DISCLAIMER 1: this post has the intention to clarify a couple of misconceptions with regard the Catholic Doctrine, so if it does not make sense to you or you just don't care STOP RIGHT HERE. Whereas if you would like to inform yourself about it please proceed.

DISCLAIMER 2: since these forums are very polarized I will try to be the clearest possible because it's not my intention to argue or debate in the future, but just to inform to whomever wants to know.
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Mostly the several christians denominations all over the place and the Church agree in pretty much everything til it gets to the Holy Virgin Mary and the saints.
This is simply because some of the other denomination in their struggle to get attendance to their churches they go through the Bible to find whatever passage which supports their agenda and twist it in a way that sounds convincing to the uneducated.
In this way these individuals come out with arguments such as catholics worship the Holy Virgin and the saints which is absolutely wrong from the very beginning of the statement.
The problem is that these people intentionally in order to fit their agenda confuse the words venerate, respect, and love with worship.
I love, respect, and venerate the Holy Virgin because she is the mother of God, but it's impossible even stupid to suggest that I worship her because she is not God. The only being that can be worshiped is God, and nobody else.
Now in order to be honest this idea of worshiping the Holy Mother of God and saints is supported by uneducated catholics which due to ignorance of their faith in fact make the Virgin and saints idols.
It's also the Church's failure because for too many years it sat back and let people grow with these misconceptions, and we have a huge population (specially in Latin America) which is way uneducated. Such uneducated population is a beautiful field for the "denominations" to work, and grow church attendance and therefore, their bank accounts.
Now why love, respect, and venerate this characters simply because they are good examples of the life that every christian should have because of the fidelity of these characters to the Lord's teachings.
JUST TO BE CLEAR ONCE AGAIN THEY ARE NOT GOD; THUS, THEY ARE NOT WORSHIPPED. WHOMEVER DOES SUCH THING IS MORE LOST THAN SANTA CLAUS IN JULY.
Another argument "denominations" use to confuse is the ignorant is: why do you pray to the Holy Virgin and the saints if you can go straight to God?
Very true, we can go straight to God. However, don't we read in this forum a lot of threads asking for prayers for somebody else. Whomever ask for another person to pray for him or her is asking intercession which is absolutely right.
Since we ask others to pray for us or help us in prayer, and since we (catholics) consider the Holy MOther of God and the saints alive in spirit and contemplating God's face due to their holliness we believe they can pray for us or help us in our prayer.
Exactly, the same thing a lot of people here do when they make a thread asking for prayers.

TLW

Thank you for sharing what the Catholic faith means to you.

all I can say is... wow

yep.

sister mary elephant ,told me the same stuff

Ok so I lied, I do have something else to say... your post doesn't "clarify" any misconception. Religion is about faith, not pointing fingers and telling people they are wrong in their faith. All you have done is clarify you don't like the way of Catholics.

then my english must be the most horrible thing ever because that is not what i meant whatsoever.

TLW your english is fine.

walker i did not get that when i read it

i felt you were explaining or trying to explain the reasons for the widened inclusion of those around jesus

but hey what do i know

i was expressing absolutely the opposite of what u understand.
read what the lovely britty posted. she got it.

I'm sorry but if the bible could only be interrpreted one way, there would only be one religion

in very few words catholics do not worship the virgin and the saints at all.
the misconception that we do such thing, it's a tool for "denominations" to gain followers from uneducated catholics.

then I must have misread you TLW. I agree Catholics do not praise the Virgin Mary like she is God, however... many many people believe that is exactly what they do.

fair enough.
yet we have wide interpratation which led to things such wacco, tx.
and I know somebody will argue that we also have interpretations which led to the Inquisition.
and that is also fair enough.
BIG BIG MISTAKE FORM THE CHURCH THAT IS GOING TO BE ONE OF OUR BIGGEST SHAMES FOR CENTURIES TO COME.

i wrote this in the OP:
Now in order to be honest this idea of worshiping the Holy Mother of God and saints is supported by uneducated catholics which due to ignorance of their faith in fact make the Virgin and saints idols.
It's also the Church's failure because for too many years it sat back and let people grow with these misconceptions, and we have a huge population (specially in Latin America) which is way uneducated. Such uneducated population is a beautiful field for the "denominations" to work, and grow church attendance and therefore, their bank accounts.
Now why love, respect, and venerate this characters simply because they are good examples of the life that every christian should have because of the fidelity of these characters to the Lord's teachings.

WOW! Interesting...

It's always been my stand to not get into interdenominational squabbles. I never want to diminish someone else's faith as we are at all levels.

God has told me to pray for unity in the body...that's ALL those who consider themselves Christians. We should not be second guessing other people's faults, shortcomings, or denominations. We really need to come into agreement with God & His word. These other things are moot.

Fighting over what Catholics believe (as ex...since the poster brought it up) does not build up or edify the body.

I suggest we pray to God to unify us all. Every time I come into some human relational problem I take it to God & He tells me what to pray for. God's word says not to dwell on things that seperate but to pray in the spirit for unity. It's the spirit who will bring people into unity. One mind, one body, one spirit, in Christ.

Just sayin....

Now that is interesting. Hypocrisy at it's finest I guess...

"I never want to diminish someone else's faith"

"We should not be second guessing other people's faults, shortcomings, or denominations."

"God's word says not to dwell on things that seperate but to pray in the spirit for unity."

All these things saying that you accept people and you wouldn't want to diminish someone elses faith yet all I see on here is you condemn and criticize anyone that is not a Christian. Calling the majority of them devil worshippers because they don't think like you do.

Interesting indeed.

If we are picking up on the common misconceptions ...
Here's a couple for you.

Jihad: internal, personal struggle towards the attainment of a noble goal. Many incorrectly equate it to "holy war."

Female genital mutilation. This is often considered a religious requirement of Islam. Actually it is cultural tradition common in some countries of Northern Africa. It is unknown in many Muslim countries.

The sacrifice of the Mass, a Roman Catholic ritual. Some Native Americans and others interpreted it as a form of ritual cannibalism.

Immaculate Conception: Roman Catholics believe that the conception of the Virgin Mary, circa 20 BCE, was without sin. Many incorrectly relate it to Yeshua's' conception.

I WAS talking to other CHRISTIANS.

As far as the pagans on these boards? If they are going to post their evil deceptions expect accountability...that's for edification purposes as well. I won't enable them.

I call it what it is...stubborn rebellion ...not against me but God & all that Jesus did for humanity.

Which was actually nothing apart from cause wars and incite hatred

This is probably the most enlightening part you wrote. Obviously it would make sense that the Catholic Church might ‘teach’ this to the uneducated masses. After all they have LOST a lot of revenue to other denominations. Of course now we understand why evangelizing is so important to Christian values.



And with weapons ineptly hid, she slinks, as quietly as one can slink with metal toed army boots, from the hidden cove of ignorance, to pounce upon the perceived “evil deceptions” that threaten her status as a saint in the heavens of her white washed imagination. The stains of past offensive attacks covering her white attire until even Clorox is of no use. Thus, logic and reasoning have lost meaning in the convolutions that exist in her mind. And looking into the mirror of judgment she sees only the sparkling, crisp white and sinless embodiment of purity and truth. Like a three year old she trusts that this is also what her God will see and judge. But she has many more fights within her and many more foes and doubtless the dark cave of ignorance in which she exists will continue to hide from her sight the stains of truth that cover her garment and the stress of lies that lay deep within the ever creasing skin of the Dorian Grey she has become. Only the mirror is her friend.

I was just inspired to write a bit of prose there.



And of Baptism and the Eucarist, and Confirmation, and remember that whole not eating meat on Friday adventure? All of these caused huge divisions within the church. And there are many more. Don’t stop now, we may ACTUALLY get some to ADMIT to the dogma of doctrine they adhere to and why NOT ALL CHRISTIANS ARE GOING TO HEAVEN and why and how so many of them teach “EVIL DECEPTIONS”.