007-07-01 09:45:46 · 4 answers · asked by zurioluchi 7

Limbo ?

2007-07-01 09:44:21 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous