Rosary Beads?

[Bootstrap]

It’s particularly interesting to do a study on how the early church differentiated veneration and worship. I’ll give you a hint… they didn’t.

What I see is this:

1. Statues of Mary in churches that look a lot like statues of Jesus, and are similarly placed.
2. People bowing down to those statues of Mary, lighting candles before her, etc.
3. People praying to Mary, praising her, clearly in devotion.
4. Prayers to Mary as a prominent part of the rosary, used as a primary form of worship by some Catholics.

I also see some Catholic sources referring to Mary as Mary: Co-Redemptrix, Mediatrix and Advocate.

You can also find these titles on the Vatican website. For instance, here:

Thus there is a mediation: Mary places herself between her Son and mankind in the reality of their wants, needs and sufferings. She puts herself "in the middle," that is to say she acts as a mediatrix not as an outsider, but in her position as mother. She knows that as such she can point out to her Son the needs of mankind, and in fact, she "has the right" to do so. Her mediation is thus in the nature of intercession: Mary "intercedes" for mankind.

When people say, "this is veneration, not worship", I ask how I can see that difference. How do we respect human beings? How do we worship God? What actions distinguish one from the other?

[MaxPC]

And you still need to remember everything the Church was taught was not written down.
...
So the Bible is clear not all instructions or traditions were written down.

Surely they've all been written down by now, haven't they? Have they been collected in a book or set of books where one can read and study them? Or are some of the traditions still stubbornly oral?

Yes - they’re in Bible Doctrines & Practice, which is available from Gospel Publishers.

You can also get a booklet of conference decisions starting with the Jerusalem Conference.

OR: one can read the Bible daily, pray and endeavor to walk in one's discipleship as inspired by the Holy Spirit. That is the most basic of requirements with which anyone in any culture can be comfortable. If you are not comfortable with the practices of a fellowship, do not practice them. It is all quite simple.

After all, almost daily I see debates and discussions of variances among the Anabaptists. In those pages of threads, I also see examples of those who leave to find a fellowship that syncs more closely with one's comfort zone. Some of those here have even changed fellowships/denominations 4 times or more. Does that make the denomination that is left the "bad guy"? Or does it simply mean that the Holy Spirit is guiding one elsewhere? Only the individual can answer that and only the individual is accountable to God.