[CyberAnt]

But .. I've had Catholics argue with me that Mary had a special covering or something from Jesus. That Mary remained a "virgin" all her life. She didn't. She was a precious young lady who trusted God, but I don't believe she really understood who Jesus was until after she was baptized in the Holy Ghost. However, when I tell people she was a tongue talker, you would think I called her a devil. The scriptures in Acts say Mary was present in the upper room when ALL were baptized in the Holy Ghost and ALL spoke with other tongues.

[Ohioan from Florida]

That Mary remained a "virgin" all her life. She didn't.

I knew someone would eventually bring this up, and I happen to disagree with you. I have Protestant friends who have asked me about this, and I can tell you that if you understand more about Mary than what you currently know, you would understand exactly how and why she was a virgin all her life.

However, when I tell people she was a tongue talker, you would think I called her a devil.

There are some Catholics who do not understand the gifts of the Holy Spirit all that well, and do not understand about the gift of tongues in particular. That doesn't make it so. You are right that Mary was in the Upper Room when the Holy Spirit descended. I would imagine it plausible to think that she spoke in tongues.

[Jordan Vandenberg]

I'm no theologian but one of the best explanations I was given for Mary remaining ever-Virgin is because she carried the Lord as did the Ark in the days of Moses. Mary is the Ark of the the "New" Covenant that was promised. In the OT God placed a Cherub to guard the entrance to the passageway (just as He placed one at the entrance of the garden earlier on (Gen. 3:24)) to prevent man from entering.

Calvin, like Luther and Zwingli taught the perpetual virginity of Mary. http://ic.net/~erasmus/RAZ460.HTM

To Catholics like me, saying that Mary did not remain a virgin is tantamount to saying that she was not the Ark of the New Covenant and that Jesus was just a mere man.

When I read what the OT has to say about the original ark, I am confident that God would not have dealt with the New Ark any differently.