Posted on 05/07/2010 10:01:45 PM PDT by Salvation
This website surveys the origin and development of Roman Catholic Christianity from the period of the apostolic church, through the post-apostolic church and into the conciliar movement. Principal attention is paid to the biblical basis of both doctrine and dogma as well as the role of paradosis (i.e. handing on the truth) in the history of the Church. Particular attention is also paid to the hierarchical founding and succession of leadership throughout the centuries.
This is a set of lecture notes used since 1985 to teach the basis for key doctrines and dogmas of the Roman Catholic Church. The objectives of the course were, and are:
The course grew out of the need for the authors to continually answer questions about their faith tradition and their work. (Both authors are active members of Catholic parish communities in the Diocese of Richmond, Virginia. Dr. Robert Schihl was a Professor and Associate Dean of the School of Communication and the Arts at Regent University. Paul Flanagan is a consultant specializing in preparing people for technology based changes.) At the time these notes were first prepared, the authors were spending time in their faith community answering questions about their Protestant Evangelical workplaces (Mr. Flanagan was then a senior executive at the Christian Broadcasting Network), and time in their workplaces answering similar questions about their Roman Catholic faith community. These notes are the result of more than a decade of facilitating dialogue among those who wish to learn more about what the Roman Catholic Church teaches and why.
The teachings of Roman Catholic Christianity about the role of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, are some of the most misunderstood and exaggerated beliefs dividing the Body of Christ. Before presenting the teaching of the Church about Mary, there are some important givens or assumptions to be stated about the Church, Mary and the Bible.
The official teaching of the Church has never considered beliefs about Mary to be in any way equal in importance to truths about God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son of God, and the Holy Spirit. Vatican Council II expressed it best when the Council Fathers wrote:
The truths about Mary are important because they are still truth, since they are based in the Bible. But they are not central to the primary gospel message of our salvation through Jesus Christ. As an example of the basic gospel message without Mary, we have only to look at the writings of Paul. In Pauline theology, Mary is mentioned only once, and not even by name.
Roman Catholics believe that the understanding of the Church about Mary, as about all Christian truth (e.g., the understanding of the Trinity) deepens and becomes more accurate over the centuries under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
When the Catholic Church appears to teach "new doctrines" about Mary, it is often a statement of truth against some current errors or a clarification of truths that have always been taught and believed by Christians through the centuries. The Church believes that handing on these truths participates in the admonition of Paul.
Consequently, two fundamental criteria guide the teaching authority of the Catholic Church as it seeks to discern what are the authentic beliefs about Mary which Jesus through His Holy Spirit would have us know:
Merely questioning Mary’s alleged role as “Mediatrix” and “Queen of Heaven” is “Mary bashing” as far as some of our more extreme Freepers go.
Beautiful Icon.
Did you read the entire thread?
INDEED.
I suspect, if Mary her authentic self were posting on FR, she’d be even MORE fiercely strident against such hideousness.
Actually,
I suspect that if we walked a Vatican statue of Mary without bowing, scraping and kissing the caricatured image’s toes
we’d be accused of ‘bashing’ or some such.
**such hideousness.**
Are you saying my posts are hideous?
I don’t think so. But God will be the judge of that, not me.
Pray for us, Blessed Mother.
No.
I’m talking about
the practices of
idolatry and blasphemy
being hideous.
Yes. Certainly God will judge us all on such scores.
And, as Alamo-Girl has well noted many times . . . any and all of us can idolize our own egos, our spouses, our children, our jobs, our beliefs, our hobbies, our bank accounts, our organizations, our denominations, our sins . . . the list is endless.
BTW, characterizing someone’s posts as hideous is well within the rules—as is done quite frequently enough regarding my posts by your cohorts.
Holy Mary, mother fair,
Filled with love for God,
Pray for us in all our needs.
Pray for us today.
I remain very unconvinced that there’s any such praying on the authentic Mary’s part in Heaven.
I’ve never read any reports of such activities nor any reports of prayer meetings in Heaven.
Worship meetings, lots of reports of those.
None of prayer meetings.
Amen!!!
Blasphemy
Thanks.
It would be one thing if there
REALLY WAS
quibble room.
There ain’t none.
Hail Mary, full of Grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women & Blessed is the Fruit of thy womb, Jesus!!!
Mother Mary, pray for us; now & always!
Last I recall from
SCRIPTURE
God is not all that thrilled with
vain repetitions, either.
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary that never was it known that anyone who fled to Your protection, implored Your help, or sought Your intercession was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, we fly to you, O Virgin of virgins, our Mother. To You we come; before You we stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not our petitions, but in Your mercy, hear and answer us. Amen.
May God reveal His Truth and His priorities regarding such idolatry, blasphemy.
Amen.
The angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.
And she conceived of the Holy Ghost.
Hail Mary, ...
Behold the handmaid of the Lord.
Be it done unto me according to Thy word.
Hail Mary, ...
And the Word was made Flesh.
And dwelt among us.
Hail Mary, ...
Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let Us Pray
Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts, that we to whom the Incarnation of Christ Thy Son was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection. Through the same Christ Our Lord.
Amen.
May God Almighty do whatever it takes to draw all who seriously assert that they are “Christians” wholly unto HIM and His priorities.
May God Holy Spirit reveal to each of us called Christian the secrets and intents of our hearts which would compete with His supremacy and His priorities in our lives.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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