I am not a Catholic but wear a rosary around my neck to feel closer to God. Is this wrong?

Question

I've heard many people saying wearing a rosary around your neck is wrong, because it's only supposed to be used for prayer.

I wear one around my neck, but under my shirt so it is not shown as an accessory. It just reminds me to thank God every day.

Answer 1

Sounds like you have more faith in the rosary than God. Just pray. You don't need anything to help you feel closer to God. Your soul is sinful, your Spirit is what you use to feel closer to God. You make yourself pray, and that will do it. Everything we do is a choice. You can choose to pray or not to pray, you don't need an "idol" to help you remember. That is what the rosary is to you, an idol. Repent to God and stop wearing it. Then, just pray and worship God, he will guide you. Read your Bible every day and pray and worship. That's all you need. Find people who are following God and get together for worship once in awhile. If you are in a church you don't agree with 100%, get out. It's better not to go than to expose yourself to deceit!

Answer 2

The answer to this is a little complex. The short answer is yes, and what I mean by that is that the potential is there for it to be wrong, let me explain. If you publicly wore an arguably exclusively Catholic sacramental (the rosary for example) while others knew you were not Catholic, it could cause the sin of scandal and give others who were not even Christian to wear it as a fashion statement or in some cases, as a means of mockery. So in that sense, yes it would be wrong. However you must understand that the rosary is not jewelry, despite what Madonna and the boondock saints would have you believe. Most Catholics don't even wear it around their necks. We usually carry them in our pocket in a small leather or fabric purse, or just loose in the pocket. However, some cultures will wear the rosary although it is usually out of sight and under clothing, as I said, it would be sacreligious to use the Holy Rosary as a fashion statement. Also, as I said, the rosary is not jewlery, the rosary is a Marian devotion, which means that it involves the blessed virgin and prayers imploring her aid. It consists of prayers to God the father, and God the son, as well as to the holy spirit. These prayers are said while meditating upon various times of the lives of Christ or of Mary. The rosary was given to St. Dominic by the blessed mother to meditate upon the life of her son, and many promises were made for aid in the final hour by those who fervently prayed all 5 decades. (each set of 10 beads is called a decade) So if you would wear the rosary under clothing and out of sight, for your own spiritual benefit, there would be nothing inherently wrong with that. I would also not return the rosary, but learn more about it.

Answer 3

No it is not wrong for you to do this to feel closer to God.
When I was 11 years old my mothers boyfriends mother died but before she did she gave me her rosary which was a few hundred years old and asked me if I would keep it and take care of it for her.I barely knew her but I was very serious about helping her and taking care of it for her.
Then for a few years I had to live alone and I kept the rosary hanging on the wall above my bed because I wasn't afraid knowing it was there.I'd wake up in a panic and realize it was there and somehow feel protected by it.
I still have it and every now and then I'll take it out and look at it and I'm so thankful the lady gave it to me.It helped me the most when I needed help.
Now I have a family and whenever I feel afraid God gives me comfort and makes me feel protected.
I remember the lady's family fighting over who would get her rosary and then fighting when they couldn't find it.But she made me promise not to give it to any of them and to keep it safe.And that's exactly what I did.It's a miracle I've had it all these years and my mother never found it.But I kept my promise.So if it gives you comfort to have it with you or to wear it around your neck that's OK,and if it makes you feel closer to God that's ok too.As long as you don't worship the rosary and make it your Idol I don't see anything wrong with you liking it so much.
If they only knew who really had her rosary...........

Answer 4

I am Catholic and i do not think it is wrong. In fact some Catholics do wear their rosaries. I think it would be better if you actually learned the rosary because it is a meditation on the Gospels. I think it is good that some of our religious tools help you feel closer to God. That is nice. Peace be with you

Answer 5

You're not really supposed to wear a rosary around your neck. It's not a hard and fast rule... but I remember being scolded in CCD about it.

Why not wear a cross on a chain instead? It'll fit better under your clothes, the chain is stronger than most rosary strands so it won't come apart, and people won't get hot under the collar about it.

Answer 6

I think it is sort of like false advertising. The rosary is for Catholics. By wearing it, even if no one else ever sees it, it's like saying I want to be a Catholic, but not really. There are many ways to feel close to God without taking on the religious symbols of another church. Why not wear a religious necklace, or other piece of jewlery. Or if you need something to remind you to thank God everyday, try a prayer rock under your pillow.
I'm not Catholic either.

Answer 7

There is nothing wrong with it. You are not praying TO the rosary, or worshipping the rosary and anything that reminds you to thank God is a good thing.

Answer 8

I admire you trying to be closer to God, however the rosary is a sacred and is not to be worn as a piece of jewelry. It is simply a guide for prayer. If you want to wear jewelry to show your appreciation to God then buy a crucifix and chain and wear that instead of the rosary. Also I would like to add that I am not trying to pass judgment upon you, I am simply trying to explain what the rosary actually is.

Answer 9

I am not a Catholic either, but my gransparents were and my sister still is. I think Catholics may be offened, but not God. To me it is no different than wearing a cross around your neck or putting the dove symbol on your car. If it reminds you of God and helps you on your spiritual path, then I think its a good thing. (You are probably making God smile.) God Bless!

Answer 10

I keep a chaplet in my car and used to wear one too. I stopped because I kept losing them. I am not Catholic either. I say the Rosary daily. It is supposed to be a powerful prayer, and the repetition of it helps lead me into prayer when I am too tired to think.