Protestants: why do you insist Catholics worship Mary when Catholics repeatedly explain they do not?

Question

Catholics have explained the difference between worshiping and venerating.

Is it possible Protestants purposely misrepresent Catholic doctrine? If so, aren't they bearing false witness? Or are their minds closed, disregarding any explanation?

Answer 1

They often claim that catholic's pray to Mary, but if they actually paid attention to the Hail Mary, specifically:

'...Mary mother of god, PRAY for us sinners...'

Catholics pray to Mary to pray for them as she is obviously an important part of religion, you know mother of the creator of the universe and all. If she was worshiped why wouldn't they ask her to forgive them herself?

Just another examle of the problems of religion...

Answer 2

I think there are some out there who deliberately misrepresent Catholics and their beliefs, but they are few.  I think the biggest reason is the difference in our worship services.

For Catholics, praying is talking, plain and simple.  To pray simply means to ask.  We use the word in its original sense.

For many protestants, their highest form of worship is prayer.  They pray and praise God.  For Catholics, it's the eucharist.

I think that's where the original misperception comes in.  When we pray to Mary, we simply are joining our voice to hers.  For us it's no different than asking somebody to pray for us.  For most protestants, because it's their highest form of liturgy, of worship, so naturally they misinterpret it as a form of worship.  

Answer 3

SEE AS A CATHOLIC I WOULD SAY WE R NOT WORSHIPINGMOTHER MARY. WE ONLY PRAY TO HER FOR HELP.WE ALL R HER CHILDREN.SUPPOSE U WANT A THING WHAT WILL U DO,WILL U DIRECTLY GO TO YOUR FATHER AND SAY IT. NO NEVER ISNT IT.WAT U WILL DO IS U WILL GOTO YOUR MOTHER AND TELLS HER THE MATTER. IF ITS A GOOD THING MOTHER WILL SURELY HELP U. THE SAME WAY. CHRISTIANS TELL THEIR SORROWS MISSERIES NEEDS AND WANTS TO MARY WHO IS THEIR MOTHER AND WILL SURELY HELP THE NEEDY.ALSO IN CATHOLIC RITUALS WE CAN SEE THAT IN NO PLACE WE R WORSHIPING MARY WE ONLY PRAY 2 HER.ALSO IN THE ROSARY DEVOTION PROTESTANTS SAY ITS FULL OF WORSHIPING MARY.BUT IF U SEE IT U CAN CLEARLY UNDERSTAND THAT IN ROSARY WE R ONLY MEDITATING ON THE LIFE OF JESUS CHRIST .IT RECALLS THE MOST IMPORTANT EVENTS IN THE LIFE OF JESUS SO WERE R WE WORSHIPPING MARY

Answer 4

It's a bit like talking to a brick wall at times.

"You worship Mary!"

No, we don't.  We worship God alone -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

"You pray to statues!"

Uh -- no. We aren't superstitious primitives who think statues embody our god.  Give me a break.

"Graven images!"

"Mary can't hear you!"

"YES YOU DO WORSHIP MARY!"

I've explained the difference between worship and veneration/honor in very clear terms, only to be told I'm "nuancing" or "playing semantics".  

I've attempted to refresh the memory of English language speakers as to the meaning of the word "pray" -- to entreat or beseech a person, as well as God (as in court documents stating "plaintiff prays that the Court grant ...") and not a synonym for worship -- and been ignored.

I've discussed the relevant Scripture verses.  

And they still insist on perpetuating this cherished fiction.

So my response to them now is not defense or even apologetics.  It is this:

"My habits of prayer are none of your business.  Whether I pray to saints or Mary, say the Rosary with its repeated (but not vain) prayers, or merely converse with the Father in my own words "from the heart" is not something you have a right or invitation to critique.  Like your own prayer life, it is a matter between me and my Lord.

"If you think the statues in my church or my home constitute breaking the Commandment against idolatry then that is also a matter between me and God who, last time I checked, has not put you in charge.  I will certainly answer to Him, but am not compelled to answer to you.

"Regardless of what you think you know about Catholics and their habits of prayer, it is not a matter that affects our salvation.  At most, if what you insist about the worship/idolatry thing happened to be true, we'd be sinning.  But if we've got the Gospel right -- that Jesus Christ died for our sins and was raised from the dead, and we are saved by grace through faith in Him -- then why are you worried about how we pray?"

I give my Christian brothers and sisters credit for having the Gospel, too, even if some of their practices aren't in the Bible either.  (Altar call comes to mind.)  It's about time people started being honest about why they hammer at this incessantly, because it can't possibly be genuine concern about our salvation.

Answer 5

it's on purpose! my opinion is they "Protest" against the Catholic Church, that's how they came to being and those were one of the reasons why they seperated from us. So if they see that we do not worship Marie or even don't pray to the Saints, what would they protest???

edit: Lime Kitty, I do not agree with your P.O.V but I LOVE your avatar!!! sych a cute kitty cat!! awwwwwww

Answer 6

Because all of Protestantism was originally based on a "the Catholic Church is wrong" doctrine. So when you start with that, anything Catholics do different from them must be wrong. When faced with actual information that what Catholics do is not wrong, they could accept this and then open the door to the possibility that we are not wrong about other things, or they can cling tightly to their misconceptions believing if they just keep repeating it over and over it will be so. Many choose the latter.

For those people the Catholic Church must be wrong at all costs. They cannot ever accept there might actually be validity to asking Mary to pray for us, confession, and ultimately the Eucharist. If that happened they'd have to leave their comfortable beliefs and their whole life would change.

So many answers here "say" that what we say and what we "do" are different. Please tell me how anyone can know what is in the heart of a Catholic asking Mary to pray for him/her. Only God and the person praying can know the intent in the heart, others on the outside can not and should not. We understand that it can look like worship to those who do not grasp it, but when we say that is NOT what we are doing, we love God and would never worship anyone but him, why not accept this? Why insist that you know better than we do, just what we are doing?

ADDED: To Love Never Fails - Mary and the Saints are in heaven. They, nor anyone who attains heaven, will be human any more. In heaven we become perfect, not divine, but perfect. They are no longer limited by their flesh, so your statement makes no sense.

Answer 7

As an ex-catholic, I'd say they don't worship Mary. BUT...... if all the stories were true I'd say that both Marys would deserve worship. Just my opinion.

Answer 8

some Protestants just don't seem to understand. it's like they think they are right and we are wrong.

Answer 9

I believe that those who accuse RCs of worshiping Mary and the Saints don't know the difference between worship and prayer.

As an Sabbath keeping Christian, I believe that as Mary and all the Saints that RCs pray to is of no avail as Mary and the Saints are dead and in their graves waiting for their resurrection.

Answer 10

One really needs to sit and appreciate exactly who Mary is. Mary was not the mother of the Father, but of the Son. Mary did not give birth to Christianity. In fact, Jesus Christ did. It was the things that Jesus said and done that established Christianity. The basic point is that Jesus came into the world to prove what the Jews believed, while many did not believe that he was who he said he was.

To stand in adoration of any statue can be construed as idolatry. Remember, the new converts knelt to Peter. And Peter said to get up and not worship him, for Peter was not and is not God.

What does this have to do with Mary?

Mary is every bit as human as Peter was. But, there is nothing in scripture that clearly supports that Mary was brought into the world without spot or blemish. And, further, the Assumption of Mary into heaven is another example of how the literal word is taken out of context. There is nothing in Scripture to suggest that Mary ascended and was coronated as the Queen of Heaven. This is a forced implication upon what the Scriputes actually say. We, as Christians, are saints. We don't need to pay another adoration or reverance to anyone else. That is reserved exclusively for God alone, in Christ Jesus.

Answer 11

Oooh, nice question, Mr Karloff!

Come to think of it, many Christians seem to forget that particular commandment. I guess Jack Chick must be on a one-way train ride straight to h**l on that one.  

Answer 12

My favourite answer to this is the ones where people go "Well, even if they THINK they aren't praying to Mary, they really are."  HUH???

I asked a similar question once...I said, "should you ever assume you know someone's religion better than they know it themselves?" Because essentially that's really what's going on here.  99% of the people outside of it don't understand it.  Add to that the fundamentalist Christian's tendency to misrepresent the Catholic faith based on what they've read in a Jack Chick tract and to hate that which is different from what they've been told is the only truth, and you have this issue.

Answer 13

Because even though they use the word venerating they pray to Mary almost  ( I didn't say the same, but almost) as if to Jesus.

And because of the huge emphasis on her in prayers and the liturgy.

Saints are venerated. Because of how Catholics (many everyday Catholics in how they practice) treat Mary in a way a lot closer to how they regard Jesus than any saint.

Answer 14

It's a perpetuation of the hate of Martin Luther had against Catholics.

When in doubt, say they are the devil and call it a day.

Answer 15

Actually i think you should have asked Protestants why they worship the Bible as they act like it has special powers and a answer for every thing they do. When the Bible is GOD's plan for us and his revealing his self to us but it is not some book with magic answers like they treat it.....

Answer 16

Why do catholics call Mary the 'perpetual virgin' even though she had at least 5 other children? 'Perpetual virgin' sounds like she is sinless or something.  Catholics venerate Mary way too much.  There are many venerable christians though the ages, but Mary seems to be above them all to the point of being idolized.  Mary would not have wanted this.

Answer 17

human beings have a tendency to idol worship. they have trouble worship someting they cannot visualize.

Answer 18

Would you pray to one of your relatives that had passed away?  If you did and believed that they could intercede between you and God, that would be crediting them with superhuman powers that no human has.  In praying to Mary, Catholics are doing just that.  Mary was human, she died like any other human, and she cannot intercede with God for you.  Mary & the saints were human and nothing more, therefore you shouldn't be praying to them.  The Bible makes it crystal clear that there is only ONE way to the Father, and that is through Jesus.

Answer 19

Some of Catholic explanations are a bit over nuanced and not so clear.  The very real problem is on paper officially they claim they do not.  In practice Mary is granted attributes a bit too much like God like being able to see and hear the thoughts of people praying around the world.

In reality Mary is a great woman of faith and most blessed women of all time.  In practice Mary is for some a gospel substitute and a God substitute and even a Jesus substitute as some. In reality the Bible pres\sent Jesus as the intercessor for sins but some are less comfortable going to Jesus for help but go to Mary first.

To an extent it's a difference between in principle and in practice.  To an extent its a distinction without a difference for some.

Answer 20

because they pray to marry.

Answer 21

Yes, they're lying to defend their belief systems.  

Answer 22

When you can deny all factually supported evidence for evolution, you might as well just start denying anything you want.

Answer 23

What Catholics believe and do in regards to the virgin Mary essentially amounts to Worship no matter what they say.

Answer 24

They like to add fuel to our fire. God Bless you.

Edit: Mary did not ascend into heaven, Only Jesus. Mary was assumed into heaven which means something totally different. She was taken up to heaven. She was carried because She had no power to do this. She was called and is called Blessed among women. Her prayer is in the bible, when St. Gabreil announced to her that she was to have Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and again when She visited Her cousin Elizabeth. And Jesus gave Her to us before He died, in Her presents, I might add. And She accepted this gift while Her Son was tortured and hung on a cross to die. Would you have done the same if it were your son. If I bet on this I would win.