Joseph knew she didn't have an "immaculate conception." If that man would've suspected for even one minute that the child in her belly wasn't his, he would not have been with her. Men back then and even most men today have way too much pride for that.
Mary and Joseph knew that they had been having sex, and didn't want to be judged for pre-marital sex... so they came up with a far fetched story...
Think here for a second.... if some girl today, said that god knocked her up.. would you believe her?
And please don't say "The bible says Mary is divine and had an immaculate conception" because the bible is a book, just like any other.
2006-10-11 04:51:35 · 19 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I hear you, but all the nutties are gonna start whippin scripture at you, duck and cover your head
2006-10-11 04:56:27 · answer #1 · answered by ? 6 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Mary was raped when she was engaged to Joseph, and in those days, an engagement was as good as marriage. This is why Jesus was a bastard. In Judaism, a bastard is a baby born to a woman who is married to someone other than the baby's father (unlike legitimate children whose mothers are unmarried). The whole immaculate conception deal was invented by the church after the emperor Constantine decided, in an effort to unite a crumbling Roman empire, to make Christianity an official religion of the Roman Empire. And lastly, Jesus never claimed he was divine; that too was a Catholic invention.
2006-10-11 12:52:52 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
You have some good answers and some bad ones. If you are only thinking as a mortal person, trying to be a humanist that can explain everything that happens, then your theory might be reasonable. However, the spiritual side of life isn't always explicable by human wisdom. The fact that first, there is a God; second, He created this earth on which His children would dwell; third, that He established a plan for the redemption of HIs children knowing we would all make mistakes; fourth, that a Savior was provided to make that redemption possible; and fifth, that Jesus was that Savior, born of Mary with God himself as the earthly father, thus being the only begotten of the father in the flesh, makes your theory impossible. Unfortunately, you cannot know those facts to be true without exercisin some faith. You see, faith cannot be proven scientifically. Faith requires us to step out into the void, to act upon things we know to be right and true but cannot prove.
So it is with Jesus. We know Him to be our Savior, even though we cannot prove it scientifically. We feel the comforting, calming feeling of the spirit inside us testifying to our hearts that it is true.
I know that Jesus is the Son of God and that Mary is his mother. Joseph was given the unique responsibility of being Jesus' earthly father. Joseph had other children with Mary after Jesus was born.
2006-10-11 12:18:08 · answer #3 · answered by rac 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Thinking for a second......If a girl today came up with a far fetched story that God knoked her up....no one would believe her. The fact is that Millions of people for over 2,000 years did/do believe Mary had an Immaculate Conception. Why?.....Divine Intervention! Many people, after recognizing Jesus to be the Son of God were able to recognize the Immaculate Conception as the fufillment of the prophecies. God promised his people a new covenant. That covenant was his son Jesus. Considering this we can see that the Virgin Mary was the Arch of the Covenant. Christians believe in the Immaculate Conception because they have faith that Jesus is the son of God, sent to the world to die on a cross so that our sins would be forgiven. As Jesus was dying on the cross he said something like this (I don't know the exact qoute.."Woman behold your son, Son behold your mother" - he was directing it to all of his people, commanding them to honor Mary as their Mother. Almost all of the miracoulous must be taken on Faith!
2006-10-11 12:20:09 · answer #4 · answered by jennaa1212 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
If Jesus turned out to be a regular Hebrew man, then I'd have to wholeheartedly agree with you. Instead, He turned out to be the single most important human life that was ever lived. Try as you might, you cannot discount the fact that He lived, was crucified, and was witnessed to be resurrected by more than 500 people after His physical death. He performed miracles and fulfilled prophesies that were thousands of years old. Who else has done what He did?
He is the Christ, the living Son of God.
Peace.
EDIT: "Ophelia," you are quite incorrect about Isaiah's prophecy. The Hebrew word translated into English as "virgin" is "almah" or "alma," which in Hebrew means an unmarried, young, virginal woman. When the Jews (NOT the Christians) translated the Old Testament into Greek for Jews living in Greece (called the Septuagint), they used the Greek word for virgin in place of "alma." Therefore, the Christian understanding of this word is CORRECT. Think for a moment: what kind of prophecy would it be to predict a boy would be born from a young woman? A virgin birth, on the other hand ... THAT'S a prophecy.
2006-10-11 11:56:26 · answer #5 · answered by Suzanne: YPA 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Wow one hell of a question man, It is this perspective that have so many people confused today. It is a question like this that really makes one want to check the validity and credibility of the bible. Even the most credible theologians today can not give you an iron clad true answer, because their knowledge also comes from their studies of the bible and other scriptures. we simply have no outside source that can validate the story.
2006-10-11 12:43:57 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
If Joseph had sex with Mary, he simply would've married her, as he was intended to do by his betrothal to her. They wouldn't make up a story for that. It may have been looked down upon, but wouldn't have made a huge scandal.
You're right, if he thought the child wasn't his (and it wasn't), he would've divorced her. The fact that he wanted to do it quietly meant he didn't want to disgrace her publicly, which shows his character and concern for Mary (which is one reason God chose him to be the earthly father of Jesus). The only reason Joseph stayed with Mary after thinking of divorcing her was bc the angel came and told him what was going on.
2006-10-11 12:01:17 · answer #7 · answered by STEPHEN J 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
You are correct. They were doing the "nasty". The bible is just a book written by sheep herders 2000 years ago that thought the earth was flat. It is only myths and the immaculate conception is just another fairy tale to put jesus(if he existed) above others.
2006-10-11 12:13:11 · answer #8 · answered by catsht40 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Fair enough question, Texas Girl...I'm sure you're not the first to pose that theory. :)
Consider this, though:
1. Mary was already betrothed to Joseph when she was informed of her pregnancy by the angel Gabriel.
2. Jesus's birth fulfilled Old Testament prophecy.
3. They were visited by the Magi, who had been traveling for over a year to find them (guided by a light in the sky).
4. King Herod was mortally afraid of Jesus, and had sent the magi as assassins.
5. Jesus's later deeds kind of proved he was who he said he was, don't you think so?
2006-10-11 12:04:01 · answer #9 · answered by roberticvs 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
See, what I find hilarious is that according to the prophecy, it says the Son of God will be born to a young girl.That whole virgin business was just a screw up from the ancient Greek translation.Mary was not divine, nor does the bible does say this.
2006-10-11 11:57:09 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋
If you think that the Bible is "just a book," then why are you worried about Mary? Isn't she "just a girl?"
2006-10-11 11:57:04 · answer #11 · answered by It's Been Cool 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋