|
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
|
