Changes

The Catholic Church teaches that the words of prayers said without intention from the heart, soul, and mind, merely "going through the motions" [[Indifference|indifferently]]<ref>What the Bible calls "vain repetition"—also called "rattling them off" as a mechanically repeated dead [[habit]] having no significant meaning, empty of content.</ref>, offering only empty "lip service"<ref>"lip service" in condemned in Isaiah 29:13; Matthew 15:8; Mark 7:6.</ref> with the willful distraction of thinking of other things as more important, without reverence and love in the lifting up of the heart and mind toward God, is a serious [[sin]] of irreverence. See [[Sacrilege]] and [[Blasphemy]], also [[Hypocrites]] and [[Pharisees]].

The Catholic Church teaches that the words of prayers said without intention from the heart, soul, and mind, merely "going through the motions" [[Indifference|indifferently]]<ref>What the Bible calls "vain repetition"—also called "rattling them off" as a mechanically repeated dead [[habit]] having no significant meaning, empty of content.</ref>, offering only empty "lip service"<ref>"lip service" in condemned in Isaiah 29:13; Matthew 15:8; Mark 7:6.</ref> with the willful distraction of thinking of other things as more important, without reverence and love in the lifting up of the heart and mind toward God, is a serious [[sin]] of irreverence. See [[Sacrilege]] and [[Blasphemy]], also [[Hypocrites]] and [[Pharisees]].

The charge that devotion to Mary is a form of [[paganism]]<ref> Some [[Fundamentalism|Christian fundamentalists]] insist that the Catholic Rosary is a [[demon]]ic practice borrowed directly from pagan Hindus and Moslems, and that the title [[Queen of Heaven]] refers directly and '''''only''''' to [[Babylon]]ian [[Mesopotamian mythology|Ishtar]] and Phoenician [[Astarte]] and Egyptian [[Isis]] instead of Mary, because the title is found in [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah+44%3A15-28&version=KJV Jeremiah 44:15-28] together with the burning of incense, and that this is proof that Catholics and Orthodox have substituted Mary/Istar/Astarte/Isis in place of the Son of God, Jesus, having thereby committed [[Apostasy]] from true Christianity. See [[Great Apostasy]] and [[''The Two Babylons'']] <br> See the general article [http://www.rapidnet.com/~jbeard/cath/catholic.htm '''Roman Catholicism: Pagan or Christian?''' (rapidnet.com)], a critique of Catholic doctrines. Contains the argument that devotion to Mary makes of her a separate pagan goddess. <br> It should be noted that no Catholic is ever taught or told that the name of Mary actually refers to Isis, Ishtar, Astarte, Diana, Artemis, Hera, Juno, Gaia, or to any pagan mother goddess, or that they are to regard her as the sole source of saving grace apart from Jesus Christ, but to regard her as his most perfect servant and his beloved mother. Catholics utterly reject as absurd the notion that the devotion to Mary addressed to her is the same as the worship of [[adoration]], to be offered apart from devotion to her Son Jesus Christ in the Father with the Holy Spirit, one God.</ref> and the mindless uttering of merely empty "vain repetitions"<ref>KJV "vain repetitions", or "heaping up empty phrases" (RSV), Matthew 6:7-8.</ref> is regarded by Catholics as utterly absurd, and as part of an ongoing, centuries-old campaign of anti-Catholic Protestant [[polemic]] of [[defamation]], unfortunately based on [[falsehood|misrepresentations]] rooted in [[ignorance]] of its real meaning and intent. (See [[Libel]] and [[Slander]].) David J. Stewart, a popular [[Fundamentalism|fundamentalist]], states in his widely read column that, "Biblically, Mary was a dirty, rotten, vile, sinner—just like you and me, and everyone else!". And he states emphatically and unequivocally, "The Rosary is evil!"<ref>[https://jesus-is-savior.com/False%20Religions/Roman%20Catholicism/mary_is_nothing.htm Catholic Mary is Nothing! By David J. Stewart (jesus-is-savior)]</ref>

The charge that devotion to Mary is a form of [[paganism]]<ref> Some [[Fundamentalism|Christian fundamentalists]] insist that the Catholic Rosary is a [[demon]]ic practice borrowed directly from pagan Hindus and Moslems, and that the title [[Queen of Heaven]] refers directly and '''''only''''' to [[Babylon]]ian [[Mesopotamian mythology|Ishtar]] and Phoenician [[Astarte]] and Egyptian [[Egyptian mythology|Isis]] instead of Mary, because the title is found in [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah+44%3A15-28&version=KJV Jeremiah 44:15-28] together with the burning of incense, and that this is proof that Catholics and Orthodox have substituted Mary/Istar/Astarte/Isis in place of the Son of God, Jesus, having thereby committed [[Apostasy]] from true Christianity. See [[Great Apostasy]] and [[''The Two Babylons'']] <br> See the general article [http://www.rapidnet.com/~jbeard/cath/catholic.htm '''Roman Catholicism: Pagan or Christian?''' (rapidnet.com)], a critique of Catholic doctrines. Contains the argument that devotion to Mary makes of her a separate pagan goddess. <br> It should be noted that no Catholic is ever taught or told that the name of Mary actually refers to Isis, Ishtar, Astarte, Diana, Artemis, Hera, Juno, Gaia, or to any pagan mother goddess, or that they are to regard her as the sole source of saving grace apart from Jesus Christ, but to regard her as his most perfect servant and his beloved mother. Catholics utterly reject as absurd the notion that the devotion to Mary addressed to her is the same as the worship of [[adoration]], to be offered apart from devotion to her Son Jesus Christ in the Father with the Holy Spirit, one God.</ref> and the mindless uttering of merely empty "vain repetitions"<ref>KJV "vain repetitions", or "heaping up empty phrases" (RSV), Matthew 6:7-8.</ref> is regarded by Catholics as utterly absurd, and as part of an ongoing, centuries-old campaign of anti-Catholic Protestant [[polemic]] of [[defamation]], unfortunately based on [[falsehood|misrepresentations]] rooted in [[ignorance]] of its real meaning and intent. (See [[Libel]] and [[Slander]].) David J. Stewart, a popular [[Fundamentalism|fundamentalist]], states in his widely read column that, "Biblically, Mary was a dirty, rotten, vile, sinner—just like you and me, and everyone else!". And he states emphatically and unequivocally, "The Rosary is evil!"<ref>[https://jesus-is-savior.com/False%20Religions/Roman%20Catholicism/mary_is_nothing.htm Catholic Mary is Nothing! By David J. Stewart (jesus-is-savior)]</ref>

== History ==

== History ==