Proverbs 24:21 My son, fear thou the LORD and the king: and meddle not with them that are given to change: PAPAL BULL: ( SOURCE- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia ) It Has No Basis in Scripture IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, THE i-mak-u-lat kon-sep-shun: 1. Definition: The historic designation of the Roman Catholic dogma promulgated by Pope Pius IX on December 8, 1854, in the Papal Bull entitled Ineffabilis Deus. The term is often incorrectly applied, even by those whose intelligence should make such an error impossible, to the VIRGIN BIRTH of Christ (which see). 2. Statement of the Dogma: The central affirmation of this proclamation, which was read in Peters in the presence of over two hundred bishops, is expressed in the following words: It is proclaimed by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ and the blessed Apostles Peter and Paul and in our own authority, that the doctrine which holds the blessed Virgin Mary to have been, from the first instant of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of Almighty God, in view of the merits of Christ Jesus the Saviour of Mankind, preserved free from all stain of original sin, was revealed by Cod, and is, therefore, to be firmly and constantly believed by all the faithful (see Schaff,A History of the Creeds of Christendom,II , 211, 212). 3. Objections to the Dogma: (1) Drawn from Specifically Protestant Principles. Objections to the dogma are mainly two: (a) the claim to authority upon which the proclamation rests. There is every reason to believe that one of the major motives to the entire transaction was the wish, on the part of Pius and his advisers, to make an unmistakable assertion of absolute doctrinal authority by the Roman pontiff. To Protestants of all shades of opinion there would be unbearable offense in the wording of the decree, even if assent could be given to the doctrine itself. The whole vital issue of the Reformation is involved in the use by an ecclesiastic of the words in our own authority in addition to the words by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ and the blessed Apostles Peter and Paul. (b) The tendency to Mariolatry in the entire movement. As we shall see, the ascription of Divine honors to Mary is avoided in the public statement of the dogma and in the defense of it by Roman Catholic writers, but one has but to survey the course of discussion leading up to the publication of 1854, and subsequent to it, to discover a growing tendency to lift Mary out of the realm of human beings and to endow her with Divine attributes and functions. An extended discussion of Mariolatry lies beyond the range of this article (see MARY ); it is only necessary to point out the obvious connections (see Roman Catholic Dictionary and church histories, sub loc.). (2) Drawn from Roman Catholic Principles. It is far from the truth to suppose that there are no objections to this modern dogma save those which are specifically Protestant. From the viewpoint of the devout Roman Catholic, and for the sake of the prestige of the papacy, this particular dogma seems to have been unfortunately chosen. (a) It Has No Basis in Scripture. The only attempt made to provide a Scriptural argument is by using a vague and unsatisfactory parallel between Mary and Eve before the Fall, to be found in the writings of certain church Fathers who did not hold the papal dogma but unconsciously provided a slender and most insecure basis for it (see inacanus). Most Roman Catholic writers are intelligent enough to admit that theory of inspired tradition alone can be appealed to in support of the idea. The ordinary and only tenable argument is that the ecclesiastical promulgation and acceptance of the doctrine prove its apostolic origin (see Catholic Dictionary, sub loc.).
Posted on: Sun, 31 Aug 2014 12:34:47 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015