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Maryianty?

Commentary by Roger Oakland
www.understandthetimes.org

Christianity by definition is a belief system centered on the person of Jesus Christ.  While there are various groups and denominations who may differ on what it means to be a Christian, without the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus, Christianity would never have happened.
 
While the previous statement may seem elementary to some, recent trends show that we can no longer assume that all who call themselves Christian have a Christ centered faith. The book covers that are represented above, show that Christianity may well be in the process of being redefined by many professing Christians. A Mary sometimes called "the Mother of all" or the "Queen of Heaven" along with a role as the "mother of Jesus" now seems to be favored by many Catholics and even Protestants who say they have been enlightened and found the truth. Is it possible that a "Mary" centered faith may replace a Jesus centered faith in the future?

Further, over the past several years, it appears that the Catholic Church headed by Pope John Paul II has been emphasizing a faith that is quite "Mary" centered.  While Catholic apologists argue that focusing on Mary is merely a means to focus on Jesus, there is reason to question this line of thinking.

For example, consider the prayer that Pope John Paul II prayed while visiting his homeland, August 19, 2002, and recorded by the Catholic news agency Zenit. Praying to Mary at a Marian Shrine near Krakow, Poland, he said: "Most Holy Mother. Our Lady of Calvary, attain also for me strength in body and spirit, that I may carry out to the end the mission given me by the risen Lord. To you I give all the fruits of my ministry. To you I entrust the future of the Church, to you I offer my nation, in you do I trust and once more to you I declare: Totus tuus Maria."  1

While his prayer of devotion and adoration to "Mary" may be passed off, I find it to be very significant. Anyone who has ever read the Bible will recognize that the Pope not only made a serious error, his prayer to the dead mother of Jesus is heretical. For example, the apostle Paul wrote to the Colossians, "For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything."  2 Since when did Mary become the head of the church of Jesus Christ? If Mary is head of the Catholic Church, then the Catholic Church is not Christian.

While one could argue that the pope merely had a momentary memory lapse, there is further evidence that Pope John Paul II said exactly what he meant to say. For example, on October 8, 2000, the pope had "Our Lady of Fatima" also know as the Queen of Heaven, brought to Rome from Portugal for a special ceremony. On that day, in front of over 1500 Bishops and cardinals and thousands of Catholics who had gathered from around the world, Pope John Paul II dedicated the third millennium to Mary.

More recently, the Pope of Rome has chosen to upgrade the Rosary, something that has not been done for over 400 years. Could this be another sign that Christianity is becoming "Mary" centered?

There are no examples in the Bible that would permit us to pray to anyone but Jesus. However, praying to Mary and the saints (praying to the dead is forbidden in the Bible) as well as the acceptance of other Marian dogmas implemented by mere men who claim infallibility, apparently supersedes biblical authority.

Keep watching this trend that takes the Christ out of Christianity and replaces Jesus with a woman believed to be the "mother of Jesus." Marianity is not Jesus centered, it is the "Queen of Heaven" centered. Before jumping on the band wagon, read what the Bible states about this "queen." The prophet Jeremiah told his generation that the "queen of heaven" was an abomination to God and adoring her would bring God's judgment. 3 Is there any reason to believe that God has changed His mind?

1   Zenit News, "Pope Entrusts His Mission to Mary," August 19, 2002
2   Ephesians 5: 23-24
3. Jeremiah chapters 7 and 44

For more information on this and similar topics, read:
"New Wine and the Babylonian Vine"
available from book section at
www.understandthetimes.org

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