Why Do Protestants Reject Mary In Their Faith?

Did Protestants believe in the Virgin Mary? The position of Protestant reformers, such as Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Ulrich Zwingli, regarding the Virgin Mary was more nuanced than a straightforward rejection. While they did not oppose Mary herself, they took issue with certain theological practices associated with her veneration. These reformers acknowledged the importance of Mary in Christian tradition but objected to elevating her to the status of a mediator between God and humans or invoking her for divine intervention. Their concerns centered on maintaining a direct relationship with God and avoiding any intermediaries in religious matters.

If someone had asked me to outline the key distinctions between Protestantism and Catholicism back then, I would probably have explained it this way: Protestants typically do not venerate Mary as Catholics do, and we reject the concept of a pope guiding our faith and dictating our moral principles. In other words, while Catholics hold Mary in high regard and have a pope as their spiritual leader, Protestants have a different approach to Mary’s role in Christianity and prefer a decentralized structure where individuals have more autonomy in interpreting and living out their faith.