And evidently you did, without doing your research first. To say
The Catholic church thinks sex is sinfulis so vague and yet sweeping. Do you mean the Church TEACHES that sex is sinful, or SOME members think sex is sinful or what EXACTLY do you mean? DO you have an exact meaning?
Why MUST Mary remain a perpetual virgin?
Well, I would have said that you might ask Jesus, but now I see that asking Jesus for knowledge is compared to consulting a ouija board.
But allow me to suggest an analogy: To stand up to one's mother-in-law and to attack a vicious enemy are both virtuous, both examples of fortitude, but one is higher than the other. Neither (assuming the mother-in-law needs to be stood up to - which, of course, goes without saying) is sinful in itself.
Similarly, chaste intercourse, that is, loving sexual intercourse with one's spouse and open to life and consecrated virginity are both virtuous. But since in heaven "they neither marry nor are given in marriage", as my ouija board says, consecrated virginity is what you might call a "higher" estate, bieng more like the heavenly state, in certain sense. (For example, no mother-in-law.) Not all consecrated virgins are "higher" than chaste spouses, but the situation is "higher". Paul says something about this.
But as to the "MUST", I'm not sure what you mean.
I DO know that Episcopal Bishop Spong of New Jersey or Newark or something levelled pretty much the same charge and with similar arguments. Then he went on to talk about how virtuous homosexual acts are.
Further, it used to be that we required laity not to eat for quite some time before Mass, but we've never said the eating was intrinsically sinful, and haven't been accused of saying it. But for your arguments to stand, you'd have to find us saying the eating is sinful, wouldn't you?
One can SAY anything. To say something truthful, though, is hard.
There are a couple. The fact that married priests were told not to have sex before they said mass,. and then there is the tradition of "churching" which was to clean a woman from sin after child birth. But mostly and significantly it is the absolute need to keep poor Mary a virgin FOREVER .That is so she remains pure and 'undefiled' in the eyes of men
Similarly, chaste intercourse, that is, loving sexual intercourse with one's spouse and open to life and consecrated virginity are both virtuous.But since in heaven "they neither marry nor are given in marriage", as my ouija board says, consecrated virginity is what you might call a "higher" estate, bieng more like the heavenly state,in certain sense. (For example, no mother-in-law.) Not all consecrated virgins are "higher" than chaste spouses, but the situation is "higher". Paul says something about this.
Paul is talking about men in ministry I believe.
So it is"chaste" and loving to have intercourse between spouses BUT it is MORE holy to deny your spouse? Mary was NOT in heaven as the mother of Jesus she was a flesh and blood woman, she had a husband. You make her a human demi god. If God intended her to remain a virgin he would not have given her a husband.
But as to the "MUST", I'm not sure what you mean.
I said MUST because Catholics have mini seizures when one suggests she may have has a chase and loving sexual relationship with her husband..so it is CLEAR that to Catholics she MUST remain a virgin
As for me, my salvation and my eternity do not rest on this question, Jesus has already said he loves me as much as his mother and I have a normal marriage :)