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Index to All Eight Articles on Mary
ON THIS PAGE
Part 1 - The Increasing Number of Marian Apparitions Worldwide
Although there are no official statistics some Catholic theologians have speculated that there have been as many as 21,000 (single or repeat) claimed sightings of Mary throughout history. Though this figure may be excessive, the Vatican "has acknowledged a 'surprising increase' in recent years in claims of 'pseudo-mysticism, presumed apparitions, visions and messages' associated with Mary." Marian scholar Rene Laurentin has counted over 200 reported apparitions in the last 60 years alone, only 16 have been officially recognized by the Vatican.
Part 2 - The Solar Phenomena
Discounting the natural phenomena, unless we believe that the "doves" and dancing suns are genuine signs from Heaven sent to confirm faith, to indicate the gracious presence of the Virgin, and to warn of disasters which can only be averted by repentance, then it seems we are left with the possibility of some kind of mass hallucination, or with part of a "signs and lying wonders" campaign in preparation for the Anti-Christ.
Part 3 - Psychological Factors
In the majority of the apparitions considered, children or adolescents were the sole or main visionaries, making it likely that an element of child psychology might well be involved. For a thorough evaluation of the visions and messages, it would be necessary to know a great deal more about the children - what kind of religious art they had been exposed to, what sermons they had listened to, what teaching they had received at school and catechism classes, and what religious books they had read.
Part 4 - Return of The Goddesses
Perhaps because motherhood is a universal reality mankind seems to have a deep seated need for the 'Eternal Feminine'. Thus virtually every culture features primary female deities - mother goddesses who embody the concepts of motherhood, fertility, and creation who are often viewed as the life-giving source of all existence including gods and humans.
However, the Bible is very patriarchal, describing the Creator as "Father", and Jesus as His "Son", which leaves little room for a mother image. Since other deities could not be assimilated into Christianity, the veneration of Mary provided an outlet for what, even now, seems to be a common desire for a divine mother. The reverence once given to Artemis as Queen of Heaven was now transferred to Mary in Ephesus.
Part 5 - Conclusion
What many Marian apparition enthusiasts do not realize is that spiritual phenomena are almost commonplace these days. The Pentecostal / Charismatic groups are very quick to identify their experiences with the Holy Spirit, just as the Protestant revivalists in Indonesia in the 1970's unquestioningly accepted their "voices," "angels" (invariably quoting Scripture by chapter and verse). People who bring "Christian" ideas to their experiences often assume, all too readily, that they actually are Christian experiences, the work of the Holy Spirit, and they seldom pause to ask if they might possibly originate from quite another kind of spirit.
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