Worship of Mary is idol worship and rebellion against God.
Any so-called miracle that has taken place in connection with idol
worship is a result of demonic activity, a theatrical presentation put
on by humans or demons, a misunderstanding, an exaggeration of the
facts, a lie, or any combination of the above.
Investigate what the Bible says.
Worship of Mary is a superstition.
What happened at Lourdes?
1. The Bible forbids worship of Mary or any other forms of idol worship.
(Exodus 20:4-6, Leviticus 19:4, 26:1, Deuteronomy 4:15-19, 23, 5:8-10,
Isaiah 44:9-20, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, 1 John 5:21, Revelation 22:15)
2. Idol worship is not only rebellion against God but is fellowship
with demons. (1 Corinthians 10:19-20)
3. A person is saved and justified solely on the basis of faith in
Jesus Christ.
No one can be saved by worshipping Mary or performing any other act
of piety.
Accepting Jesus as one's personal Savior is what is needed.
(John 1:12, Romans 3:21-31, 10:9-10, Galatians 2:16)
4. Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God and man.
Mary is not a mediator. (1 Timothy 2:5)
5. The Lord Jesus was born as a man through Mary, but He existed as
the Son of God with the same divine nature as His Father before all
eternity. Mary is not the mother of God. (Colossians 1:15)
6. There are no commands in the Bible to make statues of Mary or to
worship Mary. There is not even anything in the Apocrypha.
(Deuteronomy 4:2, Proverbs 30:6, Revelation 22:18-19)
The images of the Cherubim and the bronze snake were made in obedience
to the command of the Lord. Even the bronze snake was later idolized
and had to be destroyed.
(Exodus 25:18-22, Numbers 21:8-9, 2 Kings 18:1-6)
7. Church tradition is not equal to the Bible and is not the standard
for faith, especially tradition that contradicts the Bible.
(Mark 7:8, 2 Timothy 3:16)
As demonstrated above, worship of Mary is totally in opposition to the
Bible and rebellion against God. No amount of human reasoning can
change this fact.
Some might say, "There is no problem because this is not worship, it
is veneration." However, this assertion is nothing more than a vain
attempt to cloud the issue. Catholics do indeed worship Mary, statues
of Mary, and other idols.
When a miracle takes place under circumstances contrary to biblical
teaching, one must assume that this is a result of demonic activity,
a theatrical presentation put on by humans or demons, a misunderstanding,
an exaggeration of the facts, a lie, or any combination of the above.
Reports from Lourdes or Fatima of the statue of Mary shedding tears or
other similar "miracles" can be explained in the following way.
The corpse of a nun who reportedly saw Mary in Luordes, France in 1858
is said to have miraculously avoided any sign of decay for 100 years.
This is totally false. The corpse has simply been covered over with
layers of wax.
Tales of sicknesses being healed as a result of drinking water from
Lourdes are exaggerated stories designed to attract tourists to an old
country town. These stories also help to keep people in the church,
for which reason the church hierarchy has been reluctant to deny them
and in some cases has even encouraged them, causing the rumors to escalate.
It is said that miraculous healings take place even among cult groups.
In rare cases evil spirits may heal sicknesses to further the spread of
superstitions. However, in most cases where people have been physically
influenced by evil spirits or individuals who imagine that they have some
ailment and visit Lourdes, the evil spirit will release its hold on those
people and create the impression that a "miracle" has taken place.
Needless to say, the vast majority of people see no change in their
condition after drinking the water or pouring it over their bodies.
The fact that many have placed crutches in the cave of Lourdes is also
no proof of miracles taking place. These are crutches that family members
have brought after the death of a loved one or after an operation was
performed and the crutches were no longer needed.
The story of children who saw a vision of Mary in Fatima, Portugal in
1917 (May to October) are total fabrications or hallucinations that
were the result of demonic activity. Those who have claimed to see Mary
at Lourdes or Fatima were all illiterate children.
Another report of a girl in Fatima whose corpse has been preserved after
she saw Mary is another "miracle" brought about through the skillful
use of wax.
Concerning the "miraculous solar phenomenon" on October 13, the sun
simply broke through the clouds on a rainy day, shining so brightly
that it caused some of the Tens of thousands people assembled to believe
they had seen a divine vision. This event took place during World War I,
a time when many were emotionally distraught and hoping for some sign
from God. The initial reaction of a few excited the entire crowd and
incited rumors that a great act of God had taken place. Exaggerated
reporting by local newspapers also helped to fan the flames.
Occasionally there are reports that "Mary's statue shed tears."
However, there are also stories of Buddhist statues that appear to shed
tears. Both are demonic deceptions. A CBS documentary demonstrated
that through use of a simple procedure one can make a statue appear to
be shedding tears.
In the city of Akita, Japan There have also been reports of the same
phenomena, but the Catholic church has been reluctant to confirm them
as authentic. That is because the church knows that worship of Mary
is unbiblical, and that any reports of "miracles" in connection with
that worship are lies or demonstrations of demonic power. If they know
it is wrong, they should put a stop to the rumors.
Idol worship in Catholicism involves more than worship of Mary, saints,
or angels. It also includes worshipping the bread in the Eucharist as
God. The words spoken to the church of Thyatira in Revelation 2:18-29
are said to be a description of the Roman catholic church.
(Exodus 20:3, Acts 10:25-26, 14:8-15, Revelation 19:10, 22:8-9)
Why does the unscriptural custom of worshipping Mary exist?
Some say it has its origins in pagan worship of the goddesses of ancient
Rome and surrounding countries.
(Matthew 5:18, Exodus 23:24, Deuteronomy 6:14-15, 7:1-26, 12:1-3)
Pagans can be converted, but pagan idols cannot.
Feel free to copy and use this information.
Please advertise this bbs. Use it to warn catholic believers.
This is not an advertisement for the Jehovah's Witnesses or other cult
groups or new religions.
Why does worship of Mary result in fellowship with demons?
It is impossible for anyone on this earth to communicate with human
spirits in heaven. The only spiritual beings that men are allowed to
fellowship with are the Triune God, angels, or human beings alive on the earth.
Statues, pictures, deceased people, pagan gods, angels, heavenly bodies
are not God and should not be worshipped. Worship of something that is not God,
fortunetelling, incantations, or interaction with spirits results in contact
with evil spirits who are in rebellion against God.
(1 Corinthians 10:20, Deuteronomy 4:19, 18:9-14, Acts 16:16)
Therefore, worship of Mary is fellowship with demons.
The Catholic Mind-set
Even after hearing a detailed explanation of why worship of Mary is wrong,
some catholics refuse to acknowledge the facts.
What are they thinking?
1. Some have been warned and are aware of the problem.
2. Some are afraid of relationships that will sour (clergy members are
afraid of losing their position in the church) if they admit that
worship of Mary is wrong.
3. Some think, "It's easier just to blindly follow the dictates of the church."
4. Some think, "No one can find fault with a person who sins in ignorance.
Let's just pretend we don't know the facts."
5. Some think, "Let's just pretend that worship of Mary is the right
thing to do."
6. Some think, "Let's not only pretend that it's right, but let's
publicly justify our actions."
7. Some foolishly hope that, "Maybe if we continue to do this and it
is wrong, someone will notice someday and help us get out of the problem."
