The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum

Is it weird to want to venerate the Virgin Mary and other Saints when I am not Christian and do not believe in the divinity of Christ?

I believe Jesus was an enlightened holy man, like the Buddha, Ghandi, Muhammad, etc., but not Divine. But something about Mary and the other Saints calls to me. It is why it took me so long to leave the Christian faith. It seems weird though that'd I want to venerate Mary when I don't even believe Jesus is divine. She would kind of lose her purpose then, you know?

But something about the love I feel when thinking about her or when I prayed the Rosary. The love that so many Catholics have for her as their Mother is beautiful, and I like the idea of it.

Now, I know I can worship/venerate whomever or whatever I so choose, but does anyone else do this? Long shot, probably.

Is it weird to want to venerate the Virgin Mary and other Saints when I am not Christian and do not believe in the divinity of Christ?

It's not unheard of. I honour Mary. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me, either, but there you go. There's a long tradition of folk veneration and folk magic with saints, which, while usually in generally/nominally Christian contexts, is often mixed with practices the Catholic church isn't particularly fond of. And sometimes it's found in syncretic contexts, like New Orleans Voodoo. My personal opinion is that many saints are willing to be involved with activities outside of Christianity.
 

As such we visited a lot of shrines when I was younger. Some were lovely, some depressing and others were just downright scary. But one I will always remember is the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham. Namely, the beautiful statue of the Virgin Mary in the shrine and the wonderful sense of peace and tranquility emanating from it.

I really wish I'd gone to Walsingham when I was still an Anglican - I missed a few chances. I should visit anyway - but I wouldn't feel right going there on pilgrimage anymore.

Hmm mine's an odd one; I went to church and Sunday School, but I was never raised to be a Christian. Home life wasn't particularly religious and my school was really multi-faith. Mum however is a deeply religious person.. she's not to the level wearing an 'I Love Christ' t-shirt, but religion is a big part of her life.
As such we visited a lot of shrines when I was younger. Some were lovely, some depressing and others were just downright scary. But one I will always remember is the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham. Namely, the beautiful statue of the Virgin Mary in the shrine and the wonderful sense of peace and tranquility emanating from it.

On a slightly related note, recently I re-discovered the Asian goddess of mercy and compassion known as Guanyin. In one depiction she looked startlingly like the Virgin Mary.

I have been thinking it must just be a Goddess that I view as the Virgin Mary because she is familiar to me. I have looked into Guanyin before, but I'd feel silly worshipping a Chinese goddess considering I am not even the tiniest bit of Asian. That is my own hang up though.
 

It's not unheard of. I honour Mary. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me, either, but there you go. There's a long tradition of folk veneration and folk magic with saints, which, while usually in generally/nominally Christian contexts, is often mixed with practices the Catholic church isn't particularly fond of. And sometimes it's found in syncretic contexts, like New Orleans Voodoo. My personal opinion is that many saints are willing to be involved with activities outside of Christianity.
 

The odd thing for me is, since I don't believe in the the Divinity of Christ, Mary shouldn't have any significance for me. I could see if I believed Jesus was Divine but just chose not to worship him.
 

I honor a handful of saints among my Mighty Dead, and I have never been Christian. Christianity does have a long history in my family, particularly Catholicism, so it just made sense? They don't seem to mind the attention from a non-Christian, at any rate.

Christianity is strong in my family, too. I do not honor any ancestors at the moment, but maybe honoring them will make it less awkward to honor Saints.

Is it weird to want to venerate the Virgin Mary and other Saints when I am not Christian and do not believe in the divinity of Christ?

Not necessarily. I think she attracts a lot of pagans and non-Abrahamics because she embodies a maternal nature that has universal appeal, and the way she is venerated is very beautiful. Not to mention her titles and imagery greatly overlap with goddesses like Isis and Aphrodite. I have a soft spot for the Blessed Virgin Mary for these reasons, myself. In his prayer to Our Lady of Walsingham, Erasmus called her, "Heaven, for of thee arose the Sun of Righteousness." That kind of symbolism in which the sky mother gives birth the sun-child is very Egyptian, and I think the Roman, high Anglican, and Eastern Orthodox churches preserved a lot of ancient tradition by incorporating it into Christianity, which is fine, and common for religions to influence each other.

I've heard that the BVM was basically worshiped like a goddess herself in the medieval church, and that Jesus was very rarely directly addressed. Medieval devotion was directed more towards Almighty God and Blessed Mary Ever-Virgin, the holy father and mother. Mary is similar to her son in many ways, such as being conceived immaculately and without the stain of sin. In this way she is just as pure as Jesus, and inspires a lot of devotion.
 

But one I will always remember is the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham. Namely, the beautiful statue of the Virgin Mary in the shrine and the wonderful sense of peace and tranquility emanating from it.

 

I really wish I'd gone to Walsingham when I was still an Anglican - I missed a few chances. I should visit anyway - but I wouldn't feel right going there on pilgrimage anymore.

 
Our Lady of Walsingham is a big interest for me, too. My great-grandfather was a Church of England priest who took his parish on pilgrimages there when my grandmother was growing up, so she has a lot of memories of the shrine as well. I keep a statue of OLW on my bedroom shrine, and I just find her to be a very beautiful part of English Christian heritage. I've never been to the shrine myself, but it's high on my list of places to visit.

I've heard that the BVM was basically worshiped like a goddess herself in the medieval church, and that Jesus was very rarely directly addressed. Medieval devotion was directed more towards Almighty God and Blessed Mary Ever-Virgin, the holy father and mother. Mary is similar to her son in many ways, such as being conceived immaculately and without the stain of sin. In this way she is just as pure as Jesus, and inspires a lot of devotion.

 
Basic nitpick here: Mary was not and never has been worshiped by Catholics. She has always been an important object of devotion, and her "cult" does indeed look like worship from the outside, but theologians then and now have always been careful to make the distinction between the hyperdulia that the Virgin receives, and the latria which has always been properly reserved for God.

Just pointing it out, because this is a sensitive subject for me. I was raised Roman Catholic and had to spend a lot of time defending myself against Protestant accusations that I wasn't Christian because I supposedly worshiped Mary.

Basic nitpick here: Mary was not and never has been worshiped by Catholics.

 
Point taken, she's not officially worshiped. I do think her "hyperdulia" is just the church's way of justifying the intense devotion she receives, despite not technically being divine or even being mentioned in scripture that much. She is a convenient figure to direct more feminine and motherly divine concerns that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit can't accommodate.

Is it weird to want to venerate the Virgin Mary and other Saints when I am not Christian and do not believe in the divinity of Christ?

I believe Jesus was an enlightened holy man, like the Buddha, Ghandi, Muhammad, etc., but not Divine. But something about Mary and the other Saints calls to me. It is why it took me so long to leave the Christian faith. It seems weird though that'd I want to venerate Mary when I don't even believe Jesus is divine. She would kind of lose her purpose then, you know?

But something about the love I feel when thinking about her or when I prayed the Rosary. The love that so many Catholics have for her as their Mother is beautiful, and I like the idea of it.

Now, I know I can worship/venerate whomever or whatever I so choose, but does anyone else do this? Long shot, probably.

 
I think Christian art is generally quite moving, it was the sole focus of many artists in Europe for quite some time and the talent, devotion, despair, joy and hope is so apparent in their work. It really is a tapestry of humanity, yet somehow elevated. Which to me is what paganism is like, your earthly yet there is something elevated, something more that we work towards (at least for me, even if it is just seasonal/cyclical rather then eternal.)