MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT MARY

There is no battle between Scripture and Marian doctrine. The battle is between competing interpretations of Scripture as it relates to Mary. On the one side we have the 20th century Protestant Fundamentalists who have dispensed with many essential elements of the historic Christian Faith and who have themselves split into over twenty thousand sects that differ on fundamental interpretations of Scripture on various issues. On the other side we have the consistent interpretation of Scripture held for 20 centuries from the time of the New Testament Church. This interpretation, the early Church Fathers taught, was the interpretation of the divinely inspired New Testament writers themselves and this was the interpretation that was ratified by Church Councils and Creeds and accepted even by the Protestant Reformers. This is the Faith of the Fathers that has been held from the beginning and that continues to be affirmed today by Christians of many different denominations. The one century-old Fundamentalist interpretations of Scripture deny Marian doctrine and devotion - and in many cases even Christological and Trinitarian doctrine. Twenty centuries of the historic Christian Faith, however, affirm the fundamental Marian doctrines as essential and true. If a Fundamentalist were to read the writings of the ancient Church Fathers, both East and West, he will be shocked to see that every one of them writes of Mary with the highest reverence, showering her with affectionate praise. These are the men who helped establish the canon of Scripture and gave us the great doctrines of Christendom.

The chief misconceptions about Marian doctrine and devotion popularized by the Fundamentalists may be summed up as follows:

(a) "Biblical" Mary Dramatically Different from the Mary of Mariology

According to Fundamentalists the Mary of Scripture is dramatically different from the Mary of Mariology. It is their contention that the biblical Mary was a simple peasant girl, conscious of her humble status, who had none of the attributes or titles given to her by later devotees. Their view of Mary is based on their interpretation both of the overall scriptural message and of scriptural references to Mary.

(b) Mary in Scripture Seen as Slighted by Christ

A favorite theme of Fundamentalist critiques is the alleged slights to and rebukes of Mary by Jesus. When Mary and the relatives of Jesus come to see Him He uses that occasion to explain who His real brethren are (those who do the will of the Father). When a woman proclaims the blessedness of Mary for being His mother He uses the occasion to point out that blessedness comes from hearing the word of God and doing His will. When Mary asks for Jesus' help in Cana, He says His hour has not yet come. Citing these three incidents, Fundamentalists claim that Jesus did not have any special regard for Mary and she had no special place in His mission of salvation.

(c) Marian Doctrines Are Without Exception Unscriptural

Next, the Fundamentalists claim that the doctrines of Divine Maternity (Mother of God), Perpetual Virginity, Immaculate Conception and Assumption contradict or add to Scripture and obscure the uniqueness of Christ. According to them, Scripture says nothing of her immaculate conception or assumption or mediation or of her being the Mother of God. In fact Scripture can be interpreted as denying all these privileges and titles.

(d) Marian Mediation and Intercession Contrary to Salvation by Faith Alone

The mere idea of prayers to Mary for her intercession leads to a theology of salvation by works and, worse, denies the all-sufficiency of Christ's redemptive death and His unique

mediatorship.

(f) Idolatry and Diabolic Signs and Wonders

In practice Marian devotees worship Mary thus violating biblical prohibitions against worship of anyone but God. Statues of Mary violate the prohibition against idolatry. Claims of Marian apparitions are unacceptable on scriptural grounds and the alleged signs and wonders associated with Marian apparitions can be attributed to the Devil.

These critiques and misconceptions will be addressed in the chapters that follow. At this point, it is important to note that the basic difference between Fundamentalists and Marian devotees is not Sola Scriptura (Scripture alone) or Sola Fidei/Sola Gratia (salvation by grace and faith alone). The basic difference centers more on the questions of private interpretation and human freedom: Marian devotees accept a single authoritative and historic interpretation while Fundamentalists have no authoritative or consistent interpretation of Scripture; Marian devotees believe that the grace for salvation comes entirely from God but that we have the freedom to accept or reject this grace while Fundamentalists believe that God pre-determines who is to be saved and who is to be damned regardless of the choices they make.

We see from the start that the real question at issue is interpretation: whose applications of Scripture, whose interpretations are authoritative. The Fundamentalists have multiple conflicting interpretations and many of their interpretations contradict those of their forefathers, the Reformers. Only recognition of the binding nature of the affirmations of the historic Christian Faith can lead us to a full and accurate understanding of Mary. Only an awareness of the Spirit of Truth unfolding the mysteries of faith can lead us to the truth about Mary. While recognizing this we will address the most common misconceptions about Mary. It is amusing that when Fundamentalists themselves are confronted by charges of alleged contradictions in Scriptures they swiftly respond by saying that you must "study Scripture as a whole" and harmonize "apparently conflicting passages." The same Fundamentalists, however, have no qualms about arbitrarily wielding irrelevant proof-texts against historic Marian doctrines (although such texts can easily be shown to be consistent with Marian doctrine when viewed in the context of Scripture as a whole).

Marian doctrine and devotion are fundamental to the historic Christian Faith for the following reasons: the clear witness of the Old and the New Testaments; the role of Mary in Scripture as Daughter of Zion, Ark of the Covenant and the New Eve; the liturgies and devotion of the earliest Christian communities; the crucial link between Marian doctrine and Christological and Trinitarian doctrine; and the consistent experience of Mary in the lives of millions of Christians through the centuries as they gave themselves to Jesus.

Before we go any further, however, we must consider the starting-points in our quest for the truth about Mary.

 (source : http://www.bringyou.to/apologetics/ )

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