For many Protestants, some of the most difficult Catholic Church teachings to accept are the Church’s beliefs surrounding Mary.
This may be due to the following reasons:
- There’s a lot of misunderstanding about what the Catholic Church actually teaches.
- What individual Catholics do in practice doesn’t always match official Roman Catholic Church teaching.
- It’s just *weird* to Protestants who grew up in a completely different culture.
Check out what the official Catholic Church teaches so that some of the facts can be separated from the fiction.
1. Catholics Don’t Worship Mary
Catholics do not worship Mary; 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.
If Catholics’ hearts are in the right place — and they only want to show honor — then it’s not worship.
2. Mary Was Without Original Sin
Catholics believe that Mary was conceived without original sin, not because she earned it or deserved it, but because God chose to preserve her from it in order that she would be a pure vessel for the Holy Baby she would later carry.
Jesus still saved her. He simply saved her before she sinned, rather than after she sinned.
3. Mary Was a Perpetual Virgin
Protestants believe Mary was a virgin up through the time she gave birth to Jesus. Catholics believe she remained a virgin forever.
While the Bible does say that Jesus had brothers and sisters (in verses such as Matthew 13:55-56), Catholic scholars believe that the word “brother” could be better translated as “cousin” or “relative.”
4. Mary is the New Eve
All Christians believe that Jesus is the new Adam (see Romans 5:12-18); Catholics complete the analogy by viewing Mary as the new Eve.
There are verses in Revelation 12 that seem to support this view as well.
5. Mary is the Mother of the Church
Catholics don’t believe Mary created the church, but they do see her as a sort of mother figure. Kind of like Father Abraham to the Jews.
6. Mary is in Heaven
Many Catholics believe that Mary was taken (body and soul) into Heaven. This is celebrated and commemorated on August 15th, which is a holy day of obligation known as The Assumption of Mary.
The Church is silent on whether or not Mary died first before she was taken up to Heaven, so Catholics are free to believe whichever way they want.
7. Mary Acts as an Intercessor
When Protestants need prayer for something, they have two options: They can pray to God themselves, or they can ask others to pray for them. Catholics have a third option: In addition to praying to God directly or asking a friend or family member to pray for them, they can ask a Saint or Mary to pray for them as well.
Catholics don’t believe that you HAVE to pray to Saints or Mary, or that it is better to pray to them than to God, and they don’t only pray to Saints or Mary. They just view it as an option that they have.
15 Common Catholic Church “Facts” Protestants Constantly Get Wrong
Think you know the Catholic Church? Think again.
Despite being the largest Christian denomination in the United States (and the world), much of what people believe about Catholics and the Catholic church simply isn’t true.
Are you guilty of believing any of these 15 Catholic Church myths?
15 Common Catholic Church “Facts” Protestants Constantly Get Wrong
10 Famous People You Didn’t Know Were Catholic
Celebrities and other famous people often keep their personal beliefs and religious affiliations private, but sometimes, their faith is an essential part of their lives. While some famous people openly embrace their Catholic faith, others may surprise you with their devoutness.
In this article, we’ll explore ten famous people you may not have known were Catholic.
Brittany Ann is an ECPA bestselling author and founder of Equipping Godly Women and Monetize My Ministry. She’s also a Christian speaker, podcaster, and conference host. Her work has been featured on numerous TV, radio, and online ministries, including CBN, MSN, Christianity Today, Evangelical Alliance, Patheos, Crosswalk, and more.
