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Let me know in the comments how the rosary changed your life. 🙏 📿

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Fr. Robinson,

I am someone who grew up in an American Protestant church and lost my way. I have nothing against my former church, but I am seeking a deeper, more liturgical form of Christianity found in Catholicism. Just reading your explanation of the rosary confirms my need of a grounded, more structured worship of Our Lord. Were I to become a Catholic convert, where would I begin? Am I too old? Thanks. I became familiar with you from the Megyn Kelly Show.

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Hi Joel, I was a convert from Protestantism 30 years ago. Just go along to your local Catholic Church! You can attend Mass. Say hello to the priest, explain what you're looking for, and he will help you along the way. There are also lots of Catholic channels on YouTube, plus podcasts for and by Catholics, so you can have a look at all sorts of stuff at home in private. Follow where the Holy Spirit is leading you. I have found wonderful spiritual experiences in the Catholic Church, and have never looked back. All the best! 🙏

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Thanks, Judith!

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You are never too old. Contact a Catholic parish near you.

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Thank you, Greg

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Hi Joel, I was confirmed into the Catholic Church in 2018 and didn't become a "real Catholic" until November 2020, at the age of 55. I'm so happy and feel so blessed to be part of the Church. Come home; you won't regret it.

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There are Anglican churches that have a more liturgical format without all the Catholic baggage.

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Met my husband by praying the rosary. We met on AveMariaSingles. Then realized we grew up a few minutes away from each other. Twelve years later, 2 kids, countless challenges and we are stronger than ever.

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Thank you, Sonia. Kudos to you and your family.

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I don’t get how it would change anyone’s life ?? From my understanding praying the rosary is promoted within the Catholic Church as a means of strengthening one’s faith, resisting evil, growing spiritually, and generally benefiting society. While some of the prayer of the rosary is scriptural, the whole second half of the “Hail Mary” and portions of the “Hail, Holy Queen” are blatantly unbiblical. While the first part of the Hail Mary is almost a direct quotation from Luke 1:28, there is no scriptural basis for (1) praying to Mary, (2) addressing her as “holy,” or (3) calling her “our life” and “our hope.”

Praying the rosary involves giving attributes to Mary that the Bible never gives her. To call Mary “holy”—the Catholic Church teaches that Mary never sinned or had any taint of original sin—is not biblical. The Bible calls all believers “saints,” which can be interpreted as “holy ones,” but Scripture says that the righteousness believers have is the imputed righteousness from Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21). In this life, no one is yet sanctified from sin in practice (1 John 1:9—2:1). Jesus is called our Savior repeatedly in Scripture because He saved us from our sin. In Luke 1:47, Mary calls God her “Savior.” Savior from what? A sinless person does not need a Savior. Sinners need a Savior. Mary acknowledged that God was her Savior. Therefore, Mary acknowledged that she was a sinner.

Jesus came to save us from our sins (Matthew 1:21). The Roman Catholic Church claims that Mary was saved from sin differently from everyone else—that she was saved from sin through the immaculate conception (her being conceived free of sin). But is this teaching scriptural? The Roman Catholic Church openly admits that this doctrine is not found in Scripture. When a young man addressed Jesus as “good Master” (Matthew 19:16–17), Jesus asked why he called Him “good” since there is none good but one, God. Jesus was trying to make the young man aware that he was using the term good too loosely. In praying the rosary, Catholics use the term holy too loosely. No one, including Mary, is holy but God. This ties in with Romans 3:10–23, Romans 5:12, and countless other passages that stress the fact that in God’s eyes no one measures up. Never is Mary excluded from such all-encompassing statements.

But praying the rosary has an even more basic problem, namely, that much of the prayer is directed to Mary, not to God. We are never told in the Bible whether anyone else in heaven can even hear us. God alone is all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-present. When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, He taught them to address their prayers to God the Father. Every example of prayer in the Bible is addressed to God alone. There is never a single example of someone praying to any “saint” or angel or anyone else (besides prayers to false gods). Further, any time that a pious person prostrates himself (in a religious setting) to honor someone else besides God (chiefly to the apostles or angels), he is told to get up, to stop it (Acts 10:25–26; 14:13–16; Matthew 4:10; Revelation 19:10; 22:8–9). The Roman Catholic Church states that it worships God alone but “venerates” Mary and the saints. What is the difference? A person praying the rosary spends more time calling out to Mary than to God. For every one praise of God in the rosary, there are ten praises of Mary!

Praying the rosary also assigns a task to Mary that the Bible never assigns her. Jesus is our Redeemer (Galatians 3:13; 4:4–5; Titus 2:14; 1 Peter 1:18–19; Revelation 5:9), our heavenly Advocate (1 John 2:1), and our one and only Mediator (1 Timothy 2:5). The “Hail, Holy Queen” portion of the rosary prayer calls Mary our “most gracious advocate.” This is a direct contradiction of the clear biblical teaching that only Jesus is our go-between.

Praying the rosary requires Catholics to call upon Mary as the “holy Queen.” The only time in Scripture that the title “Queen of Heaven” is found, the term is used in a negative way (Jeremiah 7:17–19; 44:16–27). The Bible never pictures Mary as a queen; rather, she calls herself “the Lord’s servant” (Luke 1:38). She is never given a crown or authority over heaven and earth. Likewise, is it appropriate, while praying the rosary, to call Mary our “life” and “hope”? Again, these are terms that are used of God alone in Scripture (John 1:1–14; Colossians 3:4; 1 Timothy 1:1; Ephesians 2:12; Titus 2:13).

The practice of saying the rosary runs contrary to Scripture in a number of ways. Only God can hear our prayers. Only God can answer our prayers. We have one intermediary (Jesus), and it is in His name we pray, not Mary’s.

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May 14Liked by Fr Calvin Robinson

Very well explained, Father C.

I am a former Protestant & Charismatic who made a commitment to Jesus as a teenager in 1974 - I converted to Catholicism in 1995. It was like "coming home" So many things made sense to me at last!

Mary is very real to me now too and she is my Mother too! And I meet Jesus in his totality in the Bread and Wine every Mass. What joy!

Daily Rosary is now normal for me and I have experienced great grace and spritiual power through it.

I can thoroughly recommend the writings and videos of Dr Brant Pitre, who explains so well the traditional church teachings by using scripture to show us where they came from.

Blessings!

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May 14Liked by Fr Calvin Robinson

I have prayed a daily Holy Rosary since 2020, I am a returned Catholic who reinstated my Faith in 2019 after decades in the wilderness.

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May 14Liked by Fr Calvin Robinson

It’s another form of dogma where from a very young age, Protestants are taught that Catholicism and praying to anyone other than God is considered paganism.

One of the reasons I left the Church many decades ago was because my youth pastor said that my best friend who is Catholic was going to Hell. I thought that was pretty presumptuous, judgmental, and above her pay grade. None of us know the path that God has for others. Plus, saying that someone else who believed in Christ was going to Hell was so bizarre to me that I just was so confused by it.

Even though I have many Protestant anti-Catholic dogmatic views, I fight against them today. I recently came to the conclusion that motherhood is a mess in Western society because people don’t look to Mother Mary as the ideal mother. Mothers in the West are lost.

I don’t know if I’m ready to pray to Mary yet but I wouldn’t rag on others for doing it. As long as we believe in Jesus, aren’t we on the same team???

More of the centuries long battle between Protestants and Catholics poking its head out. It’s crazy how long that stuff lasts without us understanding where it comes from.

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My youth pastor…her pay grade. Well that was part of your problem right there. Any church that had a female pastor is in no place to judge the theology of others.

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That is a sexist and untrue comment. Shame on you, that is not what the Catholic Church teaches or believes.

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I’m not Catholic so I don’t care what heresy Catholics pursue, having said that Catholics do not use the title Pastor, they instead use the title Priest or Father. I’m fairly certain that the Catholic Church has rules against female priests. Or perhaps it does not but in more than 2000 years just hasn’t found a woman qualified for the job. The fact that women are not to serve as priests or pastors (the Protestant equivalent) is something that is consistent across the Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church, and Protestant churches of any level of orthodoxy. Both the Holy Scripture and tradition are united in the stance that the position of priest/pastor is to be held only by men.

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Name one heresy Catholics pursue? Also, please share what you mean by "heresy"? Thank you.

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By heresy I mean false doctrine and false gospel. Heresies; the role of the pope, the role of Mary, the role of the sacraments, indulgences, the perpetual virginity of Mary, the veneration of saints and icons and relics, the rather Catholic habit of killing people only to later name them saints, purgatory, the role of priests in confession, transubstantiation, the immaculate conception, mandatory celibacy of the priesthood, what is required for salvation…

There’s also the unfortunate reality that so few popes have had the character one would expect of someone who was the rightful successor of Peter. Not only the blatantly evil popes of the distant past but the more banal evil of the behavior of the pope during the Nazi and subsequently the Soviet era as well as the permissive evil of the current Pope. Then there’s the institutional cover up of the sexual abuse of both boys and girls that went on for decades. The Catholic run Indian Schools of Canada and the U.S. as well as boarding schools and orphanages elsewhere do not speak well of the Catholic Church as the Bride of Christ either although those things aren’t heresy so much as blatant and not particularly repentant sin.

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i agree with all that you are saying but it's no use to say these things for when you are in a religion you are blind to a lot of things and the scriptures are completely taken out of context and interpreted to their agenda

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If you believe heresy is false doctrine, what standard are you using to determine what is false and what is true?

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Name one false doctrine you think the Catholic Church has. Name one false gospel. The Pope is the successor of St. Peter. Do you deny St. Peter had successors? What role do you think Mary (the Mother of God) has in the Catholic Church? Why should Christians not pray to saints? Why do you think sin is only an offense against God and not an offense against the Church and all Christians? Celibacy is not a requirement for all priestly ordinations.

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The issue of women being ordained to the priesthood is controversial. Some Christian communities allow it, others don't. What is your point, and what does it have to do with the original post?

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The Father has the final say. Not some church or christian community. This just shows how far from the truth so much of the world is. Makes sense though, as Satan is the ruler of this world.

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My point is this person was in a

Protestant church that had terrible theology from the get go so their experience at said church should be understood in that light.

The issue of women in the priesthood isn’t controversial it’s clear cut, it’s only controversial among people who are wanting to sanctify their sin.

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Wrong. Both Catholic and Orthodox Christian Churches do not ordain women to the priesthood. There are probably some other Christian denominations that also do not. So are you dismissing the theology and tradition of all Catholic and Orthodox Christians?

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You didn't answer my question about Catholic heresy you proclaimed, and what you mean by heresy. Can you please do that?

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Catholics routinely use the title "Pastor" to refer to the priest who is in charge of a parish. Try again, what is your problem with how Catholics use the term "pastor"?

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I never heard the word pastor towards a priest, always father.

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It’s my understanding that pastor in the Catholic usage is a colloquial term and that it is not used as an official title “Youth Pastor” is an official title and one I have never seen in any Catholic hierarchy anywhere. So I assume you have a lengthy list of female priests/pastors then? No you don’t. The Catholic equivalent is a Youth Minister, which is different than a Protestant Youth Pastor. Again I leave the Catholics to the heresies of their choosing but any Protestant church with a female Youth Pastor is in serious error and frankly cannot and should not be taken seriously.

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Why do you say Youth Pastor is an official title? That may be true for your denomination but it is not true for Catholic Christians. Is it in the Bible?

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The way our different Christian denominations use the term Pastor is not a matter of heresy. Is it? In your opinion?

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No problem if your denomination uses Pastor in a different way than Catholics do. I am just sharing what it means to Catholics. Catholics have one Pastor in a parish.

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As I said, Catholics routinely use the title Pastor to refer to the priest in charge of a given parish. Is that hard to understand? If you accuse Catholics of being in heresy please let us know why, and let us know how you define heresy. Thank you.

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Then all the biblical forefathers, the Messiah and the Most High El are sexist? I don't want to use your phrases to chastise you, but you don't seem qualified to chastise anyone. ("try again", "shame on you", etc. etc. etc.?)

You are foolish to do this.

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What do you think "Messiah" means and why? What makes you qualified to chastise me? Thank you.

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HE POINTED OUT YOUR ERROR, YOU GET EMOTIONAL AGAIN. SADDUCEE.

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Greg, why don't you know this? Messiah means anointed one. In your posts you seem to see yourself as qualified to instruct others. Your questions mean you have a lot of study to do.

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Yes Messiah means Anointed One. At least you got that right. Why do you claim the Messiah is sexist? Do you understand that Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the Messiah? Why do you keep bringing up Most High El? Do you know any Christians who pray to the Most High El? Do you have some private understanding of God that causes you to use Most High El in contradiction to the Christian tradition??

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You don't need to pray to Mary to be Catholic. Catholics pray to all saints, Mary most importantly, but that is different from worshipping Mary as if she was God. Catholics only worship the Triune God.

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May 14Liked by Fr Calvin Robinson

Father Robinson, thank you for this informative post. I have recently become Anglican and pray the Daily Office twice a day. I have never prayed the Rosary before, not out of opposition but more so not knowing how or fully understanding it. Do you have a recommendation on how to incorporate the Rosary into the Daily Office?

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I pray them separately. But you have inspired me to think of a way to incorporate them. Let me know how you get on.

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May 14Liked by Fr Calvin Robinson

Thank you for your reply, Father. I’ll be sure to include your upcoming pilgrimage in my prayers.

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Thank you for your wonderful clarity! Do let us all know when you've discerned a way to incorporate the two - I think a lot of us will love that dearly ♥️!

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My son Aidan (you met him in Orlando last October) has incorporated a recitation of the rosary prayer and the "Hail Holy Queen" after the daily office and then he also includes a prayer to St Michael at the end. I don't have the St Michael prayer memorized as he does, but I join him in the rosary prayers when we pray vespers together.

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May 14Liked by Fr Calvin Robinson

I’m Anglican and pray the Daily Office and have been most recently praying the rosary.

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Great to hear! The rosary and the Daily Office (aka the Liturgy of the Hours, or the Divine Office) are Christian. They both existed before the unfortunate Christian divisions that happened in the 16th century. Let's focus on what unites Christians.

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May 14Liked by Fr Calvin Robinson

Excellent post!

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May 15Liked by Fr Calvin Robinson

Thanks for this.

I'm Anglican in Australia.

I don't pray the rosary daily.

But I do pray it.

I have to hide this fact from my protestant friends. So I greatly appreciated this article and will pass it on!!!

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I attend an Anglican Church in Vancouver and have also begun praying the rosary. Nice to know I have company.

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Praying the rosary is a Christian tradition that existed long before the Protestant Reformation. The rosary is available to all Christians. No apologies needed.

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They'd just think I was an into idolatry and either not talk to me or hang out with me that much.....

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The way you pray personally is not idolatry. Prayer to God is not idolatry.

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May 15Liked by Fr Calvin Robinson

How could praying ever be wrong? One Bible verse that emphasizes the importance of prayer is 1 Thessalonians 5:17, which states, "Pray without ceasing." This verse suggests that prayer is always appropriate and encouraged.

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Well... depending on what you pray, it could definitely be wrong and even an offense against God. I'm specifically thinking here of the "rainbow church" doctrines, like the "Sparkle Creed." It's an abomination. If you want to do this to yourself, you can read it here: https://religionunplugged.com/news/2023/7/20/a-new-interpretation-of-faith-the-story-behind-the-lgbtq-inclusive-sparkle-creed

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May 15Liked by Fr Calvin Robinson

Thank you for this email, Father. It is truly an answer to prayer. I recently began worshipping with a congregation belonging to the Anglican Network in Canada and have also begun praying the rosary. I have been praying for a greater understanding of it and a greater understanding of the role of Mary in the Church, and what you have written here helps immensely. May God bless you in your witness. Derek Frew. Vancouver, BC

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Glad to have helped. God bless you. 🙏

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May 15Liked by Fr Calvin Robinson

I so admire and appreciate your clear, logical thought. I was raised in the Methodist church (former PK here), and have been Catholic for 12 years, and found everything you wrote to be accurate and truthful. I pray the Rosary every day and find it to be an excellent way to focus my mind and heart on Christ. Who can imagine themselves watching the scouring of Christ, seeing his flesh torn down to the bone over and over again, while his mother watches, and not be moved to tears? These mental exercises bring us closer to Christ and opens our hearts to the Truth of the Eucharist.

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May 14·edited May 14Liked by Fr Calvin Robinson

Excellent article. I have one stumbling block that I can't seem to find a resolution for. I do believe Mary should be honored as the Queen of heaven...the mother of the King in the Hebrew Scriptures was the Queen. It makes sense that Mary would be the Queen. I was called a blasphemer once for saying that but I stand by it. I have a rosary from my childhood and one from a dear lady long since passed. I usually say the Jesus prayer with them. My stumbling block is this: if the triune God is the only omniscient, omnipresent...all the omnis...being, then how is it possible for Mary or any of the saints to hear the prayers, especially silent prayers, of millions of people around the globe? I haven't been able to get past that. Thank you for even reading this. Have a safe and blessed trip.

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your stumbling block is the Holy Spirit speaking truth to you Elizabeth, the Triune God IS the only one that hears our prayers in Jesus name: so don't worry about getting "past" this for you don't have to .

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If God hears our prayers, why do you think that saints in heaven do not also hear our prayers?

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May 23·edited May 24

The reason I question saints in heaven hearing our prayers is because only God has the attributes of being omniscient and omnipresent. Those are not communicable attributes. So how do the saints in heaven hear the prayers, especially the silent prayers, of millions of people around the world at any given moment? That's what I don't understand. I do ask people to pray for me, and I pray for other people, but there is some physical way that the request is being made...they don't read my mind. Do you see my conundrum? I don't have to understand all of the mysteries of God but this is something I would like to have a clear understanding on.

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your understanding is already clear Elizabeth, go straight to God He will hear every prayer in Jesus Name

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The mystery of God includes the mystery of heaven and the saints. If you believe God is omniscient and omnipresent, why can't you believe the saints hear our prayers (which does not require omniscience nor omnipresence)?

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The saints are in the grave awaiting the 1st resurrection or the general resurrections. We don't pray to the dead.

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They would not be saints if they were still in the grave. Right?

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Why not? They are awaiting their resurrection.

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No, saints are in heaven.

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No, the first and second resurrections haven't happened.

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because they are not God

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Have you ever asked a friend to pray for you? Many Christians do. Asking a friend to pray for you is not worshipping that friend as God. Right? I will pray for you.

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yes sir, an "alive" friend is different than a "dead" friend praying for you. Jesus Christ is the "Only" mediator between God and man 1st Tim 2:5. When other people are put into the mix it diminishes what Jesus Christ did on the cross and takes attention away from Him. Satan loves that kind of teaching. Thank you for your response. I appreciate you

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The saints are not just dead, they are in heaven. Yes, Jesus Christ is the one mediator between God and humans so far as salvation is concerned. Christians have always prayed to Mary and the other saints as a way of praying to God. Invoking Mary and the saints in prayer does not contradict Jesus Christ being the one mediator between God and humans.

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If you pray to the dead, you're praying to demons. They apparently want you to pray to the dead. One is only to pray to the father in heaven. The Messiah told us that.

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With all due respect Mr Doyle , Christians have not always prayed to Mary and the saints, only the Catholic religion made up those developments:exaltation of Mary;431 AD; prayers to Mary, Angels: dead saints 600 AD, the ROSARY 1090 AD, the hail Mary: 1508 AD; immaculate conception added by pope pius IX; assumption of virgin Mary 1950 and last but now least Mary proclaimed the mother of the church; 1965

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because they are not God

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No one is saying anyone is God other than God of course being God. Can you say more about your question?

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again, I so appreciate you answering questions since many people don't. So, praying to "dead" prople and "saints" By the way, Paul's epistles call all of us who are In Christ, that is "Believers" he calls us saints, we don't have to do anything or perform a miracle like the Catholic church teaches. I am a :Sola Scriptura" person who believes in the Bible only, and believes the bible is "God Breathed" so I understand the teachings that a man" the pope" has put down as not what the true teachings of God are. So getting back to prayer to "dead" people, it diminishes the fact that Jesus Christ was and is all we need for everything. We don't need anyone or anything else to help in the time of need.Hebrews 4:16 states we can go Boldly to the throne to receive what we need , we don't need "dead" people to help out , and yes we do ask people still living to pray for us because their prayers should be going straight to God in the name of Jesus amen

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If you are "sola Scriptura" then what do you think the first Christians were doing before the New Testament was written? The Church, the Christian community, came first. The Bible is a product of the community that experienced God's revelation.

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First of all, I really appreciate you answer all these people back, especially with all you have to do. I love the way you stand up for Jesus. You are gaining popularity in the Christian world with your debate talents. This is why it is so important that you are teaching the truth for you are reaching millions of truth. So brother in Christ, (I won't call you father, for there is only one Father and that is our Father in heaven. I'm not trying to spar with you, it's just that I've found out so many things in these past few years. We have to give Jesus His rightly due, because of what He did on the cross. Praying To dead people and For dead people is not giving Him His due . First of all when we die we go directly where we deserve, per the Bible and Jesus being the mediator is not only for salvation and you know it my brother. Plus, Jesus is the head of the church, and the pope cannot make his own rules and you know that too. I pray that the Holy Spirit will lead you to all truth as the bible says. amen I really appreciate you answering all these questions. you are on in a million.

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They were following the laws, commands and statutes of the old testament. When Messiah died he nailed the dogmasin that was against us to the stake. Yet there were still laws, commands and statutes that they kept.

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Do you even know his name? El, eloahim, eloah, eloaha are all translated god. And these are not his name, these are titles. Angelic beings are eloahim therefore gods. They are not the father, they are created beings and we aren't to pray to them either. But some of them have become demons and want you to pray to them.

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Yes "El" is an archaic use for "God." It refers to any generic god. It does not specifically refer to the one true God. whose revelation has been preserved in Scripture.

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You use the word God as if it's the father's name. I think you should know is name.

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God revealed God's name to Moses. This is incredible. But it happened. God said I am who am (roughly translated). The chosen people took this name to be Yahweh. That is the God that Christians, Jews, and Muslims believe in. Not El, Eloahim, eloah, eloaha, etc.

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I never said that El, eloahim, eloah, eloaha were the name of our father in heaven.

I seldom hear christians use his name. Jews don't say his name and Muslims use the name Allah.

I use the father's name and the heavenly and earthly name of his son. I just don't choose to use it on this post to nominal christians.

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deletedMay 19·edited Jun 15
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Camden that was a very beautiful reply to Elizabeth but the Rosary is NOT the gospel which is "good news " on beads and God nor Jesus needs Mary nor anyone to be a mediator for them to hear our prayers.. Hebrews 4:16 says we can go "Boldly to the throne of grace" without any mediator. We must rely on scripture , not on someones beautiful words

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Camden, I sincerely appreciate your well-articulated reply. There was a lot of time and thought put into your response and I'm very grateful for that. So far, you are the only person that has made much sense to me. I've printed out your reply and plan to sit with it and pray on it for a while. Thank you!

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May 15Liked by Fr Calvin Robinson

Well explained, Calvin. You have a gift of clarity and encouragement. Keep up the good work! 🙏

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May 15Liked by Fr Calvin Robinson

Thank you so much for this most timely post. I was raised aggressively Anti-Mary but since being confirmed in the ACNA have felt such a pull toward Our Lady. My parish is very Anglo-Catholic and my past upbringing still makes me have doubt but the Holy Spirit pulls me even more aggressively toward Mary. I find so much comfort in the Rosary. I cannot explain it. Your post came right as I was discerning a Marian consecration that my soul pulls me to but my past experience leads me away from. Thank you 🙏🏼

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Caitlin, you might find encouragement and solace in the Marian 9 month novena by Cardinal Burke. It's already started, but you can jump right in. The site explains the reason for this particular novena and includes a consecration to Mary at the end of the 9 months (optional). God bless!

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Thank you for the post Father. I recently read a sarcastic comment somewhere that if the Angel Gabriel says it, then it's scripture, but if we recite the Ave, it's vain repetition. Such logic can only come from not understanding and not wanting to understand.

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May 15Liked by Fr Calvin Robinson

Thank you so much Father Robinson for your thoughtful explanation of The Rosary . Excellent!!I will be forwarding it to anyone I know who is confused about the Rosary . Have a wonderful pilgrimage .Please pray for us here in America .That America and the world will turn back to God .May God Bless you Father. You are a true light in a dark world ,

Karen Gala ,York Maine USA

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May 14Liked by Fr Calvin Robinson

Great explanation, Father. I’m a cradle Catholic that left the church a while ago for a few years but have been back for about 20 years. I have many devout Protestant friends who object to Mariology and ask about “praying to Mary” (a “dead spirit”). 🤔 I have always found the explanation of the “Communion of saints” helpful. This is the idea that there are saints in three different arenas - the souls in Purgatory (Church Suffering), those on earth (Church Militant), and those in heaven (Church Triumphant). All are available to be asked to pray for us as intercessors, that they are simply spiritual “friends” that are no longer on earth, but alive in heaven. As I am able to ask an earthly friend to pray for me, so also I can ask the same of any member of the Communion of saints. This may be too much for Protestants to accept, but nonetheless may be helpful to more open minded ones.

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Yes, at least from the Catholic Christian tradition, you can always ask (pray to) saints for their help and intercession. Praying to saints (or praying to our dear departed loved ones) is not idolatrous and is not worship. This is why Mary is so important to Catholic Christians. Pray in the way you see fit, according to the Christian Church you attend.

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Quote: "All are available to be asked to pray for us as intercessors, that they are simply spiritual friends that are no longer on earth but in heaven."

You just need to very careful you don't pray to the wrong "spiritual friends" in heaven.

Ephesians 6:12

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places

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I tried to send a note to @14quartodeciman. Do you keep the weekly and high sabbaths? This seems to suggest that you are a 14th keeper.

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Well, similar but different. Don't keep the sabbath but we believe in 14 years tribulation rather only 7 years.

There are 7 years seals and 7 years of trumpets.

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Who are the "wrong spiritual friends in heaven" that you refer to? Where are "wrong spiritual friends in heaven" referred to in the Bible? Thank you.

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"wrong spiritual friends in heaven" makes me laugh. If we truly have spiritual friends in heaven, how could they be wrong? If we can't have spiritual friends in heaven, why do you bother trying to unsuccessfully refute that possibility?

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Makes you laugh? He just quoted Ephesians. There powers in the heavens that hate us.

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What does your last sentence mean? There?

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sorry, I write fast and don't reread. There are spiritual powers in the heavenlies that are evil.

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