Good day, everyone.
I can't help but wonder what some members hope to accomplish with their posts. There is really no chance that anyone is going to admit they were wrong and their opponent right on an issue. And no one likes being the target of a personal attack, yet those posts are depressingly common. It would be better if we could all make our points and accept that there is going to be some disagreement.
With that said, I will repeat that I believe it's a mistake to pray to Mary, the mother of Christ. I have several reasons for this position:
First, while I understand the concept of asking someone you know to pray for you, that is a person in this world speaking to someone else in this world. While I do believe that believers have eternal life in Christ, there is not even one instance in Scripture of anyone praying to someone besides God to help them, except for one notable instance. No good King or Prophet or Priest prayed to Abraham, to Moses, or any of the Judges, for example.
That exception, in case you wonder, was King Saul trying to reach Samuel. Of course in Saul's case he did not pray to Samuel (at least, Scripture does not say he does, and if he did it did not work), but instead commanded the Witch of Endor to raise up Samuel, and we all know that did not end well.
So there is nothing in Scripture to indicate we may pray to someone in Heaven other than God.
Also, we have direct access to Christ. Why would we seek a different mediator when He is available to us? It makes even less sense to pray to someone to intercede on our behalf with Christ.
Also, I really am uncomfortable with the behavior used with regard to Mary. The 'Hail Mary' prayer in particular concern me, since we know from Scripture that God is not a respecter of persons. Consider, for example, the first chapter of Matthew, where we are reminded of the genealogy of Christ, including Abraham, Judah, Jesse, David, Asa, and so on all the way to Christ. Yet none of these is held to be the equal of Mary by the Catholics. The special rank seems extra-biblical at best.
Further, in an earlier post I observed that Christ went out of His way to name common men to be His disciples. Peter, whom the Catholics consider to be their first pope, was a simple fisherman, after all. Christ had a plain and clear message, and in my opinion we should look for plain and clear explanations when sorting out these disputes.
I have read the explanations about Mary from our Catholic friends, but they really do seem like circular arguments.
But after making that argument, I dispute the implication that praying to Mary to reach Jesus will send you to hell. Falling back again on plain reading of Scripture, confession of sins and belief in Christ are what God wants, and John 3:16 makes the matter clear.
So how to deal with this behavior? I have written before than while I am sure of God's mercy through Jesus Christ, I also know that if there was a ranking of Christians I would be near the bottom of that assembly. That means that I have zero intention of playing judge about someone's standing, especially when that person believes in Christ and in the main lives by the Word of God.
Some will say you cannot be a Christian and be in error of doctrine. Certainly both Catholics and Protestants have persecuted people on that theory, sometimes to violence. To my mind we must never forget that Christ commanded us to pray for our enemies, and bless those who curse us. If we are to do that for enemies, how much better should we treat a brother or sister in Christ, even if we believe they are in error?
As an aside but relevant to this question, I have wondered from time to time why there is a thousand-year reign of Christ before the final heavenly kingdom. The reasons, I believe, include the need for us all to transition from the person we were in our earthly life, to fully become the person we are meant to become. For some that may be a short work, and for others it may take a very long time. I believe that a person who truly accepts Christ as Lord but who is wrong on some matter of doctrine, will make correction during the millennial reign of Christ. And anyone who imagines he or she will not need that correction in their own life, will find quite the surprise when Christ speaks to them on their entry into the Kingdom.
Well, that's it for now. I expect to hear how wrong I am (and one who insists I am a coward) for my thoughts and opinions, but I did post this in hope of advancing the discussion, or at least seeking some peace between the two sides on this issue.
Thanks for reading.
