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We can fully estimate Mary's hyman was fully broken during childbirth... so for all practical reasons, she would never "pass" as a Virgin again. Unless Catholics has some little tidbit information that God gave her super powers there.

We part of "a virgin shall conceive and bear a son" don't you believe means she was a virgin in birth?

Christ was born from Mary in an entirely miraculous manner, passing from her womb to the world through birth canal and without impact to her virginity, and without causing her the pains of childbirth which are the punishment of original sin for womankind. God did not need to give her super powers to do this, rather, Christ simply passed through her like He walked through the locked door to the upper room after the resurrection. St. Luke 2.7 states that Mary not only brought him forth, but also wrapped him up and laid him in His manger/crib. Not a midwife or St. Joseph, while Mary recovered, but her herself. The implication of the scene is of one utter peace and serenity, not pain, travails, blood, agony, sweat, tears, and crying.

Its also why we call it "The Virgin Birth" and confess in the Creed that He was "born of the Virgin Mary".

I thought it best not to click on it. I have to protect my blood pressure.

Why does Mary need to take a vow of perpetual virginity to remain a virgin? Couldn't she have just done it?

Is there a tradition of such vows in Judaism?

I don't know. But weren't the Old Testament prophets like Jeremiah and Elijah unmarried and virgins?

Lutherans who believe like Luther did on the issue:

“We should simply hold that (Mary) remained a virgin after the birth of Christ because Scripture does not state or indicate that she later lost her virginity.”

“Christ, our Saviour, was the real and natural fruit of Mary’s virginal womb ... This was without the cooperation of a man, and she remained a virgin after that”

“Christ ... was the only Son of Mary, and the Virgin Mary bore no children besides Him ... I am inclined to agree with those who declare that ‘brothers’ really mean ‘cousins’ here, for Holy Writ and the Jews always call cousins brothers”.

“in childbirth and after childbirth, as she was a virgin before childbirth, so she remained”.

I know there are some who believe like him, because I’ve met them.

And ? Women died relatively young in those, and if Joseph was thirty five he would be counted as middle-aged but not decrepit. The Church, by the way, does not say that the account is inspired, but what it does affirm is her virginity, that already in the 2nd century it was a pious belief. You may find that amusing, but do understand that many liberal Christians think of the Virgin birth itself as a pious fiction, arguing that, after all, Mark says nothing about it, nor does John. As to playing up her role, the reason for this is that the more important a role that we assign Mary, the more we elevate Jesus. If she is the Mother of God, then he is God. If she is simply the mother of Jesus, and after is birth simply the wife of Joseph, then Jesus is not necessarily God.

We are not standing on common ground. As to Mary’s Virginity, it does matter, because if Mary is not virgin then Jesus is not divine. And if Jesus is not divine, then he may be messiah but not savior.

But the Gospel may not have been written in Greek, but Aramaic or even Hebrew. If so, then we don’t heard the voice of Matthew but a translator, even if we are reading the Greek. And then we do not even have the autograph of the writer but a copy a copy of a copy. We must therefore have some authority to verify we have a true copy.

and many Lutherans find the concept of Blessed Mary and St. Joseph having sex to be "unbiblical and sacreligious".

And who might the 'Lutherans' be? Mary and Joseph were married, Scripture tells us that Joseph refrained from sex until Jesus was born. Thankfully it didn't describe the activity after He was born, but since they were both good Jews and honored their marriage, it is likely they would have done as was customary amongst their people.

Virgin birth is required by prophesy, eternal virgin is not. If Mary remained a virgin or not does not affect my salvation, it is in Christ alone. Mary was the virgin chosen of the Father that is all that is required for me. I have not read the apocrypha writings and they’re not part of the scripture. My reading of the Mathew text make it clear that Mary did not remain eternal virgin. I find that the church has a past that Catholic, Protestant don’t deal with except to accuse each other (a term for Satan “Accuser of the Brethren”). That is why I’m neither.

Yes, as a member of the trinity with Jesus and the Father.

Waiting for you to cite a passage from Scripture that specifically dictates the doctrine sola Scriptura. Then we go from there.

Lets go futher... here one of the Catholic "sources"... I will let the readers decide for themselves.

http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/History_of_Joseph_the_Carpenter#Prelude

QUOTE

"Now when righteous Joseph became a widower, my mother Mary, blessed, holy, and pure, was already twelve years old. For her parents offered her in the temple when she was three years of age, and she remained in the temple of the Lord nine years. Then when the priests saw that the virgin, holy and God-fearing, was growing up, they spoke to each other, saying: Let us search out a man, righteous and pious, to whom Mary may be entrusted until the time of her marriage; lest, if she remain in the temple, it happen to her as is wont to happen to women, and lest on that account we sin, and God be angry with us.

[edit] Chapter 4

Therefore they immediately sent out, and assembled twelve old men of the tribe of Judah. And they wrote down the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. And the lot fell upon the pious old man, righteous Joseph. Then the priests answered, and said to my blessed mother: Go with Joseph, and be with him till the time of your marriage. Righteous Joseph therefore received my mother, and led her away to his own house. And Mary found James the Less in his father's house, broken-hearted and sad on account of the loss of his mother, and she brought him up. Hence Mary was called the mother of James. Thereafter Joseph left her at home, and went away to the shop where he wrought at his trade of a carpenter. And after the holy virgin had spent two years in his house her age was exactly fourteen years, including the time at which he received her.

[edit] Chapter 5

And I chose her of my own will, with the concurrence of my Father, and the counsel of the Holy Spirit. And I was made flesh of her, by a mystery which transcends the grasp of created reason. And three months after her conception the righteous man Joseph returned from the place where he worked at his trade; and when he found my virgin mother pregnant, he was greatly perplexed, and thought of sending her away secretly. But from fear, and sorrow, and the anguish of his heart, he could endure neither to eat nor drink that day.

[edit] Chapter 6

But at mid-day there appeared to him in a dream the prince of the angels, the holy Gabriel, furnished with a command from my Father; and he said to him: Joseph, son of David, fear not to take Mary as thy wife: for she has conceived of the Holy Spirit; and she will bring forth a son, whose name shall be called Jesus. He it is who shall rule all nations with a rod of iron. Having thus spoken, the angel departed from him. And Joseph rose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord had said to him; and Mary abode with him.

End Quote

==============================================

Almost comical how they play up Mary here, yet the rest of the Bible does not. Joseph isn't even considered husband material, just a caretaker caught by surprise at Mary's condition. Basically Joseph is portrayed as sweet grandfather past his prime with lots of children from a previous marriage.

...

Quite handy these lost additions are if your Catholic.

Mary was born on man and woman both sinners. Mary recognized that the child she bore was her Saviour.

Luke 1:46And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,

47And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.

mankind is fallen and sinful, Mary no different. If she was different, whay recognize the need for her God, her Saviour? Jesus needed no Saviour, He was Him, and He came for ALL, not ALL except my mom.

Going by your theory of the not-so-virgin Mary, why would they wait? You have something against sex during pregnancy? Yes, I know what St. Matthew 1.25 says. Its part of why we Catholics say Blessed Mary was always a virgin.

What theory? My basic is the Bible. It is my North Pole, my compass. We know Mary was a virgin up until Jesus was born (the actual delivery). We can only assume like most women, things were pretty sore and intercourse usually is out of the question for about 6 weeks. The very verse (Mat. 1:25) you quote supports just that. That completed the requirements. Jesus had no Earthly father (so sins that passed from "father to child" did not effect Jesus). We can fully estimate Mary's hyman was fully broken during childbirth... so for all practical reasons, she would never "pass" as a Virgin again. Unless Catholics has some little tidbit information that God gave her super powers there. There is no doubt Jesus loved her, he did his first miracle at her pleading (before his time). Jesus even followed tradition of making sure his mother was taken care of before his death. Just like tradition. But if tradition was followed, one can also believe that Mary was a wife to her husband as the Bible commanded.

Back on subject... what do I think of the billboard? I think it is crass and uncalled for. I think it was very poor taste. I can understand why people especially Catholics would be upset.

If the truth of what you assert is so obvious why was it not held by the Reformers Luther and Calvin? How did it escape the attention of churchmen for fifteen hundred years before that? How do YOU know what Matthew meant when he wrote those words?

And what sin did Mary commit?

Waiting for you to cite a passage from Scripture that specifically dictates the doctrine sola Scriptura. Then we go from there.