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Why do Christians worship Mary?
- Thread starter logician
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logician
Well-Known Member
Worship -
1. reverent honor and homage paid to God or a sacred personage, OR TO ANY OBJECT REGARDED AS SACRED.
2.adoring reverence or regard.
3.to render religious reverence and homage to.
4.to feel an adoring reverence or regard.
Again, according to the dictionary definition of "worship", Mary is an object of worship by many Christians(Catholic), regardless of what the the church "technically" says about the subject. To deny this is simply to play with semantics, because all of the elements are there for the act of worship - prayers to Mary, kneeling in prayer before statues of Mary, claims of "sightings" of a visage of the virgin Mary, etc. etc.
Of course, the idea that a god has gender is patently absurd, as it implies reproductive organs etc. This is really no different that Greek and Roman gods mating with mortals in mythology, only for some reason we're supposed to believe this concoction in Christianity.
1. reverent honor and homage paid to God or a sacred personage, OR TO ANY OBJECT REGARDED AS SACRED.
2.adoring reverence or regard.
3.to render religious reverence and homage to.
4.to feel an adoring reverence or regard.
Again, according to the dictionary definition of "worship", Mary is an object of worship by many Christians(Catholic), regardless of what the the church "technically" says about the subject. To deny this is simply to play with semantics, because all of the elements are there for the act of worship - prayers to Mary, kneeling in prayer before statues of Mary, claims of "sightings" of a visage of the virgin Mary, etc. etc.
Of course, the idea that a god has gender is patently absurd, as it implies reproductive organs etc. This is really no different that Greek and Roman gods mating with mortals in mythology, only for some reason we're supposed to believe this concoction in Christianity.
mr.guy
crapsack
Oh oh, i might be accidentily worshipping my girlfriend.wanderer085 said:
So, despite the gapingly broad definition of "worship" (as you presented it), catholics ARE NOT able to define with what weight and heirarchy their specific reverence for idols and saints are to take in their religion?
Not really.
MaddLlama
Obstructor of justice
wanderer085 said:
He's God, he created the entire world....why does he have to have a working penis in order for Mary to have his "son"?
And, this is also something that confuses me...if you're an atheist, why is the Catholic veneration of Mary so important to you? Why do you care?
MaddLlama
Obstructor of justice
wanderer085 said:
How critical is it that some people believe in something you don't? Why do you care? Do you want to "convert" everyone to atheism?
It's religion, it doesn't have to be proven by science to inspire people. Faith doesn't have to be founded in science, that's why it's faith (duh).
jacquie4000
Well-Known Member
Maybe I am way off bat but if one prays through Mary...I would assume it is because one is not actually clean enough nor does one have the right words to pray directly to God.. an intersessor like Mary or Jesus does this for us. We are not humble enough.
jacquie4000
Well-Known Member
I did not state that he could not understand us ....our words are not humble enough for him such as I pray for money blah blah blah....we just ask sometimes for things but not in a way that is humble enough for God
mr.guy
crapsack
I'll take that as awanderer085 said:
"no, i can't be bothered to answer any questions that may threaten me with mistakenessly horror. I'd rather call everyone stupid and crazy. That's fun. You're not."
Now, when you declined to answer me when i asked:
"So, despite the gapingly broad definition of "worship" (as you presented it), catholics ARE NOT able to define with what weight and heirarchy their specific reverence for idols and saints are to take in their religion?"
Did you mean to acquiesce with my hint regarding the absurd stringincy of your assertion regarding how functional worship may or may not be practised? I only assumed that your silence was compliance. Am i correct here?
Secondly, you dodged my query here:
"...considering the power christians tend to attribute to god, how critical an issue would you suppose it to be that god be male to accomplish that task?"
by letting me know that i'm believing in unsupported, unscientific thinking, like so:
"How critical is it that you believe something that is impossible, with no scientific evidence, and no independant historical evidence? "
Thank you. While i still struggle to understand why this response should be relevant to my particular argument, especially within the context of this (your) thread, i'm certain you can make this much clearer for me. I look forward to you unbaited reply.
Scott1
Well-Known Member
Sorry to jump in so late.... but it's my favorite subject!wanderer085 said:
Maybe this will help you understand the place of Mary in the faith of Roman Catholics:
From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
"Rejoice, you who are full of grace"
721 Mary, the all-holy ever-virgin Mother of God, is the masterwork of the mission of the Son and the Spirit in the fullness of time. For the first time in the plan of salvation and because his Spirit had prepared her, the Father found the dwelling place where his Son and his Spirit could dwell among men. In this sense the Church's Tradition has often read the most beautiful texts on wisdom in relation to Mary.101 Mary is acclaimed and represented in the liturgy as the "Seat of Wisdom."
In her, the "wonders of God" that the Spirit was to fulfill in Christ and the Church began to be manifested:
722 The Holy Spirit prepared Mary by his grace. It was fitting that the mother of him in whom "the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily"102 should herself be "full of grace." She was, by sheer grace, conceived without sin as the most humble of creatures, the most capable of welcoming the inexpressible gift of the Almighty. It was quite correct for the angel Gabriel to greet her as the "Daughter of Zion": "Rejoice."103 It is the thanksgiving of the whole People of God, and thus of the Church, which Mary in her canticle104 lifts up to the Father in the Holy Spirit while carrying within her the eternal Son.
723 In Mary, the Holy Spirit fulfills the plan of the Father's loving goodness. Through the Holy Spirit, the Virgin conceives and gives birth to the Son of God. By the Holy Spirit's power and her faith, her virginity became uniquely fruitful.105
724 In Mary, the Holy Spirit manifests the Son of the Father, now become the Son of the Virgin. She is the burning bush of the definitive theophany. Filled with the Holy Spirit she makes the Word visible in the humility of his flesh. It is to the poor and the first representatives of the gentiles that she makes him known.106
725 Finally, through Mary, the Holy Spirit begins to bring men, the objects of God's merciful love,107 into communion with Christ. And the humble are always the first to accept him: shepherds, magi, Simeon and Anna, the bride and groom at Cana, and the first disciples. 726 At the end of this mission of the Spirit, Mary became the Woman, the new Eve ("mother of the living"), the mother of the "whole Christ."108 As such, she was present with the Twelve, who "with one accord devoted themselves to prayer,"109 at the dawn of the "end time" which the Spirit was to inaugurate on the morning of Pentecost with the manifestation of the Church.
101 Cf. Prov 8:1-9:6; Sir 24.
102 Col 2:9.
103 Cf. Zeph 3:14; Zech 2:14.
104 Cf. Lk 1:46-55.
105 Cf. Lk 1:26-38; Rom 4:18-21; Gal 4:26-28.
106 Cf. Lk 1:15-19; Mt 2:11.
107 Cf. Lk 2:14.
108 Cf. Jn 19:25-27.
109 Acts 1:14.
logician
Well-Known Member
"despite the gapingly broad definition of "worship""
It's not my definition, if you don't like it, contact Webster.
"how critical an issue would you suppose it to be that god be male to accomplish that task?"
"
Evidently quite critical, as the Christian god is always referred to as a male(except in very liberal Presbyterian denominations).
It's not my definition, if you don't like it, contact Webster.
"how critical an issue would you suppose it to be that god be male to accomplish that task?"
"
Evidently quite critical, as the Christian god is always referred to as a male(except in very liberal Presbyterian denominations).
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