Do Catholics Worship Mary? What Does Scripture Actually Say?

[Bruce_Leiter]

Many people claim Catholics worship Mary.

But worship and honor are not the same thing.

Scripture commands worship of God alone:

"You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve." (Matthew 4:10)

Catholics agree completely.

God alone is Creator.
God alone is Almighty.
God alone is worshiped.

Yet Scripture also teaches that certain people can be honored without being worshiped.

The angel Gabriel said to Mary:

"Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you." (Luke 1:28)

Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, proclaimed:

"Blessed are you among women." (Luke 1:42)

and

"Why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" (Luke 1:43)

Mary Herself prophesied:

"From now on all generations will call me blessed." (Luke 1:48)

Notice what Scripture does not say.

It does not say Mary is God.
It does not say Mary is equal to God.
It does not say Mary should be worshiped.

But it does say She is blessed among women, the mother of the Lord, and someone whom all generations will call blessed.

Therefore, honoring Mary is biblical.
Worshiping Mary is not.

The real question is not whether Mary should be honored.
Scripture already answers that.

The question is whether honoring the mother of Jesus automatically equals worship.
Scripture says otherwise.

The difference between honoring Mary and worshiping Her is the same difference between honoring a servant of God and worshiping God Himself.

Yes, @Moonwood, I would go further and say that praying to Mary, as in the "Hail Marys," is impossible. Why? If she isn't God, as she definitely isn't, she is not everywhere to hear all those prayers. Instead, her soul is limited to one place in heaven instead of being able to hear and answer all those Rosary prayers. Only God is everywhere and able to hear all believers' prayers.

 

[Moonwood]

An image treated as though the image possesses Reverence, and to be Bowed Down to, is an IDOL.

You say:

An image treated as though the image possesses Reverence, and to be Bowed Down to, is an IDOL.

If that's your definition of idol worship, then it doesn't appear to apply to Catholicism, because Catholics:

1. do not believe statues they bow before possess divine power;
2. do not believe Mary is a goddess;
3. do not offer Mary the worship due to God alone;
4. do not treat statues as divine beings.

So simply pointing out that a statue exists, or that someone bows before it, does not by itself establish idolatry. The question remains: what exactly are Catholics doing that meets your definition of idol worship?

You also say:

A heavenly Image God gave to specific men, of its look, its material, its placement, its purpose…
Is not an IDOL…

But that's precisely the principle I've been asking you to demonstrate from Scripture. Where does Scripture say that only religious images explicitly commanded by God are lawful? The Second Commandment never says: "You may make only those images I specifically command." That's a distinction you're introducing into the text. We both agree that God commanded sacred images to be made. Therefore, the mere existence of a sacred image cannot be what Exodus 20 condemns. So which is the distinguishing principle? Is an image forbidden because God did not specifically command it? Or is an image an idol because it is treated as a god? Those are two different arguments, and I still haven't seen where Scripture teaches the first one.