Why do some pray to Mary?

You assume that when it refers to "saints" that it is talking about Catholic Church sanctioned saints, and not the ACTUAL saints that the Bible talks about. Saints at the time were anyone who were believers in Christ, and not those who had already passed away. The Catholic Church has twisted views on almost all verses in the Bible. The Bible is clear about trying to contact the dead. Mary is dead in Christ, and you can no more pray to her than you can pray to Ben Franklin. You can think she hears you all you want, but she doesn't. There is ONE MEDIATOR between God and man and that is Christ Jesus. She is not the mediatrix. Sorry, your popes were wrong. They're just misguided men, not holy fathers. There is only one Holy Father and he doesn't make mistakes. He is not Allah - that is a false God. Catholics need to spend more time reading the word and not practicing their vain traditions.

>>The Bible clearly says "For there is one mediator between God and man, the Man Christ Jesus".<<

Yes, but that doesn't mean we can't pray for others and ask others to pray for us. "Pray for one another" -- James 5:16

>>Also, I hear that Catholics believe Mary to be sinless, when the Bible also says "Romans 3:23: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God"<<

Do you believe Jesus sinned? Do you believe babies have sinned? Do you believe the profoundly mentally disabled have sinned? Just how literally do you take that?

>>Mary herself says she is in need of a Savior in Luke 1:47 "And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior." If she was sinless, why would she need a savior? Just some food for thought.<<

She was sinless BECAUSE God SAVED her from being stained with original sin and from falling into personal sin.

>>Mary is dead, how can she pray for you?<<

The same reason Elijah and Moses could appear to Peter, James, and John (Mark 9:2-4) -- the dead are not really dead, but alive and aware.

I don't think that Mary was Godly of her own volition - that is why she also needed God's sanctifying grace. If you remember, Isaiah's lips had to be cleansed, Moses could not step onto Holy Ground with his shoes. Mary, had to be Holy as well to receive the God-child into her womb, thus God preserved her from sin by His saving Grace.

As far as the one mediator goes, that's true, but there are many examples where saints like Paul asked for intercession. We all ask others to pray for us, so you are taking the passage out of context.

Carrie, you sound like a woman of faith, one who knows her Bible.

If we were friends, and I said to you, "Carrie, would you please pray for my uncle? He's very sick." Wouldn't you do it?

It's in that same sense that Catholic Christians pray to Mary. We believe she is in Heaven, and as the mother of Jesus, would not hesitate to bring our prayer requests to her Son. We don't worship her as we worship God.

Catholic Christians also believe that by a special gift of God, Mary was not born with the stain of original sin, but was sinless from the moment of her conception. When the Angel Gabriel came to her to tell her that she would be the mother of the Savior, he said, "Hail! Full of grace!" A heavenly messenger would not lie. He greeted Mary as "full of grace" because she was "full of grace" from the moment of her conception, and it was a divine gift given by her Son even before He became incarnate in her womb. For God, time is not the way we limited humans experience it.

In her beautiful prayer, Mary does not say that she was in need of a Savior, but that she rejoices in "God, my Savior", which He is and was. He saved her from the stain of original sin, allowing her to conceive Jesus, the Savior of the whole world, in which Mary lived and of which she was part.

Additionally, even a pure virgin can be sinful in other areas of her life, and as such, would not be fit to carry God Himself in her womb. Mary was sinless -- not only a pure virgin but without any sin.

they are very misguided. yes mary was very blessed to give birth to Jesus. She was only human, and she is dead now and will resurrect same as all the dead people when Jesus comes again. you are right, Jesus said he is the only intercessor. We can pray together with other people for God's help, and thats fine, but praying to another human who is by the way dead and cant help u, is a sin. Mary will be judged same as all of us. She was only chosen to give birth to Jesus and jesus loved her of course, but she is not divine, And not in heaven and cant pray for you, she is dead.

First I think that a true Christian would not judge anyone elses belifes. Secondly people have dffrent religions some pray to budda some pray to Mary. not all belive in the bible. It is just a personal belife and hey if it makes them feel better and gives them some since of spirituality or helps to bring them comfort who are we as christians to say its wrong?

Why should people not honor the Feminine aspect of creation/God???

I am not a Christian or Catholic, but I think that honoring Mother Mary is the best thing that the Catholic religion does...

Anyone who prays to Mary or anyone other then god/Jesus is a very misguided person. My mother who is a stout Catholic has the same wrongful belief. The Bible said she was pure meaning she was a virgin and as such was chosen to receive the Lord. This is further supported as what it meant when the angel had to Explain to Joseph that he was to still marry her despite her being pregnant because it was a miracle from God that she was pregnant and that she was still pure (a virgin).

why are you againts mary? she is the mother of the God.. she prays for us.. and if you will pray to mary. you will have an open minded about Jesus and his blessed mother... she is the mother of God.. she was the mother of the first church.. saint paul called to pray to the saints.. in a letter.. to make intercessions in timothy.. jesus said God is for people who are alive not for deads

If you'll read the bible, it does state to petition the saints.

Ephesians 6:18 >>

With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints.

http://www.bible-infonet.org/ff/q_a/112_01_16.htm