ThirdAndLong wrote:http://bismikaallahuma.org/Quran/Commentary/mary.htm
Most of these statues or images are placed in the prominent places of the prayer halls of these Christian Churches for venerating and worshipping of these entities. One would also notice that the majority of the attending congregates would kneel, worship, venerate and pray before these images as their reverent rituals and inherited traditions. Many devoted believers would place lighted candles in front of these statues or images before worshipping or paying their homage.
Statues and images are neither worshipped or venerated. They are placed in churches for a) Teaching purposes, and b) as reminders of the members of God's kingdom. People may pray before these images, just as people pray before a cross or a pulpit, or a muslim preaching platform, this does not mean they are worshipping the statue, cross, pulpit, or preaching platform.
Similarly along with images of Jesus and Mary, Catholic and Orthodox churches contain images of other Christian Saints, like St Francis, St john the Baptist, St Anne, and St Joseph. None of these form part of the Trinity.
As for the Holy Ghost, the third person of the Holy Trinity, no Christian Church has so far instituted its venerating representation, image or semblance for their Churchgoers.
The Holy Spirit, being Spirit, and not a person, like Jesus, is not represented as a man. The Holy Spirit, however, is often represented in Catholic Churches by a Dove.
It is clear that for all practical purpose and in reality, when the issue is of worshipping, venerating, deifying and/or idolizing is concerned, it is Mary - the theotokos (Mother of God), and not the Holy Ghost, which has that kind of rank and status. Briefly, in terms of veneration, the idols of Jesus and Mary are treated as deities. The Holy Ghost is not venerated as a deity in the manner that Jesus' and Mary's idols were treated. The quoted verse from the Holy Qur’an questions such Divine Rank and Status that have been assigned by the followers of Jesus to him and his mother.
Nonsense. There are no idols in a Christian Church. Nor is any "divine rank" assigned to the Virgin Mary. The main worship service of Catholicism is the Mass. In it there is very little mention of Mary. On the other hand prayer, and blessing are made in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Hymns are sung calling on the Spirit to fill uswith the power and grace of God.
Nowhere is this seen more clearly than in the realm of theology. In the second and third centuries there were, of course, Christians who believed in only one God; others, however, claimed that there were two Gods; yet others subscribed to 30, or 365, or more. Some Christians accepted the Hebrew Scriptures as a revelation of the one true God, the sacred possession of all believers; others claimed that the scriptures had been inspired by an evil deity. Some Christians believed that God had created the world and was soon going to redeem it; others said that God neither had created the world nor had ever had any dealings with it. Some Christians believed that Christ was somehow both a man and God; others said that he was a man, but not God; others claimed that he was God but not a man; others insisted that he was a man who had been temporarily inhabited by God. Some Christians believed that Christ's death had brought about the salvation of the world; others claimed that his death had no bearing on salvation; yet others alleged that he had never even died.
This is mischievous and false. The One, official, universal (Catholic) Church founded by Jesus on Peter and the Apostles, has never taught anything other than Orthodox Christianity, as witnessed by Church Fathers such as irenaeus, Justin Martyr and Cyril. What the writer above has done is quote and mix together the beliefs of various heretical groups outside the Church, especially the Gnostics and Arians. These were always outside the Church and fought against by the Church, which has always taught the deity of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit, who created the world, and will redeem mankind.
Many scholars believe that Islam was influenced by some of these heretical groups.
So, in conclusion, there is no point calling the modern-day Trinitarian Christianity as 'true' Christianity and all others as 'false' since the evolution of this doctrine itself is very late. The early Christianity themselves had bizarre beliefs about their doctrine as well as their Scriptures.
No. The true Church has always existed and has always taught the same pure doctrine. The "bizarre beliefs" were held by heretical and sectarian breakaway groups, or groups trying to amalgamate pagan philosophy and Christianity/Judaism