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Unmasking Catholicism Mary Ann Collins, a former Catholic nun |
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Chapter 20 As a faithful Catholic, and later as a nun, I was devoted to Mary. The prayers and practices were so familiar. They were taught to me by sincere people. I prayed the rosary, including rosary novenas. I wore a Brown Scapular and a Miraculous Medal. (You can read about these things in the Glossary, which is Appendix C.) I visited shrines that honor Mary. I had beautiful statues of Mary. I attended special services where we prayed to Mary and recited a litany of titles honoring her. I read books about apparitions of Mary, and dreamed of visiting Lourdes and Fatima. I participated in processions honoring Mary. A statue of Mary was put on a platform that was decorated with flowers. There were poles on the platform, so that men could carry it. The men walked through the streets, carrying the statue on the platform. We walked behind the statue, singing songs in Mary's honor. Was this worship? At the time, that question never occurred to me. Now, looking back on what I did, I believe that it was. Priorities How can you tell what a person's real priorities are? Watch what he or she does when faced with a life-threatening situation. Pope John Paul II was shot by an assassin on May 13, 1981. While the ambulance was rushing him to the hospital, the Pope did not pray to God or call on the name of Jesus. Instead, he kept saying, over and over: "Mary, my mother!" Polish pilgrims placed a picture of Our Lady of Czestochowa on the throne where the Pope normally sat. People gathered around the picture. Vatican loudspeakers broadcasted the prayers of the rosary. When the Pope recovered, he gave Mary all the glory for saving his life, and he made a pilgrimage to Fatima to publicly thank her.1 Another test of a person's priorities is what he or she does with money. Jesus said: "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." (Luke 12:34) Some statues of Mary wear real crowns, which are made of gold. You can see online pictures of statues of Our Lady of Fatima and Our Lady of Lourdes wearing crowns.2 The statues in the pictures are replicas. Their crowns are ceramic and painted gold. But the crowns on the original statues at Fatima and Lourdes are real crowns, made of real gold. Vast sums of money are spent on some special statues of Mary. For example, a cathedral in Saragossa, Spain, has a statue of Mary that wears a crown made of 25 pounds of gold and diamonds, with so many diamonds that you can hardly see the gold. In addition, the statue has six other crowns of gold, diamonds, and emeralds. It has 365 mantles that are embroidered with gold, and decorated with diamonds and other jewels. It has 365 necklaces made of pearls and diamonds, and six chains of gold set with diamonds.3 Honoring Mary In Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico, preparations are underway to construct a 305-foot statue of Our Lady of the Rosary. (It will be as large as the Statue of Liberty.) There are also plans for chapels, conference rooms, apartments, a food court, observation decks, and radio and TV stations. The statue will be part of a 500-acre "Mystical City" complex. (This information is online.)4 It is traditional to have processions in honor of Mary. They range in size from a few dozen people to multitudes. At Fatima, Portugal, crowds of over a million people gather on the anniversary of the apparition of Our Lady of Fatima. The celebration includes a procession of a million people, who follow a statue of Mary and sing songs praising her.5 One traditional prayer in Mary's honor is the "Hail Holy Queen," which is known in Latin as the "Salve Regina." It is traditionally included as part of praying the rosary. Please read this prayer and ask yourself: "Does this sound like worship?" It says:
Alfonsus de Liguori (1696-1787) was a principal proponent of the Marianist Movement, which glorifies Mary. He wrote a book called, The Glories of Mary, which is famous, influential, and widely read. In this book, de Liguori says that Mary was given rulership over one half of the kingdom of God. He said that Mary rules over the kingdom of mercy, and Jesus rules over the kingdom of justice. De Liguori said that people should pray to Mary as a mediator, and look to her as an object of trust for answered prayer. The book says that there is no salvation outside of Mary. Some people suggest that these views are extreme, and not representative of Catholic Church teaching. However, instead of silencing de Liguori as a heretic, the Catholic Church made him a canonized saint. In addition, he is a "doctor of the Church" (a person whose teachings carry weight and authority). Furthermore, his book is openly and officially promoted by the Catholic Church, and his teachings have influenced popes.6 Pope Pius IX reigned from 1846 to 1878. He said that our salvation is based upon Mary. (You can read his encyclical online.)7 Pope Benedict XV reigned from 1914 to 1922. He said that Mary, with Christ, redeemed mankind. (This is online.)8 A lay movement called Vox Populi (Voice of the People) gathers signed petitions to send to the Pope, seeking to have him officially declare that Mary is Co-Redemptrix. This doctrine says that Mary and Jesus are Co-Redeemers. (I have seen photographs of crucifixes that show Jesus hanging on one side of the cross, and Mary standing on the other side. She isn't nailed to it, but visually, she looks as essential to our salvation as Jesus does.) Over six million signatures have been sent to him, representing 138 countries and all seven continents. This doctrine is supported by over 40 cardinals and 600 bishops worldwide. (This information is online.)9 The Catholic Church exalts Mary as an idealized, larger-than-life, perfect mother. However, the Bible shows that, at one point, Mary misunderstood Jesus' ministry. Mary and Jesus' brothers tried to make him stop ministering. This is described in Mark 3:20-35. The first two verses say:
According to Strong's Concordance, the Greek word that is translated "friends" has a variety of meanings, including "kinsmen." However, we don't have to depend on the exact meaning of the word here, because it will be made clear in verse 31. Strong's Concordance defines "lay hold on" as "to use strength, i.e. seize or retain." It defines "beside himself" as "become astounded, insane." In other words, these people thought that Jesus didn't know what he was doing. They intended to take charge of the situation. Verses 22 through 30 describe a confrontation that occurred between Jesus and the scribes. Then we get back to the people who thought that Jesus was "beside himself" and intended to "lay hold on" Him. The Bible says:
Comparing Scripture with My sources for this section are the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Bible. The Catechism summarizes the essential and basic teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. It was approved by Pope John Paul II in 1992. It has numbered paragraphs, which makes it easy to find things. It is available online with a search engine. You can search by paragraph numbers or topics. (Information is in the Notes.)10 For each doctrinal category, I will indicate the Catholic doctrine, followed by the appropriate references from the Catechism. (I will say "Catechism" followed by the relevant paragraph numbers.) I will follow this with quotations from the Bible that relate to the doctrine. The last book in the Bible is called the "Book of Revelation" in Protestant Bibles. It is called the "Apocalypse" in Catholic Bibles. I will refer to it as "Revelation." Immaculate Conception Catholic doctrine says that Mary was preserved from all stain of original sin, from the first instant of her conception. (Catechism 491, 492, 508). However, according to the Bible, Mary knew that she needed a savior. The Bible records Mary's words to her cousin Elizabeth:
The doctrine of the Immaculate Conception was first introduced by a heretic (a man whose teachings were officially declared to be contrary to Church doctrine). For centuries, this doctrine was unanimously rejected by popes, Fathers, and theologians of the Catholic Church.11 All-Holy Catholic doctrine says that Mary, "the All-Holy," lived a perfectly sinless life. (Catechism 411, 493, 508) However, according to Scripture, all people have sinned. The Bible says:
There is only one exception, one sinless person. Jesus Christ is the only human being who was never soiled by sin. The Bible says:
The Bible tells us that the parents of John the Baptist were "righteous before God" and that they were "blameless." (Luke 1:6) If Mary was sinless, wouldn't the Bible have told us so? It says that she was "highly favoured"and that God was with her. (Luke 1:28) But it does not say that she was sinless. Mary herself said that she needed a Savior. If God was her Savior, then Mary was not sinless, because sinless people do not need a Savior. The Bible describes it as follows:
In the Book of Revelation, when they were searching for someone who was worthy to break the seals and open the scroll, the only person who was found to be worthy was Jesus. Nobody else in Heaven or on earth (including Mary) was worthy to open the scroll, or even look inside it. (Revelation 5:1-5) Perpetual Virginity Catholic doctrine says that Mary was a virgin before, during, and after the birth of Christ. (Catechism 499, 510) However, the Bible says:
"Till" (until) means that, after that point, things changed. Joseph did eventually "know" Mary (have sexual relations with her). (See Genesis 4:1, where Adam "knew" Eve, and she conceived, and had a son.) In addition, "firstborn son" implies that there were additional sons. Mary and Joseph had at least six children. The Bible names four brothers of Jesus. It also says that he had sisters. The Bible says:
When I was a Catholic, I was taught that the word for "brothers" in this passage was a general term that could refer to any kind of kinsman, including cousins. I was taught that Mary was not the mother of these "brothers," and therefore these "brothers" did not interfere with her virginity. The Hebrew language has a general term that can mean brothers, cousins, or other kinsmen. However, the New Testament was not written in Hebrew. It was written in Greek. The Greek language is very precise. It makes it quite clear whether or not people have the same parents. According to Strong's Concordance, the Greek word used here for the "brothers" of Jesus is adelphos. It means, "from the same womb." These are men who have the same mother. Adelphos is also used to describe the brothers of Jesus in Matthew 12:46; John 2:12; John 7:3; and Acts 1:14. Adelphos is used to describe "James the Lord's brother" in Galatians 1:19. Adelphos is also used to describe the brothers Peter and Andrew (Matthew 4:18), and the brothers James and John (Matthew 4:21). Adelphe (the feminine form of adelphos) is used to describe Jesus' sisters (Matthew 13:56) The Greek language has another word that is used for relatives who don't come from the same womb. The word suggenes is used to describe Mary's cousin, Elizabeth (Luke 1:36). Suggenes means, "a blood relative." Some people who were raised Catholic may wonder why I am talking about Greek and Hebrew words, because they remember hearing the Bible read in Latin during Mass. The Old Testament was written by Israelites who spoke Hebrew and Aramaic. It was written primarily in Hebrew, with some Aramaic. (Jews in modern Israel still speak Hebrew.) The New Testament was written in Greek. This was the common language of the people who lived in the eastern area of the Mediterranean Sea. Greek had been widely spoken since the reign of Alexander the Great. In the fifth century, Saint Jerome translated the Bible into Latin. Until the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), the Bible was read in Latin during Mass. Greek is a very precise language. The Greek words used for "brothers" and "sisters" in Matthew 13:54-56 make it clear that Mary was their mother. So why does the Catholic Church insist that she wasn't? Perhaps it is because of Saint Augustine. His book, On Marriage and Concupiscence, influenced the Catholic Church for 1,500 years. In this book, Augustine said that the pleasure of making love is sinful, even within marriage. If husbands and wives focus on having children while they are making love, and they don't allow themselves to have any pleasure while doing it, then they are free from sin. If they make love in order to have children, and they enjoy doing it, then they commit a venial sin. And if they enjoy making love, and they don't want to have children, then they commit a sin that is as serious as adultery. (You can read Augustine's book online.)12 Since the marriage bed was thought to be sinful, it is not surprising that Catholic theologians did not want to think of Mary as being a normal wife. Mother of God Catholic doctrine says that, because she is the mother of Jesus, and Jesus is God, Mary is therefore the Mother of God. (Catechism 963, 971, 2677). However, this is opposed to Scripture. The Incarnation means that Jesus was both fully God and fully man. Mary was only the mother of Jesus as man. She was not the mother of Jesus as God. According to the Bible, the world was created through Jesus. This was long before Mary was born. Scripture says:
Jesus existed before the world began. He created everything (including Mary). Jesus came first—not Mary. Jesus said:
Mother of the Church According to Catholic doctrine, Mary is the Mother of the Church. (Catechism 963, 975). However, this is not seen in the Bible. The Book of Acts gives a picture of a group of people praying together. Mary is mentioned as one of them, but nothing indicates any special prominence. The Bible says:
Mary was probably in the Upper Room when the tongues of fire fell upon the 120 disciples. However, she is never mentioned again in the Book of Acts, which is our only historical record of how the Church was born. She is also not specifically identified in the epistles. Paul did send greetings to "Mary," but that was a common name. The Gospels and the Book of Acts refer to "Mary the mother of Jesus," in order to distinguish her from other women named Mary. It is notable that John, who took Mary into his home after Jesus was crucified, did not mention her in his epistles. He only mentioned her twice in his Gospel (the wedding at Cana and the crucifixion of Jesus). John mentioned Mary Magdalene more often than he mentioned Jesus' mother. Assumption Catholic doctrine says that, at the end of her life, Mary was taken up ("assumed"), body and soul, into Heaven. (Catechism 966, 974) However, there is no biblical reference to the assumption of Mary. The Gospel of John is generally believed to have been written around 90 years after Jesus was born. If Mary had been supernaturally assumed into Heaven, wouldn't John (the disciple that Mary lived with) have mentioned it? When Enoch and Elijah were taken up to Heaven, the Bible recorded it. With Elijah, it was recorded in some detail. (See Genesis 5:24 and 2 Kings 2:1-12.) The Assumption of Mary was officially declared to be a dogma of the Roman Catholic faith in 1950. This means that every Roman Catholic is required to believe this doctrine without questioning it. However, as we will see, the teaching of the Assumption originated with heretical writings that were officially condemned by the early Church. In 495 A.D., Pope Gelasius declared that men who taught that Mary was assumed into Heaven were heretics. In the sixth century, Pope Hormisdas also condemned men as heretics for teaching it. "Infallible" popes declared the doctrine of the Assumption of Mary to be a heresy. Then, in 1950, Pope Pius XII (another "infallible" Pope) declared it to be official Roman Catholic doctrine.13 Mediatrix Catholic doctrine says that the people should invoke Mary as Advocate and Mediatrix, and her prayers contribute to our salvation. (Catechism 969). It says that we can trust Mary to take care of our concerns and our petitions. (Catechism 2677) However, according to the Bible, Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God and mankind. Scripture says:
If Jesus is constantly interceding for us, and He is able to save us "to the uttermost" (utterly, completely), then He doesn't need Mary's help. If we can approach God with "boldness" and "confidence," because of our faith in Jesus, then we don't need Mary's help, either. Queen of Heaven Catholic doctrine says that God has exalted Mary in heavenly glory as Queen of Heaven and earth, and she should be praised with special devotion. (Catechism 966, 971, 2675) However, in the Bible, "Queen of Heaven" is the title of a pagan goddess. God was angry with His people for worshiping her, and He brought judgment on them because of it. (Jeremiah 7:17-20; Jeremiah 44:17-28) The Bible makes it quite clear that only God's name (not Mary's) is to be exalted. It says:
When people tried to give Mary special honor and pre-eminence, because she was His mother, Jesus corrected them. The Bible describes this incident, saying:
Jesus is saying that we should not give special honor to His mother. What matters is that we hear and obey the Word of God. We need to concentrate on that. Jesus' response clearly shows that He did not want people to be distracted by giving undue honor or attention to Mary. In chapters four and five of the Book of Revelation, we are given a quite detailed picture of Heaven. God is seated on the throne, surrounded by 24 elders and four living creatures. The Lamb (Jesus) is standing in the center of the throne. Thousands upon thousands of angels circle the throne, singing God's praises. And Mary is not in the picture at all. If she is the Queen of Heaven, then why is she not mentioned? Why has Mary been so highly exalted by Catholic theologians? One reason may be the fact that these theologians are priests and monks. In other words, they are celibate men. It is natural for men to want to love and admire a woman. Priests and monks are not allowed to praise the virtues of a wife or a sweetheart, but they can sing the praises of the Virgin Mary. How Did We Get Here? How did modern Catholic doctrine about Mary wander so far away from what the Bible says? Two reasons are the importance given to Catholic tradition, and the doctrine of papal infallibility. The Catholic Church officially states that Catholic tradition is equal in authority to the Bible. (Catechism 80, 84, 97) This tradition is based on the religious practices and beliefs of the Catholic people. (Catechism 78, 113, 2650, 2661) Therefore, it is constantly subject to change. It is also subject to unchristian cultural influences. Because tradition is difficult to define, Catholic Church authorities can make it appear to mean whatever suits their purposes at any given moment. The Early Fathers used Scripture as the standard against which they tested Catholic tradition. The modern Catholic doctrine that Catholic tradition is equal in authority with the Bible is contrary to the writings of the Early Fathers.14 According to Jesus, Scripture is the plumb line for measuring everything else. He judged religious traditions by comparing them to Scripture. When religious traditions contradicted Scripture, he condemned them. The Bible says:
This shows clearly that nothing is equal in authority to Scripture. The Bible stands alone as the standard by which all other things are to be judged. According to the official teaching of the Catholic Church, Catholic men and women are not allowed to believe what they read in the Bible without checking it out with the Catholic Church. They are required to find out how the Catholic bishops interpret a passage, and they are required to accept what the bishops teach, as if it came from Jesus Christ Himself. They are not allowed to use their own judgment, or to follow their own conscience. They are required to believe whatever the bishops tell them, without questioning it. (Catechism 85, 87, 100, 862, 891, 2034, 2037) The Catholic Church teaches that the Pope is infallible whenever he makes an official decree on matters of faith and morals. According to Catholic doctrine, it is impossible for the Pope to teach false doctrine. Catholics are expected to obey the Pope without question, even when he is not making an "infallible" statement about doctrine. They are expected to submit their wills and minds to the Pope without question. (Catechism 87, 892, 2037, 2051) For more information, see the section "Infallibility" in the chapter, "Was the Early Church Roman Catholic?" Also see the chapter, "Mind Control." Some technical information about the doctrine of infallibility is given in Appendix C, which is a Glossary. See the entry, "Infallibility." Apparitions of "Mary" Something has been appearing to people. It claims to be the Virgin Mary. Often only one person, or a few people, can see it. In some places, many people can see it. These apparitions are sometimes accompanied by supernatural manifestations, such as physical healings. Some apparitions (such as the ones in Lourdes and Fatima) have been officially approved by the Catholic Church. Official approval means that Catholic Church hierarchy has decided that an apparition is a valid supernatural event, the thing that is appearing is the Virgin Mary, and nothing that the apparition has said or done is contrary to Catholic doctrine. If these really are supernatural events, how do we know that they don't come from the devil? The Bible warns us that the devil can appear as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14) and he can cause deceptive supernatural events (2 Thessalonians 2:9). Millions of Catholics make pilgrimages to places where "Mary" has appeared. Pope John Paul II has encouraged this, by visiting many apparition sites himself. He has a special devotion to Our Lady of Fatima (an apparition that appeared in Fatima, Portugal). When Pope John Paul II was shot, he prayed to Mary, instead of praying to God. He believed that Mary saved his life. The Pope made a pilgrimage to Fatima to thank her, and to consecrate the entire human race to her.15 The video, Catholicism: Crisis of Faith, shows the Pope bowing down before a statue of Mary and kissing its feet.16 Millions of pilgrims go to shrines that honor apparitions of Mary. Every year, fifteen to twenty million pilgrims go to Guadalupe in Mexico, five and a half million go to Lourdes in France, five million go to Czestochowa (Jasna Gora) in Poland, and four and a half million go to Fatima in Portugal. Special dates draw huge crowds. On August 15, half a million pilgrims go to Czestochowa. On October 13, a million people go to Fatima. On December 12, 1999, five million pilgrims went to Mexico, to honor Our Lady of Guadalupe.17 Are these pilgrims worshiping Mary? You can observe them and see for yourself, thanks to the video, Messages from Heaven.18 If you watch the video, you will see the Pope bow in front of a painting of Mary and cover the area with incense. You will see a million pilgrims walking in a procession, following a statue of Our Lady of Fatima, and singing songs in Mary's honor. You will see several million people in a procession following a painting of Our Lady of Guadalupe. You will see the largest assembly of bishops and cardinals since the Second Vatican Council, gathered together to join Pope John Paul II in solemnly consecrating the entire world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. (You can watch this video online.)19 A Question of Vocabulary Catholic theologians have three Latin words for "worship." Latria is for God alone. Dulia is for the saints. Hyperdulia is for Mary. (It is greater than dulia, but less than latria.) Catholic theologians say that, because of these verbal distinctions, Catholics do not worship Mary. However, in real life, how are Catholics supposed to know whether their acts of devotion to Mary are hyperdulia or latria? How many Catholics have even heard of these words? When I was a Catholic, sometimes people would ask me about praying to Mary and the saints. I used to say that I was just asking them to pray for me, like I would ask a friend. But there is a difference. When I talk to my friends, I am talking to people who are alive—not people who have died. The Bible tells us that we should not communicate with dead people, that we should not seek the dead on behalf of the living. (Isaiah 8:19; Deuteronomy 18:11-12) Conclusion Our minds can be deceived, and so can the minds of bishops and popes. Only the Bible is totally trustworthy. The Bible warns us:
When religious traditions conflict with the plain meaning of Scripture, then we need to discard those traditions. We cannot afford to do otherwise, because our eternal destiny is at stake. |
Copyright 2003, 2007 by Mary Ann Collins. All rights reserved. |