Why do Christians worship Mary?

[logician]

For all intents and purposes, the supposed mother of the supposed Jesus is an object of worship, especially in the Roman Catholic church. Universities and secondary schools are named after her, statues of her exist in most every Catholic church, prayers are said to her. This certainly is enough to qualify her as an object of worship.

Why the attempt to deify a mythical ordinary human?

 

[Feathers in Hair]

While she is an figure to be admired, I don't think any Christians 'officially' worship Mary. If pressed as to why she is venerated so, I would imagine it's because having a figure of the sacred feminine in one's religion lends itself to worship.

 

[logician]

"I don't think any Christians 'officially' worship Mary"

from the dictionary

"wor·ship -shipped, -ship·ping.
–noun 1.reverent honor and homage paid to God or a sacred personage, or to any object regarded as sacred. 2.formal or ceremonious rendering of such honor and homage: They attended worship this morning. 3.adoring reverence or regard: excessive worship of business success. 4.the object of adoring reverence or regard. 5.(initial capital letter

) British. a title of honor used in addressing or mentioning certain magistrates and others of high rank or station (usually prec. by Your, His, or Her). –verb (used with object) 6.to render religious reverence and homage to. 7.to feel an adoring reverence or regard for (any person or thing). –verb (used without object) 8.to render religious reverence and homage, as to a deity. 9.to attend services of divine worship. 10.to feel an adoring reverence or regard.
"

I think we can say that Mary is an object of worship.

Why do you hear every other month another "sighting" of the visage of the "virgin" Mary?

 

[Gentoo]

Most Catholics do not worship Mary. But honor her as the mother to Jesus. Honoring is not the same as worshipping.

 

[Comprehend]

Why the attempt to deify a mythical ordinary human?

how can one be both mythical and human?

 

[logician]

"how can one be both mythical and human?"

As an atheist, I believe Mary was a mythical woman, which also means mythical human.

 

[PureX]

I think that for a lot of Catholics, "Mary" kind of represents a more feminine nature of the divine. And it's one of the aspects of Catholicism I've always liked. I think it's good that there should be some image or idea that we can hold in our minds to help us realize that "God" is not a male, but is a deity expressed by the best aspects of both male and female.

There is a song, written and recorded by Patty Griffin, called "Mary" that was written about her grandmother, but expresses better than anything I've ever heard or read, the feminine divine as opposed to the masculine divine in Catholicism (Patty was raised Catholic). You can find it on iTunes, CD Universe, and most sites that sell music and offer sampling.

 

[MaddLlama]

"how can one be both mythical and human?"

As an atheist, I believe Mary was a mythical woman, which also means mythical human.

Mythical or not, to Catholics she is far from ordinary.

 

[logician]

"Mythical or not, to Catholics she is far from ordinary."

And that is my question, why?

 

[MaddLlama]

"Mythical or not, to Catholics she is far from ordinary."

And that is my question, why?

Because Mary was chosen by God to give birth to the savior, and because she gave birth to him without knowing the touch of a man.

Even if you don't accept this story as true, it certainly makes her different than any other human. And being chosen by God to be worthy of such an honor makes her worthy of reverence for Catholics.

But, Catholics don't worship her.

 

[FerventGodSeeker]

For all intents and purposes, the supposed mother of the supposed Jesus is an object of worship, especially in the Roman Catholic church.

Wrong right off the bat. If anyone in the RC Church is actually WORSHIPPING Mary, as they would worship God, they are in error.

Universities and secondary schools are named after her, statues of her exist in most every Catholic church, prayers are said to her. This certainly is enough to qualify her as an object of worship.

There are also statues of Napoleon Bonaparte and schools named after him, I'm sure...does that mean people worship him, or just honor him? As for prayer, we ask Mary to pray for us to the Father, we do not pray to her as we do to God.

Why the attempt to deify a mythical ordinary human?

I have no idea...luckily, Mariology has nothing to do with that

 

[logician]

Seems like many of you missed the definition of worship I posted. There is no doubt Mary is an object of worship according to the definition, regardless of the naysayers.

 

[PureX]

My theory is that the virgin birth was a way for "Eve" to be restored to purity, as Jesus' death and forgiveness restores "Adam". I think that in the days the gospels were written the culture was so masculine dominant that it needed a way to specifically include women in the salvation/resurrection of Christ. And the virgin birth was a way of doing that.

 

[MaddLlama]

Seems like many of you missed the definition of worship I posted. There is no doubt Mary is an object of worship according to the definition, regardless of the naysayers.

I think that you're simply not able to understand that the dictionary definitions simply are not adequate to capture the subtleties of how people view God and all those things relating to it.

Catholics worship God, and revere Mary as an important figure in thier faith. There is a difference, whether or not you choose to recognise it.

 

[athanasius]

Wanderer has no idea of what he is speaking. I am a catholic theology major. We do not teach nor worship Mary. We venerate her! We pray to her! But worship for a Catholic is reserved to God alone. Please read our Catechsim which is our offical teaching.

Athanasius

 

[logician]

I assume most of you realize that "virgin" births were part of the mythology of many religions, and the Jesus story itself paralled closely stories of other mythical gods.

 

[logician]

In my book praying to any entity is worshipping it, no matter what kind of horse you call it.

 

[MaddLlama]

I assume most of you realize that "virgin" births were part of the mythology of many religions, and the Jesus story itself paralled closely stories of other mythical gods.

So what? So is a dying and reborn God. What difference does that make.

 

[Yerda]

We do not teach nor worship Mary. We venerate her! We pray to her! But worship for a Catholic is reserved to God alone.

What's the difference?

 

[logician]

"So is a dying and reborn God. What difference does that make"

It makes it quite likely the Jesus story was just another myth, a rehash of previous mythology.