wouldnt this be considered adding to His word? If God were to make a list of the things He didn't want us to do, the Bible would be too big to carry around. It was easier for Him just to say what He wanted and expect His Word to be obeyed. He is perfect; therefore, there is no need to try to improve His perfect plan. Deuteronomy 4:2 You shall not add to the word which I command you , nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.
2006-09-12 13:00:33 · 19 answers · asked by K 5 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
They do not claim it is from the Bible... they blatently made uptheir own way. This is clearly found in their own history and admitted by the popes and any priest who is cornered and has to admit it... it is not widly voiced in public but it is well enough documented that The RCs made many of there"laws" as a means of showing their power... not God's...RC power.
The RCs changed the Sabbath to Sunday fro reasons of showing their power...the popes have confermed that if any outside of the RC "church"(cult) believe in The Bible that they should observe the Sabbath from Sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday as that is The Sabbath of The fourth commandment... and the Fourth Commandment has not been voided by God...only by the RCs They made many more of their own "laws"
2006-09-12 13:09:50 · answer #1 · answered by IdahoMike 5 · 2⤊ 3⤋
Answering this question is starting to get tiresome. If you want a real answer, you could look up the 8 gagillion other similar questions that have already been asked. If you're just looking to start a fight, you came to the right place -- odds are good that you're going to get it.
But on the offhand chance that you seriously would like to know the real answer, it goes as follows: we do NOT worship Mary. Whoever got that bogus notion started about worshipping Mary didn't have a clue about what Catholics really believe. We honor her as the Mother of our Lord, and we ask her for her prayers.
Same thing with the saints. We ask the saints for their intercession, just as we would ask anyone here on earth to pray for us. All believers, living and dead, are part of the Communion of Saints. Those who are already in Heaven have lived lives of holiness, even though they were humans like we are. They are closer to God, and they still love those on earth. It's no different than asking your sister, your mom, or your uncle to pray for you.
And as far as not adding to the word, there is not one single Protestant denomination that hasn't added their doctrine to what the Bible teaches. If that wasn't the case, then you would ALL believe exactly the same thing. And obviously, that's not the way it is.
You may not accept my belief system and I may not accept yours, but we can at least learn to be tolerant of each other.
2006-09-12 13:26:38 · answer #2 · answered by Wolfeblayde 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Thank you! You are so right! It isn't anywhere in the real bible. The scriptures for theirs have been changed for centuries. But you would think that someone in the church by now would have figured out that this was totally ridiculous.
They actually think that she assended like Jesus did, bones and soul. She didn't. But they say she is some queen of heaven, indicating she is there now. She isn't. I have no doubt that she will be there on judgement day, but for now, she's waiting just like the rest of us.
See what happens when they let the theory of a trinity slip through? My God is not 3 personalities in one. You are you, you are your spirit, and you are your word. Just like God.
Jesus IS God, because He is the word of God made flesh. There are not 3 of you running around, and there are not 3 gods running around either.
2006-09-12 13:11:41 · answer #3 · answered by classyjazzcreations 5 · 2⤊ 2⤋
Before Jesus Christ died for our sins and opened the gates of heaven there were no saints in heaven. Therefore there are no Old Testament writings that would mention them.
Very few of the new Christians died before most of the New Testament was written. Therefore there is little in the Bible about asking saints to pray for us.
However the last book of the Bible does talk about the saints in heaven praying.
Revelation 5:8: Each of the elders held a harp and gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of the holy ones.
Revelation 8:3-4: He was given a great quantity of incense to offer, along with the prayers of all the holy ones, on the gold altar that was before the throne. The smoke of the incense along with the prayers of the holy ones went up before God from the hand of the angel.
The Holy Spirit guided the early Church in many things not explained in the Bible including how does the Body of Christ (believers) on Earth relate to the Body of Christ (saints) in heaven. We are still one Body.
Catholics share the belief in the Communion of Saints with many other Christians, including the Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, Episcopal, and Methodist Churches.
The Communion of Saints is the belief where all saints are intimately related in the Body of Christ, a family. When you die and go to heaven, you do not leave this family.
Everyone in heaven or on their way to heaven are saints, you, me, my deceased grandmother, Mary the mother of Jesus, and Mother Teresa.
As part of this family, you may ask your family and friends here on earth to pray for you. Or, you may also ask the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Andrew, or your deceased grandmother in heaven to pray for you.
Prayer to saints in heaven is simple communication, not worship.
With love in Christ.
2006-09-12 17:16:56 · answer #4 · answered by imacatholic2 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
First of all, if you were to do your research on Catholicism, you would learn that the Only One Whom Catholicism teaches that is worthy of worship is the One True God: Father, Son, & Holy Spirit.
However, since the Blessed Virgin Mary is the Mother Of God the Son, she is therefore by far, worthy of far more reverence than any other Holy person in the history of humanity, including Abraham. That is what the Catholic & Orthodox Christian Churches believe, & are right.
As the Mother Of Christ, Mary is Our Mother too. She is in Heaven with her Divine Son, & she prays to Him for us all here on earth.
I love the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother Of my God, will dare to say:
Hail Mary, full of Grace. The Lord Is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, & Blessed Is the Fruit of thy Womb:Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother Of God, pray for us sinners, now & at the hour of our death. Amen.
2006-09-12 17:32:03 · answer #5 · answered by clusium1971 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Check out the commandment that requires us to honor our father and our mother.
At baptism, we become adopted children of God the Father, brothers of Christ, sons and daughters of Mary, Jesus' very own mom.
If you can't accept this, you better not send your mom a card next Mother's Day, or pay any special attention to her at all.
It might go against scripture.
2006-09-12 19:59:17 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
We have no example in scripture where anyone prays to Mary. There only two in scripture who have been prayed to. The vast majority of prayer is directed to God in scripture. I know of one situation though where a prayer was said to Jesus. Upon the stoning of Stephen as he was dying he prayed to Jesus.
2006-09-12 13:09:44 · answer #7 · answered by yagman 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful. - James 5: 16
Mary and the saints in heaven are very righteous
2006-09-12 14:29:28 · answer #8 · answered by Sldgman 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Kim,
This is a great question! When Jesus was on the cross he said to John, "Behold your mother." Now, Mary was not the mother of John. By saying this Jesus proved he didn't have any brothers or sisters (terms meant to convey his cousins) because it would have fallen upon them to care for Mary. So, what did Jesus mean? He meant for John to care for his mother which is why John is the only disciple not to be martyred. It also meant Mary is the spiritual mother of us all.
Scripture points out that Jesus is the New Adam. This reference in known as SCRIPTURAL TYPOLOGY. Now, Mary is the New Eve in that she began the New Creation by being the Mother of God. Adam and Eve were the cause of the downfall of Man; Jesus and Mary are the instruments for the redemtion of man. This is also why Mary (a woman) is an important part in REVELATION. She had 12 stars above her head.
There is a book written by a Jew who converted to Roman Catholicism and became a priest. The book is called QUEEN OF THE JEWS by Rev. Klyber. He recognized Mary's role in salvation and the Mother of God. There are cd's by another Jew called IT IS WRITTEN by Brother Bob Fishman. He reveals the Old Testament prophesies about Jesus and Mary. It took them years to understand the significance of Mary. I hope you do not stop seeking the truth by asking questions like this.
Thanks for your e-mail. Let me look up the scriptural references.
John 19:26-27 is where Jesus is on the cross telling John Mary is his mother and that Mary is his mother.
Romans 5:12-19 Speaks of Jesus as the New Adam and explains how death came to man through Adam and eternal life comes to man through Christ.
Colossians 3:10 Speaks of a "new creature". This refers to our growth in holiness for eternal life through Jesus Christ.
Revelation 12:1 Speaks of a woman (Mary) clothed with the Sun and a crown of 12 stars above. There was a revelation about this in 1917 in Fatima, Portugal. In the vision 3 children saw and had a "miracle of the sun" witnessed by 70,000 people standing in pouring rain. Suddenly the sun seemed to be tumbling to earth and in 13 minutes everything was completely dry. Journalists and photographers documented this miraculous event in which the visionaries predicted the rise of Communist Russia and WWII if mankind did not stop offending God.
There are many other pieces to this puzzle to take into consideration. But, this is the biblical references you asked for. My knowledge is limited but I have a better knowledge of connecting controversies like the question you posed. If you have any more questions I would be happy to explore the anwers with you.
There is one more piece of scripture we should consider in regards to honoring Mary the Mother of God. We should remember the Commandment to honor our father and mother. This Commandment Catholics feel should be also done in regards to honoring Mary, our spiritual mother. Remember, prayer is not worshipping but, it is communication from the physical realm to the spiritual realm. This distinction of honoring Mary is not just a Catholic practice. The traditional churches (Ukranian, Russian, Greek, and Eastern Orthodox churches) also make it a practice in honoring Mary the same way.
2006-09-12 13:20:16 · answer #9 · answered by Search4truth 4 · 3⤊ 2⤋
first off we do NOT worsip Mary - we venerate Mary. Mary was chosen by God to bring His Son into the world. He sent His angels and He said to Her -- all creation will call you blessed. The very fact that God took on flesh shows that He wanted His plan to involve humans for His plan of salvation. Mary was a key person for this purpose, so this is why the Rcc value Her so highly.
Do you love your mom? what about mother-in-law (i know loaded question there) how about a friends mom back when you were a kid??? Mary had the utmost honour of bearing and raising Jesus, He is my Saviour. She gave Herself fully to God for His plan of Salvation.
2006-09-12 13:06:46 · answer #10 · answered by Marysia 7 · 2⤊ 3⤋