Posted on 08/17/2015 3:29:36 PM PDT by markomalley
AUSTIN -- Gov. Greg Abbott often posts Bible passages and prayerful remarks on social media, but a Facebook posting about a holy day in his Catholic faith drew vitriolic comments suggesting he worships idols.
Abbott posted a commemoration of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, marking Roman Catholic belief that Mary was brought into heaven body and soul.
“The Virgin Mary is exalted above the choirs of angels. Blessed is the Lord who has raised her up,” Abbott wrote to accompany a sketch of Mary above the clouds. The sketch contains a notation saying it’s a political ad by Texans for Greg Abbott
The posting drew more than 900 comments, with some praising Abbott for his reverence and talking about their own devotion to Mary. Others, however, harshly took him to task.
The governor’s office had no comment on any of the responses to his posting.
"So you're Catholic Mr. Abbott? So what? You worship idols; not something I'd be telling everyone," said one. Agreed another, “This is nothing more than idol worship.”
Another said, with generous punctuation, “Jesus is The Blessed and Holy One!!! Were you hacked??????”
One said that those who pray to Mary are “doomed.” Another, who said he voted for Abbott, expressed disappointment and said, “Another reason Catholics are Catholics and not Christians.”
Democratic consultant Colin Strother couldn’t resist a shot at Abbott over the heated comments.
“This is what you get for catering to religious nuts. Enjoy!” Strother wrote.
One commenter unfavorably compared Abbott to U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, who has quipped that he is “Cuban, Irish and Italian, and yet somehow I ended up Southern Baptist.”
“Disappointing to know that you hold bad theology when I really like your politics Greg Abbott. Please start learning from Ted Cruz, his theology is accurate,” the commenter wrote.
The discussion at times turned heated among those visiting the page, with one commenter writing to another that Mary was conceived “without sin you idiot” so that “she could be the mother of God” and opining that “you need some catholic slapped into you.”
Some sought to explain, saying that Catholics don’t worship Mary as they do God but honor her and accord her a special place in the church.
One begged for a cease-fire, saying, “Gov. Abbott is a Christian who just happens to be Catholic and does not need you to chastise him for praying to the Virgin Mary!! I pray to God the Father and Jesus Christ and I am a Christian that just happens to be Baptist! !!! Really ... give it a rest!!!!!!”
There was some broader criticism of Abbott’s religious message, with one commenter saying if Abbott were a Christian, “he would take care of the poor and homeless.”
By early afternoon Monday, the post on Abbott’s page had been liked 6,263 times and shared 1,020 times.
Such traffic isn’t unusual for Abbott, who got more attention when he shared a post saying, “I survived the Blue Bell ice cream famine of 2015!” That post got 67,459 shares and was liked 87,641 times.
I love Mary the Mother of God. Her spirit has helped and continues to help so many.
MAN I miss Linda Richman
She was just butter on SNL
She was just butter on SNL
Buttah.
Fight the commie DemonKKKRATs and the ungodly atheists (but I repeat myself).
Why isn't this the story? Hmmmm?
> “Put prayer and Bible reading back in our schools! “
This is a must. Christian Charter Schools must be funded by the same tax base. Any student can choose to go there with the understanding that a rigorous classical Christian education curriculum exists.
Yup!
A world wide web of information about Catholic teaching and even a catechism of official Church teaching on-line and STILL most evangelicals are truly unaware of what we believe and mean. Not christians....hahaha!
There is a need for Evangelicals to understand Catholic’s regard for the Virgin Mary.
Evangelicals go to Pat Robertson or Joyce Meyer and say “Pray for me”. Now Jerry Falwell has passed on. Both many Evangelicals and Many Catholics believe that when Jesus told the repentant thief on the cross “Today you will be with me in paradise” that Jesus was saying there is life beyond the grave where people are aware of events and if in paradise, they worship and pray to God just as they did when on earth.
So if a believer can ask a living person to pray for them, likewise a believer can ask a person in paradise to pray for them. So a believer can ask a saint or the virgin Mary to pray for them in the same way that they ask Pat Robertson or Joyce Meyer or Jerry Falwell to pray for them.
Now, Catholics have a long Biblical tradition in which they believe that a son should honor his parents as in the 2d Commandment. Jesus is the perfect son who honors both his father and his mother and listens to both of them.
Biblical Catholics and those true to Catholic theology do not “worship” the Virgin Mary. They “honor” her and “bless” her in the same way that any believer would say “God bless you” to another person.
True, there are some Catholics who do “worship” Mary in a non-Biblical way. They do that in the same way that some Evangelicals worship a cult leader ... and that cult leader may be alive... or passed on.
FR being a political site, it is important to understand the role and position of Mary in Christianity and in the Catholic tradition.
Mary, a woman, holds the highest place of honor of any mortal who isnt God. When non-Biblical feminazis attack the Church and Christianity and the Christian family they are not understood. A woman holds the highest position of anyone. How can the church and Christianity be anti-woman? Furthermore, the church gave to women (and Jews to women in similar manner) the role of teaching the children. In any society, teaching the children is the most important of all roles. So women hold the most important role in traditional society.
But, since feminazis favor killing the babies, they don’t see teaching the children as an important role for themselves. They do, however recognize the importance of controlling the direction of children in society. Thus, the feminazis put much effort into teaching other people’s children.
Colin Strother, atheist then? Like most democrats.
Meh, people praying for other people. I don’t put stock in some “exalted” person, Pat Robertson or the pope, praying for me. I don’t put *any* stock in “exalted” DEAD people praying for me.
Having said that, Abbott should be applauded for at least talking his faith over against “separating church and state” as an article of faith.
Thank you for your wonderful post.
> “FR being a political site, it is important to understand the role and position of Mary in Christianity and in the ***Catholic tradition***.”
May I draw your attention to the fact that the veneration of Mary is not limited to the Catholic Church but also exists in other churches such as the Orthodox Church?
“you need some catholic slapped into you.”
Ha! As heated as our debates have been, I’ve never heard anything like that thrown around.
> “Having said that, Abbott should be applauded for at least talking his faith over against “separating church and state” as an article of faith.”
Governor Abbott posted on a nongovernmental website. He has every right as an individual, as an American to express his personal beliefs on a nongovernmental website. It’s no different than if he went to Church and participated in the veneration of Mary.
She is the Theotokos and is blessed above all women. Her spirit and presence helps so many as she intercedes for those in need with our Savior Lord Jesus.
Maybe if he said her prayers ‘were the prettiest sound on earth”, he would’ve gotten a pass
Yes, but you are not supposed to pray TO Mary. You are asking that she pray FOR YOU.
John 3:16 say that "God so loved the world He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever BELIEVETH IN HIM shall not perish, but have everlasting life". Believe in Christ, accept His sacrifice on your behalf and you will be saved.
As for other side beliefs, such as the lifetime virgin status of Mary and the belief that she did or did not go straight to Heaven uncorrupted, I don't see them cancelling out His promise. But then, I'm just another sinner, saved by Grace.
From a Drug Addicted Pagan to Priest
I've read his life story twice because I couldn't put the book down.
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