Protestia EXPOSES Catholics Worshipping Mary
Evangelical watchdog ministry Protestia catalogues videos of Catholic devotion to Mary, which looks an awful lot like worship.
There seems to be an online trend in recent months of Protestants leveling renewed criticisms against Catholicism, and perhaps vice versa. The chief example is the evangelical watchdog ministry Protestia, which recently shared several video clips showing Catholics “venerating” (or, as Protestants would argue, worshipping) Mary.
The Clips
In one clip, a group of youth or young adults dressed in modern attire stand or sit around a statue of Mary singing a contemporary-sounding song in Portuguese, which translates in part to “Where my Mother is, I also want to be.” Protestia comments,
Hands raised, eyes closed, arms swaying, singing passionately. Take away the statue (and all the lyrics about Mary) and what does this look and sound like?
Another clip shows a similar scene on the streets of what looks like Times Square, with onscreen text that translates as, “Through the heart of the virgin Mary, God teach me to be holy.”
Screenshots from the videos shared by Protestia.
A third clip shows a teenage girl, apparently in a worship service, holding the hands of a statue (almost like a large doll) of Mary and apparently laughing for joy while looking into the statue’s face. For a moment, she bows her head and touches her forehead to the statue’s abdomen. Portuguese text onscreen is a quote from São Luís Grignion de Montfort that translates as,
Being your devotee, O Most Holy Virgin, is a weapon of salvation that God gives to those he wants to save.
In a video from the same or a similar event, a series of cuts shows the statue of Mary being slowly carried around a room of worshiping teenagers who apparently relish the touch of the idol.
Other clips show Roman Catholics…
parading in the streets during the festival of Varia di Palmi (in Italy) during a reenactment of the supposed assumption of Mary (clip)
“basking in the train of Mary's robes/ veil during a church service at a basilica in São Paulo” (clip)
being covered (symbolically bound together) by Mary’s veil in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Montesanto (clip)
A Comment
Responding to this last clip, Pastor James White of Apologia Church weighs in:
I don't know how Protestia finds this kind of stuff.
Hopefully most of you have noticed that no matter how obviously idolatrous these videos are, no matter how clear it is that the Apostles never even DREAMED of such things, there will be those who will defend it with a level of sophistry that boggles the mind.
Theologically, we must realize that only the work of the Spirit can focus the mind upon God's truth, upon the centrality and the sufficiency of Jesus.”