Roman Catholics: would it not be considered sin on Mary's part to DENY Joseph's carnal desires towards her?

Question

According to Roman Catholics they claim Mary remained a virgin throughout her entire life.
Would it not be considered sin on Mary's part to DENY Joseph's carnal desires towards his wife, in that pre-birth control pill era?
Is it not written plainly in. 1 Corinthians 7:3-5, "Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband. The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife. Defraud ye not one the other, …”

Didnt they found the Burial Box of James, (Jesus Brother)??
On the top of the box the inscription reads, "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus."

Im Not bashing.
Just please explain confusing dogma to me.

"Utuk"- In other words, and educated GUESS is accepted as proof, and now we are expected to believe this to be the final say?
So, should we trust Roman documentation on this topic? What makes Roman Catholic documentation better than the other sources?
Of course they are going to deny all of this.
Any VALUABLE proof?

"Deslok of Gammalon"- thats Not what Pope Pius IX proclaimed, He said "The Immaculate Conception" of Mary was dogmatic fact.
You don't even know your own church.

Answer 1

Well, if you really believe that mary was a virgin at the time she gave birth to jesus, I guess you are open to believing almost anything in defiance of logic and reason. So why not go for the scenario where joseph and mary never had sex?

(To the poster referring to joseph as being an old man - let me assure you that we oldies can and do participate in sex, penetrative and otherwise! Hmmph, you young whippersnapper!!)

Answer 2

I think the most perplexing question about the doctrine of the perpetual virginity of Our Lady arises from the fact that in the Roman Catholic Church, non-consummation is grounds for an annulment. Does the Church really believe that the Holy Family was formed out of a null union? Just a thought.

Answer 3

oh, that old hat.

St Joseph also took a vow of celibacy while quite young. Something to do with rebuilding the temple. When he was chosen as Mary's husband (several candidates were up for the honour), everyone was shocked he was picked. I know this isn't biblical, but 1/2 the story of Jesus' life was never written down.

The "evidence" in that crypt is not accurate enough to pin point it to the Holy Family.

English may have translated "cousin" to "brother" since many ancient languages include as siblings the sibling's children. For instance, in Ukrainian, the word for "cousin" literally means "other brother"

Whereas Elizabeth, being the "cousin" of Mary, was actually from a different tribe, probably the priestly family while Mary would have been of royal family descent.

Answer 4

Ironically, your question here and the answers to it have readjusted my understanding of reverence for Mary. I can again pray the rosary with a free and clear conscience. Thanks for providing the opportunity for other people to remind me that the Hail Mary is a prayer of intercession, and there is a difference between worship and honor and rememberance. -M Gorgeoustxtemptress3 It's not just Christians who attack each other. It happens within all humanity. It's not a "Christian" thing, it's a human thing and is the product of our potential to sin. But rather than focusing on that, and warping the truth about sin to say it's a "Christian thing" - wouldn't it be more constructive to focus on mankind's potential for both sin and grace, and speak the truth that this is a "Human thing"? And SamGirl While I respect your views in contrast with those of many Roman Catholic philosophies, I do not respect the way you paraphrase and misrepresent the Catechism of the Catholic Church. There are many valid points/truths in the Fundamentalist Christian point of view. Please don't cheapen them with such foul tactics as misrepresenting your opponent.

Answer 5

Much dogma is confusing. I was raised a Roman Catholic and still can't explain or understand much of dogma. I would say that in this instance Mary was not a Catholic. As to the box of bones: The name Jesus wasn't at all uncommon at that time and neither was James or Joseph so the box could have been almost anyone. If you read the bible you will find the names Joseph and James cropping up all over. The name Jesus doesn't however, but I understand that it was fairly common in that place and time.

None of this is to say that I believe/disbelieve any of this.

Answer 6

The Bible plainly says that Jesus had a brother. Mary was virgin when she gave birth to Jesus. Not afterward. Catholics don't believe she stayed a virgin all her life. Where in the Catholic doctrine does it say this? You are protesting (like a typical Protestant) the true Church of Jesus made by Jesus himself. Jesus said to Peter, "You are Peter the rock on which I will build my church"--not churches. Although protestants broke away from the true church for what appeared to them as good reasons, spreading lies about the Catholic Church is of the devil--not of Jesus.

Answer 7

First, to those who want to know where in the Catholic doctrine it says this take a look at "Catechism of the Catholic Church" (paragraphs 496-511)


YES, and AMEN and all kinds of kudos for THAT question.

Honestly.....that's an amazing point. Being a Protestant of course I reject the idea that she was a virgin all her life.....but I never thought of it this way and you make a great point. I mean, in the Catholic church if they don't believe in birth control, how could they give the nod to abstinence??????

Catholics will likely respond and say "well, because this was the exception to the rule....Mary was sacred".....they forget Luke 11:27: "27As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, 'Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.' He replied, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.".

Answer 8

OK, I'm Roman Catholic, the church never said Mary remained a virgin after the birth of Jesus. It did say his birth was of a virgin.
On to James being the brother of Jesus. According to Catholic teaching Jesus had NO BROTHERS or SISTERS. The term "brethren" was used a lot, but it didn't mean siblings, it could mean cousins or friends.

Answer 9

The burial box is a hoax.
What makes you think that Joseph wanted to have sex with Mary (i.e. why do think she actually denied him anything)? According to Church tradition, he was an old man when they were betrothed. And if Joseph believed that Jesus was divine, he would not have engaged in sexual intercourse with her. Otherwise, there are many arguments concerning the perpetual virginity of Mary.

Answer 10

The Bible doesn't say anywhere that Joseph desired her or that she denied him. I believe the Catholic version is that they mutually decided to remain celebate, which was also done by a number of married saints.

As for the burial box, that has been proven to be a forgery. The box was authentic but the carving was not. They even know who did it (Oded Golan, whose appartment was full of forged artifacts)