Why Do Protestants...

[Selah]

abhor the idea of Mary being our Mother?

Well, maybe not "abhor". "dislike" would probably be a better word.

[HisChildForever]

Many believe that we worship her.

[SpareTime]

[quote name='Selah' post='1668514' date='Oct 2 2008, 03:04 PM']abhor the idea of Mary being our Mother?

Well, maybe not "abhor". "dislike" would probably be a better word.[/quote]

because it has been drilled into their heads that catholics worship her, therefore we are comitting idolatry, in their eyes.

[prose]

Yeah. What they said. Saints too. We are "worshiping" things that are not God.

[LouisvilleFan]

Not really sure about the idea of Mary as our spiritual Mother. It's not something I ever gave much thought as a Protestant, positive or negative. Nearly all Christians accept the Council of Ephesus that proclaimed Mary as Mother of God, so I don't think most Protestants dispute her spiritual motherhood nearly as much as praying to Mary and the saints.

[Balthazor]

Because they all beleive that Freudian malarchy that everyone should or does hate thier mother????

[Church Punk]

They are simply misunderstanding Her. A lot also have a big problem with the dogma of her perpetual virginity.

[hoosieranna]

From my own experience (NB-I'm still not Catholic): external appearances were that Mary and the saints were be worshipped on a par with the Trinity. I understand and appreciate the difference now, but I've had it explained to me by patient and charitable PMers. Not all non-Catholics have or want that opportunity.

[Tinkerlina]

[quote name='Selah' post='1668514' date='Oct 2 2008, 05:04 PM']abhor the idea of Mary being our Mother?

Well, maybe not "abhor". "dislike" would probably be a better word.[/quote]

I think it all goes back to the "Catholics worship Mary" nonsense. I've also actually heard some arguments that although Mary is the physical mother of Jesus, she is not actually "the mother of God" because God begot Jesus. I never really understood the issue myself. -Katie

[MIKolbe]

i think they are jealous of our wicked-cool Rosaries.

[Paddington]

It bothers a lot of Protestants that Mary is sometimes described and addressed in language that they would reserve only for Christ.

"Sweet Heart of Mary, be my salvation" is one example.

[doe-jo]

[quote name='MIkolbe' post='1668577' date='Oct 2 2008, 04:17 PM']i think they are jealous of our wicked-cool Rosaries.[/quote]
This.

[she_who_is_not]

Some protestants accept Mary and the Saints. My Episcopal church recited the Angelus after every mass, and had communal rosary after weekday mass-without the Fatima invocation. May crowning, too! The Eucharistic liturgy also uses the invocation, "with the ever blessed Virgin and the Saints."
I guess I'm not a qualified protestant to answer your question.

P.S. The Regina Coeli is sung in English during Eastertide. So pretty!

[Selah]

[quote name='doe-jo' post='1668656' date='Oct 2 2008, 08:17 PM']This.[/quote]

[MissyP89]

You were one, did you?

[Selah]

haha. To tell you the truth, not really. i actually liked the idea of having a mother. But hey.

[LouisvilleFan]

[quote name='Paddington' post='1668655' date='Oct 2 2008, 08:16 PM']It bothers a lot of Protestants that Mary is sometimes described and addressed in language that they would reserve only for Christ.

"Sweet Heart of Mary, be my salvation" is one example.[/quote]

This is a good point. Many, if not most, Protestants understand on an intellectual level that we are not giving Mary any worship due only to God. However, I sense that while they are fine with us doing our thing, they see no reason to pick up any Marian devotion of their own. Why use this kind of language for Mary and risk placing her on a pedestal above Christ when you could just as well say "Sweet Heart of Jesus, be my salvation"?

I, for one, even after becoming Catholic still felt very uncomfortable with John Paul II's "Totus tuus" or "I am all yours" prayer to Mary following the attempted assassination. However, at some point it occured to me that if we're following Christ to the Cross, we should realize that God didn't just fall to earth from nowhere: God's first act in descending to earth was the Incarnation, in which He gave Himself entirely to Mary and allowed Himself to be fully dependent on her. The mutual humility between Jesus and Mary is amazing, as Mary humbled herself to God's will, allowing God to humble Himself to Mary's will.

I think when Marian devotion is presented in a way that moves the focus away from Hail Mary's and apparitions and back to a clear focus on Christ, Protestants can be a lot more open to the idea and perhaps even practice some level of Marian devotion in their own way.

[BG45]

[quote name='Nadezhda' post='1668546' date='Oct 2 2008, 06:21 PM']From my own experience (NB-I'm still not Catholic): external appearances were that Mary and the saints were be worshipped on a par with the Trinity. I understand and appreciate the difference now, but I've had it explained to me by patient and charitable PMers. Not all non-Catholics have or want that opportunity.[/quote]

Seconded!

[Selah]

I wish they could see how beautiful Marian Devotion is...

It's like thanking God for the Blessed Virgin...like Paul told the Church that he thanked God whenever he remembered them...I thank God every time I remember my Mother.

[Tinkerlina]

[quote name='MIkolbe' post='1668577' date='Oct 2 2008, 07:17 PM']i think they are jealous of our wicked-cool Rosaries.[/quote]

Haha!