Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: asuvax!gtephx!lung!madderomj@ncar.ucar.edu (Jonathon Madderom) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: Mary's Virginity & Jesus's Siblings Message-ID: Date: 20 Jul 90 07:44:26 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: gte Lines: 54 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu In article , ckp@grebyn.com (Checkpoint Technologies) writes: > > What many non-Catholics don't realize is that Mary was _conceived_ > without sin. She was concieved in the normal way (through sexual > intercourse) but through a special grace of God befitting her special > role in the salvation of mankind, no trace of sin was propogated into > her body or soul from the moment of conception. Like Adam and Eve, she > was created in the state of supernatural grace. But she accomplished > what Adam and Eve were unable to accomplish -- she never sinned. Yes, > she had free will, and yes, she was sorely tempted (as we all are). But > of all _creatures_ in the universe, she is unique in having perfectly > assented to God's will in all things. > > chris > Where did you get this information. I have never heard that Mary lived a perfect life from any source. I have never read this in the Bible. None of my Catholic freinds have ever mentioned this in any conversation about her. They say that she was a good woman but not a perfect woman. Is this just a myth or do some Catholics REALLY believe this. Jesus is the only person to ever walk a perfect life. If she was perfect then she would have understood why Jesus was talking in the temple when he was 12, but she didn't and told him to come home. How come Paul and the other apostles never talk about Mary being perfect. Or really talk about her at all. Paul was as much of a Godly person as Mary so why do Catholics put so much emphasis on Mary and not on Paul? If you would, will you post the source of where this information about Mary is found. If you could give me a verse from the Bible I would even more appreciate it. --Jon Jonathon Madderom AG Communication Systems, Phoenix, AZ UUCP: {ncar!noao!asuvax | uunet!zardoz!hrc | att}!gtephx!madderomj internet: gtephx!madderomj@asuvax.eas.asu.edu [Presumably if you have Catholic friends you know by now that Catholics do not use the Bible as a standard in the same way Protestants do. So being able to quote a Bible verse is not necessarily a requirement (and I'd rather not get into that issue -- this is a basic difference that our readers have heard about enough that I'd like not to go over it again). As to whether Catholics really believe it, the Immaculate Conception, which is what we are talking about, is one of the only two explicitly infallible decisions made by the Pope. So it's pretty hardcore Catholic doctrine. To what extent there may be dissent within the Catholic Church on this subject, our Catholic correspondents can comment better than I. --clh]