Welcome to Gaia! ::

I've always been curious - why do you pray to the Virgin Mary instead of God? Maybe that's not how it is, but it sure seems that way to me. Correct me if I'm wrong. (:

Or is it that they pray to the Virgin Mary to pass on their messages to God?

I dunno, but aspects of Catholocism seem pretty shady. Like it's history, controversial issues with preists, etc.

As for Catholics (as well as Orthodox and the vast majority of Christianity that isn't protestant), nobody prays to the Virgin Mary. Catholics and Orthodox see Saints in Heaven as servants of God, but even better because they're IN Heaven with Him. We pray to ask for their intercessory prayer to God, just like if you ask anyone else to pray for you when you need it. Mary holds an especially high position among the Saints as she was Christ's first follower, her blessed womb brought Christ into this world, she was with Him the longest of anyone on earth (30+ years!) and many other reasons.

Many people raised in any sect of protestantism really don't understand a whole lot about ancient Christianity, and what many people think they know, is a misconception. One thing in particular is "prayer to Mary." Another big one is Priests forgiving sins. Many people seem to think that this is an actual belief among Catholics. You can go to any priest and ask them if they forgive sins, and they will tell you flat out NO. They cannot. They are merely the agents of the forgiveness that ONLY God can provide, and they are able to do this through Apostolic succession.

Any other question, I can do my best to answer, and if Lyme is up to it, she can too.

I would just like to ask that those of you (meaning anyone and everyone in the guild) who have not inquired yourselves, to please not jump to conclusions about Catholics.
It's been mentioned/implied a few times already, but I wanted to add my voice to it, that if you want to know more, you should be asking a Catholic or someone who's done thier homework at least. It's an unfortunate truth, but there are a lot of protestants, including some ministers, who think they know what being Catholic is all about, and many of them just don't - it can lead to a lot of confusion and hard feelings. That in mind, I'm really excited to see this thread and hope it becomes a good place of discussion and learning.

(I know I'm not a crew member or anything, I just don't wanna see people getting angery or hurt over misunderstandings and such.)

Then nobody else should pray for you, and there is no such thing as intercessory prayer. Nobody says that you NEED to have a priest to talk to God, no Catholic will tell you that you need that. They talk straight to God just like the rest of the lot. There is no belief that anybody is higher than anyone else, just that certain people have different responsibilities in the Church, whether it be clergy or lay person; which goes for all of Christianity, regardless of ecclesiastical structure.

The root of this issue is the concept of death. There is a difference in the way that Catholic/Orthodox theology sees death than that of protestantism. The Catholic/Orthodox stance is that when a Christian dies, they aren't actually "dead" but that they are more alive than they were before, and ready and willing to continue to serve God. Catholics will seek the intercessory prayer of people who are with God already, but also seek the intercessory prayer of any other believers here on earth. To a follower there is no difference among Christians, despite what realm they might be in. The body of Christ is full of ALL believers, not just on earth, and still functions despite people being in Heaven or on the earth.

Hopes this helps to understand, many people are confused about what some Catholic beliefs actually are and the reasons behind them.

stressed Xi ... Baptists are Protestant. You're about as Protestant as you can get, 'cause Baptists'll protest anything. xp

Yeah, I know, bad joke, but it looked to me like a joke was needed there.

Tryan ... well said. Especially well said in light of the "treat others as you would want to be treated" and "be respectful" stuff that's on our front page. Occasionally, we all need reminders -- especially myself. sweatdrop

Mike ... well, regarding the Catholic/Orthodox view of death ... I'm Protestant, but that's my view as well. At least, the "ready and willing" part is. I'm not sure how much work God's going to have for me once my lungs have finally quit working, but I'll still be there, hoping for a chance to be useful.

There is one thing I would question about "nobody prays to the Virgin Mary" part. Back when I was in the Army, I was a chaplain's assistant, and I frequently helped out at the Catholic chapel (which is probably a bit oxymoronic, I know, but it's how it happened). I more than once saw "Prayer to Mary" or "Prayer to Michael" printed at the top of a prayer. And now, Meadow (who has an addiction to anything that's free and in the mail) occasionally gets free rosaries with a "prayer to Mary" included on a little card. She's Baptist, I don't know why she orders this stuff, but I found two or three such items in my office this last weekend.

I'm not saying this to argue with you. I'm asking ... are there Catholic "denominations" that do believe in praying to Mary? Or was praying to the saints a former belief, still prevalent in some of the "less advanced" nations, that's been repudiated by the Vatican in recent years?

If you can explain that one, I think it'll go a long way on this whole "pray to Mary" thing. I figure that "pray to Mary" business had to come from somewhere, and the statues of Mary I see outside Catholic churches (or sometimes inside) can only explain so much.

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Personally, though, I'm more interested in Mass/Communion. We believe that the bread and juice (or wine, in some churches) used in Communion is simple bread and juice; indeed, I've been to a couple of churches that just took a loaf of Sunbeam and ran it through a blender. For us, it's a purely symbolic re-enactment of the original Last Supper (yeah, I know, "original Last" ... right up there with "Final Fantasy Ten" as oxymorons go).

But I've been told that the Catholic Church believes that the bread and juice is somehow transformed, becoming the actual Body and Blood of Christ while still retaining its bread-and-juice-like appearance. Again, I've heard of this ... I think it's called "transubstantiation" ... but I've never gotten a decent explanation -- or even confirmation. Can you provide either?