@DrewMariani, please include this intention during the Divine Mercy Chaplet: for my family’s ongoing conversion, that our hearts and desires align with God’s will, that all Christians may be led toward full unity in the Catholic Church, and that we may faithfully steward every blessing God has given us. Thank you.🙏
Catholicism does not worship Mary as a goddess; it honors her as the Mother of God, a distinction sharper than any Protestant’s complaint. Idols? Hardly. The Church venerates images the way one salutes a photograph of one’s sovereign: respect passes to the reality, not the pigment. Pagan? Only if the Incarnation itself is pagan for daring to sanctify flesh and matter. The early councils drew the line with Roman precision; modern critics blur it with Reformation fog. Mary reflects Christ’s light like the moon the sun; diminishing her merely dims one’s own view of the King. Christianity without her honored place is not purer. It is simply poorer. Hope that clarifies a little.✌️🙏
@JamesEwen0407 @BillArnoldTeach Dig deep, my friend. Catholics DO NOT worship Mary or any of the saints; we venerate them. We worship God alone. We venerate the saints as holy servants of God who intercede for us, but our worship belongs solely to the Triune God. Hope that’s clear enough.✌️🙏
@BasedinOhio777@A_deLaCelle @BillArnoldTeach @EddyEkofo I smell something fishy here.. where’s the pain coming from? Spill the beans and don’t be shy about it.🤦♂️
@BillArnoldTeach @Truth_matters20 I pray you persevere my friend….sometimes, comments such as this one really infuriates me…their ignorance or blind obedience to Protestantism can be testy…🙏🙏🙏
Twice. Exactly twice in the entire Bible: Elizabeth once (Luke 1:42), Mary prophetically once (Luke 1:48). Despite Mary being named or referenced dozens of times elsewhere, the Holy Spirit didn’t mandate constant labeling. If divine inspiration skipped the everytime rule, we’re in good company following suit. The prophecy is about recognizing God’s work in her, not turning her name into a prefixed title.✌️🙏
So what do you have to say about this? In Exodus 25:18-22, God commanded Moses to make two cherubim (angelic figures) of hammered gold to be placed on the mercy seat (the lid of the Ark). These cherubim were to face each other with their wings spread upward, covering the mercy seat.
This is why Catholics use sacred images and statues - we actually read the whole Bible, not just the parts that fit a preferred narrative. God Himself commanded the creation of these representations for sacred purposes. The issue was never images themselves, but worshiping them as gods.
And before someone says “but you kneel in front of them!” - kneeling is a posture of reverence and prayer, not worship. We kneel to pray through the intercession of saints, just like you might ask a friend to pray for you. We worship God alone.
Before assuming Catholics don’t know Scripture, maybe consider that we’re following the full biblical context, not a selective interpretation. 📖✝️