"You say it is non-Christian to pray to Mary. How so?" -Praying to Mary is useless. She has no divine power, no influence, and there is no more reason to pray to Mary than there is to pray to a dead relative. "Catholics do not worship Mary, they venerate Mary." -http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/venerate Origin: 1615–25; < L venerātus, ptp. of venerārī to solicit the goodwill of (a god), worship, revere ... Mary has no power, no authority, no point in praying to her. She can do absolutely nothing for you. According to the Bible -- you know, the Holy Book of Christianity -- praying to God through Jesus is the only way to have your prayers heard, and praying to anybody else is blasphemy. So believing that Mary has some sort of "divine power" when she hasn't been used by God since Jesus was born, or paying to Mary instead of to God through Jesus like the Bible says, is against Christianity. It may be fine to do in Catholicism, but not in Christianity.
I was just wondering about your views on the 'Christian' and 'Catholic' relationships to Mary. You say it is non-Christian to pray to Mary. How so? Catholics do not worship Mary, they venerate Mary. Venerate: 'Regard with feelings of respect and reverence' Marists (an aspect of Catholicism, and one I am particularly fond of) have an expression that says that Mary is the chamber which houses the flame of Christ. Like one of those old oil lamps with the glass. Thus the word "Marist" begins with MARy, and ends in chrIST. How is this "not Christian"?
Hey, happy birthday! I think we may have got off on the wrong foot (cf. global warming thread a few months ago), but you seem like a cool kinda guy. Not that I seem to agree with much that you say, just that you know how to carry a discussion intelligently, without belittling, and by attacking the argument, not the person. Hmm, seems I can't change my user note... Well, consider it gone anyway. No hard feelings. -Alf
