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Apologetics

Spiritual Warfare Forum: Why the worship...

by Catherine Frakas 12 Nov 2002

Why the worship... QUESTION from Campbell June 2, 2001 I do hope you will forgive me if I am being presumptuous in correcting you in your word usage.
In your answer to the earlier question on the supposed worship of Mary, you used the following sentence, which I believe has some unfortunate wording:
The fathers of the Church understood the meaning of this and offered adoration and prayers to Mary and the Saints from the 1st century on. The word adoration denotes worship of the highest order, which the instruction section of an old Catholic missal I have seen notes as being that form of worship which is more importantly than any others reserved to God alone. In fact, the word, adore is cognate to the word for worship in some romance languages (and therefore probably derived from the same in Latin, although I know nothing of Latin). I can directly cite adorar the Spanish verb for worship. Therefore, especially in the context of a question bringing up that all-too-common objection to Marian devotion, I believe adoration was an unfortunate choice of words. After all, it is clear that you were not advocating the worship of Mary from your later statement to the effect that those worshipping Mary (if there are any) would risk their soul to hell.
Again, I ask your tolerance if I am overstepping boundaries, or being too nit-picky. I have spent a little time in the trenches of apologetics myself, and if there is one thing that I have learned, it is that one wrong choice of words can easily foster great misunderstandings in our Protestant brethren, and thus perpetuate the lies that are so often leveled against us.
I appreciate the work that you are doing. It is not easy to be a prophet of YHWH when it seems that all Israel has forsaken God's law and turned to idol worship. May God bless us all, and keep us in the remnant.
Yours in Christ.
ANSWER by John-Paul Ignatius, OLSM on July 10, 2001 Dear Mr. Campbell: Actually the word adoration has several meanings and I did use it properly. And, even the word worship is technically correct since that word also has several meanings. And the Church has used these words. But I agree, especially in today's climate and linquistic norms, to avoid confusion, the word venerate would be better. Thanks
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