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**491 Through the centuries the Church has become ever more aware that Mary, “full of grace” through God, was redeemed from the moment of her conception. That is what the dogma of the Immaculate Conception confesses, as Pope Pius IX proclaimed in 1854:**

I’m curious to know what pope Pius was smokin when he uttered that nonsense.

So....somehow Mary escaped the sinful nature of her parents?

Oh, they were sinless as well?? (I think I’ve heard that excuse before)

Maybe the pope should declare that Mary’s grandparents, great grandparents, and great great grandparents were somehow sinless as well, just to play it safe.

And let the pope speak this declaration in his best Yul Brynner impersonation:

“So let it be written,.........so let it be done!”

I think it also goes against their OWN contention that Mary "freely", of her own will, accepted the honor of bearing the Messiah. According to the dogma, she was graced with this special sinlessness from her birth, yet she was still given the freedom to say, "No." Would she be retroactively given BACK the sin nature inherited from Adam? And, if God gave this "singular" grace to Mary so that she was preserved from all sin, why did He stop with her, why not let Jesus off the hook having to suffer and die for the sins of the world?

From reading where and why this dogma was finally declared nearly two thousand years later, it looks as though the "cult of Mary" was the impetus, prodded by many supposedly miraculous visions, apparitions and visitations from "Mary" or one purporting to be her. There was certainly no Apostolic witness for the dogma nor was it even considered until centuries after the Apostles all died. Not even John, who was in charge of caring for Mary when Jesus ascended, makes any mention of her in his epistles.

If Catholics want to believe this is all part of the truth it's no skin off my nose. But, when they assert they alone have the "fullness of the faith" and we non-Caths are bound for hell because we aren't in line with everything their "traditions" decree, then I will unabashedly defend why I don't believe like them on this and several other doctrines.