A Controversial Review of the Immaculate

[Albion]

Mary is not your Mother. She's my Mother. Nobody is forcing Her to be your Mother.

God bless you.

Interesting theology there. How does Mary choose which disciples of her divine Son to accept and which to reject?

 

[Gabriel Anton]

Interesting theology there. How does Mary choose which disciples of her divine Son to accept and which to reject?

By asking politely? Like if you want Her to be your Heavenly Mother, that's great but if not, that's ok too. She's Always there for everyone. So you basically decide for yourself by faith and free will of choice. That's the way it is. If you find your spiritual life sufficient then you would probably would like to remain as you are. Depends on you really. I think a lot of people judge Her with a preconceived notion of what they know about God.

She's pretty demanding when it comes to serving God though. No half measures. All or nothing. But She can also be very generous in terms of interceding with God on your behalf.

I would say the secret to embracing Her is the ability to see Her Special Relationship She has with Her Son and to put aside your own pride of believing a mortal man can know Jesus Christ better than Her.

God bless you.

 

[Linet Kihonge]

Does Mary's incense cleanse?

 

[Gabriel Anton]

Does Mary's incense cleanse?

Do you need special incense for a special occasion or something?

God bless you.

 

[Linet Kihonge]

First of all, we may never agree on anything as far as this issue is concerned, I'm too hell bent on Sola Scripture and you are too hell bent on Mary Mother of GOD. So I'm not even sure how we'll break-even but as civilized believers we can have a reasonable argument. So the question is, am I bound to honor her or not? Assuming it's free will to honor the Lady so it's of no consequence whether we believe in the existence of a "Mother" or not or what? Is she praying for believers to believe in the LORD or for us to know who she is?

If the lady on the witness accounts shared by you was asked to create a Shrine for the Mother was it for her to know God more or "Mary" more? Assuming the biggest task is to know who God is, doesn't it elevate her roles a little bit to the Divinity of the Holy Spirit? We can spend years throwing all sorts of things on each other but have you ever asked yourself, how comes she called me to know Jesus yet it's the Holy Spirit who's been convicting people to believe in Yeshua Hamashiach

She's pretty demanding when it comes to serving God though.

 

[Gabriel Anton]

First of all, we may never agree on anything as far as this issue is concerned, I'm too hell bent on Sola Scripture and you are too hell bent on Mary Mother of GOD. So I'm not even sure how we'll break-even but as civilized believers we can have a reasonable argument. So the question is, am I bound to honor her or not? Assuming it's free will to honor the Lady so it's of no consequence whether we believe in the existence of a "Mother" or not or what? Is she praying for believers to believe in the LORD or for us to know who she is?

If the lady on the witness accounts shared by you was asked to create a Shrine for the Mother was it for her to know God more or "Mary" more? Assuming the biggest task is to know who God is, doesn't it elevate her roles a little bit to the Divinity of the Holy Spirit? We can spend years throwing all sorts of things on each other but have you ever asked yourself, how comes she called me to know Jesus yet it's the Holy Spirit who's been convicting people to believe in Yeshua Hamashiach

Peace be with you.

Mary can only be your Heavenly Mother through faith, only if you believe Her to be.

A lot like God. God is Always there. God can only be your God when you believe. If you don't believe in God, God is still there, He just does not act in your life as much as He does in a believer in God.

Mary, the Mother of God is all about God. Her Whole Being is about God. This Woman is possessed by God. Virtually everything She utters is about God.

Mary, the Mother of God tells Her Children to not sin, devote yourself to God, do the Will of God, Love God above all else.

In terms of the Holy Scriptures. I cannot be faulted by God for embracing Mary, the Mother of God as My Heavenly Mother. I am in fact fulfilling God's Word and doing His Will.

Jesus says, "Follow Me."

25 Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala.

26 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son."

27 Then he said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother." And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.

I am merely taking up Jesus Christ's Offer of Redemption. I want to be a disciple whom Jesus loves and I want His Mother so I can be Her son too. Jesus Christ even tells me to take notice by telling me to "Behold."

I am not the one claiming to be hell bent on Sola Scripture. God has revealed to me that Mary, the Mother of God is Important for my Salvation at the Cross of Redemption. So I have made a Home for Mary, the Mother of God in my heart, mind and soul.

God bless you.

 

[Albion]

Mary can only be your Heavenly Mother through faith, only if you believe Her to be...I want to be a disciple whom Jesus loves and I want His Mother so I can be Her son too.

What if I believed her to be the fourth person of the Trinity or my very own Sister (instead of Mother)? Would she be such?

 

[Greg J.]

Jesus needed to be born of man to have the authority to save mankind. He had to be of our "family." Let's hope he was born from a very human Mary; this is how he acquired his human nature. Jesus needed to be sinless to save mankind. Let's hope that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit.

I'm not sure what need there ever was to exalt Mary. Our whole lives are supposed to be filled with God himself. I can only guess that it came as a result of people seeing God as harsh and distant and being afraid of him. Jesus is the mediator between God and man. If you're afraid of Jesus, then you'd look for a mediator between Jesus and man.

Jesus spoke of Mary and everyone before:
I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. (Matthew 11:11, 1984 NIV)

Paul spoke of her, as well:
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (Romans 3:23, 1984 NIV)

As was said, Mary is due honor, but not because of who she was, because she didn't choose who she was, but because she loved and trusted God as a result of her choices. (You really don't see people genuinely loving God much in the NT.) She and Joseph believed what God told them and were obedient to some pretty unsettling things. Is a person honoring her too much (sometimes an accusation of worshiping her)? (Luke 4:8) Be careful not to assume a definition of worship. What behaviors does Scripture show constitute worship?

God will reward us for our good deeds. How do you think about Paul? It is likely that he earned more reward from God than Mary. Paul worked harder than all the apostles.

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. (1 Corinthians 15:10, 1984 NIV)

But everyone has idolatry in their hearts in some way. Some Christians, through their actions, demonstrate they love a certain football player, basketball player, or other person more than God. I don't see why there is such vehemence about Mary. I honor Paul in my heart because of the extreme suffering he had to endure. Also James the brother of Jesus, because he turned from his unbelieving ways and became a great man of God. Moses was the most humble person on the planet, which means he suffered much. Living by faith in God is so worth honoring, that God included a list of mere humans in Hebrews 11 that had lived by faith. Anyone who lives by faith in God under trial is great in the eyes of God, and Mary and Joseph were two of them.

But none of them were divine. (What does it mean to be divine?) Mary wasn't present at the creation of the world, she was born to fallen parents, which means she had a sinful nature. Being holy is different. God set apart Mary for one of the greatest things that ever happened on earth. But for this we praise God, because every good thing about her was given to her by God.

 

[Gabriel Anton]

What if I believed her to be the fourth person of the Trinity or my very own Sister (instead of Mother)? Would she be such?

Sorry, I don't understand what you are talking about.

God bless you.

 

[Gabriel Anton]

Jesus needed to be born of man to have the authority to save mankind. He had to be of our "family." Let's hope he was born from a very human Mary; this is how he acquired his human nature. Jesus needed to be sinless to save mankind. Let's hope that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit.

I'm not sure what need there ever was to exalt Mary. Our whole lives are supposed to be filled with God himself. I can only guess that it came as a result of people seeing God as harsh and distant and being afraid of him. Jesus is the mediator between God and man. If you're afraid of Jesus, then you'd look for a mediator between Jesus and man.

Jesus spoke of Mary and everyone before:
I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. (Matthew 11:11, 1984 NIV)

Paul spoke of her, as well:
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (Romans 3:23, 1984 NIV)

As was said, Mary is due honor, but not because of who she was, because she didn't choose who she was, but because she loved and trusted God as a result of her choices. (You really don't see people genuinely loving God much in the NT.) She and Joseph believed what God told them and were obedient to some pretty unsettling things. Is a person honoring her too much (sometimes an accusation of worshiping her)? (Luke 4:8) Be careful not to assume a definition of worship. What behaviors does Scripture show constitute worship?

God will reward us for our good deeds. How do you think about Paul? It is likely that he earned more reward from God than Mary. Paul worked harder than all the apostles.

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. (1 Corinthians 15:10, 1984 NIV)

But everyone has idolatry in their hearts in some way. Some Christians, through their actions, demonstrate they love a certain football player, basketball player, or other person more than God. I don't see why there is such vehemence about Mary. I honor Paul in my heart because of the extreme suffering he had to endure. Also James the brother of Jesus, because he turned from his unbelieving ways and became a great man of God. Moses was the most humble person on the planet, which means he suffered much. Living by faith in God is so worth honoring, that God included a list of mere humans in Hebrews 11 that had lived by faith. Anyone who lives by faith in God under trial is great in the eyes of God, and Mary and Joseph were two of them.

But none of them were divine. (What does it mean to be divine?) Mary wasn't present at the creation of the world, she was born to fallen parents, which means she had a sinful nature. Being holy is different. God set apart Mary for one of the greatest things that ever happened on earth. But for this we praise God, because every good thing about her was given to her by God.

If that's what you think of your Savior's Mother, that's fine too.

God bless you.

 

[Albion]

Sorry, I don't understand what you are talking about.

God bless you.

I'm saying that, as I read your messages, it appears that you think it would be glorious, uplifting, spiritually edifying, or something like that...IF Mary were all these things you referred to. BUT if there's no reason to think that any of them are really true, then you might as well imagine anything else that makes you feel good.

Doing that only results in fooling yourself, like the orphan who talks herself into thinking her real parents are a prince and princess who are going to come for her one of these days soon and whisk her away to some castle.

 

[Gabriel Anton]

I'm saying that, as I read your messages, it appears that you think it would be glorious, uplifting, spiritually edifying, or something like that...IF Mary were all these things you referred to. BUT if there's no reason to think that any of them are really true, then you might as well imagine anything else that makes you feel good.

That only results in fooling yourself, like the orphan who talks herself into thinking her real parents are a prince and princess who are going to come for her one of these days soon and whisk her away to some castle.

Peace be with you.

I'll take your Holy Spirit Filled words into consideration. Thank you for your kind words. My Holy Mother Mary teaches me to be Humble and Loving.

God bless you.

 

[Albion]

Peace be with you.

I'll take your Holy Spirit Filled words into consideration. Thank you for your kind words. My Holy Mother Mary teaches me to be Humble and Loving.

I'm not sure if that's all sarcasm or intended to be just a brush-off, but I assure you that what I said was meant in a very straightforward way, hoping that you'd give it some consideration.

"If wishes were horses,..." you know. It's prudent to have a religious anchor so that we don't just run off in all directions with beautiful thoughts that, however, aren't real. That's why virtually all Christian churches consider the Bible to be the revealed Word of God given for our guidance in matters such as this.

 

[Hieronymus]

Sorry, I don't understand what you are all talking about.

But I must admit I'm brainwashed by the Mother of God.

Is that a good thing?

That's probably why I am not able to understand your writings. It's like a different language to me.

Maybe pray to God about it?
Does God have a mother? (That's a rhetorical question, isn't it?)

If you love your earthly mother and I were to say something disrespectful about her, I'm sure you would not like it very much.

Well, if i called her a Goddess, you would be right to (try to) correct me, even if i might find that disrespectful.
In the case of Mary worship, i would try to make you look if it's Biblical or teachings of man.

 

[Gabriel Anton]

Is that a good thing?Maybe pray to God about it?
Does God have a mother? (That's a rhetorical question, isn't it?)
Well, if i called her a Goddess, you would be right to (try to) correct me, even if i might find that disrespectful.
In the case of Mary worship, i would try to make you look if it's Biblical or teachings of man.

Peace be with you.

I appreciate your kind input about your understanding of God.

God bless you.

 

[Yeshua HaDerekh]

They question is "Who is she?".
Mary the mother of Jesus of Nazareth had more offspring, ergo.. no virgin.

No she didn't. Where in the Bible does it say that? James was older than Yeshua.

 

[Hieronymus]

No she didn't. Where in the Bible does it say that?

I'd have to look that up.

James was older than Yeshua.

Where in the bible does it say that?

 

[Blever]

A lot like God. God is Always there. God can only be your God when you believe. If you don't believe in God, God is still there, He just does not act in your life as much as He does in a believer in God.

Mary, the Mother of God is all about God. Her Whole Being is about God. This Woman is possessed by God. Virtually everything She utters is about God.


I am not the one claiming to be hell bent on Sola Scripture. God has revealed to me that Mary, the Mother of God is Important for my Salvation at the Cross of Redemption. So I have made a Home for Mary, the Mother of God in my heart, mind and soul.

God bless you.

Mary's words in Magnificat
Luke 1:47 'and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior'
A mortal needs God. A sinner requires a saviour.
Case is rested.....(as for me, that is)

 

[Meowzltov]

Mary is a saint, NOT DEITY. Catholics are NOT confused about this. But she is also not just any saint. She is the first and best Christian. Her YES to God enabled the Salvation of all mankind to be born. Because Christ is our adopted brother, and Mary is His mother, she becomes the Mother of all the Church. In a way, when Christ said to John at the foot of the Cross, "Behold your Mother," John represented all the Church.

And so when we speak of Mary, we don't speak as we would any other saint; rather we speak adoringly as we would of a Mother, the best Mother, the most perfect Mother. Think of how you felt about your Mother when you were a small child, how she was your all. That is how we feel about Mary. And so when we speak to her, our words are FILLED with flowery love language.

Christ has no reason to feel jealous. He also loves His mother, and loves it when we love her as well. Should we place her above Him? GOD FORBID! This is forbidden by the Church. There are clear boundaries: Christ is God, Mary is human. But within her human sphere, there is lots of room for adoration.

 

[Meowzltov]

Mary's words in Magnificat
Luke 1:47 'and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior'
A mortal needs God. A sinner requires a saviour.
Case is rested.....(as for me, that is)

Jesus IS Mary's Savior. It took God to preserve her from sin.