He is talking ignorance!

Catholic Church is a Universal Church, Mother Church. I'm proud to be Catholic!

Our detractors will one day realise dat catholic is synanimous with xtianity

One thing though, we have a mutha-load of catholics on Nairaland.

We appreciate all keeping this thread and our faith alive here. but we'd like for you to continue on this continuation thread

https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-186945.96.html

TO all the fellow Catholics here, remember we don't argue nor do we fight for the truth of God's word and his great commands. We cant fight the fight of the Lord, don't all of you think that The truth shall prevail at last? so why waste you time enacting the truth that will naturally find its way to the heart of those who truly seek it. don't stop spreading the Good news of the Lord. no matter what it takes but never go fighting nor argues for the sake of the Gospel, because the scripture never told us to so.

Have asked yourself what have been the achievement of the so called reformers and heretic since they started all these troubles, absolutely nothing rather they have been able confuse and deceive those who lack the knowledge of the Gospel. So all of you my Catholic brother rest your case, this case did not start today it started about 550 yrs back, so lets go ahead with age long traditions handed down to us by the apostles.

Refer all who Argues the truth of the Catholic faith and doctrines to www.staycatholic.com If they cant believe it. let it be. the purpose of the site is as follows;

Introduction to the Essays
Quite often those who object to Catholicism will do so on scriptural grounds. They claim the teachings of the Church are opposed to the teachings of the Bible. However, Scripture read in context fully supports Catholic teaching. The primary goal of my essays is to present the biblical case for Catholicism. I also refer to the writings of the Early Church Fathers. I do so in order to show that those who were taught by the Apostles believed and interpreted the Scriptures in the same way that the Catholic Church does today. I kept the essays short in the hope that skeptics would be more likely to read them. They are by no means an exhaustive study on the subjects they cover. They are designed to address the most common objections to Catholicism and thus remove any stumbling blocks to further investigation. Toward that end suggestions for further study appear on the last page.
Perhaps you are a skeptic. Perhaps you agree with those who say that the teachings of the Catholic Church are unbiblical. But have you ever examined the evidence that supports those teachings? You are certainly entitled to believe any thing that you wish. But shouldn't your opinions be based on evidence and not the prejudices of others?
In the movie, "To Kill a Mocking Bird," Tom Robinson, a black man, is accused of a crime that he obviously could not have committed. The story takes place in the American south during the early 1930's. The jury was composed of local townspeople all of whom were white. Despite clear evidence that indicated his innocence the jury found Tom guilty. The verdict was not based on the facts of the case but on the bigotry of the jury. If you were on that jury would you have stood up for the truth or would you have succumbed to peer pressure like the others? You are in such a position now. There is a great deal of prejudice against the Catholic Church. Can you examine the evidence without that prejudice affecting your opinion?
Perhaps you are a Catholic who thinks that apologetics (defending and or explaining the faith) is unnecessary. You may see it as a rude rejection of those who believe differently than we do. But that is simply not the case. Catholic Apologetics rejects false ideas but not the individuals who hold those ideas. Disagreeing with someone doesn't have to be an act of malice. In fact it can be an act of love.
Let me illustrate my point with a little story. Suppose your neighbor plans on visiting friends in a distant city. He informs you that he will be leaving the following morning on the 10:00 AM bus. Being familiar with the bus schedule you realize that there is no 10:00 AM bus to your neighbor’s destination. However, there is a 9:00 AM bus. Would it be rude to correct your neighbor? After all he may reject what you have to say. And of course he has the right to do so. Still, if you truly care about him you are duty bound to tell him what you know. The same principal applies to our faith. With eternity at stake it would be foolish to ignore our differences.
It is also important to point out that there are Catholics who don't have a good understanding of their faith. A good number of them leave the Church every year due to the efforts of anti Catholic groups and churches. If these individuals had known why the Church teaches as she does, many of them would never have left. As a Catholic apologist I wish to reach such individuals so that they can at least make an informed decision.
Apologetics is an important part of the Church's work. In Jude 3 we are told to "Contend for the faith, which was once for all delivered to the saints." Paul tells Titus to "Rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the Faith, instead of giving heed to Jewish myths or to commands of men whom reject the truth" (Titus 1:13-14). Finally, Peter tells us to "Always be prepared to make a defense to any one who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence" (1 Peter 3:15).
Jesus said that the truth would set us free. Common sense tells us that two opposing views cannot both be true. However, if the truth is to set us free, we must know what the truth is. Consequently a vehicle is needed to verify just what the truth is. Apologetics is that vehicle.
For those who wish to become apologists a word of advice: Don't expect that every one will convert once you have demonstrated the Catholic position. People remain outside of the Church for a variety of reasons. Some simply do not wish to abandon that which has been familiar to them. The deeper someone is immersed in a way of thinking the harder it is to see any flaws in it. In the final analysis sentiment and friendships can win over the truth.
1
Some leave or stay out of the Church because they are unwilling to accept one or more of its teachings. Weather or not those teachings are true is beside the point. As Scripture puts it: "For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own likings" (2 Timothy 4:3).
Remember also that it is possible for your intentions to be misinterpreted. Oftentimes people are insulted by any kind of correction. Be careful in the way you communicate and pray that God would open the hearts of the people that you want to reach. Bear in mind that it is the Holy Spirit who converts hearts.
No matter what the outcome, never be judgmental or demeaning. While you may not have won the person over you may have planted a seed, a seed that may sprout and grow strong at some future date. Don't jeopardize that with the wrong attitude. Your objective should be to win souls not arguments. I once heard Mother Angelica say, "An argument is an exchange of feelings. A discussion is an exchange of ideas. Discussions lead to truth, arguments lead to bitterness." I couldn't agree more. That is why the Scriptures tell us to "speak the truth in love" (Ephesians 4:15).
In writing the essays I have used either the New American Bible or the Revised Standard Version (Catholic Edition). In a few cases I have quoted the versions that are used by the groups addressed in the essay. The reasoning is simple, I believe it is more effective to correct someone with a version they trust. That is not to say that all of the other versions can be trusted. The Bible used by Jehovah’s Witnesses is not considered to be credible by any Scripture scholar. One reason is that some of the words have been changed to match their distinctive beliefs.
All of the essays are faithful to the teachings of the Magisterium. When using them with family or friends, make sure that you read them first and understand them. You may want to highlight points that you think are important or that may have come up in past conversations. Before your discussion you may want to consult books like Karl Keating's "Catholicism and Fundamentalism" or Rev. John O'Brien's "The Faith of Millions" as they cover these issues in more detail than I have. Feel free to copy and distribute anything in this book.
Copyright © 2001 StayCatholic.com

Note; the above Introduction is talking about some of the points the critics make when they see us. they are in Essay type in the site I quoted above.

Thanks and Love all, even the critics.

catholisism is going down!!

Catholicism will go up and down, but Catholicism is going nowhere.

"I will be with you until the end"--Jesus.

AND THESE IS YOUR "QUEEN"?
Jer44:18;but since we left off to burn incense to the "Queen of Heaven"
Jer44:25, we(Catholics)will surely perform our vows that we have vowed to burn incense to the "Queen of Heaven"and pour out drink offerings unto her.
Rev18:7;give her as much torture and grief as the glory and luxury she gave herselfin her heart she boasts,"I SIT AS QUEEN;I AM NOT A WIDOW,AND I WILL NEVER MOURN"

"Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you."--Angel Gabriel.

And Angels are messengers from God.

And that's why "She was highly troubled at his saying".

'How could the Most High God have regard her such'?

"My soul doth magnify the Lord.
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid;
for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
Because he that is mighty,
hath done great things to me;
and holy is his name.
And his mercy is from generation unto generations,
to them that fear him.
He hath shewed might in his arm:
he hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.
He hath put down the mighty from their seat,
and hath exalted the humble.
He hath filled the hungry with good things;
and the rich he hath sent empty away.
He hath received Israel his servant,
being mindful of his mercy:
As he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his seed for ever."

--The Blessed Virgin Mary.

Revelation 12

A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.

She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth.

Then another sign appeared in the sky; it was a huge red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven diadems.

Its tail swept away a third of the stars in the sky and hurled them down to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman about to give birth, to devour her child when she gave birth.

She gave birth to a son, a male child, destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod. Her child was caught up to God and his throne.

The woman herself fled into the desert where she had a place prepared by God, that there she might be taken care of for twelve hundred and sixty days.

Then war broke out in heaven; Michael 8 and his angels battled against the dragon. The dragon and its angels fought back,

but they did not prevail and there was no longer any place for them in heaven.

The huge dragon, the ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, who deceived the whole world, was thrown down to earth, and its angels were thrown down with it.

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: "Now have salvation and power come, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Anointed. For the accuser of our brothers is cast out, who accuses them before our God day and night.

They conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; love for life did not deter them from death.

Therefore, rejoice, you heavens, and you who dwell in them. But woe to you, earth and sea, for the Devil has come down to you in great fury, for he knows he has but a short time."

When the dragon saw that it had been thrown down to the earth, it pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.

But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle, so that she could fly to her place in the desert, where, far from the serpent, she was taken care of for a year, two years, and a half-year.

The serpent, however, spewed a torrent of water out of his mouth after the woman to sweep her away with the current.

But the earth helped the woman and opened its mouth and swallowed the flood that the dragon spewed out of its mouth.

Then the dragon became angry with the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring, those who keep God's commandments and bear witness to Jesus.



There's no falsity without truth. There are false gods because there's a true God. Those in Jeremiah payed homage to a false queen of heaven, we Catholics honour the true Queen of Heaven "with a crown of twelve stars on her head". It wasn't Catholics that put the crown there, it ws the Almighty Father.

Who was the first pope? Peter or Constantinople?

"Then he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon the son of John; 30 you will be called Kephas" (which is translated Peter)."--John 1:42

Why did Jesus give him a name which means ROCK, on their first meeting.

I knew you would choose that one. I was taught the same in catholic school.

So Peter was the first pope eh? I think you need to read that the bones of Apostle Peter were found in Jerusalem. Why would his bones be in Jerusalem when he was supposed to be in Rome? This is documented fact. Now is your Pope married? Apostle Peter was married. Matthew 8:14

14 And when Jesus went into Peter's house, He saw his mother-in-law lying ill with a fever. (AMP)
14 [f]Als Jesus in das Haus des Petrus kam, lag dessen Schwiegermutter mit hohem Fieber im Bett. (Hoffnung fuer Alle)

I gave you translations in 2 language just to emphasize that fact that he was married!

Now about the commission of spreading the gospel. What was the commission given to Peter? What was the commission given to Paul?

Once again  give you the result in 2 languages. Apostle Peter's commisson was or the Jews and Apostle Paul's commission was for the gentiles. I think we both know that the jews were not in Rome. Romans are gentiles If anything Paul should be Pope as he was commissioned for the gentiles and he never married.

Galatians 2:7-8
7But on the contrary, when they [really] saw that I had been entrusted [to carry] the Gospel to the uncircumcised [Gentiles, just as definitely] as Peter had been entrusted [to proclaim] the Gospel to the circumcised [Jews, they were agreeable];

    8For He Who motivated and fitted Peter and worked effectively through him for the mission to the circumcised, motivated and fitted me and worked through me also for [the mission to] the Gentiles. (AMP)

7 [e]Diesen Leitern der Gemeinde ist klar geworden, dass Gott mir den Auftrag gegeben hat, den nichtjüdischen Völkern[f] die Botschaft von Christus zu verkünden, so wie er Petrus aufgetragen hat, sie den Juden[g] zu bringen. 8 Denn alle konnten sehen, dass meine Arbeit als Apostel ebenso von Gott bestätigt wurde wie die des Petrus. (Hoffnung fuer Alle)

Please take time to understand this. I pray to God that your eyes are open to his Word

I was not necessarily answering you. If you look closely, you'll see that I didn't say Peter was the first Pope. It was you who said that. Why? I don't know.

Whatever I say here is not to confront anybody but to strengthen my fellow Catholics in the faith and to express our communion in love.

If you want to discuss Peter, The Holy Father or any other topic you can open a thread about it or you can participate in any of the already existing anti-catholic threads. I'll be more than willing to discuss with you in a reasonable manner. As you can see, the title of this thread is "Glory To Jesus, Honour To Mary! All The Real Catholics Please Stand Up!"

So please allow us to express our faith in God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit; our love for The Blessed Virgin Mary, all the Angels and Saints and the rest of our Catholic family in Heaven, on earth and in purgatory.

Allow us to do this in PEACE. Thank you.

I am a born catholic, baptised and comfirmed. I have come to realise that the issue of catholics is always everybody's concern but qiute unfortunate that many who knows not and never want to know stands to condenm rather than learning to kow what its all about. The issue of images, status and mary has being the bedrock of everybody's question about the catholic church. To start with, why should we ague on praying to mary, and honouring her? Isnt it obvious that God himself find it worthy to honour her? Imagine mary a creature of the creator becoming the mother of her creator. Please lets forget about critisms and face the real meaning of this. I believe with this, we will deem it fit to honour her also. I will still post more comment on this, images and status found in the church. Thanks

The Holy Eucharist is the center of our worship. It is a command that we recieve from our Lord.

Do not be decived please all of you has to wake up from their slumber. Now read this, though you still have you right to continue in your self delusion and deception sold to you people from infancy.
"Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven 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: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, " —Exodus 20:4,5[/color]The following article is quoted from the Pacific Daily News, originally published on January 16, 2008:

Tumon honors San Vitores
By David Mercado | For Central Weekly

The Blessed Diego de San Vitores Church in Tumon was filled with the presence of dozens of devotees as they celebrated the annual village fiesta Saturday.

A Mass, celebrated by Archbishop Anthony Apuron, signaled the opening of this celebration with a veneration of the statue of Blessed Diego. Filled with silence, the people commemorated their saint through prayer,

Jessie Carbullido, also a confirmation student, was enlightened by the spirituality of the celebration. [emphasis added]

Did you read that? , "VENERATION OF THE STATUE"!!! In the photo above, Archbishop Anthony Apuron venerates the statue of Blessed Diego during the Tumon fiesta Mass. Oh, how blinded are the eyes of Catholics! They openly admit to venerating (i.e., worshipping statues) which is a violation of the 2nd Commandment (see Exodus 20:4,5). Idolatry! I'm tired of meeting Catholics who defend their false religion, by claiming that they "don't" worship statues. Well, here it is in plain incontrovertible view. The Bible, including the Catholic Douay Bible, condemns idol worship.
I love Catholic people, which is why I expose the manmade religion of Catholicism that keeps them in spiritual bondage. In the article I quoted to you earlier, we read that "Jessie Carbullido, also a confirmation student, was enlightened by the spirituality of the celebration." Jessie may have been enlightened by the "spirituality of the celebration"; but was it Biblical enlightenment? The term "spirituality" can be a dangerous term if it's not rooted in the Word of God. We hear much about "spirituality" from the heathen world today, including from unsaved New Agers like Oprah Winfrey, demonic psychics like James Van Praagh and John Edward, and from apostate, feminist, lesbian, abortionist women preachers like Carter Heyward. Spirituality is demonic Jessie if it's not based upon the Bible.

Catholicism is a prisonhouse of religion. Jesus said in Mark 7:9,13, "Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition , Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye." How much clearer could the Word of God be? We read in Romans 10:3,4 concerning the Catholic Church, "For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth." Salvation is not found in ANY religion; but rather, in a Person—The precious Lord Jesus Christ!

[color=#990000]"But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." —Romans 4:5[b][/b]

I believe in ONE, HOLY, CATHOLIC and APOSTOLIC church.

Rich4god:

I believe in ONE, HOLY, CATHOLIC and APOSTOLIC church.

GBAM!!!

Rich4god:

I believe in ONE, HOLY, CATHOLIC and APOSTOLIC church.

GBAM!!!

The Catholics too are a false Christian group that have too many distorted versions of the true doctrines of the Bible. There are at least 30 of them but i will state three of the false doctrines here

1)The Catholics believe that there is a place called Purgatory after death,which exists for the expiation of the venial sins of believers. That the souls detained in Purgatory can be helped by the suffrages of the Catholic faithful (Creed of Pope Pius IV.Art 6)
That the souls that will go to Purgatory are those who ''depart with venial sins or that have not fully paid the debt of temporal punishment...''(The Cathechism 107)
The Bible refuttal is in 1 John 1:7,John1:29,Acts 4:12 which affirms very clearly that there is only one mode of expiation which is by the Blood of Jesus Christ.

2)The Catholics believe that some sins do not deserve the wrath of God.They claim that such sins are venial sins and do not incur spiritual death to the soul.their examples of ''venial sins'' include lying and stealing small things.(Dens Theologia,tom 1&e Peccatis No.154)
The Bible states that every sin deserves the wrath of God(Romans 6:23)(Gal 3:10)(Ezekiel 18:20)
Revelation 21:8 states that all liars will have their part in the lake of fire

3)The Catholics believe that the Church of Rome is infallible,that ''the Pope cannot err and is infallible in defining matters of faith and morals...''.The dogma of Papal infallibility was defined at the Vatican Council which states that anyone contradicting this is a heretic.(Pope Pius X Compedium)(Cathechism of the Council of Trent,Ques Xvii,Part 1,p.100.

The Bible states that no person or church on earth is infallible.(Ezekiel 7:26)(Isaiah 56:10)(Acts 20:29-30)(1Tim4:12)(Matthew 15:14)(2 Thess 2:3-4)

Submission: The Catholics are a false christian sect which doctrines are at variance with the doctrines of the true christian faith.If any Catholic can dispute the facts above with solidly grounded and undeniable facts devoid of sentiments,you are welcome.

this is vanity. Follow CHRIST not mary

[b]One popular prayer in Mary’s honor is the Hail Holy Queen, which is known in Latin as the Salve Regina. It is traditionally included as part of praying the rosary.

For Catholics who are reading this, please try to overcome your familiarity with this text and really look at the words. Doesn’t this sound like worship?

“Hail, holy Queen, Mother of Mercy! Our life, our sweetness and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping, in this valley of tears. Turn, then, most gracious Advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us; and after this our exile show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.”

CATHOLIC DOCTRINES ABOUT MARY COMPARED WITH WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS

My sources for this section are the Bible and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which has numbered paragraphs. For the sake of simplicity and brevity, I will just say Catechism plus the number of the paragraph(s). For example, “Catechism 411, 493” means “Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs numbered 411 and 493."

For each doctrinal category, I will indicate the Catholic doctrine, followed by the appropriate references from the Catechism. I will follow this with quotations from the Bible which relate to the doctrine. For the sake of clarity, I will emphasize some portions of Biblical quotations by using boldface type. The last book in the Bible is called “The Book of Revelation” in Protestant Bibles and “The Apocalypse” in Catholic Bibles. I will refer to it as “Revelation."

IMMACULATE CONCEPTION -- Mary was preserved from all stain of original sin from the first instant of her conception. (Catechism 490-492).

In Luke 1:46-47, Mary said: “My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour." Mary knew that she needed a savior.
The doctrine of the Immaculate Conception was first introduced by a heretic (a man whose teachings were officially declared to be contrary to Church doctrine). For centuries this doctrine was unanimously rejected by popes, Fathers and theologians of the Catholic Church. [13]

ALL HOLY - Mary, “the All-Holy,” lived a perfectly sinless life. (Catechism 411, 493)

Romans 3:23 says “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Revelation 15:4 says, “Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? For thou only art holy." Romans 3:10 says, “There is none righteous, no, not one."
Jesus is the only person who is referred to in Scripture as sinless. Hebrews 4:15 says, “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” 1 Peter 2:22 says, "Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth."

In contrast, Mary said that God is her Savior. (Luke 1:47) If God was her Savior, then Mary was not sinless. Sinless people do not need a Savior.
In the Book of Revelation, when they were searching for someone who was worthy to break the seals and open the scroll, the only person who was found to be worthy was Jesus. Nobody else in Heaven or on earth (including Mary) was worthy to open the scroll or even look inside it. (Revelation 5:1-5)

PERPETUAL VIRGINITY - Mary was a virgin before, during and after the birth of Christ. (Catechism 496-511)

Matthew 1:24-25 says, “Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.” “Till” (until) means that after that point, Joseph did “know” (have sexual relations with) Mary. (See Genesis 4:1 where Adam “knew” Eve and she conceived and had a son.)
Jesus had brothers and sisters. The Bible even tells us their names. Matthew 13:54-56 says,

“And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hatch this man this wisdom, and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? And his sisters, are they not all with us?”
Other Scripture verses which specifically refer to Jesus’ brothers are: Matthew 12:46; John 2:12; John 7:3; Acts 1:14; and Galatians 1:19.

Catholics are taught that “brothers” and “sisters” were general terms that really could refer to any kind of kinsman, including cousins. This is true in the Hebrew language. However, the New Testament is written in Greek, which is an extremely precise language. It makes a clear distinction between the words used to describe family relationships. There is a Greek word which refers to people who are relatives but not of the immediate family, such as aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces and cousins. There are other Greek words which refer specifically to a person’s brother or sister within a family. [14]

MOTHER OF GOD - Because she is the mother of Jesus, and Jesus is God, therefore Mary is the Mother of God. (Catechism 963, 971, 2677).

The Incarnation means that Jesus was both fully God and fully man. Mary was only the mother of Jesus as man, and not the mother of Jesus as God. According to the Bible, the world was created through Jesus. This was long before Mary was born. Hebrews 1:1-2 says,

“God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds."
Colossians 1:16-17 says,

“For by him [Jesus] were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things [including Mary] were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things [including Mary] , and by him all things consist."
John 8:58 says, “Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was, I am.” Jesus existed before Abraham was born. That means that He also existed before Mary was born. In John 17:5, Jesus says, “And now O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.” So Jesus existed even before the world began. Jesus came first - not Mary.

MOTHER OF THE CHURCH - Mary is the Mother of the Church. (Catechism 963, 975).

Acts 1:13-14 gives a picture of a group of people praying together. Mary is mentioned as one of them, but nothing indicates any special prominence.

“And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Phillip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James. These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.”
Mary was probably in the Upper Room when the tongues of fire fell upon the 120 disciples. However, she is never mentioned again in the Book of Acts, which is our only historical record of how the Church was born. She is also not specifically identified in the epistles. Paul did send greetings to “Mary”, but that was a common name. (In the Gospels and in the Book of Acts, she is referred to as “Mary the mother of Jesus” to distinguish her from other women named Mary.)

It is notable that John, who took Mary into his home after Jesus was crucified, does not mention her in his epistles, and he only mentions her on two occasions in his Gospel (the wedding at Cana and the crucifixion of Jesus). John mentions Mary Magdalene more than he mentions Jesus' mother.

ASSUMPTION - At the end of her life, Mary was taken up (“assumed”) body and soul into Heaven. (Catechism 966, 974)

There is no biblical reference to the assumption of Mary. The Gospel of John was written around 90 A.D., which is more than 100 years after Mary was born. (Surely Mary was more than ten years old when Jesus was conceived.) If Mary had been supernaturally assumed into Heaven, wouldn’t John (the disciple that Mary lived with) have mentioned it? When Enoch and Elijah were taken up to Heaven, the Bible recorded it. With Elijah it was recorded in some detail. (See Genesis 6:24 and 2 Kings 2:1‑18.)

The Assumption of Mary was officially declared to be a dogma of the Roman Catholic faith in 1950. This means that every Roman Catholic is required to believe this doctrine without questioning it. However, as we will see, the teaching of the Assumption originated with heretical writings which were officially condemned by the early Church.

In 495 A.D., Pope Gelasius issued a decree which rejected this teaching as heresy and its proponents as heretics. In the sixth century, Pope Hormisdas also condemned as heretics those authors who taught the doctrine of the Assumption of Mary. The early Church clearly considered the doctrine of the Assumption of Mary to be a heresy worthy of condemnation. Here we have “infallible” popes declaring something to be a heresy. Then in 1950, Pope Pius XII, another “infallible” pope, declared it to be official Roman Catholic doctrine. [15]

CO-MEDIATOR - Mary is the Co-Mediator to whom we can entrust all our cares and petitions. (Catechism 968-970, 2677)

There is only one mediator and that is Jesus. 1 Timothy 2:5-6 says, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus: Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” Hebrews 7:25 says,Wherefore he [Jesus] is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.” Ephesians 3:12 says, “In whom [Jesus} we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.”
If Jesus is constantly interceding for us and He is able to save us “to the uttermost,” (utterly, completely) then He doesn’t need Mary’s help. If we can approach God with “boldness” and “confidence” because of our faith in Jesus, then we don't need Mary’s help either.

QUEEN OF HEAVEN - God has exalted Mary in heavenly glory as Queen of Heaven and earth. (Catechism 966) She is to be praised with special devotion. (Catechism 971, 2675)

Psalm 148:13 says, “Let them praise the name of the Lord: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven.” This makes it quite clear that only God’s name (not Mary’s) is to be exalted. (In Catholic Bibles the numbering of the chapters and verses of some of the Psalms is slightly different.)
When people tried to give Mary special honor and pre-eminence because she was His mother, Jesus corrected them.

“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. But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.” (Luke 11:27-28)
In chapters four and five of the Book of Revelation, we are given a quite detailed picture of Heaven. God is seated on the throne, surrounded by 24 elders and four living creatures. The Lamb (Jesus) is standing in the center of the throne. Thousands upon thousands of angels circle the throne, singing God's praises. And Mary is not in the picture at all.[/b]

Wow I am so impressed! Catholics please keep this thread alive! I love you all even my protestant brothers who hate us,I love them all.

Glory to Jesus! Honour to Mary!
Meanwhl my name is Asabe from wurkun tribe in Taraba state
Please welcome me

Welcome, Asabeq. Lol...

Asabeq: Wow I am so impressed! Catholics please keep this thread alive! I love you all even my protestant brothers who hate us,I love them all.

Glory to Jesus! Honour to Mary!
Meanwhl my name is Asabe from wurkun tribe in Taraba state
Please welcome me

Oby1: @pilgrim

If we can sing birthday song in honour of someone, then why not the Mother of your Saviour.
I sing to her almost at all atimes and it gives me joy.

We don't expect everything to be written down for us to know at least we have the hints.

'While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, "Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you."

He replied to him, "Who is my mother and my brothers?" Pointing to his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother." Matthew 12:46-50; Mark 3:31-35; Luke 8:19-21.

'As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, "Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you."

He replied, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it." Luke 11:27-28

Danchinex: I am a born catholic, baptised and comfirmed. I have come to realise that the issue of catholics is always everybody's concern but qiute unfortunate that many who knows not and never want to know stands to condenm rather than learning to kow what its all about. The issue of images, status and mary has being the bedrock of everybody's question about the catholic church. To start with, why should we ague on praying to mary, and honouring her? Isnt it obvious that God himself find it worthy to honour her? Imagine mary a creature of the creator becoming the mother of her creator. Please lets forget about critisms and face the real meaning of this. I believe with this, we will deem it fit to honour her also. I will still post more comment on this, images and status found in the church. Thanks

I was also born catholic, baptised and comfirmed. I have come to realise that the issue of catholics is NOT everybody's concern but fortunately many now know what has been cleverly hidden & cunningly propagated. We love our brethren who find themselves in the catholic religion and who have not been given the opportunity to yank off the chains of bondage through error and false doctrines of men. Our prayer remains that the True Shepherd of the church Who in His boundless love and mercy, brought me and others into His shining Light will also help our catholic brethren to know Him as the True and Living God.

It's not a matter of arguments or debates as these lead to anger and misunderstanding, the opposite of love. Rather, let's intensify our prayers for our catholic brethren and yes, even their leaders, because our God does not want anyone to perish but be saved. We who are saved know that it is not by our power or ability or effort but by mercy and love, hence we can't boast. But we must show this love to all, including our catholic brethren.

Making a thread such as this should be discerned for what it truly is: A cry for help!

How come am just seeing this thread. Hi everyone am proudly Catholic. I think I have a million testimonies on how Our Lady and the intersections of the Saints have been of immense use to me. I thank God for the gift of His Mother, for the gift of the Holy Catholic Church and for my catholic brothers and sisters. God bless you all

Bump