I wonder...

[Carrye]

I've been participating in a thread about Mary in the Baptist forum. And it seems as though there has been a lot of "Mary talk" lately in other forums as well. I have to wonder why Mary gets so many people so riled up. Any ideas?

And I feel bad that I even need to qualify this, but I'm asking an honest question. I'm not looking to start any sort of Protestant denomination bashing, but it just seems as though Mary is the one topic within Christianity that make tempers flare in people.

 

[Filia Mariae]

Generally, I think it's flat out anti-Catholic reactionism.

One Baptist member here, who is very even-handed and respectful of Catholics, stated that most Baptists who have actually studied the issue maintain a neutral or undecided stance on the Assumption and Perpetual Virginity of Our Lady. It's the reactionary anti-Catholics who make crude and derogatory comments about her.

Slowly, as Protestantism broke down into smaller and smaller camps, each successive break seems to have eschewed the Blessed Mother more and more. Some Anglicans and Lutherans pray the Rosary, but I think you'd be hard pressed to find a Baptist who does. My guess is that many Protestants see Mary as an "add on" or nonessential, some extra-Biblical addition that Catholics fixated on. As some Protestant denominations which are a little more tolerant of Catholicism sort of let her slip by the wayside, she came to be seen more and more as a uniquely Catholic thing.

Thus, those Protestant groups which are actively and aggressively anti-Catholic feel the need to attack our Blessed Mother as a means of attacking the Christ's Church, which they hate so much.

 

[Servant of the Kingdom]

Sometimes I feel, this is only fueled by liturgy excesses, by allowing people who are closer to african religions than catholicism to get their 'liturgy' in church (see Cuba... Brazil?)

And also, you've got these thousands of 'cafeteria' catholic that never go to Church, but when there's the big feast of 'their' particular 'local' Mary which is generally a great feast with much wine and dance. Then everybody is catholic. (End of rant about Spain)

 

[BAChristian]

"Forgive them Father, for they know not what they've done..."

 

[Benedicta00]

Mary is such an issue because the enemy of our soul hates Mary. He is behind the attacks.

 

[Atomagenesis]

Satan hates mary with a passion.
Gen 3:14 And the Lord God said to the serpent: Because thou hast done this thing, thou art cursed among all cattle, and beasts of the earth: upon thy breast shalt thou go, and earth shalt thou eat all the days of thy life.
Gen 3:15 I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel.
Lying in wait for her heel... this obviously points to the "new eve" (Mary) who will be able to fully crush satan, hence the immaculate conception.

You wont find 3:15 worded like that in a Protestant Bible because they changed the words.

 

[ZeroTX]

[notroll]

 

[isshinwhat]

The RSV-CE, NRSV, and the NAB are good translations which Catholics participated in the translation of. I agree that Genesis 3:15 is poorly translated in some Bibles.

God Bless,

Neal

 

[Filia Mariae]

Mary is such an issue because the enemy of our soul hates Mary. He is behind the attacks.

Amen. Mary's soul was conceived, by an act of God, immaculately. Her pristine example of what it means to be a true disciple of Jesus Christ is a threat to satan. When we choose to emulate our Blessed Mother, rejecting satan and his empty promises for life in Christ, satan loses.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.

 

[geocajun]

this thread is back open