A Freeper Review of The Passion of Christ

Vanity | 2/21/04 | John Fields

[Ohioan from Florida]

That Mary remained a "virgin" all her life. She didn't.

I knew someone would eventually bring this up, and I happen to disagree with you. I have Protestant friends who have asked me about this, and I can tell you that if you understand more about Mary than what you currently know, you would understand exactly how and why she was a virgin all her life.

However, when I tell people she was a tongue talker, you would think I called her a devil.

There are some Catholics who do not understand the gifts of the Holy Spirit all that well, and do not understand about the gift of tongues in particular. That doesn't make it so. You are right that Mary was in the Upper Room when the Holy Spirit descended. I would imagine it plausible to think that she spoke in tongues.

[what's up]

Mary was selected by God from before her birth to be the Mother of His Divine Son. Because God did not want His son to be ever under the influence of Satan, He created Mary without sin, that is her soul was never exposed to original sin like the rest of humanity ever since the fall of Adam and Eve.

Wow...that's a whole lot of stuff about something that isn't even in the scripture. Don't you think one of the Apostles would have told us Mary was the only one without need of a Savior if that was the case?

[Uncle Jaque]

Comparative Theology aside, as a Baptist, I've been known to say a "Hail Mary" or two from time to time while trying to merge in to a particularly chaotic onramp from Washington Ave. to Rt. 295 North in Portland, ME.

I figure it can't hurt, and sometimes even us Protestants can use all the help we can get!

Any you know, I wouldn'd be surprised at all if somewhere up in Heaven, the Dear Saint heard, and got a chuckle out of it.

Funny thing - a break in rush-hour traffic seemed to come along at just the right time. Kinda made me chuckle a little too.

Thank you, Ma'am!

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

See Director MEL GIBSON in his "WE WERE SOLDIERS" Army Fatigue shirt, possibly with the name MOORE sewed right there on it..?

For GOD does indeed work his Miracles in some very loving ways..?

Yes, and yes!

Thanks for the ping, Ronnie.

Thanks for your heartfelt review, jonboy.

I may go to a movie for the first time in...a few years. (^:

[Ciexyz]

I'll be in the cineplex opening weekend.

I'm on several entertainment groups at Yahoo, and the attitude is anti-Mel. These people read mags like EW and are swayed by the anti-Mel line, that he went overboard, that he's one bead short of a rosary. I'm trying to think of how to reply in a Christian way, so that it doesn't appear like I'm attacking them personally. But in general, I'd say that these people are uncomfortable with open expressions of religion.

[Barnacle]

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

[Ohioan from Florida]

I do not think it is prudent to argue about things you do not understand. The words recited in the "Hail Mary" are scriptural. Our church has not led us astray. You may choose to believe what you would like to believe. You are right about Jesus, though. He does seek all of His lost lambs, and surely that description fits most of us from time to time.

[Cicero]

Seems strange to make a doctrine out of a legend (something extra Biblical).

Basically, Catholics have an oral tradition and a magisterium as well as the written text of the Bible. With the Jews it was the same. You have the Hebrew Bible, and you have the revered history of oral interpretation of the written text.

As Scott Hahn has pointed out, nowhere in the Bible does it say "sola scriptura." But there are several places where it says something to the effect of "these things I have written, but other things were spoken as well." I think especially of the last verse of the Gospel of John: "Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written." Catholics believe that some of those other things, not mentioned in the Bible, may have been passed down orally in tradition, and that they do not contradict what is written. The job of the Magisterium is to accept, deny, or leave to private judgment things not directly written in the Bible. As I said, both the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption are ideas going back to a fairly early period of the Church, though only fully defined at a later date.

[Ciexyz]

Please clarify, I always thought that Catholics consider Mary as divine and pray to her as an intercessor. If you want to get to Jesus, you have to pray thru Mary--that's how I understood the Catholic dogma. My hairdresser explained it to me that way. Please clarify if this is not what Catholics believe.

[GirlShortstop]

Your church has led you astray.
Spare me.

But Jesus has assured you that he will even leave the rest of the sheep to seek one lost lamb.
Thank you Miss Cleo for divining what Jesus has assured me.

[Leonine]

I read the Brumley article. He is correct in noting that assumption is the chosen word and not ascension, as are you. I am not arguing the choice of word. This is a deliberate ambiguity. He is incorrect in stating that Christ did her a favor. If you will look at the doctrine as stated by Pius, you will see that the Immaculate (sinless) Mother of God is assumed into heaven. No doubt, you will have much faith in this journalist, but would you not have more faith in the Vatican's own statement? As for me, I have faith in the Word, which is Christ (cf. John 1); and, nowhere in the word is any such event as the Assumption even hinted.

[Leonine]

Oh, yes. Jesus spoke of this tradition often. It was that of the Pharisees.

[GirlShortstop]

I do not think it is prudent to argue about things you do not understand.

Your thoughts are mine on that one Ohioan.   FReegards.

[Positive]

I was educated and reared Catholic.

One of the holy days that I recall is the Feast of the Assumption. It is about the bodily taking up of holy Mary into heaven.

Perhaps this is supposed to be after her death, but the emblems I've seen show her standing on a cloud with her arms spead and a halo over her head, rising into the sky.

I have seen no representation of any other "mere" mortal doing that.

[Ohioan from Florida]

Don't you think one of the Apostles would have told us Mary was the only one without need of a Savior if that was the case?

Not necessarily. The New Testament is about Jesus, not Mary. She is mentioned , of course, as are many others, but she was not to be the focus of the Scriptures. Does that make any sense to you? The Scriptures are about God and how He has interacted with man up to a certain point. I don't think every detail is recorded, just what we need to know for our salvation.

[savedbygrace]

The words recited in the "Hail Mary" are scriptural.

Great, then you're the one who can tell me what the scriptural source is for praying to saints who have died and are in heaven. Where is that?

I ask this because you have assured me that the Hail Mary is scriptural. The Hail Mary is a prayer to Mary, who has died and is in heaven, right?

[savedbygrace]

I understand now. You have very little scriptural knowledge.

[Barnacle]

Catholics believe that Mary was the new Eve.

I'm just a wee bit Catholic. And you're just a wee bit full of BS.