I first learned that Jesus had brothers and sisters in a Bible study class taught by a CATHOLIC PRIEST. I was very fortunate and blessed to be taught by priest who taught the Bible as it is written and did not make things up. Here are some other facts:
1) There is NO mention in the Bible that Mary herself was conceived of an immaculate conception. This is something made up out whole cloth.
2) There is NO mention that Mary was ALWAYS a virgin. She was married to Joseph and other children followed Jesus, including James. This IS mentioned in the Bible.
3) There is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING in the Bible requiring celibacy as a precondition for service in the priesthood. In point of fact, priests in the Bible were married men with children as were the early popes, bishops, and priests well into the Middle Ages.
A genuine religion is based upon the historical record. The Judeo-Christian tradition is based upon historical events-—real people who actually lived in defined places at certain times in history.
When you start making things up out of whole cloth, such a religion then begins to resemble the mythology akin to the ancient Roman, Greek, and Egyptian religions.
Better to stick with the Bible and the historical record than to make things up.
Good for us that we don’t teach that celibacy is required for priests.
There are married priests.
Did you know that?
Too many assumptions. Something can be absent from the canonical Scriptures and still be (a) part of the historical record, (b) not made up from whole cloth.
All Faith and Moral dictum's In the Church have a Biblical basis. They are very much explained and laid out on the Internet at Catholic Answers and other Orthodox Websites. The Church has no problem explaining them to whomever cares to ask and do a little research. I am not the Church and care not to discuss them.
Not all traditions of the Church are Dogma.
As per celibacy it has never been a Dogma of the Church it is simply a tradition. Nobody denies that.Most of the apostles where married. Many of the popes where married and many of the priests where married until the 12th Century. It is a relatively recent tradition that Latin Rite priests are always celibate. Or at least take vows of celibacy. It is only 800 years old tradition. Where as the Church is over 2,000 years old.
As far as the Roman Catholic Church is concerned it is obviously a genuine religion with well over 1.3 Billion adherents to the Roman Rite alone and several tens of millions more to the other Roman aligned Churches.
Perhaps it is your particular religion that is Whole Cloth horse crap.
Either way I don't much care about your opinion as it is worthless to me. I don't give a crap about it and never will.