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From: max_jedroom@oxy.edu (Jedidiah Jon Palosaari)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian
Subject: Re: Mary (immaculate conception)
Message-ID: <Jun.7.00.49.46.1990.24459@athos.rutgers.edu>
Date: 7 Jun 90 04:49:48 GMT
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Organization: Occidental College, Los Angeles, CA  90041
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	      Question about Immaculate Conception, which I don't
	 think have been mentioned to date:

	 Has to do with the book of Mark.  In Mark 3 (NIV), it says
	 that Jesus entered a house and "When His family heard about
	 this, they went to take charge of Him, for they said, "He is
	 out of His mind."  (The *old* Revised says his family wished
	 to sieze Him.)

	 Jesus' family thought He was crazy.  Then right afterward,
	 the teachers of the law accuse Christ of being posessed of a
	 demon, and Jesus mentions the "unforgivable sin", that
	 blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven.
	 Christ rebukes the teachers for claiming that He was posessed
	 of satan, and it seems like the accusation that Jesus was
	 crazy falls into the same lines.  I mean, Mark wrote these
	 things together for a purpose- it seems like there could be
	 easily a connection between accusing Christ of insanity and
	 demon-posession.  Even without this connection, it seems
	 wrong to accuse Christ of not being all there mentally, and
	 wrong to wish to stop His ministry.  So it seems that here
	 Christ's family sins against Him.
	      But it could be argued that Mary is not with the family
	 at that time, so she therefore does not sin, and is still
	 "immaculate".
	      But then right afterward, with no break in action (only
	 in speaking) Mark tells us that "Jesus' mother and brothers
	 arrived." It's as if Mary, Jesus' mother, is there as well,
	 ready to "sieze" Jesus and accuse Him of insanity as well,
	 thereby sinning!
	      Now this is confusing to me, because I can't understand
	 how this links up with immaculate conception.	The Catholic
	 father here wasn't able to help- does anyone have any ideas?

	 -Jedidiah

[This question seems to assume that the immaculate conception implies
that Mary is unable to make mistakes in matters of faith and morals.
I frankly don't know whether that's what is intended or not.  Sounds
like a good question for one of our Catholic experts.  --clh]