> Anti-Catholics love to distort Catholic teachings. For example, they like to say we worship Mary or pray to statues.

Praying to Mary IS worshipping Mary, despite protests to the contrary. Nowhere does the Bible teach you to pray TO anyone but God. And nowhere on my web page do I suggest that Catholics pray TO statues. As I have pointed out time and again, the Commandment of God forbids making and bowing down before any statue, which Catholics do routinely.

> "Mr. Bible Light" Mike Scheifler has engaged in a little distortion of Catholic teaching, too, and this time it's about our redemption and the Blessed Virgin Mary's part in it.

In my article I have quoted papal encyclicals, the official Vatican Catechism, and several other Catholic sources verbatim. I have to say I am puzzled how this can be described as distortion. In his defense, Mario replies with the following quote:

> Although Christ is the Sole Mediator between God and man (1 Tim. 2, 5), since He alone, by His death on the Cross, fully reconciled mankind with God, this does not exclude a secondary mediatorship, subordinated to Christ ... [Ott, Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma, 211].

From the King James:

1 Tim 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

Now I am not sure what Dr. Ludwig Ott's credentials are in the Catholic Church, but look at what he is claiming. He is trying to say that when the Bible says sole or one mediator, this really does not exclude the possibility of two mediators. So black is really white? Up is really down? One really means two??? Dr. Ott is actually restating what the church officially teaches:

60. There is but one Mediator as we know from the words of the apostle, "for there is one God and one mediator of God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a redemption for all". [1 Tim 2:5-6] The material duty of Mary toward men in no wise obscures or diminishes this unique mediation of Christ, but rather shows His power.

62. ... Therefore the Blessed Virgin is invoked by the Church under the titles of Advocate, Auxiliatrix, Adjutrix, and Medatrix. This, however, is to be so understood that it neither takes away from nor adds anything to the dignity and efficaciousness of Christ the one Mediator. ... The Church does not hesitate to profess this subordinate role of Mary.

Source: Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium), promulgated by Pope Paul VI, November 21, 1964.

(I have added the above quote to my original article)

So one mediator in the Bible becomes one mediator and one mediatrix in Catholic teaching. Actually this is a common practice of the Catholic Church. The Bible says one thing, but the Roman Catholic Church teaches something quite different, even permitting what the Bible strictly and explicitly condemns.

> Could anyone have stated it any clearer and more simply than Dr. Ludwig Ott?
It, again, seems like Michael Scheifler did not even bother to study the Catholic case.

Excuse me? In your opinion papal encyclicals and the Vatican Catechism and other quotes I presented do not represent the Catholic case? Mario, did you even read my article? You certainly did not impugn the integrity of the Catholic sources I presented. Are they or are they not official Catholic teaching? Does Dr. Ott, or the sources he quotes, supersede or invalidate the teachings of the papal encyclicals or Catechism I presented? That appears to be what you are attempting.

> I cannot quote enough from Ludwig Ott's masterpiece "Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma." He so clearly shows what the Church truly teaches and what she does not mean by her teachings.

> In the power of the grace of Redemption merited by Christ, Mary, by her spiritual entering into the sacrifice of her Divine Son for men, made atonement for the sins of men, and ... merited the application of the redemptive grace of Christ. In this manner she co-operates in the subjective redemption of mankind. [Ott, Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma, 213]

Read the above quote from Dr. Ott very carefully. He is claiming that Mary made atonement for the sins of men!     Is this not blasphemy?

Mario asks the question-

> Are there any biblical proofs? Not really.

I agree completely. There is absolutely no biblical support that Mario can present for Mary acting in the role of Mediatrix. The evidence I have presented in my article clearly shows that the Roman Catholic Church officially teaches that salvation is obtained directly from Mary as Mediatrix rather than directly from Jesus, and that this will likely be defined as binding dogma in the near future. That teaching is unbiblical and AntiChrist by definition.

Acts 4:10 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.
Acts 4:11 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.
Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

Nothing Mario Derksen has presented, or will present, will in any way negate or refute this. His is truly a futile effort. Salvation is found only in one mediator, our high priest Jesus Christ.

http://www.aloha.net/~mikesch/