h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Bad News. My local Christian book-shop did not stock Anglican rosaries and nor will they ever probably. But they did sell Catholic rosary beads and it got me thinking. Now I believe the Bible is the Word of God and I stand firm on that. But my understanding of Christianity can change as I understand the Bible more (I am quite young but won’t say how old). Now most Protestants do not pray the rosary for a few reasons-one of which is the Hail Mary prayer. At first, the usual Protestant mantra of ‘Mary worshiping’ springs to mind but let us actually look at the prayer:

‘Hail Mary full of Grace the Lord is with thee’

This is the greeting the angel gave to Mary in Luke 1:28. We can debate, however, about whether it should be translated as ‘full of grace’ or ‘highly favoured one’.

‘Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus."

Again, this is in the Bible. Mary’s cousin said this to her in Luke 1:42.

‘Holy Mary, Mother of God’

Well, all Christians are holy (and Mary was the first to accept Christ). Christians are called ‘saints’ which means ‘holy ones’. And Mary was the mother of Jesus who was God so I suppose the second part is fine too.

‘pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen."

Well we ask people to pray for us so what is wrong with asking Mary to pray for us? And in Revelation 5:8, people in Heaven pray for the saints. But then, is it right to ask people in Heaven who are dead to pray for us? Hmm….

However, I know that some Protestants have changed the last line to:

‘Son of Mary, Son of the living God, have mercy upon us, now, and at the hour of our death. Amen’

And that is fine for all Christians.

I’m rather unsure. Personally, I think a lot of the practices in the Roman Catholic Church are Biblically sound when we really examine them but Protestants are too terrified to accept this in case of being branded 'Romanisers' or what ever.

What do other Protestants (not Anglicans though) think of rosaries and prayers to Mary? I know it is very much out of place in Protestant denominations but frankly, I don’t care much. Our allegiance is to God and His Word, not denominations.

Why don't you want to know what Anglicans think?

'Why don't you want to know what Anglicans think?'

Because sometimes the Anglican opinion is basically the Catholic opnion. Anyway, I am drawing closer to the opinion that praying the Catholic rosary is fine (I actually do have a set of Catholic rosary beads but have never used them) and that there is nothing unbiblical about the Hail Mary-although I still have a few doubts about the last line. I shall have to keep on reading up and thinking about that issue. And I am saying this as a Protestant (although I am tinged slightly 'Catholic' for a lot of Baptist's taste).