Would you like it better if we called Mary the Mother of Jesus?

Question

We (catholics) call Mary the Mother of God and many protestants have a cow. Would you prefer if we called her Mother of Jesus?

We dont mean without her there would be no God, she gave birth to Jesus Christ- Jesus IS God... but you seem more wrapped up in words. If we changed that word would you be happier?

Its in the Hail Mary, we've called her that for a very long time.

Answer 1

A Rose by any other name is still a Rose,I would be pleased if they addressed the Blessed Virgin as the Mother of Jesus it would lessen the insults hurled at Her, but for me She is and always` will be the Mother of my God.

Answer 2

I deny that Jesus is God!
I say that because God said Jesus was his Son. Jesus said God was his father.
I only see one God in the scripture. You can not show me the words or scripture, that says Jesus is God.
No man has seen God. But there were many that saw Jesus.
Do think Jesus was wrong?

Answer 3

The title Mother of God was declared sound at the Council of Ephesus in 431. Protestantism wasn't invented until the 1500s, so if they'd had a problem with it, you'd think they'd have split earlier. In the Bible, St Elizabeth calls the Blessed Virgin Mary "the mother of my Lord."

There is a group of Christians in the Middle East (and its diaspora communities) called the Assyrian Church of the East that does not call Mary Mother of God. But they still venerate her, I believe.

Answer 4

If Jesus is God and Mary is undeniably the Mother of Jesus, then how in the world is she not the Mother of God? To deny that she is the Mother of God is to deny that Jesus is God. I think the confusion among those who criticize the Catholic view on this, is that they think that we believe that because she is the Mother of God that she outranks him or that she existed before him. That is NOT what we believe. God chose Mary to be the Mother of Jesus and therefore His own Mother. He chose her before she was born (that is why we believe she was conceived without sin). God's entire purpose in creating her was to be his Mother through the birth of Jesus. She is a very special, holy person, but she is not equal to God. She is to be honored and revered, but not worshipped. There is a difference, and people who tell you they worship Mary are not following Catholic teaching. It is NOT our teaching.

Americans don't think that the President's mother outranks him. Why is it so hard to understand that Mary can be His mother and not be deified? He chose her to be His mother.

Edit: To Scott: In your zeal to argue against something you don't understand, you have taken the opposite extreme, which is to treat the Blessed Virgin like a doormat. You can't possibly think that Jesus is pleased with the way you speak of his Mother.

And Scott, if you are going to debate the Crusades, try to read an objective historical account of them. No one is denying that the Crusades happened.

Answer 5

When they deny the title "Mother of God" they in fact deny Jesus is Lord.

When they say the Catholics are all "misguided" then they are no different than the Non Christians who said the same thing about Christianity (Only the RCC at that time)for 1500 years.

.

Answer 6

I don't care if you call her Fred. She was only the vessel. When you drink milk that tastes great, you don't say what great milk, oh and that container was pretty good too.

Mary has nothing to do with Christianity other then she was the bearer of God.

Praise God, not idols, saints or statues. Don't add books to the bible. It has all it needs.

One day Catholics will admit to the crusades. When they do, come back and talk about human rights.

By the way, this is my opinion. I know I will be blasted for it. Go for it.

EDIT: I stand corrected in regards to my comments regarding Mary. Yes my comments were harsh but my intention was to say that she should not be elevated to the same standard as Christ. She can do no more for me by praying to her then if I were to pray to the phone company. That was my point. So, in my tirade I do stand corrected. You do make a good point regarding that she is the mother of Jesus. I can accept that and appreciate it...but, she is not a god, a deity or a person that is to be revered except as in being a bearer of Good news.

In my comment regarding the crusades...it is a simple matter that the Catholic faith has taken hundreds of years to admit to doing something wrong and inhuman, yet they still stand by and "hold" their heads high regarding the way they deal with humaity. My point wasn't that Catholics denied the crusades. It was that they refuse to accept responsibility for them even though it was done with the popes blessing. During WWII the pope refused to even deal with the problems regarding the Holocaust. It wasn't even acknowledged nor dealt with. How long are they taken to deal with the problem of their priests molesting young boys? Sure some of them admit it...most are in hiding and the paupicy does absolutely nothing. That was my point...and for the record, I have done my checking...

Answer 7

Doesn't bother me either way. What not just Mother Mary? Don't some call her Virgin Mary? I heard that a lot when I was younger.

Answer 8

They would like it better if we did as they do -- and barely acknowledge Mary at all, except as a "vessel". (Nice way of saying she had a convenient uterus and was willing to nurture the Savior in it.) Aside from a brief appearance at Christmas time, when her presence can hardly be ignored, I can tell you from experience that mention of Mary is scrupulously avoided by fundamentalists.

What a shame. They miss out on so much -- if nothing else, the example Mary gives us of faith, obedience, and trust in God. She was truly the first Christian in a profoundly personal way.

Edited to add: Daniel, what do you know of the Catholic faith, exactly? The entire focus of the Church is on Christ. Mary points us to him just as she did at Cana; "do whatever He tells you".

Answer 9

I think they have a cow when you pray to her, they don't dispute (the trinity believers anyways) that jesus was god and that mary was his mother.

Answer 10

Boy the catholic church sure has changed. We never called her the mother of God.

I grew up catholic, but eventually some things did not add up. The way I see it now is, you do your thing I'll do mine. I choose to believe in one God and I will not associate him with any other gods.

The Western version of the prayer is thus not derived from the Greek version: even the earliest Western forms have no trace of the phrases "Mother of God and Virgin" and "for thou hast given birth to the Saviour of our souls", which are part of the Greek version.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hail_Mary