I mean she was a virgin when she had Jesus. Ok got that. But she did have other kids and she obviously couldn't have been a virgin to give them life. That would make them all divine!
2007-06-29 04:41:34 · 23 answers · asked by ~Heathen Princess~ 7 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Because "sex is bad."
Christians just can't tolerate the idea of their idols getting it on. Hence Mary is "Eternally Virgin," Jesus is supposed to have remained chaste his whole life, and even Joseph must've followed suit, I suppose, since he was married to a chick who wouldn't put out and he couldn't "put her away."
All this in spite of the fact that the gospels clearly state that Jesus had four brothers. Were the others immaculate conceptions as well? Adopted? Was the term "brothers" just a euphemism in context? I've heard Catholics seriously argue that last one, because Mary's intact hymen is especially important to them.
As for the person who pointed out that the original Hebrew scripture (Isaiah 7:14) which supposedly prophesied the birth of Jesus only mentions a "young woman" - good point! Because this word was mistranslated by the Greek author of Luke as "virgin," and he therefore correlated it with pagan legends of the "virgin birth" of gods, and that's how we wound up with the Christian Virgin Birth legend.
2007-06-29 04:44:01 · answer #1 · answered by jonjon418 6 · 4⤊ 4⤋
No, she didn't have other kids. There is no evidence to support that idea, other than simplistic literalist self-interpretations of one scripture passage. Mary was a consecrated virgin, which means she had taken a solemn vow of lifelong chastity. Like other consecrated virgins of the time, she was entrusted to the care of an older gentleman, thereby receiving care and protection in exchange for domestic service and companionship.
The statement "your brothers are waiting outside" clearly does not refer to siblings. We know this by looking at how the same Greek word - adelphoi - was used in other biblical texts. For example, after Jesus rose from the dead He appeared to more than 500 of His "brothers" [adelphoi] at one time. Presumably these 500+ men were not all Mary's kids. There are dozens of similar uses of "adelphoi" throughout the New Testament. Therefore it is apparent that the intended meaning of the term is "brethren", or "brothers in the Lord", not siblings. And therefore it is inconsistent, inappropriate, and just plain poor exegesis to try to force an entirely different meaning on the text when we read, "your brothers [adelphoi] are waiting outside".
2007-06-29 11:58:30 · answer #2 · answered by PaulCyp 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Obviously Mary had sex to have all of those other kids. The only people who hold on the whole "Virgin Mary" thing are Catholics. Other Christians don't see her as holy. She was just a vessel being used by God to deliver Jesus. Calling her holy would be unbiblical. She is a false idol in many parts of the world. The Hail Mary prayer? Sounds like praying to someone who isn't God...
2007-06-29 11:46:35 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 1⤋
If "God did it" is a good enough answer for ANY question, then what's the difference?
If you want more insight into whether Jesus' Birth was divine, read the Gnostic Gospel of Thomas, written in the second century. Later omitted as heresy at the First council of Nicea.
2007-06-29 11:50:16 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Before Christianity there were virgin goddesses. But virgin referred to the fact that they were independent. The virgin goddesses took care of themselves, ie they hunted for themselves, fed and clothed themselves etc. So the Virgin Mary may really just be a virgin goddess taken into Christianity.
2007-06-29 13:09:24 · answer #5 · answered by Frodo the space bard 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
She wasn't a virgin all her life! The term "Virgin Mary" is used by the Catholic Church ( I suspect) to describe her for what she was when Jesus was conceived within her womb according to Scripture.
2007-06-29 13:21:09 · answer #6 · answered by bigvol662004 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
she was a virgin at first but then she had other kids. maybe it is because she is the mother of Jesus and they think to be that she had to be perfect in all ways. I really don't know.
2007-06-29 11:52:09 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
One divine birth only, by the seed of God....the rest were of the seed of man. There is no indication that the brother and sisters of Jesus were adopted,so...she was only a virgin before the emaculate conception.
2007-06-29 11:46:42 · answer #8 · answered by bonsai bobby 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I don't think that. In fact, the bible it mentions the Brothers and sister of Jesus. They were born after him. They were not "all Divine" though..they were conceived by normal means.
2007-06-29 11:55:44 · answer #9 · answered by Eartha Q 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
First of all, the original Hebrew Bible never said virgin. It said, that he would be born to a young girl. She didn't need to be a virgin her whol life and she wasn't. Jesus had brothers and sisters. Personally I don't think she was a virgin when she gave birth to Jesus, but ok.
2007-06-29 11:47:00 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋