[xzins]

And if it makes sense to accuse a well-intentioned person with heresy just because they say "Mary is the mother of Jesus." then it makes sense to charge that accuser with heresy for denying the divinity of the Father.

People who want to play games with the broadness of the word "God" in a Trinitarian system are themselves open to those same charges using that same method.

My advice to them is to grow up and assume the best about Christian brothers and sisters until it's proven otherwise.

[kosta50]

As an Orthodox Christian, my beliefs are not confused. I call Mary the Theotokos. The Council at Ephesus dealt with well-intentioned memebrs of the Church who followed the reasoning exposed here on this thread and the Councils established that this is not the teaching of the Church. That which is not the teaching of the Church is, by definition, heresy.

I would expect those who have been, educated, familiarized, an trained in theology, as chaplains are certainly, to know that definition, and not presume by semantic gymnastics that it is anything but what the definition says.

I couldn't care less what anyone believes. I do know what is outside of the Church teaching, and that which is outside the Church teaching (such as that Mary gave birth to a man) is by definition heresy. Nestorianism and Arianism were condemned as such and those who propose the theology of Arius and Nestor are teaching heresy, by definition.

It's not personal. I didn't make up the rules and I didn't vote at the Council of Ephesus. But anyone who has issues with the Title Mary Mother of God needs to read the proceedings of that Council, imo.