http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=11&article=2696
The Assumption of Mary
The “Assumption of Mary” is one of Catholicism’s newest dogmas. Proclaimed by Pope Pius XII in 1950, in the papal bull Munificentissimus Deus,
it is one of the most ambiguous, changeable, and confusing teachings of
Catholicism. In fact, nobody can say exactly what Mary’s condition or
circumstances were prior to her “assumption.” Soon after the
introduction of this new doctrine, serious disagreement arose between
Mariologists and Pius XII over whether or not
Mary died, was resurrected, and then ascended to heaven, or simply
ascended to heaven without dying. In spite of the Catholic claim that
the pope speaks with “infallibility,” there is not yet consensus
concerning the details of this dogma. Therefore, its advocates have
taken the liberty of adjusting the details to better fit their
developing ideas and traditions, and to make it more attractive to
believers.
Although you may find many versions of Mary’s alleged assumption into
heaven, one common idea, supported by Catholic tradition, is represented
by the following description:
One day, when Mary, according to her custom, had gone to “the holy
tomb of our Lord” to burn incense and pray, the archangel Gabriel
announces her approaching death, and informs her that, in answer to her
request, she shall “go to the heavenly places to her Son, into the true
and everlasting life.” On her return home she prays, and all the
Apostles—those who are already dead and those still alive—are gathered
to her bedside at Bethlehem.... [T]he Apostles, carrying the couch on
which “the Lady, the mother of God,” lay, are borne on a cloud to
Jerusalem. Here Christ appears to her, and in answer to her request,
declares: “Rejoice and be glad, for all grace is given to thee by My
Father in heaven, and by Me, and by the Holy Ghost....” Then, while the
Apostles sing a hymn, Mary falls asleep. She is laid in a tomb in
Gethsemane; for three days an angel-choir is heard glorifying God, and
when they are silent, all know that “her spotless and precious body has
been transferred to Paradise” (Hastings, 1906, 1:683).
Many Catholics believe that Mary died before going to heaven (see “Did
Mary Die?,” 1997, p. 11), but others consider her death an open question
(see Mischewski, 2005). They have advocated that
Concerning Mary’s death the dogma is non-committal. It only says:
“when the course of her earthly life was completed.”... As it stands now
both opinions are acceptable and accepted:
Mary’s death, resurrection and glorification as well as glorification
at the end of her life without death (Roten, 2006, emp. added).
This doctrine is so “flexible” that it can work either way. However, this produces a dilemma since it is said that
the Apostolic Constitution of Pope Pius XII,
Munificentissimus Deus, clearly and repeatedly refers to the death of
the Virgin Mary. In no less than seven separate paragraphs this
Apostolic Constitution refers, in one way or another, to the death of
the Virgin Mary (Conte, 2006).
It is interesting that, according to some Catholics, the declaration of
a supposedly infallible pope can be interpreted in two completely
opposite ways. So, who has the final word concerning this and other
Catholic topics? Who can say, with any degree of confidence, what one
should believe?
The very fact that interpretations of this doctrine are so “flexible”
makes it unreliable and incredible. In contrast, the Bible is very clear
about those who left behind their earthly existence without
experiencing death. Enoch “was taken away so that he did not see death”
(Hebrews 11:5; cf. Genesis 5:24). Of Elijah, the Bible says that a
“chariot of fire” took him without him seeing death (2 Kings 2:11).
Equally clear details are given about Jesus’ death, burial,
resurrection, and ascension (1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Acts 1:9). There is
neither ambiguity nor the slightest hint that these historical facts are
open to various interpretations.
A second reason why we should reject this Catholic dogma is its
opposition to statements of Christ Himself. Speaking to Nicodemus, Jesus
said: “No one has ascended to heaven but He who came
down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man” (John 3:13, emp. added). This
includes everyone who has died, as well as those who were taken by the
Lord and did not taste death. Again, Jesus taught that those who die go
to a place called hades—a place of waiting for the Final Judgment
(Revelation 20:13-15) that is independent from heaven and hell (Luke
16:19-23). In John 14:3, Jesus promised His disciples, “And if I go [to
heaven] and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you
to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” When the time comes
for His return, Jesus will keep His promise and open the doors of heaven
for all those who have obeyed Him (cf. Matthew 25:31-46). But, since He
has not yet returned, we conclude from the Scriptures that none of His
disciples have been taken to heaven, not even Mary.
A third reason why we should reject the dogma of Mary’s assumption is
its opposition to other related biblical doctrines. Concerning the
Second Coming of Christ, Paul wrote that the resurrection of the dead
will occur “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last
trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised
incorruptible, and we shall be changed” (1 Corinthians
15:52, emp. added). In contrast, the doctrine of Mary’s assumption into
heaven implies that she has already undergone a transformation of her
body into a glorious state. It should be obvious that it is impossible
to reconcile the Catholic tradition of Mary’s assumption with the
biblical doctrine of resurrection.
A fourth reason to reject this doctrine is that the New Testament does
not record the ascension of Mary. Some Catholics have proposed that it
is implied by the Bible since Mary’s death is not recorded. This
reasoning fails to acknowledge that the Bible does not record the deaths
of many people, including John, Mark, Paul, and even Pilate. Does this
mean that these people (and many others whose deaths are not recorded in
the Bible) ascended to heaven? To argue in this way is to argue from
the silence of Scripture. To establish a historical, biblical truth, we
should turn our attention from what the Bible writers did not record, to what they did record.
By the time the New Testament books were written, the alleged
Assumption of Mary would have occurred. However, not one New Testament
writer gives even a hint of this event’s occurrence. If this doctrine is
so important (as Catholicism claims), why was it excluded from the New
Testament? If Jesus promised that the apostles were going to be guided
into all truth and were going to declare all
of the truth of God (John 16:13), why did they not record this
“significant truth” about Mary? If the Bible records the “ascensions” of
Enoch and Elijah, why does it not also record Mary’s? The simple answer
is that the “Assumption of Mary” never occurred; it was created by
minds focused on traditions, not truth.
The papal bull of 1950 further declared that “if anyone, which God
forbid, should dare willfully to deny or to call into doubt that which
we have defined [the “Assumption of Mary”—MP], let him know that he has fallen away completely from the divine and Catholic Faith” (Munificentissimus Deus,
45, emp. added). But if this dogma is so important—to the point that
those who do not believe it are condemned—how do Catholic clergy and
theologians explain the fact that most mainstream Catholics lived for
approximately 1,400 years in ignorance of this dogma? Were the
Catholics, including the popes, who lived before its declaration by Pius
XII (1950), saved in their ignorance of the
“Assumption”? If they did not need this “truth” for salvation prior to
1950, why do they need it now?
There is no doubt that Mary was a special woman, but just like every
other human being, she lived in a world regulated by an established
principle that affects all of us: “It is appointed for men to die once,
but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27, emp. added). Mary, at the
end of her earthly journey, crossed the path from life to death and met
all those who “sleep” in Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14). Like them,
and us, she is waiting for the Final Judgment, when the doors of heaven
will open for all those who have done the will of the Father (Matthew
25:31-46).
REFERENCES
Conte, Ronald L. (2006), “A Summary of the Doctrine of the Dormition,” [On-line], URL: http://www.catholicplanet.com/CMA/dormition-summary.htm.
Hastings, James, ed. (1906), A Dictionary of Christ and the Apostles (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons).
Mischewski, Dean (2005), “The Assumption of Mary into Heaven,” [On-line], URL: http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/mischedj/ct_assumption.html.
“Did Mary Die?” (1997), Catholic News, August 13, [On-line], URL: http://www.catholic.org.sg/cn/wordpress/?p=1791&page=1.
Munificentissimus Deus (1950), [On-line], URL: http://www.ewtn.com/library/PAPALDOC/P12MUNIF.HTM.
Roten, Johann (2006), “What about Mary’s Death?,” [On-line], URL: http://www.catholicweb.com/media_index.cfm?fuseaction=view_article&partnerid=48&article_id=2768.
