Mary as the Queen of Heaven
Many anti-Catholics accused the Holy Catholic Church of worshipping the pagan Babylonian goddess Ishtar for venerating the Blessed Virgin Mary as Queen of Heaven. They cited Jeremiah 44:16-17 that says:
“We will not listen to the message you have spoken to us in the name of the Lord! We will certainly do everything we said we would: We will burn incense to the Queen of Heaven and will pour out drink offerings to her just as we and our ancestors, our kings and our officials did in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. At that time we had plenty of food and were well off and suffered no harm.”
Babylonian pagan goddess Ishtar
But does this verse implies also pagan worship of Mary?
The fact that a pagan deity was known as the queen of heaven does not mean that the title cannot rightfully be applied, in another sense altogether, to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
In Daniel 2:37, where the pagan king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, is called the king of kings by the Prophet Daniel, it reads:
“You, O king, are a king of kings. For the God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, strength, and glory”
However, does the title used for a pagan king preclude the Lord Jesus Christ from being called by the same title? In Revelations 17:14, it reads:
“These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.” (see also Revelations 19:16).
See? Even though the title was used for a pagan character, it does not follow that to everything it is being used for are also of paganism. Because if it does, then Jesus Christ, our Lord, should not be called King of kings. Therefore, calling Mother Mary as Queen of Heaven does not follow any worship to a pagan goddess. These accusers should indeed read their bible for them to stop from daydreaming.
NOTE that since the destiny of all Christians is to reign as kings and queens with Christ in heaven (Ephesians 2:12; Revelations 1:6; 5:10), and since Mary is the pre-eminent Christian, there’s really nothing wrong with giving Mary the title “Queen of Heaven” which Jesus Christ, the King of kings, bestowed upon her in making her his beloved mother, the Queen Mother (1 Kings 2:19).
The Crowning of the Blessed Virgin Mary as Queen
SANCTA MARIA, REGINA CAELI, ORA PRO NOBIS.