Intriguing Article on How Protestants Handle Mary

[Webers_Home]

what makes you believe that you are smarter

It doesn't take smarts. All it takes is the right connection.

†. Matt 11:27 . . No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one
knows the Father except the Son; and those to whom the Son chooses to
reveal him.

all the Orthodox Church fathers and great thinkers

†. Matt 11:25-26 . . At that time Jesus said: I praise you, Father, Lord of
heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and
learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your
good pleasure.

Buen Camino
/

 

[aspen]

ah, so you have choosen to believe you are holier ...... eesh

 

[Webers_Home]

ah, so you have choosen to believe you are holier ...... eesh

It's not about being holier-than-thou; it's about being one of the few.

†. Luke 13:22-24 . . And he went through the cities and villages, teaching,
and journeying toward Jerusalem. Then said one unto him, master, are there
few that be saved? And he said unto them: Strive to enter in at the strait
gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.

†. Matt 7:13-14 . . Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and
broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But
small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find
it.

†. Matt 22:14 . . For many are called, but few are chosen.

Some of the holiest people on earth won't make it to safety when they cross
over to the other side because they relied upon their piety instead of relying
upon Christ.

†. Matt 7:22-23 . . Many will say to me in that day: Lord, Master, have we
not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in
thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them: I
never knew you. Depart from me, you that work iniquity.

That passage doesn't target Atheists, nor Hindus, nor Buddhists, nor
Muslims. No, it targets people professing to have prophesied in "thy name"
and to have exorcised demons in "thy name" and to have done many
wonderful works in "thy name".

In other words: the Lord's statement targets Christians-- and not just your
average rank and file pew warmers either, no, but rather, it targets the
cream of the crop; the celebrities of the Christian world; renowned for their
accomplishments, their piety, their perseverance, their leadership, their
love, and their dedication. It is to many of those kinds of above-average
Christians that the Lord will say "I never knew you."

How do I know that I'm one of the few? Sorry; but that is for the few to
know, and the many to never know.

†. Rom 8:16 . .The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are
children of God

That right there explains Mother Teresa's five-decades-long night of the soul.
She searched and searched within herself for the voice of God; and never
found it. Why? Duh. The Spirit apparently wasn't disposed to bear witness
with her spirit that she was a child of God-- subsequently that poor woman
went to her death fearing not only that God didn't especially like her; but
was quite possibly disposed to condemn her. You see; had Teresa been
given the witness of The Spirit, that would have never happened.

One of The Spirit's titles is parakletos (par-ak'-lay-tos) which basically
identifies someone called alongside to help; viz: a comforter. (John 14:16,
John 14:26, John 15:26, and John 16:7). Teresa never obtained even so much
as a tiny speck of comfort from Christ; viz: she was abandoned.

†. John 14:18 . . I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

You know what Teresa got to calling Jesus? "The absent one". Can you
imagine the most pious Catholic nun that the 20th century ever produced
being totally estranged from Jesus? You've got to ask: How did that happen?
Well; I'll tell you how it happened. Teresa was one of the many rather than
one of the few: simple as that.

Buen Camino
/

 

[This Vale Of Tears]

Your religious bigotry is really showing. Just because someone is non
Catholic does not make them eo ipso non Christian.

You need to be a bit more circumspect with your choice of words lest the
hapless day arrive when you are forced to eat them.

One does not need to be Catholic to be Christian, but one does need to be in line with the timeless beliefs of the Christian church in order to reasonably be called Christian. Jehovah Witnesses are NOT Christian. There is no fellowship between you and I, no common ground by which to have dialogue. You are no better than an unbeliever to me. You deny the Trinity, you deny Christ. It's that simple.

And if I seem hostile to you it's because I resent you sidetracking this thread like you're doing to other threads. This isn't an opportunity for you to promote your non-Christian heresy. Start your own thread.

 

[Webers_Home]

the timeless beliefs of the Christian church

Be honest about it. In your mind's eye; the "Christian church" isn't generic;
no, it's specifically the one headquartered in the Vatican.

Believers have been contending with human ideas in Christianity ever since
the first century; so it should surprise one that there are centuries-old
human ideas in Christianity today. The problem is: there are people gullible
enough to believe those ideas simply because they've been around so long;
viz: erroneously assuming that the age of a doctrine, and the celebrity of its
proponents, somehow eo ipso validates it. One of my favorite errors is when
people cite the so-called early church fathers as if those "fathers" were
somehow the infallible voice of God and above suspicion.

It's like the man said: Repeat a lie often enough and long enough, and in
time those who don't know any better will accept it as fact.

Jehovah Witnesses are NOT Christian..

Webster's defines a Christian as: someone who professes belief in the
teachings of Jesus Christ.

That definition easily describes a Jehovah's Witness. In point of fact, it
even describes a Catholic. So, as far as the English language is concerned;
Witnesses and Catholics are both Christians. Personally I would disqualify
both; but it is not my right to do so; especially here in the good old USA
where religious tolerance is a virtue rather than a vice.

Buen Camino
/

 

[Rach1370]

Guys...this is starting to turn a little bit ugly. Let's try and remember that we all call Jesus Lord and think on how he would want us to respond. I'm not saying we dodge the truth to be politically correct...Jesus always called it like it was. But nastiness is a human trait, and I'm afraid we're starting to see too much of it here....

 

[IanLC]

Mary was a blessed woman that was chosen by God to bear Jesus the Christ our Lord and Savior. She was a woman of faith and humility she never exalted herself but exalted God! Mary needed salvation in Jesus, Mary needed the power of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, Mary needed all the blessings of salvation as we do. God bless Mary for bearing the Lord Jesus Christ and for being a woman of faith.

 

[day]

Mary was a blessed woman that was chosen by God to bear Jesus the Christ our Lord and Savior. She was a woman of faith and humility she never exalted herself but exalted God! Mary needed salvation in Jesus, Mary needed the power of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, Mary needed all the blessings of salvation as we do. God bless Mary for bearing the Lord Jesus Christ and for being a woman of faith.

Yes, this is the source of her honor. Jesus himself denied her greatness was because she was his natural mother, but because she believed and did the will of the Father. Matt 12:48-49. Lk 11:27-28.

Regarding the Communion of Saints. I believe that we can ask others here to pray for us for specific issues. I believe the Saints in heaven pray for God's people in a more general manner, not a specific individual request. They certainly may pray for people facing specific issues that were important to them in their lives, and we can ask God to add their prayers to ours (in other words apply their general prayer to our specific need). I do not believe there is any communication between people back and forth across death.

 

[horsecamp]

http://www.firstthings.com/article/2013/10/our-lady-of-wheaton

I find myself in agreement with this article. We Protestants make too little of Mary, but the Catholics too much.

a zwingli quote ----Lutherans they are to catholic to be concidered protestant .


And of course we protested to much against the abuses of the Roman catholic church for them to let us remain in it,

So perhaps what your looking to be more like in reguards to the Mother of God is more Lutheran? respecting her because
she bore her and the worlds savior from sin to..Respecting her because God placed her as
holy and precious Jesus's mother.