Proving Catholicism With The Bible...

[frozencell]

I don't claim to know everything, and that's why I look to a lot of posters on this phorum. But occasionally, someone else not on here will make me a better Catholic on accident, usually trying to get me to stumble in my Catholic explanations. Such was the case yesterday on BaptistBoard.com. Usually Protestants want you to prove Catholism with the Protestant Bible, or sources which support the Protestant view. I was able to accomplish such a thing concerning Mary, and was wanting to share this in case someone else cared to use it sometime. It was actually quite easy.

I was accused of worshipping Mary because of kneeling to a statue of Mary. Also, I was accused of idolatry in kneeling to the Stations of the Cross, the crucifix, etc. It was surprisingly easy with only one paragraph from a Protestant-accepted source.

Here it is:

[url="http://www.reference-guides.com/isbe/A/ADORATION/"]http://www.reference-guides.com/isbe/A/ADORATION/[/url]

2. Material Objects:

On a higher plane, as involving some recognition of divinity, is the homage paid to august and mysterious objects in Nature, or to phenomena in the physical world which were supposed to have some divine significance. To give reverence to material objects themselves is condemned as idolatry throughout the Old Testament. Such an example is the case with the worship of "the host of heaven" (the heavenly bodies) sometimes practiced by the Hebrews (2Ki 17:16; 21:3,5). So Job protests that he never proved false to God by kissing hands to the sun and moon in token of adoration (Job 31:26-28). We have reference in the Old Testament to acts of homage paid to an idol or an image, such as falling down before it (Isa 44:15,17,19; Da 3:7), or kissing it (1Ki 19:18; Ho 13:2). All such practices are condemned in uncompromising terms. But when material things produce a reverential attitude, not to themselves, but to the Deity whose presence they symbolize, then they are regarded as legitimate aids to devotion; eg. fire as a manifestation of the Divine presence is described as causing the spectator to perform acts of reverence (eg. Ex 3:2,5; Le 9:24; 1Ki 18:38 f). In these instances, it was Yahweh Himself that was worshipped, not the fire which revealed Him. The sacred writers are moved to religious adoration by the contemplation of the glories of Nature. To them, "the heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament sheweth his handiwork." (Compare especially the "nature Psalms" Ps 8; 19; 29; 104.)

Enjoy! And I hope this can help someone as much as so many of you have helped me in the past! Props to IcePrincess and IronMonk!!!!!!

[IcePrincessKRS]

Thats really cool!



But... uh... why props to me?

[Dave]

[quote name='IcePrincessKRS' date='Mar 26 2004, 01:24 AM'] Thats really cool!



But... uh... why props to me? [/quote]
Oh, probably just because you rock!

[IcePrincessKRS]

Oh hush... you'll make my head get all big and then I won't fit through the doorway.

[phatcatholic]

frozencell..............ummm, maybe i'm missing something blatantly obvious, but how does that paragraph support kneeling before a statue of mary?

[frozencell]

It was the idea that a statue is a "material thing", and shouldn't be used in religion that I was told. It's just basic, general, all-encompassing info. That's all. Nothing ground-shaking.