Praying to the wrong person

Then there’s the problem of praying to the wrong person. As Christians, it is all right in the course of prayer to address our words to God the Father, to the Lord Jesus Christ, and even to the Holy Spirit. But there is no Biblical justification or admonition for addressing our prayers to anyone else. To do so is idolatry. Yet the veneration of, and with it praying to, Mary, other saints, and even angels, is gaining increasing popularity in our Churches. Even among Protestants. I once worshipped regularly in a certain mainline Evangelical Church. It happened at one time that a book called "Uncommon Prayer" (a play on the title "Book of Common Prayer) was promoted in our Church. This happened because the author, an Episcopal clergyman, was a close friend of the associate pastor. Well, I bought a copy and was shocked to find in it, in addition to other serious errors, a passage that advocated prayer to the Virgin Mary! That book should have been called "Unscriptural Prayer".

Contrary to what Catholics, and some other "Christians" would have us believe, there is nothing special about Mary beyond her being the mother of the man Jesus of Nazareth. She is not "the mother of God". She is not "the Queen of Heaven". Being the mother of Jesus was a tremendous blessing in itself. But as far as her eternal status in Heaven, Jesus Himself gave us some light on that subject in Luke 11: 27 & 28; "And it happened as He spoke these things that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, ‘Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts that nursed You’. But He said, ‘More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and do it’". See also Matthew 12:47-50.

The veneration of Mary is the most blatant and probably the most seriously satanic form of idolatry ever practiced by Christians.

Let me tell you a little history. Do you know where the veneration of Mary began? Ephesus! What is special in the Bible about Ephesus that might be related to the veneration of Mary? See Acts 19: 34 & 35. Ephesus was the headquarters of the cult of Artemis-Diana; ^[28] the biggest single pagan religion of that day. You may not be aware of it, but there is real power in pagan religions. But it is demonic power. That’s what Paul was referring to, specifically, in Ephesians 6:12; "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, ^[29] against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places". It’s not a coincidence that this verse is in the Epistle to the Ephesians! There was a real spiritual power behind the cult of Artemis-Diana. In fact, it had previously identifiably manifested itself in a number of other ancient pagan religions. That power is part of Satan’s kingdom. When Christianity took over Ephesus, that spiritual power found itself out in the cold. So it took an "if we can’t beat them, let’s join them" attitude toward Christianity and started manifesting itself disguised as Mary. (This particular "power" always has manifested itself in the female gender.) That’s where the whole thing comes from. Including all the visions and miracles. So if you are praying to "Mary", you can find out who you’re really praying to in Acts 19:34 & 35. If you want to have a prayer, literally, of being ready for the Great Tribulation, praying to "Mary", or any of the other Saints, is an absolute No!-No!

If you want to pray effectively and righteously, then always address your prayers to God, be it the Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit. And no one else! Not even angels (Colossians 2:18).

Excerpt from Strangers and Pilgrims on the Earth by William D. Brehm

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