Coke Bear said:
BusyTarpDuster2017 said:
- Who's "twisting data"? I'm quoting you directly what the bible says! Why are you IGNORING the data, i.e. bright morning star?
Brother, you are spooled over one word. My simple point is a term can be used for good and evil. The Church using the term Queen of Heaven in a positive context. Nothing wrong with that.
BusyTarpDuster2017 said:
- Everywhere in the bible is Jesus called Lord and Savior, and he is characterized as personal ("If anyone opens the door to me, I will dine with him, and he with me"). Therefore, Jesus as one's personal Savior is completely biblical. However, there is NOTHING in the bible that even comes close to calling Mary as "Queen".
No where in the bible does it call Jesus "Personal Savior". Revelation shows Mary in Heaven. She is the mother of the King; therefore, she is the queen. Is it a sin to give someone a title that factually true?
BusyTarpDuster2017 said:
- check the dates of those quotations - 5th century. And nowhere did I say I did not respect the Church fathers and opinions. The point here, is that the idea that the woman in Revelation is Mary was not even in the minds of the earliest Christians, a point that you so effectively illustrated.
If I found something from the 200's, would just move the goalposts again. During the 400's and into the 700's, Church was still fighting heresies.
The earliest Marian prayer that exists is from 300 AD called - Sub Tuum Praesidium Prayer:
We turn to you for protection,
Holy Mother of God.
Listen to our prayers
and help us in our needs.
Save us from every danger,
glorious and blessed Virgin.
Apparently, she's been held in high regard for a long time. This prayer also pre-dates the Council of Ephesus in 431 AD which declared the Mary of Theotokos not just Christotokos.
BusyTarpDuster2017 said:
- any ad hoc explanations yet for the woman in Revelation having the curse of birth pangs, if she is supposed to be a sinless Mary without that curse? Or why the Catholic church REMOVED the part of the Ten Commandments from the bible that prohibited bowing to graven images?
No, it's not removed. It's considered part of the 1st Commandment. If Protestants kneel or bow in front of a cross, is that idolarty?
If you notice, the 10 Commandments are never numbered. In fact, if you count them "thy all shall not's" and the two positive statements, 13 commandments exist. Their numbering is inconsequentially (with the exception of the first commandment.)
Why do Protestants put their wives in the same category as their property?
With all due respect, history is NOT on your side. You have interpreted the bible based on YOUR beliefs. Why should I listed to your interpretation?
There is no "spooling" over one word. That one word is what makes the difference. You have to be exact and precise when dealing with Scripture, otherwise you'll miss something. You clearly are missing it here.
Saying that even though Jesus is constantly referred to as "Lord" and "Savior", and that he is characterized as a personal God, the phrase "personal Savior" is invalid because that exact phrase isn't in the bible, is ridiculous and wholly misses the point. There IS scriptural backing to say that. There ISN'T any scriptural backing to claim Mary is the "Queen of Heaven". You have to infer that fact from an interpretation of Revelation which virtually no early Christian even though about, let alone believed. And then you have to explain why the woman in Revelation had birth pangs, if she is supposed to be a sinless Mary. The way you explain it is by using an ad hoc explanation, saying the pains represent her anguish at her son's crucifixion. Do you see what I mean? No scripture, just ad hoc inference and explanation. If God didn't clearly tell us Mary is "Queen", then He doesn't want you to think that, let alone build a whole system of worship around it.
Just because certain beliefs about Mary have been around a long time, it doesn't mean they aren't false beliefs. Again, this is an argument from tradition fallacy. The bottom line is, beliefs about Mary's sinlessness, perpetual virginity, assumption into heaven, etc. were not held by the early Christians, nor did they even enter their minds. These were slowly developed over time without any real witness or historical evidence, incorporated as tradition, and later dogmatized, then reinforced using the circular argument of the authority of the Church to decide what is true and what isn't, and using the power of anathematizing anyone who dares to go against it.
Catholics CLEARLY remove the part about bowing to idols in the Ten Commandments in their teaching. That isn't debatable. The numbering issue is not what's relevant here, it's the removing of that part in their teaching. Bowing and kneeling to the cross, which I already explained before, is not idolatry if they consider the cross a symbol of Jesus, and therefore they're really bowing to Jesus. Although, I do believe Christians should not do it, because we shouldn't even make an appearance of idolatry. If, however, they were bowing to the cross because they are attributing special significance and power to that cross, and they are making appeals/prayers to it, then YES, that would be idolatry.
I know of no Protestant that puts wives in the category of property, nor do I know of any Scriptural reference that says to do this.
I believe what the first Christians believed, so yes, history IS on my side. I am wary of "tradition" so I weigh it against Scripture, and if it fails, I discard it. That's all I'm asking you to do. Which interpretation of mine regarding scripture do you think is unfaithful or errant?