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It makes out as if God needs a mother and was created.
I think you're falling into the easy trap of referring to the Father as God and Our Lord as Jesus. This disturbed the early Church greatly. God did "need" a mother, the Father "needed" a mother for His Son and the Son "needed" a mother for Himself. It is critical for our understanding of the Nature of God that we admit in some way that Mary is the mother of God, feel free to add a qualifier that Mary is not the mother of the Father or the Holy Spirit. But by all means acknowledge the Deity of Christ by saying His mother, is the Mother of God.
There are a lot of Protestants (Pentecostals for the most part I hope) who are out and out arians and nestorians because they deny that Jesus was God from His birth and only became God (this is hard for me to even type) at His Baptism... or some other point along His earthly life. Or that He didn't know He was God until some point. Then there's the oneness Pentecostals who are modalists of some kind.
I don't know the religious affiliation of most of the non-Catholic posters on the RF and to me it seems that there's no point arguing about Salvation being through Grace (it is) or works (it isn't) if we don't even agree on the Divine Person Who is Jesus Christ Our Lord. There are people who believe these ancient heresies in our midst.
Now... there are Catholics (so called) who are out and out heretics as well in that they neither understand nor care to understand Who Jesus Christ is. But they have no excuse and they can be corrected by appeals to the CCC and the ecumenical councils of the Church. Heretics who believe only in Scripture are almost impossible to argue with or convince that their interpretations are wrong because they won't listen to anything but what they believe is written in Sacred Scripture and that warm fuzzy feeling they get when they latch on to a particular interpretation.
One thing that drives me nuts is when otherwise orthodox believers treat arians and nestorians as fellow travelers as long as they will happily gang up on the Catholics. I don't see a lot of "hey, wait a minute, we're with the Catholics on the nature of God".
I highly question the position that God "needed" anything to bring about the plan of salvation.
Heretics who believe only in Scripture are almost impossible to argue with or convince that their interpretations are wrong because they won't listen to anything but what they believe is written in Sacred Scripture and that warm fuzzy feeling they get when they latch on to a particular interpretation.
Yet Scripture, which you seem to put down and ascribe to being used only by heretics, is the only Spirit given message we have.
That cannot be said about the writings of the early church fathers.
Can things in scripture be taken out of context?
Yes they can. We see evidence of that on this board with a lot of roman catholic teachings as evidenced by the titles, dogmas, prayers, etc, ascribed to Mary I posted as an example.
The discussion we've had on the Eucharist is another. One cannot appeal to the ECFs as they are not in 100% agreement on the issue.
That brings us back to Scripture as the only reliable document we have that is Spirit inspired.
The problem again, though, arises from taking a verse out of context and not understanding its use within the Bible.
In the class I teach on Sundays, I emphasize that context is the key to understanding the Word. A working knowledge of the early first century is a great assist in understanding the NT.
I cannot emphasize enough though, the need to know the Kione Greek. The Greek will eliminate a vast number of misunderstandings of the text.
Followers of men rather than God.
If you are putting the works and decisions of men about God's word, you are in really BIG trouble.
Whatever happened to believing the words of Jesus? HE said.....
John 17:17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.
TRUTH.
It sanctifies us.
And you're calling it heretical?
I suppose it is heretical to Catholicism to disagree with it but Truth is Truth, and since Catholicism apparently doesn't depend on it or agree with it, then Catholicism is certainly NOT based on truth.
And you expect to get to heaven just how then, if you reject God and His word?
God tells us that .....
2 Timothy 3:14-17 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
And Catholics come along and tell us that depending on it is heretical? It's not good enough? You need the opinions of men to put over it so you don't fall into the error of depending on what GOD has so richly provided us with?
I sure hope that you don't think that God is pleased with or impressed with that line of thinking.
Turn your nuttiness towards THESE folks; who are happily used as cannon fodder in the ATTACK on Protestantism.
Now... there are Catholics (so called) who are out and out heretics as well in that they neither understand nor care to understand Who Jesus Christ is.
Oh?
Are you trying to say that Jesus is NOT "Our Lord"?
Elizabeth had no problem with that!
Luke 1:43 NIV
But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?