Today we are going to look at the Rosary, what it is, what it means, and what it’s used for. The Rosary is taken very seriously by many, if not most, Catholics, and is deserves our time to study it.

No matter what I have been accused of, I have no problems with Catholic people. I happen to love several Catholics, my in-laws who are all members of the Catholic Church. I present this not with hatred but with concern. As it’s been pointed out, I will not make a dent at all in supposedly ‘nearly all’ Catholics, but that’s fine. If I can show the Lord Jesus to one person, I have served God.

I would love to think that every last Catholic is saved, but alas, there are those that are not. The lack of salvation exists in every aspect of Christianity. I am writing this because one-sixth of the world is Catholic, and there are some that are going to be misled into thinking that there are other ways to Heaven.

(Act 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. This name is Jesus, not any other. Not His mother’s not His brother’s, not anyone other than Jesus.

I must also show that there is only one person to talk to when it comes to mediating between man and God. (1Ti 2:5) For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. One my dear friends, one.

God wants you to be saved. (2Pe 3:9b) Not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. He wants you to realize that there’s only one person that can save you: Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the living Son of God. (Act 2:21) And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

(Joh 14:6) Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. Jesus my friends, only Him. He did not grant this honor to anyone else, but reserved all rights to access the Father to Himself.

Before you turn this off, let me ask you one question: Are you saved by grace by the redeeming blood of the risen Son of God, Jesus Christ? If you do have salvation, then we are brethren in Christ, no matter our differences. If not, then I implore you, please pray and ask Jesus to save you and forgive your sins. This is more important than anything else.

What church you attend, what day you go, nothing is as important as knowing Christ as your Lord and Savior. This is the part that matters the most. So please, be right with God. I feel compelled to say this, so I pray whoever God desires to hear that message benefit from it.

Let’s look at the Rosary now, it is a traditional Catholic devotional, with a set of prayer beads, and the devotional prayers themselves. A decade is a single sequence of saying the Lord’s Prayer followed by ten Hail Mary’s, which we will get into later, and finally one recitation of ‘Glory Be To The Father’. After completing a decade the person should take a moment to ponder or meditate on one of the Mystery of the Rosary.

There are 3 sets, with one optional set of Mysteries of the Rosary. The optional set might be ‘traditional’ now, I do not know. Either way, the sets contain five Mysteries and are grouped into categories.

These categories are ‘joyful’, ‘glorious’, ‘sorrowful’, and ‘luminous’. The categories, from my sources, are either suggested or are an established practice to be used on certain days.

Other Christian groups do use the Rosary. These groups include the Old Catholic Church and some Lutherans. Most Evangelical Protestants actively discourage the use of the Rosary. I fall into the latter group, if that is not yet obvious.

Historically, there are several different versions of when the Rosary appeared. Many, including most of the Catholic sources I’m examining, say that in the 11^th century a man called Peter the Hermit threw three hundred stones into a pile for his recitations of ‘Our Father’. Later monks altered the tradition to wood or clay instead of stone.

In 1214, Saint Dominic was said to have received the Rosary from Mary herself. There were instances of prayer beads similar to Rosaries being buried before this date, as a string was buried with Saint Rosalia.

The ‘Hail Mary’ prayer is set somewhere around 1514, and some believe the name Rosary with the prayers set may well have came to be around 1597. This information is from both a secular source (Wikipedia) and a few different Catholic sites. I avoided any site that was against Catholicism to make sure the history was not being pre-judged. Though I do know it’s possible that Wikipedia may well have an anti-Catholic bias.

Now for you non-Catholics out there, let’s quote the Hail Mary prayer, which we will be mainly discussing. Hail Mary, full of grace; the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

The Biblical basis of this is claimed to be Luke 1:28 and Luke 1: 42 which goes as follows: (Luk 1:28) And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. (Luk 1:42) And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.

Okay, an angel and her cousin Elisabeth told her these things, so what need does Mary need to hear it again from us? You are a sinful human (Romans 3:23) so how is that any comparison to an angel from Heaven? Elisabeth, who was a person same as us, was filled with the Holy Spirit and said that the baby in Mary’s womb was blessed, and she was Mary’s cousin. So if her cousin has already told her, why do we need to?

This is a prayer to Mary. Okay, if you don’t like the word ‘prayer’, I’ll change it for you: intercession. What does intercession mean? Interposition between parties at variance, with a view to reconciliation; prayer or solicitation to one party in favor of another, Webster’s.

Funny how the word prayer appears in the definition of intercession. How about mediation? Is that a better word? Intercession; entreaty for another, again, Webster’s.

So what does the Bible say? (1Ti 2:5) For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. Mediator again means one who intervenes between two, either in order to make or restore peace and friendship, or form a compact, or for ratifying a covenant. This is exactly what is said that Mary does, intercedes, makes intercession, and mediating. This is clearly condemned by the Bible. Only Jesus can be the mediator. Why would we need to go to Mary if Jesus is the mediator?

(Joh 10:30) I and my Father are one. Jesus is God. (Mat 19:26) But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. All things are possible with God, so I’m sure that Jesus does not have a problem with prayer clogs. I’m sure He’s able to process everyone’s prayer Himself, with no effort at all.

There is another problem with the issue, the prayer is repeated several times, ten times to be exact, in each decade. If this is a repetition, and a prayer, we must consider this: (Mat 6:7) But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. You may not be a heathen, but if you think you are heard for much speaking and repetitions, then know this is not what God wants.

Oh, as an aside, let’s look at what a heathen really is. It is one of those words that have changed in the time between now and then. A heathen is a Gentile that is not familiar with the True Religion of the Living God. So just about everyone that was not Jewish or of the Jewish faith could be considered a heathen. Of course, Christianity changed the True Religion to include the Messiah, Christ Jesus our Lord. So ‘heathen’ is not some insult, but instead a label for certain groups.

A modern example is the terms ‘agnostic’, ‘atheist’ or any other name denoting one that does not believe in God. These people would not likely take offense at the terms, like heathen was not bothered by Christ.

So do not repeat things over and over again. This isn’t how we should pray. How should we pray then? (Mat 6:9) After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. (Mat 6:10) Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. (Mat 6:11) Give us this day our daily bread. (Mat 6:12) And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. (Mat 6:13) And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. Amen indeed.

Now, should we repeat this prayer over and over? No, because we’re told not to be repetitious just a few verses above. Another clue to the fact this should not be our exact prayer is the word ‘manner’. The Greek word used means ‘in this way’ or ‘likewise’, and in English it means ‘form’, ‘method’, or ‘way’. Both ways we have the word ‘manner’ meaning to do it like that, but not exactly the same words.

The Lord’s Prayer is an example. It opens with a preface, giving glory to God, then comes to the petitions, such as the bread, sins, and to be delivered from evil, and a conclusion, again glorifying God.

So what if you don’t accept the idea that the Hail Mary is a repetitive prayer and/or say it’s not even a prayer at all? Well, that’s fine, but we must agree that saying it ten times in a row basically is repetitive.

When you repeat something over and over, especially vocally, what is it called? Chanting. If you’re not familiar, get you some young girls, around eleven to thirteen years old, and you will hear chanting nearly continuously.

Now those stupid little ditties that pre-teens chant as they slap their hands in those fancy patterns are not the same as offering a chant over something serious, like the Hail Mary is.

Enchanter: one that discovers hidden things by a superstitious use of words or ceremonies, or to practice sorcery or witchcraft on any thing; to give efficacy to any thing by songs of sorcery, or fascination.

The use of words or the use of song? Superstitious use of words? I think we’re on to something. To repeatedly chant a set of words to receive either the intercession of Mary, or the fifteen Promises of the Rosary fits the description of enchantment to me. (Deu 18:10) There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch.

Promises you say? Let’s take a look at those. I am taking this list from several different Catholic sites, to make sure that my information on Catholicism is supported at least by some adherents.

The wording varies from writer to writer, but the meaning does not.

Promise 1: Whoever shall faithfully serve me by the recitation of the Rosary, shall receive signal graces.

First off, what is signal graces? It, in this usage, signal means remarkable, memorable, or distinguished from normal. So you will receive special or remarkable graces if you faithfully recite certain words.

(Mat 6:7) But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Not only is the repetitions condemned by the Bible, what about who is addressed? Mary is the one addressed. For every one or few prayers to Our Father, there are ten Hail Mary’s. I am not kidding.

If you are Catholic, think for a moment, please. You have been taught these things since a very young age, and likely take them for granted. Be strong enough in your faith to examine the practices against the Bible. (1Th 5:21) Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.

Matthew 6:6-6:10, Matthew 26:39, Matthew 26:42, and Matthew 26:53 all mention Jesus praying to His Father, or telling us to, in some form or manner. There is not a single prayer offered to Mary throughout the Bible.

There’s no reason to even get too deep into the fact that it is a prayer to Mary. It is addressed to Mary, and is only passively linked to Jesus. It seems to me to have a Magdalene of the DaVinci Code feel. But maybe that’s just me.

Let’s see the actual prayer: Hail Mary, full of grace; the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

There are more prayers, but they are not repeated as often. This prayer calls Mary the Mother of God. This is not Biblical at all. God is, was, and always will be, and has no need for a mother. Mary was the mother of Jesus’ flesh not His divinity. The God part of Jesus was I AM. He was, is, and is to come, alpha and omega. And again, in need of no mother.

If God the Father does not need a mother, why would God the Son need one? Why would Jesus have a mother beyond the physical composition of His earthly flesh? (Joh 10:30) I and my Father are one.

Mary is not holy, and if you take a moment to read the Bible, you will see this. (1Jn 1:10) If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. Okay, say this only applies to each of us, and if I say you have not sinned, then that doesn’t affect you, as saying Mary is Holy (which requires the lack of sin) doesn’t affect her, right? So can Mary be sinless and holy?

(Rom 5:12) Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. All men. Everyone except Jesus, since He was not just man, He was the Begotten Son of God. (Rom 3:23) For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. Now how in the world can Mary be the mother of God if all, all have sinned and come short of the glory of God?

How can a human be the mother to something that is not human? God is God, and to be the mother of God would require one to be a god as well, right? I mean, the glory of God prevents mortal blood to be involved, so we have to exhalt Mary somehow to compensate. But again we hit a problem: That’s not Biblical.

(Isa 46:10) Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure. (Isa 43:10) Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.

There you have it.

Promise 2: I promise my special protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall recite the Rosary.

Again, the recite thing, but we won’t keep beating that horse. Where does Mary have the authority to issue protection? Say you email me and showed that she has the right. That’s all fine by me, I’ll stick with my man Jesus, who, of course, is God.

(Php 2:9) Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: (Php 2:10) That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth. So why are there ten Hail Mary’s when the Father has exalted Jesus above every name?

I believe when Christ returns on the cloud, that will happen, every knee, and every tongue, whether previously believers or not, will confess Jesus is Lord, and that includes Mary my friends. She will be on bended knee same as you and I.

So if Mary bows to Christ, wouldn’t it be smarter to take God up on His protections and promises? (Act 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. Jesus is the saving name. (Mat 6:30) Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

Notice that’s God, not Mary? I think I’ll go with Jesus’ words here, thank you.

Promise 3: The Rosary shall be a powerful armor against hell, it will destroy vice, decrease sin, and defeat heresies.

What is the armor of God? (Eph 6:13) Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. (Eph 6:14) Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; (Eph 6:15) And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; (Eph 6:16) Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. (Eph 6:17) And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

This is the whole armor of God. I don’t see the Rosary listed there. So, this promise is counter to the Bible. Why would Mary say things counter to the Scriptures? If she is the Mother of God, and the Queen of Heaven, we know she would be better educated than to speak things against the will of God.

The Rosary does not defeat heresies due to the fact it is one itself. A heresy is an error in a religious doctrine. We are showing now that the Rosary is not Biblically sound.

Promise 4: It will cause virtue and good works to flourish; it will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God; it will withdraw the hearts of people from the love of the world and its vanities, and will lift them to the desire of eternal things. Oh, that souls would sanctify themselves by this means.

Good works cannot flourish in the face of the whole ‘vain repetition’ thing. Yes, that is pertinent, and likely will be for the entire set of promises. Now, about sanctification, (Joh 17:17) Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. Thy means God the Father, if that’s not clear. Not the Rosary, not Mary but God.

(Joh 1:1) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Again, Mary does not appear here. Okay, so we are to sanctify ourselves according to the Rosary through prayers on the beads. The Bible says that we are to sanctify ourselves through the truth, which is the Word.

So again, why would Mary instruct people to do things that are against God? I don’t think she would.

Promise 5: The soul which recommends itself to me by the recitation of the Rosary, shall not perish.

Recommend to Mary?!? Are you serious? Again, (Act 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. Commend yourself to Jesus! Do not do so by vain repetition but instead by sincere prayer!

Now every single one of you STOP right now, and think. Where have we heard ‘shall not perish’ or similar before? (Joh 3:16) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. I don’t see Mary or the Rosary listed here! (Rom 10:9) That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. Lean on the Lord my friend, and realize salvation comes only through Jesus.

Promise 6: Whoever shall recite the Rosary devoutly, applying himself to the consideration of its Sacred Mysteries shall never be conquered by misfortune. God will not chastise him in His justice, he shall not perish by an unprovided death; if he be just, he shall remain in the grace of God, and become worthy of eternal life.

Well, well, my old friend the Gospel of Prosperity rears its ugly head again. Now here it’s not as crazy as it is in the Evangelical world. But make no mistake, negation of misfortune is the same as ‘you will do well in the material world’.

I happen to know a devout Catholic that lost her home, had her car stolen, has financial woes, and is forced to live with one of her adult children, which is very embarrassing to her. She does what she’s supposed to do, so why is she having all this misfortune?

And don’t you dare say she’s not faithful enough, if she wasn’t she wouldn’t still be a practicing Catholic. She would become fed up at the apparent contradiction and leave the religion.

Most everyone has hard times in their lives, it’s just the way it is. Even Paris Hilton spent a few days in the can.

Become worthy of eternal life? This is the biggest lie I’ve come across. Let’s throw down the Bible verses: (Joh 14:6) Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. Not Mary, not Rosary, not by vain repetitions, not by sacraments, by Jesus alone.

(Eph 2:8) For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. Grace is given by God, not earned. (Rom 3:23) For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. You are not, and never will be, worthy of salvation on your own. There is only one way to become worthy of eternal life, and it is not devotion to the Rosary, it is (Rom 5:9) Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. The only way we are justified is through the blood of CHRIST, and none other.

Without Jesus, we are not able to save ourselves in any manner. We will never be worthy of eternal life and we will not be saved. Jesus is our salvation, and Jesus alone.

Promise 7: Whoever shall have a true devotion for the Rosary shall not die without the Sacraments of the Church.

So apparently if you are faithful, you will get the Sacraments, which appear to now indicate they are needed for salvation.

No matter on that, there’s no way this could be true, unless you are able to give Sacraments after death. Is it not once a week that Mass is held and a good deal of the Sacraments are partaken in? What if you die in your sleep on Sunday morning? I’m talking like a sudden death like a heart attack or a stroke. What if you are hit head on by a semi truck on the way to Mass and you die?

You’ve accumulated a week’s worth of sin and are due up for some of the other Sacraments, so it would still seem like you’re in trouble. Not all that many people die in a manner where you can see it coming. Lots of accidents happen, some to deeply faithful Catholics. Are they out of luck?

Not that it even matters. What matters is not Sacraments, but instead is if you are washed in the blood of Jesus.

Promise 8: Those who are faithful to recite the Rosary shall have during their life and at their death the light of God and the plentitude of His graces; at the moment of death they shall participate in the merits of the Saints in Paradise.

The Rosary WILL NOT get you these things! Again, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus! Reciting the Rosary comes back to ‘don’t repeat vainly’ and not ‘God will substitute blood for beads’. (Joh 14:6) Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

The Church teaches Jesus, but yet deny the very words He said! He did not say anything about prayer to a set of beads, nothing about the Rosary, and even nothing about Mary! He said that He was the way, and the only way.

Promise 9: I shall deliver from purgatory those who have been devoted to the Rosary.

Even if Purgatory is real, which I do not believe, Jesus would be the man there too. Mary is just a woman. She was the best woman to ever live, I believe she was the most righteous, but she is still just a woman.

Mary is not the important one, it is Jesus. If Purgatory has a key, then believe me, then Christ has it. He has the other keys: (Rev 1:18) I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive forevermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. If Jesus has the keys to death and hell, He would have the keys to Purgatory too.

Promise 10: The faithful children of the Rosary shall merit a high degree of glory in Heaven.

(Joh 14:2) In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. Jesus is preparing the places in Heaven, not Mary. (Mat 19:30) But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.

Promise 11: You shall obtain all you ask of me by the recitation of the Rosary.

Ah, the Prosperity Gospel again. No, you won’t get all you ask, if it is not in the Father’s will. In fact, you won’t really get anything from Heaven above because you are praying to a woman and not the Lord. (1Ti 2:5) For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.

Promise 12: All those who propagate the Holy Rosary shall be aided by me in their necessities.

This is an ironic one. How many people did Mother Theresa and other missionaries from the Vatican convert in destitute places like in areas of Africa? Catholicism, being nearly one half of all reporting Christians, surely have converts in places like Darfur, Korea, and China, among other places. Now there are people without power, people drinking muddy waters that are defecated in by humans, and are dying of starvation.

Even here, I heard a few nights ago about the apparent, world wide food shortage. Now in America, we are fairly sheltered, but there are a lot of people who don’t share in our security. So what of the faithful Catholics there? Why is Mary letting them die from starvation, or live in filthy, unbelievable conditions? Maybe because Mary has nothing to do with it.

Promise 13: I have obtained from my Divine Son that all the advocates of the Rosary shall have for intercessors the entire celestial court during their life and at the hour of death.

I just have to sigh and shake my head. Her Divine Son would not have given her the idea that the entire celestial court would intercede for anyone, let alone Rosary users. I think I’ve repeated this verse like three times, but it stands even more here: (1Ti 2:5) For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

In fact, I think that was the last verse I had read. One mediator. The mediator is not just flesh, so Jesus can speak for each of us without any scheduling conflict.

The rest of the court are there to worship God. (Rev 4:4) And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.

What did these folks do? (Rev 19:4) And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshiped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia.

This is what they do. They are not mediators, but worshippers.

Promise 14: All who recite the Rosary are my children, and brothers and sisters of my only Son, Jesus Christ.

We are in no way equal to Christ. No way whatsoever. (Joh 1:1) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Jesus is God, we are not. (Joh 10:30) I and my Father are one.

(Isa 43:10b) That ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.

In that vein, let’s see if we have anything about the brother or sister of Jesus in the Bible. The two words ‘brother’ and ‘Jesus’ returns verses of people saying they were servants or similar of the Lord and brothers and sisters to each other.

But when we use ‘children of God’ what do we get? We find nine different verses with this exact phrase. Mark 5:9 says that the peacemakers will be called the ‘children of God’. Luke 20:36 talks about those alive at the End when the resurrection comes, making them equal to angels, not Jesus. That is why they will be called the ‘children of God’.

John 11:52 says that Jesus died to gather the ‘children of God’ from all across the world. Romans 8:16 says that the Spirit witnesses that we are the ‘children of God’. I’ll just list the other verses featuring the words for time’s sake. They are: Romans 8:21, Romans 9:8, Galatians 3:26, 1^st John 3: 10, 1^st John 5:2.

So Jesus is God per John 14:6 and John 1:1, so if we are the brothers and sisters, then we are at god status. This is too close to the ‘little gods’ doctrine’ for me.

And you all know how I feel about the ‘little gods’ thing.

Promise 15: Devotion of my Rosary is a great sign of predestination.

The only sign of predestination is one’s devotion to Christ. A necklace has nothing to do with salvation, and never will.

Many Rosaries are beautiful. Repeating prayers oftentimes fills something inside us. Doing these things, these outward signs of devotion often helps the heart of man, but it does not help the soul come to God.

Please, realize with these verses that the Rosary is not something God likes people to use. Come to Jesus, directly, for He will forgive you, make you whole, and save your soul.

Until next time, God bless.

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