Virgin Mary, Ark of the Covenant

[Phatt Matt s]

I prayed to ISIS:

How was it? Did it do what you wanted it do for you?

Okay, it definitely sounds like I am asking you about a sexual experience.

I'm a little more excited about Athena. She's more modest, gentle, and delicate.

---

I hate to say it but, the comfort you got from the rosary and Mary stuff
is from playing in the devil's playpen.
It is a set-up. More is always taken than is given, eventually.

You see, these occult things you play with release those same powers to inhabit you.

We call them demons.

India, with all their idols has tons of them. Ever hear of dervishes?
Africa, with their witch doctors.
Jamaca, with their voodoo.
Rock bands, that glorify satan.
The list goes on and on.
When you play in their playground- they have squatters' rights on you.

A dose of your confusion will leave if you renounce your involvement and attachment to Maryology.

You are very wrong and your rigidness in submitting to your private interpretation of Scripture resembles a jugemental pharisee. If I could obey the precepts of the Catholic Faith on Cardinal, theological, corporal, and spiritual values, virtues, works of mercy, and external and internal mortification of the senses and unruly passions, I would be honored to call myself Catholic.

However, since Amish have no Magisterium to obey, no pope, no Catechism, and no liturgical rubrics, we can hold as many teachings of the Catholic faith within our bosom as we feel the spirit moves us to do.

I have heard the Protestant attack on marian devotion which is a strawman. THere is much that I despise about Catholicism but allied with Holy Mother Church's teaching on Mary Immaculate.

Catholics are not permitted to worship anyone other than the Father Son and the Holy Spirit. Mary is the most pure and Holy of all God's creatures, but she is a creature, and the Church does not say it is okay to adore (worship) her or any other Angel or Saint.

God honored her above all creatures by making her the mother of his son. In honoring Mary the Church is following the example of God himself. Elizabeth filled with the Holy Spirit calls Mary blessed twice in just four short verses. Mary is no ordinary creature and is indeed the Mother of God as we see from Elizabeths words in the first chapter of Luke "and how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?"

In verse 48, Our Lady prophesies that all ages will call her blessed, ask the Mary haters why they don't call her Blessed Virgin Mary as Catholics do. It is Catholics who are being Biblical here. Are you?

---

Her title as Mother of God can be defended doctrinally, Biblically, and Historically. The three great pillars of the Reformation--Luther, Calvin and Zwingli--all accepted this doctrine wholeheartedly. Most protestants are shocked to learn that althought the founders of Protestantism rejected many Catholic doctrines, they insisted on honoring Mary as Mother of God and Ever Virgin.

If a person denies that Mary is the Mother of God he is denying the Incarnation and the Trinity. He is saying either Jesus is not God, or that Jesus is two persons--one human and one Divine.

Gal 4:4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman.

A correct belief about Mary leads to a correct belief about Jesus. In 429 AD the Nestorian Heresy promoted that Jesus was two distinct persons; and Mary was only the mother of the Human person. The Council of Ephesus 431 AD condemened this Heresy and it was defeated. It did not surface again in Christianity until the Reformation.


Luther, Calvin and Zwingli, the three fathers of the Reformation, each affirmed that Catholic doctrines that Mary is the Mother of God and a Perpetual Virgin. We should ask Fundamentalists to honor Mary as much as the founders of their own Protestant tradition did.

Catholics do not adore Mary, adoration belongs to God alone. Catholics as well as orthodox CHurch's, Some Anglicans, Lutherans, and Amish venerate and honor her. Why? The angel calls her "full of grace," and one who has "found favor with God". Elizabeth filled with the Holy Spirit calls her blessed among women, and Mary herself declares that, "all generations shall call me blessed". Catholics and EO's, following Scripture, always call her blessed. Do you?

She is the Woman of Genesis 3:15 whose enmity with Satan and sin is absolute. She is the Ark of the Covenant (Ex 25:11-21)(Rev 12) made to hold the living word of God: a holy tabernacle made not of the purest gold, but of the purest flesh.

Mary was preserved from originad sin at conception but Jesus is the Savior in both cases. All glory goes to God because he was entirely responsible for the miracle that preserved her from falling into sin. He saved us after falling, and he saved her from ever falling in the first place, because before the world began God knew her and set her aside to be holy and blameless as the Holy Spirit's perfect spouse, the Father's perfect daughter, and the Son's perfect Mother.

[My imaginary friend is GOD]

I'm a little more excited about Athena. She's more modest, gentle, and delicate.

You are very wrong and your rigidness in submitting to your private interpretation of Scripture resembles a jugemental pharisee. If I could obey the precepts of the Catholic Faith on Cardinal, theological, corporal, and spiritual values, virtues, works of mercy, and external and internal mortification of the senses and unruly passions, I would be honored to call myself Catholic.

However, since Amish have no Magisterium to obey, no pope, no Catechism, and no liturgical rubrics, we can hold as many teachings of the Catholic faith within our bosom as we feel the spirit moves us to do.

I have heard the Protestant attack on marian devotion which is a strawman. THere is much that I despise about Catholicism but allied with Holy Mother Church's teaching on Mary Immaculate.

Catholics are not permitted to worship anyone other than the Father Son and the Holy Spirit. Mary is the most pure and Holy of all God's creatures, but she is a creature, and the Church does not say it is okay to adore (worship) her or any other Angel or Saint.

God honored her above all creatures by making her the mother of his son. In honoring Mary the Catholic Church is following the example of God himself. Elizabeth filled with the Holy Spirit calls Mary blessed twice in just four short verses. Mary is no ordinary creature and is indeed the Mother of God as we see from Elizabeths words in the first chapter of Luke "and how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?"

In verse 48, Our Lady prophesies that all ages will call her blessed, ask the Mary haters why they don't call her Blessed Virgin Mary as Catholics do. It is Catholics who are being Biblical here. Are you?

---

Okay, cool. Athena is a virgin, too, you know. And a mother. And I must mention here that the concept of being both of those things before the invention of artificial insemination seems really, really stupid. But I digress.

Now, the thing you said to that guy. I did not actually read it, because it is in religious language, but from strategic skimming I'm pretty sure you just completely owned him in his own language, so more than just kudos for you.



That is what just happened. I regret that forums do not facilitate me also playing the trademark sound. And I'm going to guess that at some point in your life you have played an Xbox 360 and gotten an achievement or otherwise know what "Achievement Unlocked!" means. In case for whatever reason you don't, it marks an accomplishment. And some of those achievements are very difficult to unlock to the point of being impossible for a normal human, so it also means you have just accomplished something incredibly difficult. Good for you. Be proud of yourself. Good job, TC.

[Phatt Matt s]

You have know Idea how much that means to me. I could cry

[Bucky Ball]

Mary was not a "virgin". It was a mis-translation and misunderstanding of a mistranslation.
http://www.thethinkingatheist.com/forum/...rgin+birth (post 5)
The role of a "prophet" in Hebrew society was not to tell the future.
http://www.thethinkingatheist.com/forum/...#pid257278
Divination, sooth-saying and reading omens were forbidden.
Maybe you better actually take a class on the Babble.

[Phatt Matt s]

Mary was not a "virgin". It was a mis-translation and misunderstanding of a mistranslation.
http://www.thethinkingatheist.com/forum/...rgin+birth (post 5)
The role of a "prophet" in Hebrew society was not to tell the future.
http://www.thethinkingatheist.com/forum/...#pid257278
Divination, sooth-saying and reading omens were forbidden.
Maybe you better actually take a class on the Babble.

It isn't Divination sootsaying, reading omens, magic, sorcery, voodoo, necromancy,
A prophet is not a prophet based on his ability to tell what will come yet many did indeed have that ability.

And Mary isn't a Deity either. Maybe read my posts before speaking such things.

[Bucky Ball]

Mary was not a "virgin". It was a mis-translation and misunderstanding of a mistranslation.
http://www.thethinkingatheist.com/forum/...rgin+birth (post 5)
The role of a "prophet" in Hebrew society was not to tell the future.
http://www.thethinkingatheist.com/forum/...#pid257278
Divination, sooth-saying and reading omens were forbidden.
Maybe you better actually take a class on the Babble.

It isn't Divination sootsaying, reading omens, magic, sorcery, voodoo, necromancy,
A prophet is not a prophet based on his ability to tell what will come yet many did indeed have that ability.

And Mary isn't a Deity either. Maybe read my posts before speaking such things.

It's not "sootsaything". It's soothsaying. No one said Mary was a "deity". You didn't even read the links. You claimed she was a "virgin". The word was mistranslated, (as any scholar knows). Prophecy as "fortune-telling" came in late, (during the apocalyptic period). Maybe you better take that class. The role of a prophet was never to tell the future.

[Phatt Matt s]

It isn't Divination sootsaying, reading omens, magic, sorcery, voodoo, necromancy,
A prophet is not a prophet based on his ability to tell what will come yet many did indeed have that ability.

And Mary isn't a Deity either. Maybe read my posts before speaking such things.

It's not "sootsaything". It's soothsaying. No one said Mary was a "deity". You didn't even read the links. You claimed she was a "virgin". The word was mistranslated, (as any scholar knows). Prophecy as "fortune-telling" came in late, (during the apocalyptic period. Maybe you better take that class. The role of a prophet was never to tell the future.

THe role of a prophet was NEVER to tell the future? Well what did Daniel do?

Amos 3:7 Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.

A prophet is a spokesperson for God. The prophet admonishes, warns, directs, encourages, intercedes, teaches and counsels. He brings the word of God to the people of God and calls the people to respond.

In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, "This is what the Lord says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover." Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord (2 Kings 20:1,2).

Jesus remonstrated with the apostles for not believing the prophets.

Luke 24:25 Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: 26 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? 27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.

God spoke to the prophets in visions and dreams; except for Moses with whom he spoke face to face.

Numbers 12:6 And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. 7 My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house. 8 With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold:

God prophesied through Moses that one day he would raise up another prophet like Moses and he would require all men to listen to him or face destruction.

Deuteronomy 18:15 The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken... 18 I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. 19 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.


Acts 3:19 22 For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. 23 And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people. 24 Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days. 25 Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. 26 Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.

THe role of a prophet is to intercede, guide, direct, speak the word of God, instruct, interpret dreams and visions,

Daniel interpreted Pharaohs dreams and foretold the future.

[Minimalist]

It's not "sootsaything". It's soothsaying.

More like shitslinging with these clowns.

[My imaginary friend is GOD]

I would chime in with my support for what you are saying, TC, but I think you got this. Oh damn, that's exactly what I just did. Oh well.

[Phatt Matt s]

I would chime in with my support for what you are saying, TC, but I think you got this. Oh damn, that's exactly what I just did. Oh well.

Well, human beings are spiritual and complex. I have seen faith do good for people. Had I not consecrated myself to Mary, develop a code of morality, and prayed the Rosary at least a decade on a daily basis I'd be dead, in a mental institution, or in prison.

If the therapy works, why not fucking use it. Whether a person likes golf, skiing, pornography, prayer, or meditation, if it is not turning the person into an unhealthy fanatic or bigot, don't bash it.

Believe it or not I was actually anti-gay before I became Religious. I still have a phobia of gay men but as you know I discuss your sexuality with you, love you, don't judge you, and am that much more grateful for my relationship with you precisely because you are lesbian.

That's right, I was way more judgemental of "Weird" people before I got Religion. Christ was a friend of sinners, prostitutes, thieves, tax collectors, drunkards, adulterers, and I'd assume homosexuals as well.

He said he came for the sinners not the righteous. His big objection was with those whose Religious practices puffed them up with pride. Being a great sinner can actually lead to a source of perfect humility. God hates pride most of all, so a humble prostitute is so much more pleasing to God than a proud person that prays, fasts, and quotes their silly Scripture inside out.

If my Religious practices lead to me judging unbelievers or those guilty of a "sinful" life then I'd be a hypocrite and a casualty of Religion. However, Religious people do not have a monopoly on Hypocrisy. I've seen just as bad and worse in unbelievers as well.