Welcome, Guest: Register On Nairaland / LOGIN! / Trending / Recent / NewStats: 3,216,114 members, 8,028,502 topics. Date: Saturday, 14 December 2024 at 08:32 AM |
Nairaland Forum / Nairaland / General / Religion / Do Catholics Worship Mary? (790 Views)
Do Catholics Worship Statues? | Catholic Answers / Why Do Catholics Pray With The Rosary, And Bow To Mary's Statue? / Proof That Catholics Worship Mary (2) (3) (4)
Do Catholics Worship Mary? by hilario8898(m): 8:24pm On Dec 04, 2013 |
When you go into a Catholic Church and you see a big, splendid statue of Mary with flowers in front of it, a bank of candles lit before it and an old woman kneeling down, fervently praying her rosary it would seem to be what it looks like: the woman is worshipping a statue of Mary. But if you ask the old woman if she is worshipping Mary she’d say, “Whataryatalkinabout?, I’m praying the rosary.” So what is going on? First we have to define “worship”. From time immemorial worship was identified with a particular action: the action of sacrifice. Pagans worshipped their gods by making sacrifices to them. The Jews worshipped by making sacrifice to Jahweh. The reason we moderns get confused about worship is that we’ve forgotten the principle of sacrifice so we don’t really know what worship is all about. This is understandable from Protestants because they got worried about the sacrifice thing 500 years ago and threw it out. What is most depressing is that most Catholics also don’t understand the “sacrifice is worship” idea either. They’ve been told the Mass is all about “the family of God gathering around the table of fellowship to increase their mutual self esteem and discuss peace and justice issues.” Because of this nonsense the majority of American Catholics don’t have a clue what the sacrifice business is all about, and therefore they don’t know what worship is supposed to be about either. Like the neo-Prots that they are they have come to think that worship is all about hearing a sermon, singing some songs and praying. Now we’re getting down to the reason why Protestants think Catholics worship Mary. They think worship and prayer are the same thing. Therefore, if you are praying to Mary you must be worshipping Mary. Well, the Catholic faith has been around for a long time, and believe it or not, these questions have been asked before, and the Catholics have the answer. It goes like this: there are three categories of respect due in the realm of worship. They go by specific names: Latria, Dulia and Hyperdulia. Latria is worship. It is the worship that is due only to God. This worship consists of offering God our lives, our souls, our minds and our bodies as a living sacrifice (Romans. 12. 1-2) We do this pre- eminently through the sacrifice of the Mass. Dulia is not worship. It is honor. We honor anyone who is eminent and accomplished. We honor them for their brains, their discipline, their wit, their achievement. We honor our parents and grandparents because we owe them that. We honor our loved ones. Part of this honor is that we ask them for things. We come to them with our needs. We look up to them. We respect them. They are our role models and mentors. We have a relationship to them of subservient honor. They are awesome to us. Dulia is also what we give to the saints and angels. We give them the honor that is due to them. As part of this we have a relationship with them. We ask them for things. This is called “praying to the saints.” Hyperdulia is the honor we give to the Virgin Mary. We give her the highest honor because she is unique amongst all God’s creation. She is higher than the cherubim and seraphim. She is the only created being who was honored by God so greatly that his son took his flesh from her. She has totally unique place of honor in heaven and therefore also amongst all of God’s people on earth. The honor we give her, therefore, and the dulia we give her is higher than any other being. But it is not latria. We’re clear about that. We do not worship Mary. The sign of this is that we do not make sacrifice to her. You don’t find any Catholic priest offering a Mass to Mary. No. The sacrifice of the Mass is offered to God the Almighty Father. This also should be understood clearly: the dulia and hyperdulia which we give to Mary and the saints is ultimately honor given to God. We honor the saints (including the Blessed Mother) not for who they are, but for who God made them to be. We honor in them the completed work of grace. We honor in them their faithful obedience, which itself is a gift from God. The Blessed Virgin says, “the Almighty has done great things for me!” We honor Mary and the saints because we are struck with delight and awe at the wonderful things God has done for them. As the moon reflects the sun, so the Virgin and saints reflect the light of Christ. Without him they are nothing. With him they have become divinized–sons and daughters of the Almighty Father. Finally, we insist that it is proper devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary which corrects all the other errors. Do you think it is a co incidence that as neo-Protestantism has grown in the Catholic Church that Marian devotion has been marginalized, limited sometimes even banned or prohibited? When Marian devotion plays its proper part in the life of the Church we also start to realize what real worship is, and how important the sacrifice of the Mass is to everything else. This is why, despite misunderstandings we come back time and again to thank God for Mary and to honor her as the greatest of all created beings.
|
Re: Do Catholics Worship Mary? by Nobody: 8:26pm On Dec 04, 2013 |
Super story |
Re: Do Catholics Worship Mary? by hilario8898(m): 8:28pm On Dec 04, 2013 |
JudismphD: Super story Why do you say so judi? |
Re: Do Catholics Worship Mary? by uboma(m): 10:25pm On Dec 04, 2013 |
@ op, the answer to your question is "YES". they worship Mary, hence relegating the worship oF the Almighty God to the background. |
Re: Do Catholics Worship Mary? by hilario8898(m): 11:43pm On Dec 04, 2013 |
uboma: @ op, the answer to your question is "YES". they worship Mary, hence relegating the worship oF the Almighty God to the background. Sorry, the answer is NO. Read the thread and know why! |
Re: Do Catholics Worship Mary? by koolJ1(f): 10:06am On Dec 10, 2013 |
uboma: @ op, the answer to your question is "YES". they worship Mary, hence relegating the worship oF the Almighty God to the background. I've been a silent follower of urs and have always respected ur posts because I find them intelligent. Until this |
Re: Do Catholics Worship Mary? by uboma(m): 11:42am On Dec 10, 2013 |
kool J: Oh my!!! Did I just break your heart? I'm positive you are a Catholic as well. Anywhere, I see and say things objectively without minding whose ego is altered. I have a couple of friends who are Catholics as well, so I can rightly say that the Catholics worship Mary. Is it right to have the image of Mary or anyone at all, in front of you and you recite the *hail Mary* stuff? That's idolatry gal. In the Bible, God made it clear to the Isrealites and by extension to all Christians today, that 'no one should make any graven image or any likeness of anything that is in the Heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them nor serve them... Exodus 20: 4, 5 (The King James Version). Psalm 115:4-8 says 'their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands. They have mouths but they speak not, eyes have they but they see not. They have hands but they handle not, feet have they but they walk not, neither speak they through their throat. They that make them are like unto them so is everyone that trusteth in them'. (The Kings James Version). |
Re: Do Catholics Worship Mary? by POPEII: 11:53am On Dec 10, 2013 |
kool J:don't mind him |
Re: Do Catholics Worship Mary? by Ubenedictus(m): 3:14pm On Dec 10, 2013 |
My dear uboma, before you accuse abt 1bn people of idolatry, pls do well to tell us: what is idolatry? If i accuse you of stealing i must be able to prove that you have took something that isn't urs without d implicit or explicit consent of d owner and even contrary to his wish. To lay a basis for the accusation, pls define idolatry. Thanks. |
Re: Do Catholics Worship Mary? by koolJ1(f): 9:43pm On Dec 10, 2013 |
uboma: LOL! Break my heart? Not nearly. I don't do religious arguments as I believe there are a lot of materials for self-enlightenment for whoever wishes to know. U jst spoke out of the depth of innocent ignorance. There is only one true God to whom worship is due, that isn't debatable. That's exactly why catholics do not worship Mary. |
Re: Do Catholics Worship Mary? by Nobody: 1:33am On Dec 11, 2013 |
uboma: @ op, the answer to your question is "YES". they worship Mary, hence relegating the worship oF the Almighty God to the background. Mr Judge so which church do you attend so we can start from there. Its never enough to hide behind the keyboard in faceless forum and judge catholic church. If you tell us your church,we can start from there. And I hope you're not the same op I asked his church and he immediately abandoned the thread and ran away. I have a VERY STRONG feeling you're the same person hiding under a different moniker. All that op has been doing is running up and down the religious section of nairaland (like a puppy) opening different threads and saying churches that will go to hell. But when I asked his church so we too can join his heavenly church and heavenly pastor, he abandoned the thread and ran away.lmao Just because talk is TELL ME YOUR CHURCH FIRST, PLEASE I'M WAITING |
Re: Do Catholics Worship Mary? by Nobody: 1:38am On Dec 11, 2013 |
uboma: Mr Judge so which church do you attend so we can start from there. Its never enough to hide behind the keyboard in faceless forum and judge catholic church. If you tell us your church,we can start from there. And I hope you're not the same op I asked his church and he immediately abandoned the thread and ran away. I have a VERY STRONG you're the same person hiding under a different moniker. All that op has been doing is running up and down the religious section of nairaland (like a puppy) opening different threads and saying churches that will go to hell. But when I asked his church so we too can join his heavenly church and heavenly pastor, he abandoned the thread and ran away.lmao Just because talk is TELL ME YOUR CHURCH FIRST,PLEASE I'M WAITING |
Re: Do Catholics Worship Mary? by uboma(m): 8:52am On Dec 11, 2013 |
Kamsy10: I speak objectively and if that annoys you, then you will have to live with that. And truthfully, I only have one moniker here which is Uboma. I have no need to create multiple monikers. And as per the church I attend, sorry to break your bubble, I don't attend church. So much hypocrisy going on around most churches today that I prefer to sit @ home on Sundays. And mind you, talk isn't free on Nairaland, I pay to comment here (I hope you get the drift). |
Re: Do Catholics Worship Mary? by uboma(m): 8:59am On Dec 11, 2013 |
Ubenedictus: My dear uboma, The Bible verses I quoted earlier already defined what idolatry means. So if you still do not understand what idolatry means or you prefer to feign ignorance, then I advise that you pick up your Dictionary if you have access to one and look up the meaning. Feel free to share what you learn from the meaning of idolatry. I'll love to read your comments. |
Re: Do Catholics Worship Mary? by tomber(m): 11:11am On Dec 11, 2013 |
Luke 11: 27 And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked. 28 But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it. |
Re: Do Catholics Worship Mary? by Ubenedictus(m): 10:52am On Dec 16, 2013 |
uboma:bible passages can be interpreted and misinterpreted, what do you understand by d passage u quoted, exegesis i think it is called. If you are using a dictionary then please tell me which one. At least it is known that bible throwing never ends an arguement, scriptures must be interpreted. |
(1) (Reply)
The Parables Of Jesus And Some Meditations / You Are Helping The Devil Without Knowing It!!! / Forgiveness: Letting Go Of Grudges And Bitterness
(Go Up)
Sections: politics (1) business autos (1) jobs (1) career education (1) romance computers phones travel sports fashion health religion celebs tv-movies music-radio literature webmasters programming techmarket Links: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) Nairaland - Copyright © 2005 - 2024 Oluwaseun Osewa. All rights reserved. See How To Advertise. 54 |