2007-11-10 14:03:37 · 24 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I assume you're referring to the old "pray to Mary" misconception. Pay close attention, and you'll hear Catholics ask Mary to pray FOR them, much like you might ask a friend or relative (alive or dead) to pray for you.
Many Christians believe Mary, the Saints, and Jesus are alive and well spiritually in Heaven, and prayer is a spiritual thing.
Catholics don't worship anyone except God. Adoration of Mary/Saints/Jesus are just one of many ways to worship God.
Perhaps you have an extra-special definition of the word "worship" just to dump on Catholics...
God bless. (notice I didn't say "Mary bless"?)
2007-11-10 14:09:27 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 5⤊ 2⤋
Disregard all the anti-catholic remarks made before me. They don't know what they're talking about.
Catholics do not worship Mary or the Saints or the Pope.
Mary is treated as a really important saint. That's it. We pray to her because she has temendous pull with God. Many people say it's unbiblical but in the Bible Mary was the reason Jesus was even here and she made him start his ministry when he didn't want to. Therefore she is treated as a buffer for Jesus. (in fancy Catholic terms that means Mediatrix)
Believing in a Mediatrix is far from worship of Mary and the prayer "Hail Mary" comes from the Bible.
She did not replace Isis worship. Isis was the most popular female god of the Egyptians and the Romans did have many cults of Isis but she did not take her place. If she took her place, we'd call her god and we'd worship her. We DON'T worship her. That's blaspheme.
To the poster below me, I commend you on your connection with the Ancient Egyptians. I'm studying to be an Egyptologist and I've found that a lot of their mythology is similar to our beliefs. Most people for some reason try to connect Catholicism with Babylon for some reason. It doesn't even make sense.
2007-11-10 23:01:33 · answer #2 · answered by Ten Commandments 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋
*sigh* For the twentieth time (or is it the twenty thousandth time?), Catholics do *not* worship Mary. They do pray to her, but their concept of what prayer means and how it works is completely different from the Protestant concept.
To a Catholic, asking Mary to pray for them and help them to be a better Christian is no different from you asking the same thing of your own pastor, or your own mother. I'm not saying I agree with this analysis; I'm just saying that Catholics do not worship Mary, and saying that they do doesn't help anyone.
2007-11-10 22:49:14 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous Lutheran 6 · 4⤊ 0⤋
We honor Mary as the mother of Jesus just as we all honor our own mothers. It is just as simple as that. It is possible that some Catholics do get carried away with it sometimes though. It is not official teaching of the Church to do so.
2007-11-10 22:21:11 · answer #4 · answered by gismoII 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I think worship is a strong word. Pray to, I think is a little more accurate.
A catholic described it me this way once:
When a brother and sister fight, they go to the mother for intervention. That's why they pray to Mary. They're not expecting to get to God, they're expecting to get to Jesus.
2007-11-11 10:47:25 · answer #5 · answered by Joyful 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
In their pagan religious views she actually fulfills the role of SEMERIMUS of Babylon. The Book "The Two Babylons" by Alexander Hislop, which is online, will explain in great detail, beyond refutation.
You should see some of the amazing exaltations these blasphemors do around the world with mary worship.... www.1335.com at Rome Watch,,, photos and everything.
2007-11-10 22:22:24 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 3⤋
Why do you think? She's the holy mother. She brought into the world our saviour. Don't you think that people that believe this is true SHOULD worship her? I'm not saying everyone should, but this is why Catholics do. At least that's why this Catholic does.
2007-11-10 22:09:47 · answer #7 · answered by NurseJill 4 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Constantine found that with the Roman Empire being so vast, expansive, and diverse – not everyone would agree to forsake their religious beliefs and instead embrace Christianity. So, Constantine allowed, and even promoted, the “Christianization” of pagan beliefs. Completely pagan and utterly unbiblical beliefs were given new “Christian” identities.
The Cult of Isis, an Egyptian mother-goddess religion, was absorbed into Christianity by replacing Isis with Mary. Many of the titles that were used for Isis, such as “Queen of Heaven,” “Mother of God,” and “theotokos” (God-bearer) were attached to Mary. Mary was given an exalted role in the Christian faith, far beyond what the Bible ascribes to her, in order to attract Isis worshippers to a faith they would not otherwise embrace. Many temples to Isis were, in fact, converted into temples dedicated to Mary. The first clear hints of Catholic Mariology occur in the writings of Origen, who lived in Alexandria, Egypt, which happened to be the focal point of Isis worship.
2007-11-11 01:26:17 · answer #8 · answered by Freedom 7 · 2⤊ 3⤋
Catholics treat Mary just as Jesus treated her, and as Jesus told John to treat her. What part of love and respect don't you understand?
2007-11-10 22:31:52 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
Maybe your answer is in a part of a prayer to her.
" Holy Mary, mother of God pray for us sinners."
2007-11-10 22:15:16 · answer #10 · answered by djc1175 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋