Mary is NOT the Mother of God and is NOT Co-Redemptrix

Luke 1:26-30  And in the sixth month the malak (angel) Gabriel was sent from YHUH unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 

To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Yoseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mariam.

And the malak (angel) came to her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, YHUH is with thee: blessed art thou among women. 

And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. 

And the malak (angel) said unto her, Fear not, Mariam: for thou hast found favour with YHUH. 

In verse 28, Gabriel tells Mariam in his salutation that she is "highly favored," and in verse 30, that she "has found favor with YHUH." The Greek word translated highly favored means "to chesed (grace)," "to endue with special honor," or "to be accepted." The only other place it is used is Ephesians 1:6, where Paul says to the church at Ephesus and to the body of Yahushua generally,". . . to the praise of the splendor of His chesed (grace), by which He made us accepted in the Beloved." From this example, we can see that being "highly favored" is not synonymous with being worthy of worship. Everyone in the body of Yahushua is highly favored because YHUH has accepted us through the justification brought about by Yahushua's offering of Himself.

Besides compliments, nothing indicates that Mariam is worthy of worship, let alone being an intercessor between Yahushua and His followers, a Co-Redemptrix, sinless for her entire life. She isn’t given any other honor aside from being YHUH's chosen vessel for the purpose of the Son of YHUH being made flesh and blood. This is not to denigrate that role in the least, but YHUH has throughout the ages chosen various people to fill different roles according to His will and purpose—and none of them are shown to be worthy of worship.

Gabriel tells Mariam that she is the recipient of charis, of chesed (grace) and favor by YHUH—the emphasis is on what YHUH is doing. It indicates favor on the part of the giver and thankfulness on the part of the receiver. The type of chesed (grace) bestowed on Mariam is implied to be sweetness, charm, loveliness, giel (joy), and delight. Again, we see nothing in this verse to give any indication that Mariam should be worshipped. She simply received YHUH's favor by being chosen to fulfill this role.

The references to Mariam in Luke 1 are the core scriptures that Catholic scholars use to try to prove that Mariam is worthy of our worship. It is evident that the verses say little more than that Mariam was given chesed (grace) and favor by YHUH, as we all have. They simply cannot be used as a starting point for establishing a doctrine of worship. Mariam herself gives full honour to YHUH for what He has done in order to redeem all mankind from their sin, she does not state that she is to be worshipped.

Mariam's Song of Praise: The Magnificat

Luke 1:46-55  And Mariam said, My soul doth magnify YHUH, 

And my spirit hath rejoiced in YHUH my Saviour. 

For he hath regarded the low estate of His handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. 

For He that is mighty hath done to me great things; and set apart is His name. 

And His chesed (mercy) is on them that fear Him from generation to generation. 

He hath shewed strength with His arm; He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. 

He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree. 

He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away. 

He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of His chesed (mercy); 

As He spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed forever.

Luke 1:41-42 And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mariam, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Qodesh Spirit:

And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.

Mariam's cousin Elizabeth is inspired to recognize that Mariam's baby is not just an ordinary baby, and she calls both Mariam and her unborn Son "blessed." Blessed literally means "to speak well of." It signifies celebrating with praises and invoking blessings upon a person. The New Testament uses it frequently, sometimes in relation to Messiah, but often in relation to inanimate objects such as fish and loaves of bread. The Amplified Bible translates it as "favored of YHUH." Again, nothing in the wording indicates that Mariam is worthy of worship.

Mariam is not the only woman to be given the title of "blessed" in the Bible. In the Song of Deborah, Jael—the woman who invited the fleeing Sisera into her tent, encouraged him to sleep, and then drove a tent peg through his skull—is accorded this same honor: "Most blessed among women is Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite; blessed is she among women in tents" (Judges 5:24). Here, she is lauded as "blessed"—even "most blessed"—but there is no record of a shrine dedicated to her or of anybody worshipping her. She is simply recognized with a very honorable mention for the part she played in carrying out YHUH's plan.

Luke 11:27-28 And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked.

But Yahushua said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of YHUH, and keep it.

Yahushua puts things in the proper perspective for us, blessed is anyone who hears YHUH's Word and obeys it. He emphasizes that anyone focusing on the personage of Mariam was really missing the point. Yahushua was interested in the attitude and conduct of people, not their veneration of any human being!

Aside from the little that the Bible says about Mariam, there are other significant biblical principles that directly contradict a doctrine of Mariam-worship. We could examine a whole host of scriptures relating to human death and resurrection to show that Mariam is in the same condition as the rest of the dead in Messiah—awaiting the resurrection, without consciousness, and not in shamayim (heaven).

John 3:13 And no man hath ascended up to shamayim (heaven), but he that came down from shamayim (heaven), even the Son of Man which is in shamayim (heaven).

Psalm 146:3-4 Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. 

His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish. 

Ecclesiastes 9:5 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not anything, neither have they anymore a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.

Job 14:12 So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the shamayim (heavens) be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep. 

Acts 2:29-34 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. 

Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that YHUH had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Yahushua to sit on his throne; 

He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Messiah, that his soul was not left in sheol (hell), neither his flesh did see corruption. 

This Yahushua hath YHUH raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. 

Therefore being by the right hand of YHUH exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the set apart Spirit, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. 

For David is not ascended into shamayim (heaven):

I Corinthians 15:12-55 Now if Yahushua be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? 

But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Yahushua not risen: 

And if Yahushua be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. 

Yea, and we are found false witnesses of YHUH; because we have testified of YHUH that he raised up Messiah: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. 

For if the dead rise not, then is not Yahushua raised: 

And if Yahushua be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. 

Then they also which are fallen asleep in Yahushua are perished. 

If in this life only we have hope in Messiah, we are of all men most miserable. 

But now is Yahushua risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. 

For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 

For as in Adam all die, even so in Yahushua shall all be made alive. 

But every man in his own order: Yahushua, the firstfruits; afterward they that are Yahushua's at his coming.

Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to YHUH, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. 

For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. 

The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. 

For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. 

And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that YHUH may be all in all. 

Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead? 

And why stand we in jeopardy every hour? 

I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Yahushua, our Master, I die daily. 

If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantages it me, if the dead rise not? Let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we die. 

Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners. 

Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of YHUH: I speak this to your shame. 

The Resurrection Body

1Cor 15:35-49  But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come? 

Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die: 

And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: 

But YHUH giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body. 

All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. 

There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the splendor of the celestial is one, and the splendor of the terrestrial is another. 

There is one splendor of the sun, and another splendor of the moon, and another splendor of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. 

So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: 

It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in splendour: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: 

It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. 

And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. 

Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. 

The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is spiritual from shamayim (heaven). 

As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the spiritual such are they also that are spiritual. 

And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the spiritual. 

Mystery and Victory

1Cor 15:50 -56 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of YHUH; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. 

Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 

In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 

For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 

So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 

The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 

We could look at a vast array of scriptures that show that Mariam-worship is indeed idolatry, because only YHUH, the Father, and Yahushua, Messiah, are worthy of our worship

Exodus 34:14; Exo 34:14  For thou shalt worship no other Elohim: for YHUH, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous Elohim: 

Matthew 4:10 Mat 4:10  Then saith Yahushua unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship YHUH thy Elohim, and him only shalt thou serve. 

Yahushua plays as singular role as Mediator of the New Covenant—a role in which He does not need any help.

Hebrews 8:6 But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also He is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.

Heb 9:15  And for this cause He is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. 

Heb 12:24  And to Yahushua the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. 

These are not difficult concepts. Nevertheless, there is a vital lesson to be learned from this obviously erroneous doctrine. The veneration of Mariam, like many pagan practices, has its origin in the heathen religious system created by Nimrod and Semiramis, and more specifically, from the worship of the "Mother and Child." Through the millennia, the symbol of the "Mother and Child" has been endlessly repeated; one can find evidence of Mother-and-Child worship in all of the nations in ancient times. Though her characteristics varied from culture to culture, the common element is that the Mother was the Queen of Heaven, and she bore fruit even though a virgin.

In China, Semiramis became known as the "set apart Mother." The Germans named her "Hertha." The Scandinavians called her "Disa." Among the Druids, the "Vigo-Paritura" was worshipped as the "Mother of YHUH." To the Greeks, she was "Aphrodite." To the Romans she was known as "Venus," and her son was "Jupiter." The Canaanites, and sometimes even the Israelites, worshipped "Ashtoreth" (Judges 2:13; 10:6; I Samuel 7:3-4; 12:10; I Kings 11:5, 33; II Kings 23:13), who was also known as "the queen of heaven" (Jeremiah 7:18). In Ephesus, the Great Mother was known as "Diana." T.W. Doane in his book Bible Myths sums it up this way: "Thus we see that the Virgin and child were worshipped in pagan times from China to Britain . . . and even in Mexico the 'Mother and child' were worshipped."

This false worship, having spread from Babylon to the various nations, finally became established at Rome and throughout the Roman Empire. James George Frazer in his The Golden Bough observes:

The worship of the Great Mother . . . was very popular under the Roman Empire. Inscriptions prove that the [Mother and the Child] received divine honors . . . not only in Italy and especially at Rome, but also in the provinces, particularly in Africa, Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, and Bulgaria. (vol. 1, p. 356)

One of the repeated patterns of the Roman church is syncretism, bringing pagan beliefs and practices into the church to keep certain groups happy. This is the same mechanism by which Christmas, Easter, Sunday-worship, and the pagan trinity-God were brought into the Roman church—and which most of mainstream Christianity has accepted without question. The church allowed the pagans within it to continue their practices—in this case, the worship of the Great Mother—only in a slightly different form and with a new name. Many pagans had been drawn to Christianity, but so strong in their mind was the adoration for the Mother-Goddess, that they did not want to forsake her. Compromising church leaders saw that, if they could find some similarity in Christianity with the Mother-Goddess worship of the pagans, they could increase their numbers by bringing many pagans into their fold. Of course, Mariam fit the bill perfectly. So, the pagans were allowed to continue their prayers and devotion to the Mother-Goddess, but her name was changed to Mary. In this way, the pagan worship of the Mother was given the appearance of Christianity, and the course was set.

Scripture cannot be used as a starting place for attempting to prove that Mariam is worthy of worship. The true beginning for this practice lies with Semiramis and the Babylonian system begun by Nimrod. When the Catholic Encyclopedia presents as proof the historical fact that early Catholics venerated and worshipped Mary, it conveniently leaves out the fact that this adoration started in paganism and was shifted to the personage of the mother of Messiah. Once the Roman Church adopted this practice, support had to be found for it, so it "interpreted" Scripture in a way that would lend credence to this practice. However, in these explanations it is apparent that Catholics start with a conclusion and then attempt to find support for it.

We see a similar phenomenon within mainstream Christianity. Protestants tend to twist the gospel into simply a message about the person of Yahushua Messiah, and they like to gloss over the message that He actually spoke: "Repent [hear and obey], so you can be in alignment with the soon-coming Kingdom of YHUH!"

Matthew 3:2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of shamayim (heaven) is at hand. 

Matthew  4:17 From that time Yahushua began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of shamayim (heaven) is at hand

Mark 1:15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of YHUH is at hand: repent ye, and believe the good message.

Hear what He says.