when that is simply not true? I have explained to at least a couple members of these groups that Catholics ask Mary and the other saints (Mary is just a saint, nothing more) to pray to God for us as we pray for ourselves. It is no different than asking your next door neighbor to pray for you as you pray for yourself. Why is that so hard to understand? We also DO read the bible, though we don't memorize it.
2006-08-15 13:44:37 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I must weigh in here on the Catholic side to answer the question posed by Protestants regarding not praying to Mary or any Saint.
My God is Not the God of the Dead...He is the God of the Living. Therefore, the Church here on earth that we are a part of...the Body of Christ....the Church established by Jesus.... is also extended into heaven with those saints who have passed from this world. They are not dead, but alive. Probably more alive than we are. And its the same Church. Jesus is not a monster or freak, He has only one body. He is the one head.
When I talk to Mary or any other Saint and ask for their prayer its no different than if I were to ask you here to remember me or my family in your prayers. Is it not true that even Protestant Christians ask each other to pray for them? Do they not have prayer lists in their churches? Well, surprise, this is the same idea. Mary and the Saints are prayed to as a form of communication...we talk to them...but they are not deified or worshipped.
2006-08-15 14:01:57 · answer #1 · answered by Augustine 6 · 4⤊ 1⤋
For many Protestants, Mary is only significant in the strictest context of the Holy Bible. In other words, she gets as much attention as she appears in the Bible. To a typical lay person that was raised in a Protestant church, the idea of asking Mary, or any of the saints, to pray for him is a very strange idea. To some Protestants, it might almost hint at necromancy. Perhaps it might help in relating to how they might think this way if you imagine this: what if there were a Christian church that placed John the Baptist at the same level of veneration as Mary, such that at every mass or service there were prayers and devotions mentioning his name repeatedly. If you can imagine that picture, then you have an idea why for Protestants it is a difficult idea for them to ask Mary or any saint to pray for them. It should be noted that some Protestants can sometimes be very insensitive to the importance of Mary in Roman Catholicism, and even the Orthodox Churches; Protestants often fail to understand that saying something derogatory about Mary can be tantamount to insulting one's mother or beloved. And, as far as usage of the Bible is concerned, Protestants typically hear historical stories of Catholic lay people being denied access to Scripture, or that they are not allowed to interpret the Bible themselves, at all. Further stirring this suspicion is the way that some Catholic churches do not even have copies of the Bible in the pews. Many, perhaps most, Protestant churches have copies of the Bible in each pew. All of these misunderstandings can be traced back to historical differences, but unfortunately many people do not realise that both the Catholic Church and the Protestant churches have evolved in their liturgies, tenets, theologies, and rules.
2006-08-15 14:14:18 · answer #2 · answered by MJQ 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The treatment of Mary is confusing. Church doctrine says she is not deified, but the practice of Catholics appears to the contrary. People can worship however they wish, but the perception is still going to be there.
2006-08-15 19:36:15 · answer #3 · answered by Woody 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I am an ex catholic, present Christian... I wont say ALL Catholics do this but its pretty common.
Statues of Mary, people bow to them, kiss their feet, pray to them, leave flowers at them. This IS worship according to Greek and Hebrew definition. And this is what God doesnt want anyone to do to anyone or anything but Him and statues that one bows to and pays homage to are graven images. It's one thing if its just a statue or picture that invokes inspiration but, the stuff a lot of Catholics do to statues of Mary and other saints is just idolatry.
2006-08-15 13:57:52 · answer #4 · answered by impossble_dream 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
While there can be abuse of the matter; to pray to Mary is authorized by scripture in the implicit not explicit manner; as follows.
1. Jesus is King of kings Rev. 17:14
2. Mary is the mother of Jesus.
3. When one of Solomon's brother's (I currently believe his name was something like Amman) wanted something (like we do when we pray) he asked the king's mother to ask the king for him.
Why is it hard for others to understand? 1 It is not explicit (the scribes or Pharisees want Jesus to speak plainly) yet he spake in parables (implicitly).
2006-08-15 14:16:20 · answer #5 · answered by jefferyspringer57@sbcglobal.net 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If you have "Hail Mary" prayers and are told to pray to mary for forgiveness of sins then it certianly sounds like she is viewed as an equal to her Son, JESUS. She was just someone God chose, she is in heaven obviosuly but is not any one who should be prayed to. No one should be But God. he needs no mediator.
2006-08-15 14:29:15 · answer #6 · answered by miss_jennifer79 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Thank you!!!!!!! Finally someone who understands. Im tired of everyone insisting to me thhat we are heretics for worshiping Mary. WE DONT! WE ASK HER TO PRAY FOR US BUT WE DO NOT DEIFY HER. Im glad to see someone here knows and understands.
2006-08-16 06:18:09 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
The only person between God and man is Jesus. When the Catholic church places Mary between God and man they become a cult. To ask Mary to pray for you is blasphemy.
Mary is dead-any attempt to contact her is witchcraft. Sorry for you-but the Catholic church is a pseudo-christian cult.
2006-08-15 13:56:39 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
If you ask a dead person, be it Mary or Saint Whomever, it is praying. Why not go directly to the Big Guy?
2006-08-15 13:51:37 · answer #9 · answered by chris 5 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Why do religious folks need to even ask questions like this?
How come they are never happy with SELF satifaction of
what THEY get from whatever bible they read? Why do they
need to ram their thoughts and beliefs down everyone's throat?
I get so angry when I answer the door and its some religious
freak(s) wanting me to give them a moment of my time to listen
to their ramblings...If they can preach religious crud, how come
we don't get Animal Rights To Life folks going door to door preaching their views? I do ask the freaks if they eat living beings that God created, and they get stunned...Religion is nothing but a bunch of crud that freaks feel the need to push onto others...
But then thats just my opinion, and of course rukidding is going to email me and scold me for my personal beliefs cuz they don't match hers...thats called Repugliscum Freedom! (Ha!)
2006-08-15 17:15:33 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 3⤋