Mary, the mother of Jesus, has an exalted place in Roman Catholic theology. How did this come to be? Is it biblical or an example of misguided church tradition veering into something unbiblical that is perhaps more pagan than Christian?

Years ago I had an opportunity to make my first trip to Mexico and vividly remember visiting the cathedral in Taxco. It was a massive stone edifice, impressive on the outside and full of gold on the inside. I noted the gold that covered the altar wall, the multitudes of statues of the saints, and, as I walked down the center aisle, looking down and to my left into an open stone crypt that held a wax dummy of a crucified and dead Jesus. (For a Biblical Christian, this was extremely odd, since we worship a risen Savior, not a dead one.) The biggest impression that visit left with me was the incredible influence and power the Roman Catholic Church had in Mexico. For the first time in my life I saw Roman Catholicism in its “raw” form, which is very different from how it presents itself in the United States.

I also remember driving through the countryside and noting the multitudes of roadside shrines which contained statues of Mary, specifically ones dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe, in honor of an appearance she purportedly made to a young peasant named Juan Diego in 1531 in what is now Mexico City. (You can read more about this by clicking here.) Whoever this being was that appeared to Juan, “she” requested that a church be erected in her honor, which is now the most visited Catholic shrine in the world. This being told Juan not to fear because she was his mother. In order to prove her authenticity she supposedly healed Juan’s uncle who was near death and imprinted an image of herself on his cloak. On the right is a photo of the how “Mary” supposedly. This image is located in that shrine. 

This is not the only time Jesus’ mother is reported to have appeared to someone in a very special way. On February 11, 1858, the Virgin purportedly appeared to a young peasant girl name Bernadette Soubirous in Lourdes, France. On the eighteenth time she appeared to Bernadette, “Mary” declared that she was the “Immaculate Conception.” The Catholic Church later officially adopted this declaration as an official infallibly correct doctrine, which holds that Mary was conceived and born without any stain of original sin, just like Jesus. No explanation was given as to how that could have taken place or why it is not mentioned in the Bible.

Mary was also supposed to have appeared to three young children in Fatima, Portugal in 1916 and 1917. The children described the apparition as a lady “more brilliant than the sun.” It was here that the Catholic Church’s devotion to praying the Rosary escalated after the apparition said that a daily praying of the Rosary was a key to personal and world peace. The Rosary is a string of beads that helps the one praying to repeat prayers is a particular order. The most repeated prayer is called the “Hail, Mary,” which directly asks Mary to intercede or advocate with us before God. Here are the words.

Hail, Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou amongst 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.

The apparition also said the following:

Jesus wishes to use you to make me better known and loved. He wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart. No, my child [you will not be alone], and would that make you suffer? Do not be disheartened. My Immaculate Heart will never abandon you, but will be your refuge and the way that will lead you to God.

There are around 500 examples of Mary appearing to people in special ways. Jesus’ mother has come to be known by many titles that are sanctioned by the Roman Catholic Church, which include the following heretical names: “Mother of the Church” (Lourdes), Mother of God, Immaculate Mary, and Queen of Heaven.

And now for an application. As I mentioned earlier in this article, one of the names given to Mary is Queen of Heaven. The prophet Jeremiah mentions a pagan deity with the same name (Jeremiah 44:25), which probably was a reference to Ishtar, a goddess of fertility from which the word Easter is derived. (Syncretism shows its ugly face again.) In fact, this title of Queen of Heaven has been given to female goddesses throughout the world: Athor (Egypt), Virgo Deipara (Tibet and China), Hestia (Greece), and Juno (Rome). It is very troubling that by elevating Mary to an unbiblical status and naming her after a pagan goddess, the Roman Catholic Church has facilitated a form of goddess worship.

My home church in Greensboro when growing up was called Our Lady of Grace. Her image show rays of grace descending downward from her hands, illustrating how Mary has been transformed by the Catholic Church’s doctrine and tradition from being the one who received amazing grace and favor to being the one through whom grace flows to people, something reserved to our Lord Jesus.

For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. 17 For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. John 1:16–17 (NASB95) —

Mary was indeed a most favored woman whom God chose to conceive and give birth to the supernatural/human Son of God who was both God and man. Jesus’ divine side came from the Holy Spirit, but his human side came from Mary. The doctrine of the Immaculate Conception makes Mary out to be every bit as sinless and divine as her amazing Son, something that is unbiblical and illogical and which is a cornerstone of her arising to the status of Queen of Heaven. If Mary were indeed sinless, then she, too, would have been fathered directly by God, but this is not so. Mary was specially favored but very much a human, according to the Bible’s portrayal. According to Scripture, she and Joseph had other children after Jesus’ birth, one of whom (James) became the head of the church in Jerusalem.

And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, 25 but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus. Matthew 1:24–25 (NASB95) —

“Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56 “And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” Matthew 13:55–56 (NASB95) —

The Catholic Church, however, insists that she remained a virgin for the rest of her life.

The non-biblical doctrine of Mary’s Assumption, that is, that she was taken bodily into heaven, is also foundational to her eventual status as the Queen of Heaven. Adding these additional doctrines to church tradition is a clear example of adding to the words of the Bible, something expressly forbidden in the Scripture. (Deuteronomy 4:2 and Proverbs 30:6) The prophet Isaiah also wrote:

To the teaching and to the testimony! If they will not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn. Isaiah 8:20 (ESV)

Paul also warns that Satan is able to disguise himself as an “angel of light,” (2 Corinthians 11:14)  if need be, in order to deceive. Paul also wrote that the church would eventually be attacked by what he called “doctrines of demons.”

Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons. 1 Timothy 4:1 (NLT)

Therefore, if any doctrine does not agree with what is written in the Bible, it means that it does not come from God.

This goes back to the basic question as to the authority of Scripture versus the authority of church dogma and tradition. One or the other must reign supreme. We cannot have it both ways.

As Queen of Heaven and as Christ’s mother, Mary is supposed to have enormous powers of influence with her Son even today. Church members are encouraged to pray to her as a type of mediator between God and them.

It is important to remember that Jesus specifically told us to pray directly to our heavenly Father.

At that time you won’t need to ask me for anything. I tell you the truth, you will ask the Father directly, and he will grant your request because you use my name.  John 16:23 (NLT)

In other words, Jesus said, “You don’t even need to go through me any longer. You can go directly to Abba!”

The concept of using Mary as an intermediary in prayer if totally foreign to the Bible and another example of layering church tradition on top of Bible truth and coming up with falsehood.

The amazing truth of Christianity is that Jesus opened the way for us to have direct access to Father God, to whom belongs all the glory and honor and devotion. When Jesus died, the temple veil was torn from top to bottom, something that only God could do, giving all believers direct access to God’s presence.

Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; Hebrews 10:19-23 (NASB)

Why would anyone want to be part of a religious system that places intermediaries between us and Father God, as if God somehow were not happy with us and would not listen to our prayers? I have no problem with there being saints in heaven, including Mary, who care about us and who perhaps even pray for us, but the Bible never says anything about them having a mediatorial prayer function. The only person having such a function is our Lord Jesus.

Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised— who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Romans 8:34 (ESV) 

Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. Hebrews 7:25 (ESV) 

(My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin.) But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous One, 1 John 2:1 (NET1) 

Placing Mary and the other saints in Christ’s place distracts and detracts from Jesus’ role as our Supreme Advocate and Intercessor.

And besides this, we have another advocate right here on earth, who indwells every believer. His name is the Holy Spirit.

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. 17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.  John 14:16-17 (NLT) 

I believe the devil would rather a person turn to Mary than directly to God. In so doing, they are likely, though unwittingly, turning to a pagan deity called the Queen of Heaven, which is sad, terrible, and dangerous.

Why would anyone choose a lesser advocate (a priest, Mary, or the saints) over the greater One? Why would anyone prefer to have heavenly humans plead their case instead of God Himself? I believe the answer lies in a paucity of biblical understanding and a lack of relationship with God through the new birth which is a result of Roman Catholic teaching and practice. God is seen as distant and difficult to approach, and church members can never be quite sure if they are good enough to please Him and remain in His good graces. They feel that they need someone on the “inside” working for them to gain God’s favor. How sad is that?

Jesus came to give all believers great favor with God, not just Mary. Jesus came to make us all beloved and favored sons and daughters.

So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” 16 For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. Romans 8:15-16 (NLT)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love 5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. 7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight 9 He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him Ephesians 1:3–9 (NASB95) —

Whereas Biblical Christianity provides believers with assurance of being accepted and loved by God through faith in Christ, Roman Catholic teaching leaves its followers stranded on a performance treadmill, trying to stay on God’s good side by keeping church rules and rites, using priests as earthly mediators of grace and absolution from sin, and praying to Mary and the saints instead of directly to God the Father – all without having any final assurance of salvation. I well remember what that was like; but, when I was born again through faith in Christ, I left all that behind. Now I turn to Christ for forgiveness. I am no longer under the performance-based “keeping of the Law” to earn God’s favor. I have been given the gift of right standing with God through Christ.

Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. 2 Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory. Romans 5:1-2 (NLT) 

I do not have to go through others to ask God to help me out. Instead, I do as Jesus commanded and ask my Heavenly Father for what I need.

Mankind is religious by nature, and, without revelation from the Holy Spirit, we will always seek to build our own system of salvation. It started with Cain who offered his own idea of a good sacrifice instead of what God wanted. It found further expression at Babel when the inhabitants tried to erect a building to reach to the heavens. It now exists in the Catholic Church and every other man-made religion, including legalistic Protestantism. There is only one way to be free. We must believe in Christ alone and reject every other way to heaven.

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. John 14:6 (NLT)