I was just wondering because the Bible says that Mary and Joseph had more children after the virgin birth of Christ, so Mary was not a virgin when she died.
2006-11-27 06:37:31 · 24 answers · asked by keepingGodfirst 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
The Bible says that Mary and Joseph had children together
2006-11-27 06:50:26 · update #1
You are correct. The Catholic church mix alot of pagan religion into their beliefs like purgatory, praying to saints including Mary, able to forgive sins, etc. They claim to have authority on earth to change God's laws and to interpret and change the word of God the Bible. Jesus Christ says no one comes to the father but by me. We only receive forgiveness from God through his son Jesus. By accepting the teachings of the Catholic church about praying to saints for forgiveness we are actually saying that Jesus didn't die for our sins and we are seeking forgiveness outside of Him which is impossible.
2006-11-27 06:42:08 · answer #1 · answered by Damian 5 · 4⤊ 2⤋
Catholics pray to the Virgin for intercession from God or from our Lord Jesus Christ. Read the Wedding Feast in Canaan of the New Testament. This is the reason why.
If Mother Mary intercedes for you, consider it done.
The other children of the Virgin Mary was really the children of St Joseph from another marriage. St Joseph was a widower when he married the Virgin Mary who was about 15 or 16 years old at that time.
2006-11-27 06:48:52 · answer #2 · answered by Ely C 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋
The Blessed Virgin Mary and the saints are in heaven with God. They intercede with God, and they can see and hear us on earth. Because of their good and holy lives, and the outstandingly good things they did (Mary is the Mother of God, for example) they are worthy of veneration, although of course not the worship that is due God alone. We Catholics do not "worship" them.
I and every one of us can use all the help and intercession I can get. So I ask the Blessed Virgin and the saints to pray for me to the Lord our God.
Some denominations regard the Virgin Mary and the saints as eschatological chopped liver. "Just pray to Jesus," they say. "Why take the dummy when you can have the ventriloquist!"
But I don't agree. And evidently Jesus doesn't either, considering what he says about her in the New Testament. And the Church over all the centuries has placed great store on Mary as the Mother of God, and not like she was a mere shepherd girl nookied by the Holy Spirit like one of Zeus's many paramours.
So slag the Blessed Virgin if you will. I'll continue to seek her help, in the hope that she and the Lord won't let me down.
By the way, the New Testament says nothing about Mary and Joseph having numerous other children, and the Church does not believe she had any. There are references to people like James, the "brother" of Jesus, but this has always been understood in the same way as they refer to John as the "disciple Jesus loved." It doesn't mean that Jesus cared less about other disciples or that Mary mothered a brood of Jesus' kid brothers. The Church teaches that Jesus was definitely an only child.
2006-11-27 07:28:40 · answer #3 · answered by Anne Marie 6 · 2⤊ 2⤋
Mary is Ever Virgin
Exodus 13:2,12 - Jesus is sometimes referred to as the "first-born" son of Mary. But "first-born" is a common Jewish expression meaning the first child to open the womb. It has nothing to do the mother having future children.
Exodus 34:20 - under the Mosaic law, the "first-born" son had to be sanctified. "First-born" status does not require a "second" born.
Ezek. 44:2 - Ezekiel prophesies that no man shall pass through the gate by which the Lord entered the world. This is a prophecy of Mary's perpetual virginity. Mary remained a virgin before, during and after the birth of Jesus.
Mark 6:3 - Jesus was always referred to as "the" son of Mary, not "a" son of Mary. Also "brothers" could have theoretically been Joseph's children from a former marriage that was dissolved by death. However, it is most likely, perhaps most certainly, that Joseph was a virgin, just as were Jesus and Mary. As such, they embodied the true Holy Family, fully consecrated to God.
Luke 1:31,34 - the angel tells Mary that you "will" conceive (using the future tense). Mary responds by saying, "How shall this be?" Mary's response demonstrates that she had taken a vow of lifelong virginity by having no intention to have relations with a man. If Mary did not take such a vow of lifelong virginity, her question would make no sense at all (for we can assume she knew how a child is conceived). She was a consecrated Temple virgin as was an acceptable custom of the times.
Luke 2:41-51 - in searching for Jesus and finding Him in the temple, there is never any mention of other siblings.
John 7:3-4; Mark 3:21 - we see that younger "brothers" were advising Jesus. But this would have been extremely disrespectful for devout Jews if these were Jesus' biological brothers.
John 19:26-27 - it would have been unthinkable for Jesus to commit the care of his mother to a friend if he had brothers.
John 19:25 - the following verses prove that James and Joseph are Jesus' cousins and not his brothers: Mary the wife of Clopas is the sister of the Virgin Mary.
Matt. 27:61, 28:1 - Matthew even refers to Mary the wife of Clopas as "the other Mary."
Matt. 27:56; Mark 15:47 - Mary the wife of Clopas is the mother of James and Joseph.
Mark 6:3 - James and Joseph are called the "brothers" of Jesus. So James and Joseph are Jesus' cousins.
Matt. 10:3 - James is also called the son of "Alpheus." This does not disprove that James is the son of Clopas. The name Alpheus may be Aramaic for Clopas, or James took a Greek name like Saul (Paul), or Mary remarried a man named Alpheus.
Jesus' "Brothers" (adelphoi)) = Cousins or Kinsmen
Luke 1:36 - Elizabeth is Mary's kinswoman. Some Bibles translate kinswoman as "cousin," but this is an improper translation because in Hebrew and Aramaic, there is no word for "cousin."
Luke 22:32 - Jesus tells Peter to strengthen his "brethren." In this case, we clearly see Jesus using "brethren" to refer to the other apostles, not his biological brothers.
Acts 1:12-15 - the gathering of Jesus' "brothers" amounts to about 120. That is a lot of "brothers." Brother means kinsmen in Hebrew.
Acts 7:26; 11:1; 13:15,38; 15:3,23,32; 28:17,21 - these are some of many other examples where "brethren" does not mean blood relations.
Rom. 9:3 - Paul uses "brethren" and "kinsmen" interchangeably. "Brothers" of Jesus does not prove Mary had other children.
Gen. 11:26-28 - Lot is Abraham's nephew ("anepsios") / Gen. 13:8; 14:14,16 - Lot is still called Abraham's brother (adelphos") . This proves that, although a Greek word for cousin is "anepsios," Scripture also uses "adelphos" to describe a cousin.
Gen. 29:15 - Laban calls Jacob is "brother" even though Jacob is his nephew. Again, this proves that brother means kinsmen or cousin.
Deut. 23:7; 1 Chron. 15:5-18; Jer. 34:9; Neh. 5:7 -"brethren" means kinsmen. Hebrew and Aramaic have no word for "cousin."
2 Sam. 1:26; 1 Kings 9:13, 20:32 - here we see that "brethren" can even be one who is unrelated (no bloodline), such as a friend.
2 Kings 10:13-14 - King Ahaziah's 42 "brethren" were really his kinsmen.
1 Chron. 23:21-22 - Eleazar's daughters married their "brethren" who were really their cousins.
Neh. 4:14; 5:1,5,8,10,14 - these are more examples of "brothers" meaning "cousins" or "kinsmen."
Tobit 5:11 - Tobit asks Azarias to identify himself and his people, but still calls him "brother."
Amos 1: 9 - brotherhood can also mean an ally (where there is no bloodline).
2006-11-28 02:42:48 · answer #4 · answered by Daver 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The truth is the Blessed Virgin Mary was a virgin before, during, and after the Birth of her ONLY Son Jesus.
The Bible does not say they had more children. That is something that Protestants "read in" to the Bible. It is a false assumption.
The "brothers of Christ" argument is also invalid since the word "brother" was used to mean brother or cousin or nephew or uncle.
We ask the Blessed Virgin Mary to pray for us.
"Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death."
Don't you ask others to pray for you?
"But she is dead"... Ah, yes... the old "dead saints" argument.... another invalid argument.
2006-11-28 02:07:27 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
I have never prayed to the virgin mary, but I do give her thanks for the birth of Jesus Christ. I think it's mostly just a way of honoring her because she did give birth to our Lord, but I don't think it's meant for us to pray to her like she is a God.
Mary WAS a virgin when she gave birth to Christ, so that is what we honor. It makes no nevermind that she had more children after that. The miracle is that she gave birth to Christ as a virgin.
2006-11-27 06:57:18 · answer #6 · answered by ? 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Religion and Relationship are two different things what God wants is to build a personal relationship with you religion is something you feel obligated to do. you can have 1000 crosses and a 12 by 12 pitcher of Jesus in you house but that will not get you save that's religion when you think that a cross or pitcher can help you well the bible says only threw Jesus can a person be save get to know him start by asking God to forgive you of all the bad you have done you know and start reading the bible JUST DO IT.
2006-11-27 07:19:56 · answer #7 · answered by jco1266 1 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I could never figure that one out either. GOD said there will be no other GOD's before me. The catholics pray to her and therefore see her as some kind of mesiah. It's just not so. Mary was a virgin when she got pregnant with Jesus, not when she died. Also, even Jesus told the people not to bowel to him due to he is not a mesiah nor was he GOD. This should have told people something right there. Of course, it does state there will be many false religions and false prophets so this is something we should be more aware of and not become part of. Thank you and GOD bless.
2006-11-27 06:50:58 · answer #8 · answered by cookie 6 · 2⤊ 2⤋
1. Recall please that Jews then were allowed to have more than one wife. So Jesus's brothers and sisters may have been by another woman.
2. As for Catholics praying to Mary, think about this; Someone (Solomon's brother if memory serves me correctly for now on the point), asked the mother (Bathsheba) of the king (Solomon, at that time and place), to act on their behalf. A Catholic explained to me that they were praying to Mary (mother of King Jesus) out of respect not worship of her.
May you receive a pleasant surprise today, Glory to God.
Peace Be With You.
2006-11-27 08:14:59 · answer #9 · answered by jefferyspringer57@sbcglobal.net 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋
mary and joseph did have other children-that's what i was taught as a child in sunday school and it's in the bible. no she was not a virgin because joseph and mary got married and were allowed to have sex. which eventually led to more kids.
2006-11-27 08:08:13 · answer #10 · answered by collgegrl11 4 · 3⤊ 2⤋