What is the reason for Mary's strong connection with the Roman Catholic Church?
Why do the Roman Catholics elevate Mary the mother of Jesus as an immaculate conception, that she is a mediator between man and God when both these do not hold up to New Testament teachings. We know that Roman Catholics believe that they must be a member of the Roman Catholic church to be saved when Christians know there is only one mediator between God and man, Jesus Christ and they have priests giving last rites and forgiving sins. Why then this fascination with Mary who was a Palestinian woman married to a Palestinian man and yes they were brought up to acknowledge the Jewish faith but why do they glorify her?
Joe P
Mary and Joseph were Palestinian and had to go to Bethlehem to register before Christ's birth there. Judaism is a religion and not a country.
Ex Arcam
You try to claim salvation with Rome without being a member of the Roman Catholic Church and you will be rejected by the officers of the church. What makes you think you don't need to be a member of the church?
DAVER
Study of ancient records will show you that Judea in those days was the southern division of Palestine.
Some of the other statements of your beliefs supporting Catholicism do not hold up when you read New Testament Scripture for example in a King James Bible.
Her Son, the Savior of humanity, was the founder of the Catholic Church. For bringing Him into the world, we thank and honor her. Obviously we do not worship her. That would be idolatry, which the Catholic Church absolutely condemns in every form. Mary is not a mediator between man and God. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the only Mediator, and the work of mediation was finished on the cross. You would know this if you read the Bible and had access to authoritative interpretation. Mary is an intercessor, as is every Christian person, not a mediator. No, the Catholic Church does not teach that only Catholics are saved - though some Protestant churches do teach this heresy about themselves. Priests forgive sins because Christ breathed upon His first priests, indicating a special empowerment by the Holy Spirit, and then told them "Whose sins YOU FORGIVE, they are forgiven them". You would know this if you read the Bible and had access to authoritative interpretation.
I am catholic because this is the religion that elevates my faith and increases my belief in the lord as i understand him to be. i believe in the Nicene creed. in no way do i believe you have to be catholic to be saved. by the way i was baptized church of Christ and i was episcopal for 10 years.
Short answer? The need to find a female deity to replace the moon goddess of one of the communities they wanted to assimilate. Most Palestinians followed Judaism until (a) the Romans massacred a lot for rebelling against Rome then (b) Muhamed massacred a lot more for not accepting him as the new kid on the block.
RCs now say that Mary was assumed directly into heaven at death. This is because what were thought to be her bones turned out to be those of a sheep - which suggests a potentially explosive reason for Christ being called the Lamb of God.
First of all, Roman Catholicism does not limit itself to the New Testament teachings. It includes a presumption that Jesus authorized his apostles, and their apostles, to add to those teachings; and a presumption that the Church as a body remains able to identify those who are apostles and spiritual descendants of apostles -- and those who are frauds. The former (Jesus authorized additions to his teachings) is backed up by the gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, and the letters of Paul and Peter. The latter (the apostolic succession) is backed up mostly by tradition.
Roman Catholics do not believe they must be a member of the Roman Catholic church to be saved. I don't know why you think that, but it isn't true and hasn't been true for at least three centuries. As for mediation: Scripture says in two places that Jesus personally appointed other mediators and personally gave them authority to forgive sins or deny forgiveness of sins. I won't trouble to cite the passages; I'm sure when you read them you'll choose to twist their interpretation into some other meaning that fits your "Jesus the only mediator" theory.
The main reason for Roman Catholic recognition of Mary's sainthood and power is a long, long history of attested miracles attributed to her, strengthened by the doctrines of the descendants of the apostles. Whether this is a chicken-egg problem I leave in your hands. If you decide that all accounts of miracles attributed to Mary (not to mention other saints) are lies, because they aren't included in Scripture, then nothing can be said that might convince you; you've already made up your mind ... because you don't want to recognize the authority of any fellow human; only Jesus is good enough for you.
when Paul describes the last-day conditions above, he?s describing what has always been typical in the world. But here he?s saying that it will infiltrate the church. All these lawless behaviors so prevalent in the world are going to be common in the church. Christians will have all the ?form of godliness? but lack the power (2 Timothy 3:5).
The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables? (2 Timothy 4:3, 4).
?Savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also, from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves? (Acts 20:29).
The original sin doctrine also gave rise to the dogma of the immaculate conception of Mary. If every baby was born with guilt on its soul, then something would have to be done to preserve Jesus from that guilt else He could not be a perfect sacrifice for sin. The Catholic solution assigned Mary a miraculous conception also, which preserved her from the effect of original sin. Thus Jesus would be born of a human mother without partaking of the supposed guilt of Adam.
<<What is the reason for Mary's strong connection with the Roman Catholic Church? Why do the Roman Catholics elevate Mary the mother of Jesus as an immaculate conception, that she is a mediator between man and God when both these do not hold up to New Testament teachings.>>
Here's the problem - you're so focused on WHAT the Catholic Church teaches, with regards to Mary, you've totally overlooked WHY. Without the WHY, there's NO WAY you'll ever understand.
And it's all Biblical:
Mary - the Immaculate Ark of the New Covenant
http://scripturecatholic.com/blessed_virgin_mary.html#the_bvm-II
Mary is our Mother and Queen of the New Davidic Kingdom, and thus Primary Intercessor
http://scripturecatholic.com/blessed_virgin_mary.html#the_bvm-III
<<We know that <snip> and man, Jesus>>
Catholics know Jesus is the Mediator between us and the Father. Mary is an Intercessor between us and Jesus.
The problem is that you equate the terms "mediator" and "intercessor" when those are two VERY DIFFERENT things.
<<Christ and they have priests giving last rites and forgiving sins.>>
Anointing of the Sick and Reconciliation are Holy Sacraments. Presiding over Holy Sacraments are part of a priest's responsibility.
<<Why then this <snip> they glorify her?>>
Catholics do no glorify Mary.
Catholics honor her. Catholics venerate her.
Glorification/worship and honor/veneration are two ENTIRELY DIFFERENT things.
<<Mary and Joseph were Palestinian and had to go to Bethlehem to register before Christ's birth there. Judaism is a religion and not a country.>>
Caesar Augustus ordered a census of the empire. Ancient Hebrew tradition was that a person was counted, not in the city/town one currently resides but the ancestral home of the Ancient Hebrews' tribe. Bethlehem was the home of King David, and Joseph was a decedent of David, and that's why Joseph and Mary had to travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem.
And, you've never heard of the Kingdom of Judah? Judah was both an earthly kingdom and a religion. At the time of Jesus' Birth, Judah was little more than a backwater province of the Roman Empire.
<<You try to <snip> of the church?>>
It's interesting. Most non-Catholic Christians don't really know what the Church is or where it is.
Check your history. Everybody used to hold the Blessed Virgin in high regard. Martin Luther was especially devoted. It was in a Lutheran Church where I first heard of the Theotokos.
A better question is: why did the other groups get in such a headlong rush to abandon her?
You know, I just thought of something: God so loved the world that He gave His only Son. His Son handpicked and specially trained 12-men. One betrayed Him. That left 11 to spread the gospel to the whole world. A daunting task for 11-men.
If Mary was "no big deal," why did 10-disciples go out into the world? But, from the cross, Jesus told the Disciple that He Loved, "Not you. You watch after Mary."
Some of it might have to do with the former idolatry of Greece (Hecate worship). Some of it might have to do with philosophers taking things to silly extremes, perhaps along the lines of, "Mary had to be something more than a normal woman to be worthy to be Jesus' mother."
I suggest that you be as respectful to the Catholics as you want them to be with your beliefs. The Golden Rule applies to all Christians, even the ones who think they don't need to obey Jesus.
1. We have a strong connection with Mary because Jesus gave her to the Church to be our mother.
2. WE don't elevate Mary as the Immaculate Conception. Jesus does. He's the one that enabled her Immaculate Concepton.
3. Catholics don't believe that Mary is our mediator between us and God the Father. We believe Jesus is (that's what the Bible says). However, Jesus established Mary as an intercessor (see John 2), and that's how we look a her, a support to Jesus the Mediator.
4. Catholicism does NOT teach that a person has to be Catholic to be saved. Quite the opposite. Catholicism teaches that the Lord will save whomever He wishes to save.
5. Jesus enable His priests to forgive in His name in John 20:21-23.
6. We don't glorify Mary. She glorifies Jesus.
7. Judaism is a religion, but Israel is a nation and Mary and Joseph were Israelites (Jews).
What is the reason for Mary's strong connection with the Roman Catholic Church?
