by Robert J. Thomas
For centuries the Catholic church has taught the bodily assumption of Mary into heaven. However, this teaching did not become a dogma (a teaching that must be believed under pain of mortal sin) until 1950. On November 1, 1950, Pope Pius XII made an infallible pronouncement concerning the bodily assumption of Mary into heaven. Part of his pronouncement was a follows: “We pronounce, declare and define it to be a dogma revealed by God that the Immaculate Mother of God, Mary ever a Virgin, at the end of her earthly life was taken up into celestial glory in soul and body.” Furthermore in the same document, Pope Pius stated: “From the moment of your conception until the day on which after your assumption into heaven, He crowned you Queen of the Universe.” Pius XII made this pronouncement on the feast day of Mary’s Assumption. Quotes from Apostolic Constitution of Pope Pius XII Munificentissimus Deus (AAS42[1950].
In the Catechism of the Catholic Church, we read the following:
966-“Finally the Immaculate Virgin, preserve free from all stain of original sin, when the course of her earthly life was finished, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things, so that she might be more fully conformed to her Son.”
969-“Taken up into heaven she did lay aside this saving office but by her manifold intersession continues to bring us gifts of eternal salvation.”
Therefore the conclusion we reach concerning this dogma of the Catholic church is:
- Catholicism clearly teaches that Mary was bodily assumed into heaven at the end of her earthly life.
- Mary was crowned Queen of Heaven by her Lord.
- This bodily assumption of Mary only became an official dogma of the Catholic church in 1950.
- Catholics must believe this dogma under pain of mortal sin.
Furthermore, past Popes have stated that the assumption of Mary, although not an official dogma of the church were however to be believed by all Catholics. For instance, Pope Benedict XIV stated, “The Assumption of Mary was a probable option, which is impious to deny.” Current Catholic apologist Karl Keating in his book Catholicism vs. Fundamentalism on page 275, states the following: “Where is the proof from Scripture? Strictly, there is none. It was the Catholic Church that was commissioned by Christ to teach all nations and to teach them infallibly. The mere fact that the Church teaches the doctrine of the Assumption as something definitely true is a guarantee that it is true.”
The first question that I ask is, what Scriptural evidence is there that support this dogma of the bodily assumption of Mary? As is so adequately stated by Karl Keating, there is none. Do you Catholics get that? There is not so much as even one verse of scripture in the entire Bible that supports the dogma of the Assumption. Therefore, to a true Bible believing Christian, this dogma immediately becomes suspicious. The New Testament was written over a period of approximately sixty-five years and not so much as one verse says anything about the bodily assumption of Mary. If this event actually occurred, then at least one of the New Testament writers should have told us. We are led to believe by our Catholic friends that all the writers of the NT were Catholics. Surely one of these supposed good Catholics would have said something about this event had it actually occurred.
Now going back to the statement made by Pius XII, Catholics are required to believe under the pain of mortal sin that Mary was crowned Queen of Heaven and Queen of the Universe. Once again, where is the Scriptural proof for that? I find only two passages in the entire Bible concerning the queen of heaven. Both are found in Jeremiah, one in chapter 8 and the other in chapter 44. In both instances, the queen of heaven was a pagan goddess that God condemned the Jews for worshipping.
In conclusion, what Catholicism has actually done in perpetuating this man made dogma of the Assumption, is to give a status to Mary that is not to be given to anyone but the Lord Jesus. Catholics place undo emphasis on Mary and give her glories reserve only for God. Any undo exaltation of Mary is repulsive to a true Bible believing Christian who desires to see the Lord Jesus Christ alone exalted. Phil. 2:10-11 “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
