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I agree. And as I pointed out in an earlier post on the "Fr. Ron Tacelli Article" thread, Scripture is silent on this issue, in terms of an explicit statement saying either that Mary had other children besides Christ or that she did not have other children besides Christ.

The fact is, as even Protestant leaders such as Martin Luther and John Calvin (no friends of Catholicism) readily recognized and admitted, the historic Christian teaching on this issue was that Mary remained a perpetual virgin.

Since the sola scriptura mindset cannot possibly resolve this issue, it is eminently reasonable to consider what the early Christians in the first several centuries of Christianity believed and taught about Mary's virginity. You will find -- and I'd be happy to post examples to corroborate this, if anyone wants to see them -- that orthodox Christian belief in Mary's perpetual virginity was both ubiquitous and continuous during those first fifteen centuries. I respectfully suggest that that is a fact our Protestant friends should ponder carefully and prayerfully.

historic Christian teaching on this issue was that Mary remained a perpetual virgin

And that would, indeed, be fact.

I agree. And as I pointed out in an earlier post on the "Fr. Ron Tacelli Article" thread, Scripture is silent on this issue, in terms of an explicit statement saying either that Mary had other children besides Christ or that she did not have other children besides Christ.

Scripture being silent on the point actually speaks very loudly about the importance of the point to God.

Becky

So pray tell, how did James become the half brother of Jesus Christ? Was he too born of a virgin?

In fact Scripture plainy teaches that Christ had brothers and sisters, we even have names!

Matthew 13:55-56 "Is this not the carpenter's son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas?"And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?"

I guess this is the part where you say that Joseph brought these siblings of Christ to the family before Mary, and Mary was nothing more than a step-mother. In that case, Christ would have no common mother or father with these so-called brothers and sisters.

Furthermore, we have some serious problems because where are these kids during the sojourn to Egypt? That would also make Jesus Christ the youngest of the bunch, and I don't recall hearing about them stumbling around in the manger during Christ's birth. We also have other age difference according to Roman Catholic tradition that would make even the youngest child of Joseph older than Mary. Pretty wierd stuff if you ask me.