The word of God says
:
Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God(Exodus
20:5)
And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it
came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.(Numbers 21:9)
A Former catholic says
:
As a
faithful Catholic, and later as a nun, I practiced Mary worship for many years
without realizing it. The prayers and
practices were so familiar. They were
taught to me by good people, sincere people that I trusted. I prayed rosaries and wore a scapular and
engaged in other “devotions” which I honestly thought were good and pleasing to
God. Because of my lack of knowledge of the Bible and of Church history, I
honestly had no idea that I was actually worshipping Mary. If
modern Catholic teachings and doctrines about Mary are true, then they will not
be contrary to Scripture, the writings of the Early Fathers, or the decrees of
past popes. For a devout Catholic to
question these issues and put them to the test can be painful. It certainly was for me. However, it would be far more painful to have
God correct us when we face Him on Judgment Day. Mary Ann Collins
(A Former Catholic Nun
World’s largest Marian statue
unveiled in Bolivia
Rolando Rocha, the lead sculptor for the project, told reporters that more than simply “a work of engineering and art,” the monument “is an act of faith that strengthens our traditions.”
Towering at 149 feet, the statue is located on a 12,000-foot mountain south of La Paz, the country’s second largest city. It stands 22 feet taller than the Christ the Redeemer statue atop Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The statue’s unveiling ceremony was attended by both Bolivian president Evo Morales and Oruro mayor Rossio Pimentel.
Our Lady of Socavon is the patroness of miners. The original statue is kept at the Diocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Socavon in the city of Oruro.
THE PRESENTATION OF THE $1.2 MILLION STATUE ALSO MARKED THE BEGINNING OF CARNAVAL IN ORUGO. THE CITY’S FESTIVAL IS THE ONLY CARNAVAL CELEBRATION THAT INCLUDES A DANCE IN HONOR OF THE VIRGIN MARY.
As residents of Oruro prepared for the annual candlelight procession to the Shrine of Socavon, Bishop Cristobal Bialasik issued a letter inviting those along the procession route to decorate their homes with sacred images and to listen to the diocesan broadcast of the event.
The closing procession, which took place on the evening of Feb. 3, featured nearly 50 dancers making their way to the shrine, where they asked the Virgin Mary for her intercession.
Also READ:
Emulating catholic idolatry : Ohio Megachurch Dedicates New 52-Foot Jesus Statue
Striving Tooth And Nail to Defend False Doctrine: Msgr J.W. Katende Joins Archbishop Of Kampala Dr. Cyprian Kizito Lwanga In The Ridiculous Defence Of Mary Worship
http://watchmanafrica.blogspot.com/2012/09/striving-tooth-and-nail-defend-false.html
Christians Condemn Idolatrous ‘Queenship of Mary’ Observance, Emphasize Need for Evangelism
http://watchmanafrica.blogspot.com/2012/08/christians-condemn-idolatrous-queenship.html
The Real Blessed Mother of Jesus, Mary
http://www.evangelicaloutreach.org/mother-of-Jesus.htm
UPDATED:
Step aside, Rio de Janeiro. This town is building a Jesus
bigger than yours.
A Polish priest is on the verge of realising his dream of putting up what he says will be the world's largest statue of Jesus Christ in a small town in western Poland.
The giant Jesus at 167ft - a couple of yards higher than the iconic Christ the Redeemer monument in Rio de Janeiro at 125ft - took two days to build as windy weather conditions prevented it being completed in one day.
The torso of Jesus Christ remained topless over night as heavy winds prevented cranes from lifting the torso, arms and head onto the lower half of the robed white figure.
The project cost almost £900,000 with money donated from across the spectrum to fund the big idea. From business people to poor people wanting to make a contribution to the church, work on the statue finally began in 2008.
Many Poles are embarrassed by the project which is the brainchild of priest, Rev. Sylwester Zawadzki.
Maciej Czerniewski, a 45-year-old who runs a small store in the shopping center opposite said he is deeply embarrassed by it and accused the priest of 'megalomania'.
He said: 'In general I don't care about this project but I would prefer to be living in a normal country. We have bad roads, bad infrastructure but the most monuments in the world and now the biggest Jesus in the world.'
But other town residents are thrilled by the new business they hope it will bring once believers in this deeply Roman Catholic country add it to their pilgrimage routes.
A 68-year-old retired biology teacher, Krystyna Skurzynska, who belongs to the priest's parish, said: 'My friends in Warsaw are making fun of this, but we are happy about it.'
They also hope that many Germans - who tend to be much more secular than Poles - will visit simply out of curiosity since the border with Germany is only 45 miles away.
Krystyna said she hopes it will stimulate the economy and return some old glory to Swiebodzin, a town of 22,000 that was, as she put it, 'a major town in the 13th century.'
The mayor, Dariusz Bekisz, also is a fan.
'The biggest statue of Jesus Christ in the world will be in Swiebodzin,' he said. 'People will come and leave some of their money behind.'
He has little time for those mocking the project as excessively grandiose: 'When castles and the pyramids were built, there were always people who were laughing. But look at how many millions of people go to see such places and spend their money there now', he said.
The priest, Zawadzki, came up with his idea several years ago, though he imagined something much smaller in scale at first. With time, ambition grew for the man known around the town as 'the builder priest' thanks to churches and other projects he has carried out.
The figure complete with a golden crown faces a shopping center and supermarket just across the street, and beyond that, the town.
Reports say that along the way, a bishop tried to halt the project and officials threatened to withdraw permission for it because of its enormous size. The elderly Zawadzki then had a heart attack.
He recovered and plans got back on track but in recent weeks there was a new setback: cranes were unable to mount the torso and head because of their massive weight.
So they sent for a larger, more powerful crane, and had hoped to get the job done Friday. But powerful winds blew from the direction of Berlin, and it was too risky to attempt.
Construction workers finally finished the almighty task on Saturday afternoon.
One Almighty statue: Poles build 167ft Jesus Christ to rival Rio's
UPDATED:
A Polish priest is on the verge of realising his dream of putting up what he says will be the world's largest statue of Jesus Christ in a small town in western Poland.
The giant Jesus at 167ft - a couple of yards higher than the iconic Christ the Redeemer monument in Rio de Janeiro at 125ft - took two days to build as windy weather conditions prevented it being completed in one day.
The torso of Jesus Christ remained topless over night as heavy winds prevented cranes from lifting the torso, arms and head onto the lower half of the robed white figure.
The project cost almost £900,000 with money donated from across the spectrum to fund the big idea. From business people to poor people wanting to make a contribution to the church, work on the statue finally began in 2008.
Final piece: Workman gently ease the head of the giant Jesus into place by crane
Many Poles are embarrassed by the project which is the brainchild of priest, Rev. Sylwester Zawadzki.
Maciej Czerniewski, a 45-year-old who runs a small store in the shopping center opposite said he is deeply embarrassed by it and accused the priest of 'megalomania'.
He said: 'In general I don't care about this project but I would prefer to be living in a normal country. We have bad roads, bad infrastructure but the most monuments in the world and now the biggest Jesus in the world.'
But other town residents are thrilled by the new business they hope it will bring once believers in this deeply Roman Catholic country add it to their pilgrimage routes.
A 68-year-old retired biology teacher, Krystyna Skurzynska, who belongs to the priest's parish, said: 'My friends in Warsaw are making fun of this, but we are happy about it.'
They also hope that many Germans - who tend to be much more secular than Poles - will visit simply out of curiosity since the border with Germany is only 45 miles away.
Krystyna said she hopes it will stimulate the economy and return some old glory to Swiebodzin, a town of 22,000 that was, as she put it, 'a major town in the 13th century.'
The mayor, Dariusz Bekisz, also is a fan.
'The biggest statue of Jesus Christ in the world will be in Swiebodzin,' he said. 'People will come and leave some of their money behind.'
Jesus redemmer statue in Ro De Janeiro: Jesus in Poland is 43ft taller than Jesus in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
He has little time for those mocking the project as excessively grandiose: 'When castles and the pyramids were built, there were always people who were laughing. But look at how many millions of people go to see such places and spend their money there now', he said.
The priest, Zawadzki, came up with his idea several years ago, though he imagined something much smaller in scale at first. With time, ambition grew for the man known around the town as 'the builder priest' thanks to churches and other projects he has carried out.
The figure complete with a golden crown faces a shopping center and supermarket just across the street, and beyond that, the town.
Reports say that along the way, a bishop tried to halt the project and officials threatened to withdraw permission for it because of its enormous size. The elderly Zawadzki then had a heart attack.
He recovered and plans got back on track but in recent weeks there was a new setback: cranes were unable to mount the torso and head because of their massive weight.
So they sent for a larger, more powerful crane, and had hoped to get the job done Friday. But powerful winds blew from the direction of Berlin, and it was too risky to attempt.
Construction workers finally finished the almighty task on Saturday afternoon.
