Intimate details about one's parents are not a necessary prerequisite of friendship. I, incidentally, never shared any such with my roommates, and I have kept friendship with some of them to this day. Remember the "honor thy mother" part in the scripture?
I have never been talking about sex talk here! :) If you are at the water cooler at work and someone asks you if you have any brothers or sisters, do you really feel you are betraying your parents sex lives if you answer?
It is you who takes the scripture that does not say anything about Mary and Joseph following the birth of Christ, and insists on the least favorable to Mary interpretation, ... Was Lot Abraham's brother?
Believe me, I have nothing against Mary. I love Mary. :) She must have been extremely special to be the one chosen. What I do have is a ton of scripture that appears to apply to all humans. My view is that Mary was 100% human and not divine. I thought you agreed with that. If there were exceptions in the Bible for Mary to all those verses, or even just some exceptions that would make the rule apparent, then I would be with you. But, there are none, absolutely none. So, what can I conclude from my POV?
No, Lot was not Abraham's biological brother, but I have already said that I know the Bible sometimes uses the term as you do. I could just as easily say: "was Andrew the biological brother of Peter"? Or, was everyone is those days an only child? :)
If James was Mary's stepson from a previous marriage of Joseph, and therefore older, then his age, close to Mary's, would not make him a good caregiver because he might become frail together or even before Mary.
OK, at least for argument's sake, I can see that. Thanks much for the links.
Sorry, all the time I was thinking you talk about "knew her not" passage. Yes, Jesus might very well have described James and Joses, etc. as his brothers, but as we already discussed, the word did not necessarily mean same biological mother. He also refused to use the word even in the broad familial sense, as you remember.
My view is that Mary was 100% human and not divine
Of course.