What about Mary sighting's such as Fatima, Portugal??

[eascusa]

I was wondering how people felt and what they thought about the Catholic religion when it comes to Mother Mary? My Mother is big into Mary and what happened in Fatima, Portugal? Has anyone read into this about the three children in 1915 who said they talked with an angel and then later Mary and what she said and what she wanted such as consecrating her immaculate heart to Russia. I just started reading about it but have always heard from my Mother about it. She is absolutley convinced that this is the truth. This and other sighting's from Mary to people through out the last couple of hundered years. I was raised Catholic but do not feel that I am Catholic because there are things that I don't agree with or that I feel they are not taking from the bible. Basically, I keep to my bible and if it isn't in there I am reluctant to believe it. But, what if...? What if we are suppose to praying our rosaries and doing what she said? I am so afraid to do something, anything wrong to offend God or sin. I don't know where I fit in. Anyway, I just wanted to hear other's thoughts and point of view on this because I am sure there is plenty and I just don't know what to believe anymore when it comes to these type of things. I hope this isn't a touchy subject. I hear a lot of not so good things from Bible forums like this one about the Catholic faith so I didn't know wether to bring it up or not. Thankyou everyone.

[Lady e]

Jesus is the way the truth and the life-the only way to the father is through him.In my opinion these sightings are either delusional or demonic.Anytime someone proclaims a different gospel than the one in the bible they are a false prophet and of these you need to beware.Always trust the scriptures.

[blnuno14]

Hello.....I read your question about Fatima. I have personally visited Fatima, Portugal many times. People come there from all over the world. At night, at the Capelhina, place of the apparitions, they say the Rosary in many different languages. There are thousands of people with lighted candles it is a very moving experience.
As to your question about only believing what is strictly in the Bible, Catholic theology is not based solely on the Bible. It is based on Sacred Scripture (Bible) and Apostolic Tradition. The Bible itself was not widely available to many people until many centuries after Christ. The Scriptures were actually preserved through the centuries by Catholic monasteries.
There is a new video out just now called "The 13th Day". There is was a hollywood film made in 1952, called "The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima". There is also a film made in Portugal called simply, "Apparitions at Fatima" (can be ordered through EWTN, or maybe even amazon, not sure).

God Bless

[crossnote]

Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,
(Col 2:18)

And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
(2Co 11:14-15)

[-SEEKING-]

Mary, the Mary from the Bible, was a great woman. She is however dead as is what happens to all of us mere mortals. This "Myth" Mary I don't know where they come up with all these stories.

[The Mighty Sword]

What about bigfoot, the lochness monster and the chupacabra? Not very many people have seen them, but we all believe they exist or do they?
All I know is if I see the image of bigfoot on my grilled cheese sandwich I'm selling it to the vatican

[Amos_with_goats]

I was wondering how people felt and what they thought about the Catholic religion when it comes to Mother Mary?

When we depart from scripture, there are many ideas that can become appealing. The RCC teachings about Mary are an excellent example. The ideas do not appear harmful on the surface but the fruit can certainly be.

Devotion to, and worship of, anything other then the Lord gets in the way of the worship we are called to.

My Mother is big into Mary and what happened in Fatima, Portugal? Has anyone read into this about the three children in 1915 who said they talked with an angel and then later Mary and what she said and what she wanted such as consecrating her immaculate heart to Russia. I just started reading about it but have always heard from my Mother about it. She is absolutley convinced that this is the truth. This and other sighting's from Mary to people through out the last couple of hundered years. I was raised Catholic but do not feel that I am Catholic because there are things that I don't agree with or that I feel they are not taking from the bible. Basically, I keep to my bible and if it isn't in there I am reluctant to believe it. But, what if...? What if we are suppose to praying our rosaries and doing what she said? I am so afraid to do something, anything wrong to offend God or sin. I don't know where I fit in. Anyway, I just wanted to hear other's thoughts and point of view on this because I am sure there is plenty and I just don't know what to believe anymore when it comes to these type of things. I hope this isn't a touchy subject. I hear a lot of not so good things from Bible forums like this one about the Catholic faith so I didn't know wether to bring it up or not. Thankyou everyone.

We know that in the end times there will be deception. The goals of this deception may not always seem clear to us. We do know that we can identify the spirit by what it confesses.

The apparition at Fatima proclaimed many things about Mary, and told the children (if i remember correctly) some secrets they were told not to share. What the apparition did not do was confess that Christ came in the flesh. This is a significant sign to the believer.

1 John 4:1-3 (underline added)

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.

[Wintermute]

I was wondering how people felt and what they thought about the Catholic religion when it comes to Mother Mary? My Mother is big into Mary and what happened in Fatima, Portugal? Has anyone read into this about the three children in 1915 who said they talked with an angel and then later Mary and what she said and what she wanted such as consecrating her immaculate heart to Russia. I just started reading about it but have always heard from my Mother about it. She is absolutley convinced that this is the truth. This and other sighting's from Mary to people through out the last couple of hundered years. I was raised Catholic but do not feel that I am Catholic because there are things that I don't agree with or that I feel they are not taking from the bible. Basically, I keep to my bible and if it isn't in there I am reluctant to believe it. But, what if...? What if we are suppose to praying our rosaries and doing what she said? I am so afraid to do something, anything wrong to offend God or sin. I don't know where I fit in. Anyway, I just wanted to hear other's thoughts and point of view on this because I am sure there is plenty and I just don't know what to believe anymore when it comes to these type of things. I hope this isn't a touchy subject. I hear a lot of not so good things from Bible forums like this one about the Catholic faith so I didn't know wether to bring it up or not. Thankyou everyone.

Consider the following with regard to Mary:

Luke 11:27-28 And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, "Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!" But He said, "More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!"

Matthew 12:47-50 Then one said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You." But He answered and said to the one who told Him, "Who is My mother and who are My brothers?" And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother."

John 2:1-5 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, "They have no wine." Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come." His mother said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it."

If Mary was so blessed and immaculate such that the Roman Church claims that she can intercede on behalf of humanity, why is it that when she walked this earth, Christ gives essentially no recognition of this? The theme with regard to Mary is a deferral to those around to do as Christ instructs, to do the will of the Father and to hear the word of God and keep it. That is, instead of seeking out Mary we should be seeking to do the will of the Father, etc.

[notuptome]

The roman catholic church has exalted Mary to a position equal to or superiour to Christ. This is a very bad thing. Mary was indeed a chosen vessel. She was chosen by God to provide a body of flesh for the Messiah. Mary never claimed any special rights before God. She need Christ to forgive her sins just like everybody else born into this world.

The visions and appearances claimed as miracles by the rcc are not from God. God has in these last days spoken to us in His Son Jesus. Heb 1:1-2

For the cause of Christ
Roger

[The Mighty Sword]

The roman catholic church has exalted Mary to a position equal to or superiour to Christ. This is a very bad thing. Mary was indeed a chosen vessel. She was chosen by God to provide a body of flesh for the Messiah. Mary never claimed any special rights before God. She need Christ to forgive her sins just like everybody else born into this world.

The visions and appearances claimed as miracles by the rcc are not from God. God has in these last days spoken to us in His Son Jesus. Heb 1:1-2

For the cause of Christ
Roger

More than that, she is known as "The Queen of Heaven" even better is the explanation.

[daughter]

I was a goddess worshipping witch for over ten years. Before that I was a Roman Catholic, and deeply into my mariology. That is, I prayed to Mary more than to Jesus. I said my rosary devoutly, I worked at Lourdes for a few years in summer holidays.

The fact I was such a Mary idolator did, I believe, factor into my eventually becoming a witch... it seemed so much easier to pray to a goddess than to God.

Anyway, that's a long story, I'll share it if you're interested.

However, one thing which disturbed me, even as a rosary saying RC, was that when I looked into the fatima myth, there were all sorts of things that didn't add up. There were three children, if you remember, all under fed, left alone on the hills looking after sheep for years.

The eldest, strongest willed, and healthiest, known to be a manipulative bully, took the lead in the fatima story. the other two, if you remember, died of consumption... their malnutrition and familial neglect will have contributed to this.

I looked at a lot of first hand evidence, and I got the most distinctly horrible sensation, even when I worshipped Mary, that these two famished children were basically playing a game with their elder, stronger cousin, which they started to believe... and when the cousin, as an adult, confessed her secret to the pope, the secret was that she had manipulated the younger children into believing that they'd seen the blessed virgin.

Even as a devout Catholic the fatima story didn't add up.

To anyone who reads the Bible, the fatima story cannot add up.

It is idolatrous. ANYTHING that puports to stand as greater than Christ is a lie. The Queen of Heaven, whether she turns up in lourdes, or fatima, or my back garden, is just such a lie.

[decrumpit]

I was wondering how people felt and what they thought about the Catholic religion when it comes to Mother Mary? My Mother is big into Mary and what happened in Fatima, Portugal? Has anyone read into this about the three children in 1915 who said they talked with an angel and then later Mary and what she said and what she wanted such as consecrating her immaculate heart to Russia. I just started reading about it but have always heard from my Mother about it. She is absolutley convinced that this is the truth. This and other sighting's from Mary to people through out the last couple of hundered years. I was raised Catholic but do not feel that I am Catholic because there are things that I don't agree with or that I feel they are not taking from the bible. Basically, I keep to my bible and if it isn't in there I am reluctant to believe it. But, what if...? What if we are suppose to praying our rosaries and doing what she said? I am so afraid to do something, anything wrong to offend God or sin. I don't know where I fit in. Anyway, I just wanted to hear other's thoughts and point of view on this because I am sure there is plenty and I just don't know what to believe anymore when it comes to these type of things. I hope this isn't a touchy subject. I hear a lot of not so good things from Bible forums like this one about the Catholic faith so I didn't know wether to bring it up or not. Thankyou everyone.

I think daughter nailed this one on the head, although I have never heard that the eldest bullied the others. Either the Pope told a secret confession (which would remove him from the office) or that eldest daughter sure did like to gab... or perhaps someone was making it up?

I would only add that humanity has a pretty inborn sense of the sensational.

Read this about a miracle in Hinduism -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_milk_miracle

Like all things, there is a perfectly natural scientific explanation for this, as well as other miracles.

Furthermore, it is very easy to "implant" memories into children and for the children to believe them as truth. So when the Vatican inquisitors determined these girls were telling the truth, they did so before the advent of modern psychology (they only discovered this in the 90s after a rash of phony lawsuits over "recovered" memories).

It is all smoke and mirrors - driving a wedge between God and His people through superstition.

Plus, as a comedian pointed out, if Mary were so concerned about the world, why wouldn't she appear and give a starving child some food? Why does she show she cares by appearing in burnt toast?

[Psalms Fan]

As someone coming from the Orthodox perspective (we and Rome used to be one church):

If someone sees an apparition of something, pay it no mind. It may be real, or it may be a demon. If it was real (and from God), it was meant only for that person. If it was demonic, then it is meant for everyone's destruction, and ought to be ignored and avoided. Either way, it's to be ignored.

If YOU see an apparition, it very well may be a demon, and you very well may not have the discernment to know the difference, as demons are very deceptive.

Our goal as christians is to grow in the knowledge of God, and not to be caught up in visions and dreams and angels and apparitions and the like.

If Mary truly did appear to someone for their edification, the last thing she'd want is for everyone to idolize the place where she appeared or the fact that she appeared. If someone is running around telling the world that they saw Mary or an angel or something (and especially if they're gaining a profit from the news), it probably wasn't from God. A tree is known by its fruit, and there is often a whole lot of bad fruit from these various publicly-proclaimed Marian apparitions.

[crossnote]

Yes, Mary is blessed among women having carried our Lord, Creator and Redeemer, in her womb, and we are to call her blessed, but I find it very interesting for all the hoopla Rome gives to Mary the inspired writers of the New Testament Epistles never mention her in their letters. Now if she is nearly a demi god as Rome makes her out to be don't you think she would have been taught about or even mentioned in many of the Epistles?

[gringo300]

Ok, from what I understand, some form or forms of Catholicism is/are real big in Portugal, and the Portuguese spread this to Brazil. A large proportion of the population of Brazil is ethnic Portuguese.

I've heard of the alledged Fatima incident, but I don't really understand much about it.

I'd like to take a trip to Portugal someday, but while there I'll have my mind more on honing my Portuguese (language) skills than in visiting this spot.

I'm trying to learn as many languages as possible in my lifetime. Currently, I'm concentrating on Spanish.