10 Common Catholic Stereotypes, Myths, and Misconceptions
There are lots of wrong ideas about the Catholic Church out there. Are you guilty of believing any of these 10 very common Catholic stereotypes, myths, or misconceptions?
Two years ago, I read a book that would change my perspective on Christianity forever: Surprised by Truth* by Patrick Madrid.
While it (and all of the research I did afterward) wasn’t enough to fully convert me to Catholicism, it did poke some pretty big holes in everything I was taught growing up as a Protestant, and it exposed lots of stereotypes about Catholics that I’d heard.
Things I was so sure of before — basic tenets of my faith — were suddenly glaringly wrong.
It was a pretty tumultuous time, as I reevaluated everything I’d believed my whole life. It was the start of something big, and it was the start of the series you’re reading now.
(You can read the whole series here, if you’re interested.)
Now, two years later, I’m still not fully convinced that Catholic Christianity has it all right. But I’m not convinced they don’t either.
What I do know is that much of what people believe about Catholics and the Catholic church simply isn’t true. Lots of what people “know” aren’t facts — they are Catholic stereotypes that don’t hold up when we dig just a big deeper.
And today, I’d like to set the record straight.
Are you guilty of believing any of these Catholic stereotypes and myths?
*This post contains affiliate links. Please see my full disclosure statement for additional information.
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A Few Things to Keep in Mind Before We Begin…
1. This post is about official Catholic belief — not what Catholics do in the privacy of their own homes.
What a religion officially teaches and how the people put it into practice are two entirely different things. In this post, I want to replace Catholic stereotypes with accurate information. This post is only meant to talk about what Catholicism actually officially teaches — not what people actually do in the privacy of their own homes or in their local churches.
(There will always be individual people messing things up in every religion)
2. This post is just an introduction to Catholic stereotypes, myths, and misconceptions.
This post is not meant to be an exhaustive guide to everything the Catholic Church teaches and misconceptions about it. That’d be waaaaay too long for a single blog post! It’s simply an overview of 10 of the most common stereotypes about Catholics and their beliefs.
Please see the links below each point to read about each issue more in depth. There are some really great posts in the rest of this series, and they explain these Catholic myths in ways a simple paragraph or two cannot adequately cover.
Want to Explore Catholic Stereotypes in More Depth?
I have a free guide that will help you do just that!
“10 Common Catholic Church Myths that Critics Believe” contains all the Catholic stereotypes from this article so you can print them out, refer back to them, and share them with others.
Plus – it even includes 5 bonus myths not included in this article!
If you are looking for information to help you share with non-Catholic family members OR if you’re thinking about becoming Catholic but you still have some questions about Catholic misconceptions — this is a fantastic resource to have on hand.
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Alright, let’s dive in!
10 Common Catholic Stereotypes, Myths, and Misconceptions
Myth #1: Catholics Aren’t Christians
Actually, Catholics consider themselves to be the original Christians, who are doing their best to hold to the same beliefs and traditions that the church held to in the first century.
According to Catholics, Catholics and Protestants are all Christians, and both Catholics and Protestants can go to Heaven. The Protestant denominations are simply off-shoots of Catholicism (or of other denominations) that branched off over various disagreements about what the Catholic Church was teaching.
Whether Catholics have held fast to the right teachings throughout the ages or whether they veered off and the Protestant denominations got us back on track — that’s something I’m still trying to discover.
This is a big Catholic myth to kick off this post: Even though Catholic stereotype #1 says that Catholics aren’t Christians, the truth is that Catholics are doing their best to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ (and isn’t that one of the things that makes a Christian a Christian?).
Myth #2: The Catholic Church Abandoned the Bible for Man-Made Traditions
While the Catholic Church does have many traditions that aren’t explicitly found in the Bible, so does every church (and so do you, in your home). Traditions themselves aren’t bad. It’s only when we prioritize them over God himself or when they take us farther away from God instead of drawing us near that they cause problems.
One reason that the Catholic Church has so many traditions is that the first century apostles didn’t write down absolutely every single thing they taught. In fact, John 21:25 tells us,
“Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.”
Catholics do their best to value and uphold both the written and oral teachings that were passed down from the apostles. Protestants look to the written teachings (the Bible) only.
The Catholic Church still highly prioritizes Scripture. It just isn’t their only source of information (and nowhere in the Scriptures does it tell us it should be).
Catholic stereotype #2 tells us that Catholics abandoned the Bible, but the truth is that Catholics use the Bible along with written and oral traditions.
For more on this topic, I’d highly recommend my post Who Has the Ultimate Authority? A Biblical Look at Sola Scriptura. You can also find the explanations for many common Catholic traditions in Why Do Catholics…? Honest Answers to Your Burning Questions.
Myth #3: Catholics Worship Mary / Saints / Statues
It’s easy to see how some Catholic stereotypes (like this one) got started, but again, it really is just another of many misconceptions about the Catholic Church.
Catholics do not worship Mary or statues; they worship God alone.
Instead, they “venerate” Mary, which, according to Google, is just a fancy word for “regard with great respect.” Similar to how we would show great honor or respect to a King or Queen, without actually worshiping them, Catholics hold Mary and other saints in high esteem as good examples of how to live a faithful life.
Yes, to Protestants, the practices definitely look like worship, and it’s easy to understand why this Catholic myth is still around. But since worship is an attitude of the heart, I don’t think you can “accidentally” worship someone and not know it. If Catholics’ hearts are in the right place — and they only want to show honor — then it’s not worship.
And it’s the same with statues as well. Catholics don’t worship statues. Instead, they are used as decorations to help Catholics remember people who have gone before, similar to how you might put pictures of your friends and family on your wall, or even a baseball card collection you may have had as a kid.
You look at them, you remember them, but you certainly don’t worship them.
They’re just decorations or teaching instruments meant to inspire faith.
Sure, Catholics might have statues and talk about saints who lived a long time ago. But contrary to Catholic stereotype #3, the truth is that Catholics honor Mary and other examples of faith (even with statues!) while saving their worship for God alone.
*For more information on this, don’t miss my post Do Catholics Worship Mary, Saints or Statues?
Myth #4: Catholics Believe People are Saved by Works
The Catholic Church does NOT teach that people are saved by their works. In fact, the catechism of the Catholic Church actually specifically forbids this notion.
Rather, the Catholic Churches basically teaches that, “If you call yourself a Christian, but you don’t act like it, maybe you’re not really a Christian after all.” Or, “Yes, God saves you through faith, but it’s a living faith that naturally produces good works.”
This Catholic teaching is actually 100% Biblical (here are plenty of Bible verses that support it), and is even taught by some highly respected Protestant/non-denominational pastors, including the most Godly man I’ve ever heard speak, Francis Chan.
This widespread Catholic stereotype #4 says that Catholics believe they can get to Heaven by earning it through good works. The truth is that Catholics see good works as the Spirit-inspired fruit of a heart saved by God’s grace alone.
*For a more in-depth look at this topic, please see my other posts Is Faith Alone Enough? and Are You a Christian? Are you Sure?
Myth #5: The Catholic Church Added Books to the Bible
The books that are currently in the Catholic Bible are the same books that the church has recognized as being in the Bible for centuries. It wasn’t until the 16th century that Martin Luther and the Reformers moved them to the appendix, before they were ultimately taken out.
(For the record, Martin Luther wanted to remove James, Hebrew, Jude and Revelations as well, but was unsuccessful. The books that he did remove are called Tobit, Judith, 1 and 2 Maccabees, Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach, and Baruch.)
Whether or not the additional books should have been left in or taken out — I don’t know. I wasn’t there. Guess you have to ask yourself if the early church could have been wrong for 1700 years and the Reformers knew better than the earlier Christians did.
Either way, I’ve read through all these additional books, and there really isn’t much surprising in them. They read like pretty typical Old Testament books. There are a few verses about praying for the dead, but other than that, I don’t recall reading anything that stuck out as especially “Catholic.”
This Catholic stereotype #5 is a doozy because the truth is actually the opposite — one man decided to take out some books that had been in the Bible for over a thousand years.
*For more information, don’t miss my post on Martin Luther, the history of the Catholic Church, and the Bible books issue.
Myth #6: Catholic Priests Can’t Be Married
(Some) Priests are married! Some even have children and grandchildren. (This happens when a man is already married and a priest in a different denomination and then converts to Catholicism later.)
And of those who become priests the usual way and aren’t allowed to get married–not all of them even want to be. Priests know what they’re signing up for. No one is making them be a priest. They have a choice between God and a wife, and it is their choice to make. No one is forcing them to choose one or the other.
Catholic stereotype #6 is in fact the general rule — but the bigger truth is that the path of some Catholic priests does allow them to marry a woman. And those who don’t often consider themselves to be married to the church, the Bride of Christ.
*For more information, read my post on priests, the Pope and confession.
Myth #7: Catholics Recrucify Jesus at Mass
I haven’t heard this Catholic misconception in real life, but apparently it’s popular. Catholics do not re-crucify Jesus at Mass.
Instead, they believe that Jesus and the crucifixion occur outside the limits of time (because God can do cool stuff like that), and so when they celebrate Mass, they are only making the sacrifice (which has already occurred) “present” on the altar.
While Catholic stereotype #7 imagines Catholics as recrucifying Jesus at Mass, the truth is that Catholics believe they are making the eternal reality present in our non-eternal timeline at Mass.
*For a very interesting and in-depth look at the Eucharist, be sure to check out my post Is the Eucharist Really Just a Symbol? 5 Convincing Proofs that Say that It’s Not.
Myth #8: Catholics Believe Only Catholics Can Go to Heaven
While Catholics do believe their religion is the one true religion and the ordinary (most common) means of bringing people to salvation, it is a common Catholic misconception that they believe this is the only way. Instead, they recognize that God can use any means He wants to to bring people to Himself, including those other than the Catholic church, especially if the person has never had the opportunity or knowledge to join the church.
They believe that Protestants who have no reason to suspect their beliefs are incorrect can go to Heaven, as well as Protestants who were planning to convert before death but hadn’t done so yet.
Furthermore, Catholics do not believe you can say with 100% certainty who will go to Heaven (though you can have a good idea) simply because God is judge and we are not — and who are we to presume to know His thoughts?
Even though Catholic stereotype #8 imagines Catholics as very close-minded about the salvation of others, the truth is that Catholic teaching leaves lots of room for God’s grace to work in every single person’s salvation.
Myth #9: Catholic Priests are Child Molesters
Yes, the Catholic church has had huge and horrible scandals in which some priests were molesting children. This was absolutely awful and shameful, and they will have to stand before Jesus for what they did. That part is not one of the myths about the Catholic Church.
But if you look at the statistics, only a very small minority of priests were involved, and it isn’t really fair to blame the entire Church or dismiss the Church’s core teachings for what a few did. Scandals like this happen in EVERY church and in every city. That doesn’t make everyone guilty of the crimes of a few, and it does NOT mean that innocent Catholic priests deserve negative treatment today because of this stereotype.
It is heartbreaking that Catholic stereotype #9 does have some truth to it — some Catholic priests have molested children. But the truth is that the vast number of priests are men who serve God humbly and who shepherd their flock instead of harming the sheep.
*For more information, be sure to check out my series post on priests, the pope and confession.
Myth #10: The Catholic Church is Anti-Women
The church isn’t anti-anyone. They do believe birth control is morally wrong — the same thing every denomination believed until 1930. But when pretty much every other denomination began to change its mind, the Catholic church held its ground on this teaching. They continue to teach the same thing today, even when this gets interpreted as an “anti-woman” Catholic misconception.
The Catholic church also doesn’t allow women to be priests, which has upset many. But if you look at their rate of women in non-priest leadership positions, it is WAY higher than average. The Catholic church may not do things the “feminist” way, but they do hold women in very high esteem, even referring to them as the “crown of creation.” That’s pretty special if you ask me 🙂
So while Catholic stereotype #10 paints the Catholic church as an “anti-woman” institution, the truth is that many women are in leadership positions in the Catholic church, and the Catholic church holds women in very high regard.
Like I said earlier, the intent of this post is ONLY to dispel a few stereotypes about Catholics so that, going forward, your thoughts and opinions aren’t swayed by misinformation. I’m not trying to convert or persuade, just to present you with some information about Protestant and Catholic beliefs so YOU can make an informed decision of your own. 🙂
Ready for more? You can read through the rest of the posts in this Catholic vs Protestant series here OR see what I ended up deciding in my latest Catholic update post here.
I’d love to hear your thoughts and opinions on these Catholic stereotypes and myths, or others you’ve heard! Leave me a note (or a book 🙂 ) in the comments section below!
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Ready for More?
Honestly, these 10 stereotypes are just the start. Download the print version to get a handy guide you can refer to later or share with others AND get 5 bonus Catholic myths that aren’t included in this article!
Response to Myth #3.
Me: Ok, you might not worship Mary, but what about Catholic teachings about who Mary is? ->
Catechism# 494 “Thus, giving her consent to God’s word, Mary becomes the mother of Jesus. Espousing the divine will for salvation wholeheartedly, without a single sin to restrain her,…”
Bible
Luke 1:46-47 “And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.”
Me: If Mary calls Jesus her Savior, what is she being saved from? – sin.
Luke 2:34-35 And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.
Romans 3:23 “For ALL have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”
Catechism# 966, “Finally the Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all stain of original sin, when the course of her earthly life was finished, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things,” “…You conceived the living God and, by your prayers, will deliver our souls from death.”
Catechism# 969 “Taken up to heaven she did not lay aside this saving office but by her manifold intercession continues to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation…. Therefore the Blessed Virgin is invoked in the Church under the titles of Advocate, Helper, Benefactress, and Mediatrix.”
Bible:
1 Timothy 2:5 “For there is one God, and ONE MEDIATOR between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;”
1 John 2:1 “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:”
About Jesus: Hebrews 4:15 “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”
I actually do have answers to these objections, and will address them all in my post on Mary and the Saints on March 4th.
Response to Myth #8
Catechism #841 “The Church’s relationship with the Muslims. “The plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator, in the first place amongst whom are the Muslims; these profess to hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, merciful God, mankind’s judge on the last day.””
Me: This contradicts catechism contradicts a different catechism:
Catechism #181 “the Church is the mother of all believers. “No one can have God as Father who does not have the Church as Mother””
Bible
John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
Quote from the article: “you can’t claim ignorance anymore. Sorry. But really, don’t you WANT to know the truth?”
Re: Catechism #841: I would read that to mean that God has a plan for them, not that they are automatically saved.
Re: Catechism #181: No answer for this, though the church does also teach that while the Church is the normative way of salvation, God is not limited and can use other means as well. That probably doesn’t help though.
Response to Myth #2
Catechism #97 “Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture make up a single sacred deposit of the Word of God”
Bible
Colossians 2:8 “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”
Revelation 22:18-19 “For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.”
Galatians 1:9 “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.”
Me: It is ok if we have tradition. But we must call it as such: tradition. It could guide us but it can never be equal to or above the Word of God. If the Bible tells us something that is contrary to our tradition, we must go with the Bible.
The Traditions of the Catholic church don’t contradict what the Bible says; they are meant to clarify.
For example, in my post on the Eucharist, I mention that just reading the words “This is my body” wasn’t convincing to me. But when I dove into history and learned more from sources other than the Bible–they don’t change what the Bible says, but they helped me to understand what I was reading in the proper context.
For more on tradition, I highly encourage you to read my latest post in this series: Who Has the Ultimate Authority? A Biblical Look at Sola Scriptura. I’d love to hear your thoughts on it!
A response to a different Catholic teaching:
Catechism #1493 One who desires to obtain reconciliation with God and with the Church, must confess to a priest all the unconfessed grave sins he remembers after having carefully examined his conscience.
Catechism #1461 “…Indeed bishops and priests, by virtue of the sacrament of Holy Orders, have the power to forgive all sins…”
Bible
Mark 2:6 But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, 7. Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only? 10. But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins,
Matthew 9:6 “But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins,”
While I’m not convinced that we HAVE to go to a priest, Mark 2:6 is the pharisees talking. Just because they thought that God was the only one who can forgive sins doesn’t make it true. They were confused on a lot of things, and rightfully so. Jesus really shook things up when he came!
And also, this conversation was probably before John 20:23, in which Jesus says to the apostles “If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.” So if Jesus told the apostles they could forgive sins… then it must not be exclusive to God alone.
Matthew 9:6 says the Son of Man can, but it doesn’t say ONLY the Son of Man can.
“So if Jesus told the apostles they could forgive sins… then it must not be exclusive to God alone.”
Remember what happens and comes just before “whose sins you forgive are forgiven, and whose sins you retain are retained,” though: “receive the Holy Spirit.” Christ, the Son of Man, breathed on His Apostles. No priest forgives sins by his own power, but through the power of God.
Only God can forgive sins, but that doesn’t mean that God can’t act through the priest because the priest is conformed to Christ in a particular way through the same power of God– namely, to stand in the person of Christ.
What about myth #9?
Romans 1:22-25 “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.”
While I see how this verse can apply, I don’t see that it HAS to apply. You could apply it to many different things, including many Protestant pastors. So I don’t think it really proves anything… (Unless I’m missing something–which I could be!)
This is the most important objection I have to Catholicism:
Catechism #2782
“So then you who have become sharers in Christ are appropriately called “Christs.”
Catechism #795
Let us rejoice then and give thanks that we have become not only Christians, but Christ himself. Do you understand and grasp, brethren, God’s grace toward us? Marvel and rejoice: we have become Christ.
Catechism #460
“For the Son of God became man so that we might become God.” “The only-begotten Son of God, wanting to make us sharers in his divinity, assumed our nature, so that he, made man, might make men gods.”
Bible
Genesis 3:4-5 “And the SERPENT said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and YE SHALL BE AS GODS, knowing good and evil.”
Isaiah 44:6 “Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.”
This is a great objection, and one I plan on looking into much further. I had never heard anything like this, until our RCIA teacher mentioned something in passing last week. I thought “surely I must have misunderstood what he was saying.” BUT… definitely need to look into this more. I know that the Church sees priests acting in place of (or as the ambassador for) Christ, but I can’t imagine they really think we will all turn into God someday! I hope not at least.
So in response to Myth #1,
With all due respect, but how can I in good conscience call them brothers and sisters, those who believe the above catechisms? I can’t. This is why I don’t consider Catholics to be Christians. If anything, you follow a different “christ”, not the Christ of the Bible, not the God of the Bible.
I guess that depends on what you consider the qualifications to be a Christian to be. For me, I would call anyone who does their best to follow Christ, who believes in the Trinity, who believes in Jesus’s birth, death, resurrection and our hope of eternal life as Christian. Those are the basics to me. And when I talk with friends and family who are Catholic and hear their beliefs, they live and believe so similar to how I believe, except in the details, that I can’t imagine saying they can’t be Christian at all because they got a few points wrong. I’m sure ALL denominations get a few points wrong. We won’t know the 100% truth with absolute certainty til we get to Heaven, though we are all trying our very best.
Not quite: God acts through the priest.
Upon ordination, the priest is ontologically changed and conformed to Christ to stand in the person of Christ the High Priest. He is changed in essence. What he is given– the authority to forgive and absolve sins and to change bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ– is given to him by Christ through His successors, the Apostles, the first bishops, who were given that authority by Christ and are themselves priests. Those things happen through Christ’s Own Holy Spirit.
Also, we partake in divinity by living through, with, and in Jesus Christ (you might want to zero in on the “through Him, with Him, and in Him” part of the Mass): we have the same quality of life that God has– He is to abide in us, and we in Him. In addition, the serpent tempts Eve by sowing the seeds of dissatisfaction with what she already has in a life already in Communion with God in Eden. In Eden, Adam and Eve walked in easy companionship with God. After the Fall, man tends to think that God is in competition with him, which is where I suspect Oleg’s thoughts are coming from. The companionship and cooperation with God in Eden before the Fall, Isaiah, and life in Christ do not contradict each other. Isaiah is not saying that we will take the place of God, not when Christ came so that we may become one with God, which is the whole point of God’s covenant with His people, and the Old and New Testaments, anyway.
To clarify…we absolutely do not worship Mary or the Saints but we do pray for them to intercede for us…after all who better than a Mother to intercede for her children?! Certain Saints are known as being great as interceding for specific areas…St. Anthony is the finder of lost things, St. Christopher for travelers, St. Blaise for throat injuries, etc…again I say they are not worshipped but they are asked for help.
Also, in regards to being Christ…we just had the reading two weeks ago where it is spoken of us “members of Christ” and what that is referring to is that we make up the body…members being appendages as in the arms and legs.
In regards to reconciliation, for grave (mortal) sins we see the priest who is standing in God’s place…the priest is not the one granting forgiveness but in order to cleanse our soul it is necessary…and it is the most wonderful feeling after receiving absolution!!
No time for more tonight and thought I should say that I am a cradle catholic..product of a lukewarm (possibly even tepid) catholic and a convert….my paternal grandmother was very devout and I am thankful! I love our catholic faith, that being said, I have things that I struggle with and am still learning as well.
I came across one of your articles today, Brittany, and decided to read them all…shared them all on my facebook page. I think you are doing a great job and can’t wait for the next installments!! God bless you on your journey!!
I probably should have replied where I saw what I was clarifying, but I saw it so many times I figured I’d just post I was too tired and irritated to continue. Many of the lukewarm Catholics really have little to no understanding about why we do things the way we do them…it is deep rooted tradition much of which has been being practiced for 2000 plus years. Most with a deeper understanding of the why would be much more equipped to answer correctly and are more passionate about their faith.
I don’t think its just a problem for Catholics either. Too many people on both sides simply accept what they are taught without question. Hopefully through this series people will be inspired to dig in deep and figure out what they really believe and why–and if it is accurate or not!
Thanks so much Stephanie 🙂
Thanks for the post! Lots of good stuff here! Answers to Myths 6, 8, and 9 need a little clarifying, as they somewhat further perpetuate the myths. For #6: Clarification is that a man who is already married and converts cannot be ordained, but one who is already married, and ordained in certain specific other Christian Churches, such as the Anglicans, could potentially become a married priest in the Catholic Church. As well, there are several priests who have become priests after their spouse has died, who have children and grandchildren, although this is a bit different. For #8, it seems more clarification might be needed in regard to needing to be Catholic to get to Heaven. This is what Catholics believe. The Church does not teach that that any well meaning Christian or other person who is striving to follow their conscience to the best of their ability who is invincibly ignorant of the truths of Catholicism can go to Heaven, but rather, that it is possible for God to work outside of the normal, ordinary means that He setup for us to get there. But the Church definitely does not say that they can. It just says that this is not for them to say what God can or cannot do in this situation. For #9: If you look at all the information related to the abuse problem in the Catholic Church that surfaced and got blown up in the media, it was priests abusing post-pubescent boys, i.e. homosexual abuse of teenage boys. This never surfaced in the media, because the media, and the world at large, is pushing the homosexual agenda heavily. So they incorrectly used the term pedophilia, which is attraction to, and sometimes sexually acting out with children (pre-pubescent), while the correct term for the vast majority of the abuse was actually pederasty, which is the attraction to and at times sexually acting out with post-pubescent boys, i.e. homosexuality.
Thanks for the clarification, Tim!
1. if Mary is highly favored to bear Jesus…. that means…. she is not worthy of it.
2. if all have sinned and Fallon short of Gods glory…. is Mary born into the world or she descended. what make her a sinless personality.
3. Jesus thought his disciples how to pray.
Romans 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
now….. is Mary or any of the saint a spirit
Did Mary died or ascended as spirits do since she has not at any point sined.
4. could Mary have made heaven if Jesus did not come to die. because d Bible said no one was holy
5. according to Catholic prayer….. pray for us now and the hour of our death. does Mary knows the day any man on earth would die….now that she is not on earth….. who gave her d authority to pray for us.
she could not pray so that people can have wine to drink…..instead she referred them to Jesus who turned water to wine…..are u sure she can b able to pray for us or even save herself.
Great questions! I’ll do my best 🙂
1. Yes, Catholics and Protestants all agree that Mary is not worthy of bearing God (or anything) on her own merit. It is only because of God that she is capable of anything at all.
2. Catholics believe that Mary is sinless because God preserved her from Original Sin and that she was able to keep from committing sin throughout the rest of her life.
3. Yes, He did teach us how to pray, but he didn’t say “this is the ONLY way to pray.” Otherwise we’d all say the Lord’s Prayer and nothing else ever.
The Catholic church believes that Mary is in Heaven body and soul, but it is silent on whether she died first. Catholics can believe either way and be perfectly fine. She wouldn’t be the first person to ascend into Heaven without dying, though. Enoch, from the Old Testament, was taken up to Heaven without dying also. (see Hebrews 11:5)
4. Catholics (and many Protestants) believe that Jesus’s death on the cross was outside of time, so it could retroactively be applied to people who came before that time. I don’t believe Catholics believe Mary would have gone to Heaven if Jesus hadn’t died. He saved her from sin, but He still did it through his death, just after the fact. (I think)
5. Catholics are not certain about how much people in Heaven know about what is going on here on Earth. They would say God gave her the authority.
That does not mean she *couldn’t.* There is a big difference between couldn’t and didn’t. She can pray for us the same way I can pray for you. We are all believers, and we can all pray. She couldn’t save herself, though, God saved her. She just cooperated with His plan.
For more on Mary and the Saints, please see the following post in this series, which looks at the issue much more in-depth: What do Catholics Really Believe About Mary, Saints and Statues? And if you have more questions, don’t hesitate to ask!