This past debate between John Benko and Brian Ketterer was a good debate.
John Benko won the debate for many reasons, he provided far more background on the topic at hand.
Brian demonstrated passion, but in the end he had no foundation.
I will show what I mean using two doctrines that Brian used to make his basic point of deifying Mary.
Doctrine number 1:
Brian rightfully pointed to Pope Pius IX who proclaimed the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception on December 8, 1854, in his papal bull Ineffabilis Deus.
This is historically accurate but it is not a correct assumption, pardon the pun.
When you listen to Brian's point, he speaks as if this doctrine was dreamed up from thin air.
Brian makes the same mistake as others have made in attacking such teachings because they point to either the Pope or a Council that addresses the doctrine.
John was able to give biblical reference and then the historical foundation of the Immaculate Conception which gives far more an explanation than simply attacking it and calling it "pagan".
John Benko was able to point to Luke 1:28 showing that the Angel Gabriel recognized Mary with perfected grace.
Who has the stongest point? John Benko has the strongest point! The Doctrine of the Immaculate Conception was known by the Early Church Fathers. It did not begin in 1854.
Brian can refer to Pope Pius IX as a matter of fact, but where his argument falls is that historically, the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception goes back to the Apostolic Tradition.
Pope Pius IX did not invent this doctrine as Brian asserts. John was able to lay the biblical foundation for the doctrine and history confirms it.
Doctrine II
The Second Doctrine that Brian pointed too was the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Brian, again, rightly pointed to Pope Pius XII, in 1950, proclaimed the doctrine of the Assumption as dogma.
Pope Pius XII proclaimed the Assumption of Mary a dogma of the Catholic Church in these words: "The Immaculate Mother of God, the ever-virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heaven."
Brian asserts that the Pope invented this dogma from thin air.
John Benko refered to several biblical text, the most important being Revelation 12 giving attention to the Woman crowned with twelve stars. St. John had personal knowledge of the Assumption of Mary as he had witnessed it.
Revelation 12 is expressed by St. John to identify Mary with the Genesis 3:15 account where you had the woman, the offspring, and the serpant.
With the biblical foundation added to the weight of the Apostolic Tradition, the teaching on the Assumption of Mary most certainly precedes 1950.
The Catholic Church is the voice of Christ and all the doctrines of the Catholic Faith come from that foundation.
It is interesting to note that Brian rejected the doctrine of Original Sin, another doctrine taught by the Catholic Church.
Anyone can go back and review the debate and it was a good debate, but Brian could not prove his case. Catholics do not worship Mary.
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