1. Do Catholics worship Mary. 2. Do they worship idols eg. the cross. 3. If a beggar asks me for spare change should I give it to him even though he/she looks like a drunk and they can simply apply for welfare or I could rather give that money to a charity that can put it to better use.

Please don't assume what I think are the answers to the above questions. I only haven't stated so that you can give me a hopefully more unbiased answer.

God bless,

-- Mark (-anon@speedup.com), November 10, 2004

Answers

Dear Mark,

1. No, Catholics don't worship Mary, at least they don't worship her in the same sense they worship God. Worship given to God is called "adoration", and implies giving one's whole life and being to God. Mary is given very high honor because she is the mother of Christ. Just like I can ask you to pray for me in time of need, Catholics believe we can ask her to pray with and for us also--and with the added benefit that she is so very close to God, so her prayers will always be the perfect prayers. But Mary herself said, "My spirit rejoices in God my Savior." Mary is not God, she is totally dependent upon God and loves Him with her whole heart. However, in the old English sense of "worship", that word just means "honor" or "respect," which is why the English address judges as "Your worship". Catholics worship God with adoration; but they respect and honor Mary.

2. Catholics also honor the crucifix, cross, pictures or statues of saints or angels. But this is not idolatry. Remember that the Lord commanded Moses to make a bronze image of a serpent in the wilderness when the people were bitten by poisonous snakes--and whoever looked at the bronze serpent was healed. That was not idolatry either. Likewise, God commanded that the Israelites make two gold cherubim to be by the Ark of the Covenant in the Temple. That was not idolatry either. An image reminds us of the holy person or angel and encourages us to follow their example. By the way, we see statues of George Washington in many public parks, but that is not idolatry either.

3. I would take the person out to lunch and eat with them, to make sure they were getting food with the money.

Cordially,

-- Michael (edwardsronning@prodigy.net), November 10, 2004.

mark,

I'll be quite frank, since i think the above answers are more or less sufficient...

1. Do Catholics worship Mary.

no

2. Do they worship idols eg. the cross.

no

3. If a beggar asks me for spare change should I give it to him even though he/she looks like a drunk and they can simply apply for welfare or I could rather give that money to a charity that can put it to better use.

you are never actually REQUIRED to do that which is right, although you will be judged by the goodworks produced by your faith (consequently, you ARE required to abstain from all evil). In the case you mention, i would say that the outcome should be quite situational. Portland, for example, has one of the highest ratios of beggars to population, and a recent poll revealed that many of these beggars actually quite jobs because they make close to $30,000 a year (and with no taxes to pay). so, generally, i give to few on the streets unless they actually look like they truly need help, and i give more to the church, which is responsible for a great deal of charity in the area... and typically professional beggars avoid places like homeless shelters or foodbanks, because outside of begging they don't associate with the lifestyle and therefore you know your money is going to people who need it.

-- paul h (dontSendMeMail@notAnAddress.com), November 10, 2004.