The Deification of the Virgin Mary by the Catholic Church

This is an edited excerpt from the book, “85 Pages in the Bible”

The Worship of Mary and the “Saints”

Mary: The Mother Goddess

The worship of Mary, or the “mother goddess,” has well-established pagan roots; the practice existed long before Rome instituted it. From that time she (Mary) has continued through the centuries to be elevated by Rome to a position of equal stature with the Lord Jesus Christ.^* The “Hail Mary” portion of the “Rosary” characterizes, more than any other Catholic practice, her position as a deity, conferring upon her attributes reserved for Jesus Christ alone:

Hail Mary, full of grace;

The Lord is with thee:

Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,

Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.

Amen.

This recitative, initiated by “Saint” Dominic de Guzman, was formulated over a period of nine centuries. The Catechism further attempts to substantiate Mary’s legitimate right to equal status with Jesus:

“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…Being obedient she became the cause of salvation for herself and for the whole human race. By the grace of God Mary remained free of every personal sin her whole life long. Espousing the divine will for salvation whole heartedly, without a single sin to restrain her, she gave herself entirely to the person and to the work of her Son…Mary is the most excellent fruit of redemption: from the first instance of her conception, she was totally preserved from the stain of original sin and she remained pure from all personal sin throughout her life…Mary remained a virgin in conceiving her Son, a virgin in giving birth to him, a virgin in nursing him at her breast, always a virgin….Therefore the Blessed Virgin is invoked in the Church under the titles of Advocate, Helper, Benefactress, and Mediatrix.”ⁱ

None of this—save for Mary’s virgin status when the angel Gabriel appeared to her, and her blessedness (for having been God’s choice to bring the Lord into the world) among women—can be substantiated in Scripture. The beginning phrase of the Rosary, “full of grace,” is lifted out of its context from John 1:14:

“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

The “who” that is “full of grace” in the passage is the “Word,” which is a “he” (his glory), who is “the only begotten of the Father.” Verse 17 identifies this “he” as none other than the “man,” Jesus Christ. This attribute belongs to him alone.

Scripture never refers to Mary as “Holy,” or as “the mother of God.”^* Nor does it ever characterize her as being sinless or forever a virgin. It shows her as being the human vessel^** chosen to bear and give birth to the Son of God. Matthew 12, Mark 3, Luke 8, and Galatians 1 leave no doubts that Mary gave birth to other children besides Jesus:

“Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee. But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!”

Matt 12:47-49

“And the multitude sat about him, and they said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee. And he answered them, saying, Who is my mother, or my brethren? And he looked round about on them which sat about him, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!”

Mark 3:32-34

“Then came to him his mother and his brethren, and could not come at him for the press. And it was told him by certain which said, Thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to see thee. And he answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it.

Luke 8:19-21

“But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord’s brother.”

Gal 1:19

Did Jesus Christ himself show any special honor for his mother (other than what was required by the 5^th commandment), or exalt her to the extent that would warrant the position to which the Roman Church has elevated her? John 2:4 seems to say no,

“Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.”

Rome attempts to present Mary as the kind and loving mother we can go to, to petition her angry and unapproachable Son on our behalf, but in no way does Scripture support this. Indeed, Jesus Christ stands in Scripture as the only mediator between man and God, the only person without sin, the only redeemer of mankind. He alone occupies the heavenly realm where we who are in his true church, the body of Christ, long to be, and will be when he returns for us on the day of redemption.

“Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

John 14:5-6

“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.”

1 Tim 2:5-6

“Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth…Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

Acts 4:10,12 (Peter speaking)

“That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.”

1 Tim 6:14-16

The “Saints”

For the same reason Mary has been deified, so too have Roman Catholic “saints.” Roman pagan religion was “polytheistic,” i.e., it had a multitude of “gods.” In order to accommodate this, Rome instituted the practice of elevating dead people to the level of godhood, calling them “saints.” In the beginning, the first people to be elevated to sainthood were, of course, the apostles, but this designation was eventually extended to others through an elaborate process of election by the church hierarchy. Over the centuries, thousands of dead Roman Catholics have been given this status, and adherents are encouraged to pray to these exalted humans. They are usually given some special designation (e.g., “the patron saint of ecology”: Francis of Assisi), and are placed as guardians over particular areas of life.

What saith the Scripture concerning the issue of sainthood? The word “saint(s)” is referred to 38 times in the Old Testament and 60 times in the New Testament. In both the word simply means someone or something that is consecrated, dedicated or hallowed (made holy). The Apostle Paul refers to it in his 13 epistles 39 times, and from his usage of it, it must mean anybody who is part of the household of faith, no matter what the dispensation. Consider what it says in the following verses:

“Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them.”

Acts 26:10

“For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem.”

Romans 15:26

“Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, unto the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia:”

2 Cor 1:1

“Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God;”

Eph 2:19

“To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Col 1:2

These are but a few of the many references to “the saints,” but they are more than enough to show that a saint is anyone who is of the household of God. This would, of course, include those of us saved into the body of Christ. (Notice in these passages the folks referred to as saints are all living.) I challenge the Roman Church to show me anywhere in Scripture where a saint is to be worshipped or prayed to,^* or where they (the Catholic Church hierarchy) have been given (scriptural) authority to determine who is and who isn’t a saint. Even if they (the episcopate) are the successors to the apostles—which they are not—the Lord never gave any of them (the true apostles) the authority to make dead people little gods. Indeed, a true saint today is one who has confessed the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior, believing he died for their sins, and was raised again for their justification (1 Co. 15:1-4; Rom. 4:25; 10:9). Have you done this?