GOD

[maggiethebestdog]

[QUOTE=The Kraken;26268868]Evolution isn't believing that animals morphed int..... Nevermind, we've already covered what "sharing an common ancestor" means

evolution is driven by genetic mutations that over time either favor a particular environment and are passed on at a higher rate, or they don't favor an environment and become extinct

Thats all evolution is, genetic

[brainfreeze]

Long video ...but this is the type of stuff that started me on my journey to having a relationship with Christ after falling away for sometime. These are all facts, and kudos to this guy for putting it together in a organized format.

if you watch, take your time and pause it. Do some research and fact checking, don't take ANYONES word for anything ... Prayer and seeking will open truth to the heart and mind. This guy took five years to put this research together, I've been studying stuff like it for much longer, glad someone put it together though the sophisticated mess it is...

[TheAntFather]

"I am well aware that because I did not study the ancients, some foolish men will accuse me of being uneducated. They will say that because I did not learn from their schoolbooks, I am unqualified to express an opinion. But I would reply that my conclusions are drawn from firsthand experience, unlike the scholars who only believe what they read in books written by others."

"Although I cannot quote from authors in the same way they do, I shall rely on a much worthier thing, actual experience, which is the only thing that could ever have properly guided the men that they learn from."

"These scholars strut around in a pompous way, without any thoughts of their own, equipped only with the thoughts of others, and they want to stop me from having my own thoughts. And if they despise me for being an inventor, then how much more should they be despised for not being inventors but followers and reciters of the works of others."

"When the followers and reciters of the works of others are compared to those who are inventors and interpreters between Nature and man, it is as though they are non-existent mirror images of some original. Given that it is only by chance that we are invested with human form, I might think of them as being a herd of animals."

"Those who try to censor knowledge do harm to both knowledge and love, because love is the offspring of knowledge, and the passion of love grows in proportion to the certainty of knowledge. The more we know about nature, the more we can be certain of what we know, and so the more love we can feel for nature as a whole."

"Of what use are those who try to restrict what we know to only those things that are easy to comprehend, often because they themselves are not inclined to learn more about a particular subject, like the subject of the human body."

"And yet they want to comprehend the mind of God, talking about it as though they had already dissected it into parts. Still they remain unaware of their own bodies, of the realities of their surroundings, and even unaware of their own stupidity."

"Along with the scholars, they despise the mathematical sciences, which are the only true sources of information about those things which they claim to know so much about. Instead they talk about miracles and write about things that nobody could ever know, things that cannot be proven by any evidence in nature."

"It seems to me that all studies are vain and full of errors unless they are based on experience and can be tested by experiment, in other words, they can be demonstrated to our senses. For if we are doubtful of what our senses perceive then how much more doubtful should we be of things that our senses cannot perceive, like the nature of God and the soul and other such things over which there are endless disputes and controversies."

"Wherever there is no true science and no certainty of knowledge, there will be conflicting speculations and quarrels. However, whenever things are proven by scientific demonstration and known for certain, then all quarreling will cease. And if controversy should ever arise again, then our first conclusions must have been questionable."

Leonardo da Vinci

[bobbywaves]

Ignorant views like this, is why Leonardo was forced to stick to painting.

Antfather's time would be much better served concentrating on paying his debt, rather than quoting ignorance:

http://www.sportsbookreview.com/forum/betpoints/3130075-sbr-pro-looking-5000-betpoints-loan.html

[brainfreeze]

Current news highlights ... The part talking about 3 parents is a problem. " designer babies " is wrong ...and will have severe consequences for all of humanity... Some dangerous stuff..can change a lot with " designer babies "

[brainfreeze]

[poljovkapav]

LeBron

[brainfreeze]

God loves you

[Mr KLC]

[Mr KLC]

[Mr KLC]

[brainfreeze]

ai intelligence and genetic manipulation, love how this guy ends the video. " God has designed the world that we don't have to know Him, He's more real than anything else, and He gives us the choice to know Him, and that is a gift " ..

[Roscoe_Word]

Science can't disprove the existence of God. Great audio book out by Amir somebody, narrated by Grover Garland. Great listen.

[brainfreeze]

There was a bird yelling in distress tonight (around midnight), i thought what in the world is this!! i heard CAAAW---CAAAWW!! i went out and look, there was a raven (american crow) laying in a plant on my doorstep at about 10 o'clock as i looked to my 1 o'clock there was a cat, now fleeing because it seen me... first i thought what can i do with it? Call pet folks? it's midnight ... anyway the bird didn't want to stay out there and flew into the house!! Didn't know what to do with it, he could fly but not at 100%, i say 75% ... i rapped the bird up in a blanket ...

i set it in a concrete area of my backyard, i've never seen cats or anything back there. i gave it some food and water. The raven did try to fly a bit but failed to clear the gutter of the house and landed back down... so, i guess i'll be watching over the bird for the moment. Hopefully by tom. or next day he will gather strength and be rehabbed ...
just thought i would share that ...along with this fitting verse, God bless

Luke 12:24
24Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?

[sportsfan9698]

That is why they call it faith

Could all of this happen without god?

[brainfreeze]

i hope people aren't losing real money betting these story lines ... " the cubs " the 3-1 deficit ... then with lebron & irving with their 3-1 deficit ... it's just a game, for children really... and they've captured the mind of a global audience. Things are so much more serious in life, and these " record breaking " moments i believe is in relation with that...

i pray God have mercy on us in such a state we've fallen in to... wake up folks, snap out of the " rig/falsehoods " that's been set before us, and recognize the bigger picture

[brainfreeze]

I not always agree with alex jones or his fear stuff ..but here some truth that I've been saying all along...

Maybe now some of you will believe what i've been trying to tell you guys all along... better yet don't believe me, believe Him

God bless

[xdodger19]

evolution is driven by genetic mutations that over time either favor a particular environment and are passed on at a higher rate, or they don't favor an environment and become extinct



Thas a lie
1. evolution does not exist, anyone who thinks animals mate and make people is an idiot
2. Yes evolutionists do believe animals morph into humans, dumb evolutionists cant even comprhend their own fairy tale
3 mutations are harmful, the very word mutation implies a correct original design to begin with
Just so story - Your assertion is just a lie mutations dont cause evolution,
evolutionists think merely stating an assertion is evidence for an assertion
The Bible explains life brings forth after its own kind, humans are distinct from the animal kindom
basic logic, and biology, the evidence of God is the creation itself
Atheists who are really satanists are lying scumbags that claim animals turn into people complete lunacy
They also claim dirt just comes to life spontaneously which is impossible
Then these liars claim they need "evidence" for God but they advance crazy lies with no evidence at all
any time an atheist says they need evidence you can be sure they are lying

Mutations dont favor anything
Incoherent nonsense is also standard practice for atheist liars, they try to lie and confuse people by trying
to say things they think are intellectual. To say a mutation favors anything is nonsense because only something
that is alive has preferences
This is an example of how atheists bs people
No evolution is not genetic, its a lie atheists tell
genetics proves evolution is impossible

[brainfreeze]

evolution is driven by genetic mutations that over time either favor a particular environment and are passed on at a higher rate, or they don't favor an environment and become extinct



Thas a lie
1. evolution does not exist, anyone who thinks animals mate and make people is an idiot
2. Yes evolutionists do believe animals morph into humans, dumb evolutionists cant even comprhend their own fairy tale
3 mutations are harmful, the very word mutation implies a correct original design to begin with
Just so story - Your assertion is just a lie mutations dont cause evolution,
evolutionists think merely stating an assertion is evidence for an assertion
The Bible explains life brings forth after its own kind, humans are distinct from the animal kindom
basic logic, and biology, the evidence of God is the creation itself
Atheists who are really satanists are lying scumbags that claim animals turn into people complete lunacy
They also claim dirt just comes to life spontaneously which is impossible
Then these liars claim they need "evidence" for God but they advance crazy lies with no evidence at all
any time an atheist says they need evidence you can be sure they are lying

Mutations dont favor anything
Incoherent nonsense is also standard practice for atheist liars, they try to lie and confuse people by trying
to say things they think are intellectual. To say a mutation favors anything is nonsense because only something
that is alive has preferences
This is an example of how atheists bs people
No evolution is not genetic, its a lie atheists tell
genetics proves evolution is impossible

They aren't dumb dodger, most of them are pretty intelligent but have been deceived by their proffesors and universities to believe these lies. They don't want to believe they've been lied to by teachers whom they love and trust. They have learned things all their lives from these sources, and to tell some folks now that it was a lie can shatter the programming that they've been indoctrinated to. They will have to accept they don't have the answers. They will have to accept that they have to dig deeper before they understand how life came to be and the purpose of it.

They've been confused, deceived, by a very witty tale. The ones that our conscience of the tale are some dark individuals who live off of lies, hate, and leading humanity astray. Most of them are not that way, so why call them dumb? You aren't making anyone think about the argument that way. They are thinking to either attack back at you or disengage. Just state the case and let hearts fall where they may...

[bobbywaves]

[brainfreeze]

God bless America !!



Thank you Jesus! Miracles do come true!!

[brainfreeze]

Just wanted to say, we are moving .... fast, in general ... through time, if you haven't noticed the new cards that came in the mail have a chip in them and there is no more sliding in the stores but " inserting " cards .. i think you guys know what's next ... now with trump president, no matter what happens, i know time ....is still moving. im well aware and very observant of the times that we are going through. It's big changes ahead ...

i want you all to know, atheist, catholic, jew, muslim, alike .... God loves YOU very much, very very much.... Jesus is the way though, the only way.. WE must accept him, and NOTHING else. Nothing will help us, no MARY, no MUHAMMAD, no YAHWEH even ... only way to the Father is but by His Son.. JESUS CHRIST..

i hope you all well in the times ahead ... should get very interesting, in these very times even ...


God bless

[Seaweed]

Just wanted to say, we are moving .... fast, in general ... through time, if you haven't noticed the new cards that came in the mail have a chip in them and there is no more sliding in the stores but " inserting " cards .. i think you guys know what's next ... now with trump president, no matter what happens, i know time ....is still moving. im well aware and very observant of the times that we are going through. It's big changes ahead ...

i want you all to know, atheist, catholic, jew, muslim, alike .... God loves YOU very much, very very much.... Jesus is the way though, the only way.. WE must accept him, and NOTHING else. Nothing will help us, no MARY, no MUHAMMAD, no YAHWEH even ... only way to the Father is but by His Son.. JESUS CHRIST..

i hope you all well in the times ahead ... should get very interesting, in these very times even ...


God bless

Lol

Mary is the Mother of God


A woman is a man’s mother either if she carried him in her womb or if she was the woman contributing half of his genetic matter or both. Mary was the mother of Jesus in both of these senses; because she not only carried Jesus in her womb but also supplied all of the genetic matter for his human body, since it was through her—not Joseph—that Jesus "was descended from David according to the flesh" (Rom. 1:3).

Since Mary is Jesus’ mother, it must be concluded that she is also the Mother of God: If Mary is the mother of Jesus, and if Jesus is God, then Mary is the Mother of God. There is no way out of this logical syllogism, the valid form of which has been recognized by classical logicians since before the time of Christ.

Although Mary is the Mother of God, she is not his mother in the sense that she is older than God or the source of her Son’s divinity, for she is neither. Rather, we say that she is the Mother of God in the sense that she carried in her womb a divine person—Jesus Christ, God "in the flesh" (2 John 7, cf. John 1:14)—and in the sense that she contributed the genetic matter to the human form God took in Jesus Christ.

To avoid this conclusion, Fundamentalists often assert that Mary did not carry God in her womb, but only carried Christ’s human nature. This assertion reinvents a heresy from the fifth century known as Nestorianism, which runs aground on the fact that a mother does not merely carry the human nature of her child in her womb. Rather, she carries the person of her child. Women do not give birth to human natures; they give birth to persons. Mary thus carried and gave birth to the person of Jesus Christ, and the person she gave birth to was God.

The Nestorian claim that Mary did not give birth to the unified person of Jesus Christ attempts to separate Christ’s human nature from his divine nature, creating two separate and distinctpersons—one divine and one human—united in a loose affiliation. It is therefore a Christological heresy, which even the Protestant Reformers recognized. Both Martin Luther and John Calvin insisted on Mary’s divine maternity. In fact, it even appears that Nestorius himself may not have believed the heresy named after him. Further, the "Nestorian" church has now signed a joint declaration on Christology with the Catholic Church and recognizes Mary’s divine maternity, just as other Christians do.

Since denying that Mary is God’s mother implies doubt about Jesus’ divinity, it is clear why Christians (until recent times) have been unanimous in proclaiming Mary as Mother of God.

The Church Fathers, of course, agreed, and the following passages witness to their lively recognition of the sacred truth and great gift of divine maternity that was bestowed upon Mary, the humble handmaid of the Lord.



Irenaeus

"The Virgin Mary, being obedient to his word, received from an angel the glad tidings that she would bear God" (Against Heresies, 5:19:1 [A.D. 189]).



Hippolytus

"[T]o all generations they [the prophets] have pictured forth the grandest subjects for contemplation and for action. Thus, too, they preached of the advent of God in the flesh to the world, his advent by the spotless and God-bearing (theotokos) Mary in the way of birth and growth, and the manner of his life and conversation with men, and his manifestation by baptism, and the new birth that was to be to all men, and the regeneration by the laver [of baptism]" (Discourse on the End of the World 1 [A.D. 217]).



Gregory the Wonderworker

"For Luke, in the inspired Gospel narratives, delivers a testimony not to Joseph only, but also to Mary, the Mother of God, and gives this account with reference to the very family and house of David" (Four Homilies 1 [A.D. 262]).

"It is our duty to present to God, like sacrifices, all the festivals and hymnal celebrations; and first of all, [the feast of] the Annunciation to the holy Mother of God, to wit, the salutation made to her by the angel, ‘Hail, full of grace!’" (ibid., 2).



Peter of Alexandria

"They came to the church of the most blessed Mother of God, and ever-virgin Mary, which, as we began to say, he had constructed in the western quarter, in a suburb, for a cemetery of the martyrs" (The Genuine Acts of Peter of Alexandria [A.D. 305]).

"We acknowledge the resurrection of the dead, of which Jesus Christ our Lord became the firstling; he bore a body not in appearance but in truth derived from Mary the Mother of God" (Letter to All Non-Egyptian Bishops 12 [A.D. 324]).



Methodius

"While the old man [Simeon] was thus exultant, and rejoicing with exceeding great and holy joy, that which had before been spoken of in a figure by the prophet Isaiah, the holy Mother of God now manifestly fulfilled" (Oration on Simeon and Anna 7 [A.D. 305]).

"Hail to you forever, you virgin Mother of God, our unceasing joy, for unto you do I again return. . . . Hail, you fount of the Son’s love for man. . . . Wherefore, we pray you, the most excellent among women, who boast in the confidence of your maternal honors, that you would unceasingly keep us in remembrance. O holy Mother of God, remember us, I say, who make our boast in you, and who in august hymns celebrate your memory, which will ever live, and never fade away" (ibid., 14).



Cyril of Jerusalem

"The Father bears witness from heaven to his Son. The Holy Spirit bears witness, coming down bodily in the form of a dove. The archangel Gabriel bears witness, bringing the good tidings to Mary. The Virgin Mother of God bears witness" (Catechetical Lectures 10:19 [A.D. 350]).



Ephraim the Syrian

"Though still a virgin she carried a child in her womb, and the handmaid and work of his wisdom became the Mother of God" (Songs of Praise 1:20 [A.D. 351]).



Athanasius

"The Word begotten of the Father from on high, inexpressibly, inexplicably, incomprehensibly, and eternally, is he that is born in time here below of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God" (The Incarnation of the Word of God 8 [A.D. 365]).



Epiphanius of Salamis

"Being perfect at the side of the Father and incarnate among us, not in appearance but in truth, he [the Son] reshaped man to perfection in himself from Mary the Mother of God through the Holy Spirit" (The Man Well-Anchored 75 [A.D. 374]).



Ambrose of Milan

"The first thing which kindles ardor in learning is the greatness of the teacher. What is greater than the Mother of God? What more glorious than she whom Glory Itself chose?" (The Virgins 2:2[7] [A.D. 377]).



Gregory of Nazianz

"If anyone does not agree that holy Mary is Mother of God, he is at odds with the Godhead" (Letter to Cledonius the Priest 101 [A.D. 382]).



Jerome

"As to how a virgin became the Mother of God, he [Rufinus] has full knowledge; as to how he himself was born, he knows nothing" (Against Rufinus 2:10 [A.D. 401]).

"Do not marvel at the novelty of the thing, if a Virgin gives birth to God" (Commentaries on Isaiah 3:7:15 [A.D. 409]).



Theodore of Mopsuestia

"When, therefore, they ask, ‘Is Mary mother of man or Mother of God?’ we answer, ‘Both!’ The one by the very nature of what was done and the other by relation" (The Incarnation 15 [A.D. 405]).



Cyril of Alexandria

"I have been amazed that some are utterly in doubt as to whether or not the holy Virgin is able to be called the Mother of God. For if our Lord Jesus Christ is God, how should the holy Virgin who bore him not be the Mother of God?" (Letter to the Monks of Egypt 1 [A.D. 427]).

"This expression, however, ‘the Word was made flesh’ [John 1:14], can mean nothing else but that he partook of flesh and blood like to us; he made our body his own, and came forth man from a woman, not casting off his existence as God, or his generation of God the Father, but even in taking to himself flesh remaining what he was. This the declaration of the correct faith proclaims everywhere. This was the sentiment of the holy Fathers; therefore they ventured to call the holy Virgin ‘the Mother of God,’ not as if the nature of the Word or his divinity had its beginning from the holy Virgin, but because of her was born that holy body with a rational soul, to which the Word, being personally united, is said to be born according to the flesh" (First Letter to Nestorius [A.D. 430]).

"And since the holy Virgin corporeally brought forth God made one with flesh according to nature, for this reason we also call her Mother of God, not as if the nature of the Word had the beginning of its existence from the flesh" (Third Letter to Nestorius [A.D. 430]).

"If anyone will not confess that the Emmanuel is very God, and that therefore the holy Virgin is the Mother of God, inasmuch as in the flesh she bore the Word of God made flesh [John 1:14]: let him be anathema" (ibid.).



John Cassian

"Now, you heretic, you say (whoever you are who deny that God was born of the Virgin), that Mary, the Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, cannot be called the Mother of God, but the Mother only of Christ and not of God—for no one, you say, gives birth to one older than herself. And concerning this utterly stupid argument . . . let us prove by divine testimonies both that Christ is God and that Mary is the Mother of God" (On the Incarnation of Christ Against Nestorius 2:2 [A.D. 429]).

"You cannot then help admitting that the grace comes from God. It is God, then, who has given it. But it has been given by our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore the Lord Jesus Christ is God. But if he is God, as he certainly is, then she who bore God is the Mother of God" (ibid., 2:5).



Council of Ephesus

"We confess, then, our Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, perfect God and perfect man, of a rational soul and a body, begotten before all ages from the Father in his Godhead, the same in the last days, for us and for our salvation, born of Mary the Virgin according to his humanity, one and the same consubstantial with the Father in Godhead and consubstantial with us in humanity, for a union of two natures took place. Therefore we confess one Christ, one Son, one Lord. According to this understanding of the unconfused union, we confess the holy Virgin to be the Mother of God because God the Word took flesh and became man and from his very conception united to himself the temple he took from her" (Formula of Union [A.D. 431]).



Vincent of Lerins

"Nestorius, whose disease is of an opposite kind, while pretending that he holds two distinct substances in Christ, brings in of a sudden two persons, and with unheard-of wickedness would have two sons of God, two Christs,—one, God, the other, man; one, begotten of his Father, the other, born of his mother. For which reason he maintains that Saint Mary ought to be called, not the Mother of God, but the Mother of Christ" (The Notebooks 12[35] [A.D. 434]).

[Seaweed]

Before explaining to you, my dear friend, Catholic doctrine and practice regarding the Blessed Virgin Mary, let me state two truths that the Church teaches most emphatically: (1) God alone, the Supreme, Infinite Being, must be adored. To adore any creature, however exalted, would be to commit idolatry. It is simply absurd and also grossly unfair to say that Catholics adore Mary. (2) Jesus Christ alone is our Mediator of Redemption. He alone, by his supreme sacrifice, of infinite value, redeemed and ransomed mankind.

What Honor May be Shown to Mary?

If God alone is to be adored, if Christ alone is to be worshiped as our Mediator of Redemption, may any honor be shown to Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and, if so, what kind of honor?

There is an innate law engraven on the human heart that dictates that special honor should be shown to creatures who are clothed with a special dignity. Children must honor their parents; servants must revere their masters; soldiers must respect their officers; subjects must show loyalty to their rulers. God himself has, in fact, positively commanded, in his revelation to man, this honor that the natural law prescribes. Our non-Catholic friends, following reason and accepting the teaching of the Bible, cannot but admit this principle or truth. Thus it is as clear as day that, besides the supreme honor that we give God, and which we term adoration, there is an inferior honor that we not only may but must show to all creatures who are clothed with special dignity.

What, then, must be said of our duty of honoring the Blessed Virgin Mary, whose dignity as far transcends that of any other creature as heaven excels earth? . . .

Of all creatures Mary has the unique privilege of adoring her own Child. To Mary alone can God the Son address the sweet title Mother! What a marvelous dignity, then, was conferred on the humble Virgin of Nazareth!

Scripture Teaches Devotion to Mary

I ask you, my dear friend, to read carefully the first chapter of the Gospel of St. Luke, verse 26 to verse 55. It is very hard to understand how any Christian can study this passage and then refuse to honor Mary. Why, the "Hall Mary," which Catholics love to address to the Blessed Virgin, is explicitly given there; part of it was said by the angel Gabriel and part by Elizabeth. The angel was inspired by God and Elizabeth "was filled with the Holy Ghost" (v. 41). Let us put together the words that the angel Gabriel and Elizabeth addressed to Mary: "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed are thou among women" (v. 28). "Blessed are thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb." Here we have the salutation that Catholics address to Mary. The only addition we have made are the two names, "Mary" and "Jesus." So that, in saying the Hail, Mary, Catholics are explicitly following the Bible. I shall deal with the second part of this prayer presently.

You will notice, my dear friend, that Mary in that sublime canticle known as the Magnificat, which is recorded by the inspired writer from verse 46 to 55, declared: "Behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed" (v. 48). Who, I ask, fulfills this prophecy: those who refuse to apply the adjective blessed to the Virgin Mary, or Catholics, who love to call Mary the Blessed Virgin?

Invocation of Mary

Not only do we honor Mary; we also invoke her or ask her intercession. Some objectors say that we should pray to God alone. Well, Catholics certainly pray directly to God, for they regard the Our Father as the best and most beautiful of all prayers and frequently recite it. But they pray also to Mary, asking her to intercede for them with her divine Son.

Our non-Catholic friends ask one another’s prayers, and in this we praise them. But, if I may say to a sinner on this earth, and he may say to me, another sinner, "Pray for me," for what reason may we not say to the sinless Mother of God enthroned in heaven, "Pray for us"? If St. Paul asked the Romans to "help him in their prayers for him to God" (Rom. 15:16); if he wrote to the Thessalonians, "Pray for us," why may we not ask Mary, who is far holier and nearer to God than the Roman and Thessalonian converts, to "pray for us"? In fact, we read in the Old Testament that God positively commanded Eliphaz and his two friends to go to the holy man Job and seek his intercession: "My servant Job shall pray for you; his face I will accept, that folly be not imputed to you" (Job 42:8).

Therefore Catholics act aright when they say: "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death."

Statues and Pictures of Mary

But why, someone may ask, do Catholics have statues or pictures of Mary in their churches and homes? Is it not against the first (or second) commandment to make graven images? No, it is against God’s laws to adore images, not to make them; otherwise we should have to abolish all such things as dolls, for are they not "graven images"? And does anyone imagine that it is against the first commandment to make dolls or to give them to children? God even commanded the making of certain images in the Old Law, as we read in various parts of the Old Testament. For instance, he ordered Moses to make two cherubim (angels) of beaten gold (Ex. 25:18).

If non-Catholics approve of the making and erecting of statues of Queen Victoria or King Edward or General MacArthur or Charles Dickens or Roosevelt (and in this we agree with them), how can they possibly see anything objectionable in making a statue of the Blessed Virgin, Mother of the King of kings, and putting it in a prominent place? We ask our friends outside the Church to be fair and not to attempt playing "Heads I win, and tails you lose."

As to the custom of lighting candles and placing vases of flowers before the statue or picture of the Blessed Virgin, no person can reasonably object to this practice who would approve of a college boarder plucking flowers, arranging them nicely in vases, and putting them in front of her mother’s photo, which she had placed on the mantelpiece in her room. If the latter is a praiseworthy practice—as every person endowed with reason and affection admits—surely the former custom is equally laudable. Likewise, if a child may laudably kiss the photo of her absent mother, in order to show her love for her (though the child well knows that the photo itself is an inanimate, unresponsive object), so Catholics are worthy of praise when they kiss a picture or statue of Mary in order to express the love they have for the living Queen of Heaven, whom the image represents. . .

Protestant Poets and Devotion to Mary

Devotion to Mary is so beautiful a practice and fits in so harmoniously in the plan of the Christian religion that the Christian soul, untrammelled or untainted by prejudice, instinctively recognizes its truth. I have not infrequently been struck by the fact that Protestant children, who have as yet been given no bias against this devotion, quickly perceive its loveliness and are strongly attracted by it when once they are given even an elementary idea of it. And even more mature non-Catholic children are sometimes at a loss to know why they have been turned against such a sweet, appealing devotion. I once heard a Presbyterian girl of twelve, who had seen a picture of Our Lady of Good Counsel, ask her mother: "Why don’t Protestants honor the Mother of Jesus?"

Poetry helps men to shed prejudice, and so we find certain Protestant poets, in their moments of poetic rapture, writing exquisite things about the Blessed Virgin. The following beautiful lines come from the pen of Wordsworth:

Mother whose virgin bosom was uncrossed
With the least shade of thought to sin allied.
Woman! above all women glorified,
Our tainted nature’s solitary boast;
Purer than foam on central ocean tossed;
Brighter than eastern skies at daybreak strewn
With fancied roses; than unblemished moon
Before her wane begins on heaven’s blue coast.

Longfellow, another non-Catholic poet, has given us a lovely poem:

This is indeed the Blessed Mary’s land!
Virgin and Mother of our dear Redeemer;
All hearts are touched and softened at her name;
Alike the bandit, with the bloody hand,
The priest, the prince, the scholar, and the peasant,
The man of deeds, the visionary dreamer,
Pay homage to her as one ever present!
And even as children who have much offended
A too-indulgent father, in great shame,
Penitent, and yet not daring unattended
To go into his presence, at the gate
Speak with their sister, and confiding wait
Till she goes in before and intercedes;
So men, repenting of their evil deeds,
And yet, not venturing rashly to draw near
With their requests an angry father’s ear,
Offer to her their prayers and their confession,
And she for them in heaven makes intercession.
And if our faith had given us nothing more
Than this example of all womanhood,
So mild, so merciful, so strong, so good,
So patient, peaceful, loyal, loving, pure,
This were enough to prove it higher and truer
Than all the creeds the world had known before.

This excerpt was taken from Chats with Converts: Complete Explanation and Proof of Catholic Belief by Fr. M. D. Forrest, M.S.C., originally published in 1943 by Radio Replies Press and republished in 1978 by TAN Books and Publishers.

[brainfreeze]

Lol

Mary is the Mother of God

"Hail to you forever, you virgin Mother of God, our unceasing joy, for unto you do I again return. . . . Hail, you fount of the Son’s love for man. . . . Wherefore, we pray you, the most excellent among women, who boast in the confidence of your maternal honors, that you would unceasingly keep us in remembrance. O holy Mother of God, remember us, I say, who make our boast in you, and who in august hymns celebrate your memory, which will ever live, and never fade away"

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Matthew 12:50

48But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? 49And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! 50For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.


also just to mention ... strange trump talked about " anti-catholic " rhetoric at the dinner with hillary when he calls himself " protestant " .. makes me more doubtful of him being genuine...

[sportsfan9698]

When did the SBR forum turn into Sunday Sermon?

I'm pouring a 2nd bourbon and picking some winners

[xdodger19]

Catholic is a cult they mixed pagan religious beliefs with Christan doctrine to create a synthesized counterfite
easter = ishtar christmas = mithraism rosary beads not in Bible
The catholic leader wears a jewish yamulke, and a babylon fish hat they used to worship dagon
This is condemned in the Bible
As well catholics tortured and killed millions of people, and they changed one of the ten commandments
they took out idolatry,

[BOA12]

all governments religions and business want to control you for their own good make money and if necessary convince you to die for them. anything which is everything with a hierarchy is inherently evil by design what the hell

[brainfreeze]

Dino blood and the age of the earth ...by dr. fazale rana

http://godinanutshell.com/2016/11/12/dinosaur-blood-and-the-age-of-the-earth-by-dr-fazale-rana-bleeds-out-and-dies-on-the-exam-table-by-mark-armitage/

(lot of references at the bottom) good read...

[Seaweed]

Matthew 12:50

48But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? 49And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! 50For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.


also just to mention ... strange trump talked about " anti-catholic " rhetoric at the dinner with hillary when he calls himself " protestant " .. makes me more doubtful of him being genuine...

What point did you try to make with this post?

[brainfreeze]

What point did you try to make with this post?

The point is seaweed, Jesus asked the question... " who is my mother and who are my brethren " ? He then stretched His hands towards His disciples (His followers, those who walk after the way He walks) and then He said " behold my mother and my brethren " (as to say His disciples are His family just as much as any blood relative He knew on earth) ...

joseph was His brother ... (blood brother) there would be no reason to " hail mary, or hail joseph " Jesus died and was raised again for all.. and anyone who decides to follow Jesus, will become part of His family... a royal citizen in the kingdom of God.



make sense?

[brainfreeze]

Catholic is a cult they mixed pagan religious beliefs with Christan doctrine to create a synthesized counterfite
easter = ishtar christmas = mithraism rosary beads not in Bible
The catholic leader wears a jewish yamulke, and a babylon fish hat they used to worship dagon
This is condemned in the Bible
As well catholics tortured and killed millions of people, and they changed one of the ten commandments
they took out idolatry,

yes dodger, i agree... and not being slanderous, these are the facts and with internet today not hard at all to find that they check out...and much more.. persecution of Christians, alliance with hitler, getting caught in money schemes, vatican has a pretty long and sketchy record that never seems to end.. now the pope accepts evolution and calls muslims " his brothers " having them come to sing to their god in vatican ... as the billions of followers will have to accept " the popes " way it is or the highway .. and they're a pretty powerful org. Like scientology on steroids ...list goes on.

[Seaweed]

The point is seaweed, Jesus asked the question... " who is my mother and who are my brethren " ? He then stretched His hands towards His disciples (His followers, those who walk after the way He walks) and then He said " behold my mother and my brethren " (as to say His disciples are His family just as much as any blood relative He knew on earth) ...

joseph was His brother ... (blood brother) there would be no reason to " hail mary, or hail joseph " Jesus died and was raised again for all.. and anyone who decides to follow Jesus, will become part of His family... a royal citizen in the kingdom of God.



make sense?

there was no concept of "cousin" in the original Aramaic language - blood relatives and even some close friends were all called "brothers" and "sisters"

There are about ten instances in the New Testament where "brothers" and "sisters" of the Lord are mentioned (Matt. 12:46; Matt. 13:55; Mark 3:31–34; Mark 6:3; Luke 8:19–20; John 2:12, 7:3, 5, 10; Acts 1:14; 1 Cor. 9:5).


When trying to understand these verses, note that the term "brother" (Greek: adelphos) has a wide meaning in the Bible. It is not restricted to the literal meaning of a full brother or half-brother. The same goes for "sister" (adelphe) and the plural form "brothers" (adelphoi). The Old Testament shows that "brother" had a wide semantic range of meaning and could refer to any male relative from whom you are not descended (male relatives from whom you are descended are known as "fathers") and who are not descended from you (your male descendants, regardless of the number of generations removed, are your "sons"), as well as kinsmen such as cousins, those who are members of the family by marriage or by law rather than by blood, and even friends or mere political allies (2 Sam. 1:26; Amos 1:9).

Lot, for example, is called Abraham’s "brother" (Gen. 14:14), even though, being the son of Haran, Abraham’s brother (Gen. 11:26–28), he was actually Abraham’s nephew. Similarly, Jacob is called the "brother" of his uncle Laban (Gen. 29:15). Kish and Eleazar were the sons of Mahli. Kish had sons of his own, but Eleazar had no sons, only daughters, who married their "brethren," the sons of Kish. These "brethren" were really their cousins (1 Chr. 23:21–22).

The terms "brothers," "brother," and "sister" did not refer only to close relatives. Sometimes they meant kinsmen (Deut. 23:7; Neh. 5:7; Jer. 34:9), as in the reference to the forty-two "brethren" of King Azariah (2 Kgs. 10:13–14).



No Word for Cousin

Because neither Hebrew nor Aramaic (the language spoken by Christ and his disciples) had a special word meaning "cousin," speakers of those languages could use either the word for "brother" or a circumlocution, such as "the son of my uncle." But circumlocutions are clumsy, so the Jews often used "brother."

The writers of the New Testament were brought up using the Aramaic equivalent of "brothers" to mean both cousins and sons of the same father—plus other relatives and even non-relatives. When they wrote in Greek, they did the same thing the translators of the Septuagint did. (The Septuagint was the Greek version of the Hebrew Bible; it was translated by Hellenistic Jews a century or two before Christ’s birth and was the version of the Bible from which most of the Old Testament quotations found in the New Testament are taken.)

In the Septuagint the Hebrew word that includes both brothers and cousins was translated as adelphos, which in Greek usually has the narrow meaning that the English "brother" has. Unlike Hebrew or Aramaic, Greek has a separate word for cousin, anepsios, but the translators of the Septuagint used adelphos, even for true cousins.

You might say they transliterated instead of translated, importing the Jewish idiom into the Greek Bible. They took an exact equivalent of the Hebrew word for "brother" and did not use adelphosin one place (for sons of the same parents), and anepsios in another (for cousins). This same usage was employed by the writers of the New Testament and passed into English translations of the Bible. To determine what "brethren" or "brother" or "sister" means in any one verse, we have to look at the context. When we do that, we see that insuperable problems arise if we assume that Mary had children other than Jesus.

When the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and told her that she would conceive a son, she asked, "How can this be since I have no relations with a man?" (Luke 1:34). From the Church’s earliest days, as the Fathers interpreted this Bible passage, Mary’s question was taken to mean that she had made a vow of lifelong virginity, even in marriage. (This was not common, but neither was it unheard of.) If she had not taken such a vow, the question would make no sense.

Mary knew how babies are made (otherwise she wouldn’t have asked the question she did). If she had anticipated having children in the normal way and did not intend to maintain a vow of virginity, she would hardly have to ask "how" she was to have a child, since conceiving a child in the "normal" way would be expected by a newlywed wife. Her question makes sense only if there was an apparent (but not a real) conflict between keeping a vow of virginity and acceding to the angel’s request. A careful look at the New Testament shows that Mary kept her vow of virginity and never had any children other than Jesus.

When Jesus was found in the Temple at age twelve, the context suggests that he was the only son of Mary and Joseph. There is no hint in this episode of any other children in the family (Luke 2:41–51). Jesus grew up in Nazareth, and the people of Nazareth referred to him as "the son of Mary" (Mark 6:3), not as "a son of Mary." In fact, others in the Gospels are never referred to as Mary’s sons, not even when they are called Jesus’ "brethren." If they were in fact her sons, this would be strange usage.

Also, the attitude taken by the "brethren of the Lord" implies they are his elders. In ancient and, particularly, in Eastern societies (remember, Palestine is in Asia), older sons gave advice to younger, but younger seldom gave advice to older—it was considered disrespectful to do so. But we find Jesus’ "brethren" saying to him that Galilee was no place for him and that he should go to Judea so he could make a name for himself (John 7:3–4).

Another time, they sought to restrain him for his own benefit: "And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for people were saying, ‘He is beside himself’" (Mark 3:21). This kind of behavior could make sense for ancient Jews only if the "brethren" were older than Jesus, but that alone eliminates them as his biological brothers, since Jesus was Mary’s "first-born" son (Luke 2:7).

Consider what happened at the foot of the cross. When he was dying, Jesus entrusted his mother to the apostle John (John 19:26–27). The Gospels mention four of his "brethren": James, Joseph, Simon, and Jude. It is hard to imagine why Jesus would have disregarded family ties and made this provision for his mother if these four were also her sons.


Prior to the time of Jerome, the standard theory was that they were Jesus’ "brothers" who were sons of Joseph though not of Mary. According to this view, Joseph was a widower at the time he married Mary. He had children from his first marriage (who would be older than Jesus, explaining their attitude toward him). This is mentioned in a number of early Christian writings. One work, known as the Proto-evangelium of James (A.D. 125) records that Joseph was selected from a group of widowers to serve as the husband/protector of Mary, who was a virgin consecrated to God. When he was chosen, Joseph objected: "I have children, and I am an old man, and she is a young girl" (4:9).

Today, the most commonly accepted view is that they were Jesus’ cousins. Of the four "brethren" who are named in the Gospels, consider, for the sake of argument, only James. Similar reasoning can be used for the other three. We know that James the younger’s mother was named Mary. Look at the descriptions of the women standing beneath the cross: "among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee" (Matt. 27:56); "There were also women looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome" (Mark 15:40).

Then look at what John says: "But standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene" (John 19:25). If we compare these parallel accounts of the scene of the crucifixion, we see that the mother of James and Joseph must be the wife of Clopas. So far, so good.

An argument against this, though, is that James is elsewhere (Matt. 10:3) described as the son of Alphaeus, which would mean this Mary, whoever she was, was the wife of both Clopas and Alphaeus. But Alphaeus and Clopas are the same person, since the Aramaic name for Alphaeus could be rendered in Greek either as Alphaeus or as Clopas. Another possibility is that Alphaeus took a Greek name similar to his Jewish name, the way that Saul took the name Paul.

So it’s probable that James the younger is the son of Mary and Clopas. The second-century historian Hegesippus explains that Clopas was the brother of Joseph, the foster-father of Jesus. James would thus be Joseph’s nephew and a cousin of Jesus, who was Joseph’s putative son.

This identification of the "brethren of the Lord" as Jesus’ first cousins is open to legitimate question—they might even be relatives more distantly removed—but our inability to determine for certain their exact status strictly on the basis of the biblical evidence (or lack of it, in this case) says nothing at all about the main point, which is that the Bible demonstrates that they were not the Blessed Virgin Mary’s children.


And Mary said, " My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my savior for he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden. For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed; For he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
Lk 1:46-49

"Hail full of grace, the Lord is with you."
Lk 1:28

For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified have all one origin. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brethren; saying, I will proclaim thy name to my brethren in the midst of the congregation I will praise thee.
Heb 2: 11-12

[brainfreeze]

Seaweed... there's no twisting and turning of words here.. the verse i stated which comes from the kjv is the closest thing to the aramaic, hebrew, and greek...the verse is stated clearly, " He stretched out His hand to His disciples and said behold my mother and my brethren ".

it is up to you if you want to play the role of twisting Gods Word and meaning of said Words but never say it wasn't clearly stated for you in plain english ...

you arent the first person ive had to deal with that does this ... and that also lifts high apocryphal into discussion ... all these things are personal decision that you make solo ... on your own.

I'd ask you to look deeper, because all you are seeing is word play. Gods Words are much more meaningful and deeper... cutting into the soul and spirit. There's deeper understanding that you will never get trying to mold words to your expectations ...

[Seaweed]

Seaweed... there's no twisting and turning of words here.. the verse i stated which comes from the kjv is the closest thing to the aramaic, hebrew, and greek...the verse is stated clearly, " He stretched out His hand to His disciples and said behold my mother and my brethren ".

it is up to you if you want to play the role of twisting Gods Word and meaning of said Words but never say it wasn't clearly stated for you in plain english ...

you arent the first person ive had to deal with that does this ... and that also lifts high apocryphal into discussion ... all these things are personal decision that you make solo ... on your own.

I'd ask you to look deeper, because all you are seeing is word play. Gods Words are much more meaningful and deeper... cutting into the soul and spirit. There's deeper understanding that you will never get trying to mold words to your expectations ...

Did you ever study aramaic?

Did you look at those passages?

The word Brother in Aramaic was used for not just literal brothers, it was used for cousins as well. There are many instances like this in the bible.