Why don't protestants bless Mary?

[Meowzltov]

If that is true, then why should any Catholic pray to Mary since she is powerless on her own? Why not pray directly to God, who is all-powerful and graciously hears each and every prayer offered to him?

We ask Mary to pray for us to God through Christ for the same reason that we ask ANY Christian to pray for us to God through Christ.

 

[ToBeLoved]

I just don't think there is anything wrong with the veneration of the saints, especially the Mother of our Lord. It is absurd to say there is nothing left for God -- there is worship left for God.

We Catholics are NOT sola scriptura. The church has the authority to guide us in our understanding of things. The church is the pillar and foundation of truth per 1 tim 3:15.

Well, then the Torah is really out of your league little one.

I bet the Pope likes shellfish.

 

[Meowzltov]

Not according to the prayers quoted (and many more similar prayers could be quoted). For Catholics who pray to her, she is Divine. And therein lies a very serious problem.

IF, IF you were right, I would agree that there were a serious problem. But you are misrepresenting Catholic teaching. Mary's power is in her intercession to God through Christ. She goes to her son, and he listens with special attentiveness because she is his mother, as he did at the wedding at Cana.

 

[Meowzltov]

What if the church starts telling you that things the bible tells us are sins are no longer sins? Which do we believe? As for me, I don't want to stand before God having to explain that I disobeyed what He said in His word because the church's opinion was of more importance to me.

The Church has no authority to contradict past Magisterial teaching, such as what the Bible teaches. Thus your scenario can never happen.

 

[Aldebaran]

IF, IF you were right, I would agree that there were a serious problem. But you are misrepresenting Catholic teaching. Mary's power is in her intercession to God through Christ. She goes to her son, and he listens with special attentiveness because she is his mother, as he did at the wedding at Cana.

Did He? Read it carefully, especially the last part:

1 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was there,
2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding.
3 When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to him, "They have no more wine."
4 "Dear woman, why do you involve me?" Jesus replied. "My time has not yet come."
5 His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you."

 

[Meowzltov]

Well, then the Torah is really out of your league little one.

I bet the Pope likes shellfish.

What does any of this have to do with Mary? You are way off topic.

FWIW, Gentiles are not obliged to obey the 613 laws. Pope Francis can eat all the shellfish he wants and God bless him. And the Pope is completely supportive of Hebrew Catholics following Jewish laws and traditions and keeping our Jewish identity. The Hebrew Catholic movement is totally kosher with Rome.

 

[Aldebaran]

The Church has no authority to contradict past Magisterial teaching, such as what the Bible teaches. Thus your scenario can never happen.

Never say never. Churches are already doing it. Gay weddings, female pastors, etc. There are plenty of Catholics on this forum I've spoken to that have theologies that are hard to differentiate from the world's teachings.

 

[Bryan G]

Luke 11:27 While Jesus was saying these things, one of the women in the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, "Blessed is the womb that bore You and the breasts at which You nursed." 28 But He said, "On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it."

I never thought about this verse before, but ever since someone here posted it, I can't get it out of my head. "On the contrary". At first it looked like he's saying Mary is not blessed, but I see it as she's no more blessed than anyone else. Mary is one of us that heard the word of God and observed it, so Mary is blessed, but no more blessed than anyone else who hears the word of God and observes it. So, if I were to make it a practice to "bless Mary", I would also have to make it a practice to bless everyone who observes the word of God.
I'm wondering what the catholic take on my summation would be, how can it be denied...
Yea, I'm probably a little behind on this, it's probably already been discussed, and sorry if it has, I'm a little late in finding this thread and forum.

 

[Meowzltov]

Did He? Read it carefully, especially the last part:

1 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was there,
2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding.
3 When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to him, "They have no more wine."
4 "Dear woman, why do you involve me?" Jesus replied. "My time has not yet come."
5 His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you."

Exactly. Jesus did not want to do it, as his time had not yet come. Yet he turned the water into wine anyway since his mother asked it of him. He honored mother as is pleasing to the Father.

 

[ToBeLoved]

What does any of this have to do with Mary? You are way off topic.

FWIW, Gentiles are not obliged to obey the 613 laws. Pope Francis can eat all the shellfish he wants and God bless him. And the Pope is completely supportive of Hebrew Catholics following Jewish laws and traditions and keeping our Jewish identity. The Hebrew Catholic movement is totally kosher with Rome.

I don't think that is a movement. I would call it more like coincidence.

 

[Meowzltov]

Never say never. Churches are already doing it. Gay weddings, female pastors, etc. There are plenty of Catholics on this forum I've spoken to that have theologies that are hard to differentiate from the world's teachings.

The Catholic church is not just any Church. We have dogma that is unchanging. Traditions, disciplines, doctrines can ALL change, but NOT dogma. Period. The bishops cannot alter dogma in an ecumenical council. The pope cannot alter dogma in an infallible statement. Dogma binds us authoritatively; Scripture is dogma.

 

[ToBeLoved]

Exactly. Jesus did not want to do it, as his time had not yet come. Yet he turned the water into wine anyway since his mother asked it of him. He honored mother as is pleasing to the Father.

Honoring His ALIVE mother is very different from what Catholics do. Mary is now deceased.

 

[Meowzltov]

I don't think that is a movement. I would call it more like coincidence.

You can call it whatever you like. It doesn't change what it is.

 

[Meowzltov]

Honoring His ALIVE mother is very different from what Catholics do. Mary is now deceased.

She is still alive in Christ.

 

[Aldebaran]

She is still alive in Christ.

All believers are alive in Christ. That's no reason to be praying to any of them. Remember--there is ONE mediator between us and the father, and that is His son, Jesus Christ.

 

[Aldebaran]

The Catholic church is not just any Church. We have dogma that is unchanging. Traditions, disciplines, doctrines can ALL change, but NOT dogma. Period. The bishops cannot alter dogma in an ecumenical council. The pope cannot alter dogma in an infallible statement. Dogma binds us authoritatively; Scripture is dogma.

That certainly does jive with the fact that Catholics pray to Mary, when Christ is the only mediator between us and God the Father.

 

[Albion]

I just don't think there is anything wrong with the veneration of the saints, especially the Mother of our Lord. It is absurd to say there is nothing left for God

There need not be. But when the "veneration" goes too far and becomes almost indistinguishable from worship of the kind afforded God, we have a problem. Any reasonable person should be able to acknowledge that this is so. Unfortunately, what we almost always get on these forums is a stone wall of denial that it can or ever does happen, as though admitting that corrupt practices ever have developed in church history or that the behavior of ordinary church members can ever go beyond what is right is just an invention of people determined to defame the RCC.

 

[ToBeLoved]

She is still alive in Christ.

Scripture is very specific about the dead. The dead in that they are no longer living their human lives on earth.

 

[Panevino]

I'll say it again, then.

We have reason to believe that the saints pray to God for mankind. They know that there are billions of people on earth and that we mortals are in need of God's love and help.

However, we cannot assume, in the absence of any Scriptural support, that they hear the petitions of individual Christians directed to them or that they intercede with the Father as requested by such individuals. That's why "praying to the dead/saints/martyrs/etc" is both wrong and useless.

Thanks
The martyrs in rev are part of the body of Christ.
1 Corinthians 12:25-26

That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.
And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.

Hearing lots of people on earth and heaven simultaneously below. How? Because God made it possible.
Revelation 5:13

And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.

 

[Bryan G]

If you know the scriptures, then you know that our God is the God of the living and not the dead. Christ defeated sin and death. Those who die in Christ are alive. They're not dead. If you're claiming the saints are dead, then you're calling God a liar.

But you don't understand what this means, you have to look at more than just one verse.
1 Thessalonians. 4:16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first.
Explain how you rise, if you're alive with Christ...

I already posted all the verses on death/sleep numerous times, I'll start upsetting everyone here if I keep doing it, so look it up, search google for "death as sleep in the Bible"