Aw, shucks... Well, I appreciate your openness to listening to a point of view that you do not always disagree with. Most people would have gave up on me by now.
She entered the Church for the rest of her upbringing, and through this grace was thereby sinless from the age of reason forward.
That Mary was sinless, the entire Apostolic Church agrees on. HOW this happened, my Orthodox brothers are not sure - because they have not subscribed to Counciliar decisions after the Seventh one. I pray that some day that will change.
Would the cookie mother love her daughter so much that she would set her daughter free to go play in traffic? That's what you are advocating. :) And, again, I disagree with the idea of God "forcing" people into heaven because the obvious connotation is that it is against their will. The gift of God to His elect is an offer they can't refuse, because God gives them the ability to agree that it is so good.
Your response regarding the cookie analogy on "allowing the daughter to play in the street" is another answer that I am using to judge how our ideas of heaven are different (as I will respond below). As all analogies, the cookie analogy is not complete to describe the relationship between us and God. In the physical world, a three year old daughter does not know that it is dangerous to her health that playing in the street. Thus, the mother protects the child by forbidding the action.
With God, though, WE CANNOT claim that lack of knowledge! We DO know. Let me post this from Paul and I will comment:
"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man--and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them up to vile passions" Romans 1:18-26a
THIS is how God's wrath is manifest. He let's man have what they desire. If man imperfectly desires Goodness, God will grace Him and lead Him to Truth. If man refuses the writing of the Law on their hearts...
"for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness" Romans 2:14-15
...then they will be left to their vile passions. In other words, yes, the mother will let her daughter play in traffic - because the DAUGHTER knows it is against her mother's will, is against the Law of her conscience, and yet desires to do it anyway. She is still a daughter, but the daughter has disowned her mother by this action. Recall the Prodigal Son...
The gift of God to His elect is an offer they can't refuse, because God gives them the ability to agree that it is so good.
I think I should write a "macro" that states "we don't know we are of the elect", so I don't have to type it every letter I respond to you! Of course the elect will not refuse. But you don't know you are of the elect - since your Sinner's Prayer might not have taken. In ten years, you might fall away and then every Protestant will say you never had faith to begin with!
I wrote : Heaven is total spiritual union with God. How is that going to happen if a person has totally separated themselves from God's love on this earth? God is granting what that person desires - an eternal life without Him AND showing His justice to us, as well. And you responded : And, ... just what part of the second paragraph do I disagree with (because I don't know :)? In what do you detect a disconnect?
Oh, sorry for not clarifying. Going to heaven is not just a big party in where we show up and have a good ol' time. Heaven is a total union with God. Our will ENTIRELY MATCHES God's will. That is not possible if our free will chooses to turn away from God in a permanent fashion while on earth. WE are responsible for our decisions. Certainly, some decisions are not made with ALL information available. Thus, God will grant the invincibly ignorant :)some leeway when making His judgment on one's deeds. Thus, a person who has claimed "being saved" but turns from God CANNOT unite with this HOLY and DIVINE Nature for eternity.
Regards
I may have forgotten to ask this before, but do you believe that Mary was conceived in the normal sense? Or, was God the "bio-Father" for Mary too? I just looked up the Protoevangelion again, and it seemed like it was a normal conception. So, how was this "Immaculate"? Does the whole thing rest on the fact that God declared that it would be so? If yes, then there were more "Immaculate" conceptions, right? (i.e. Sarah)
As all analogies, the cookie analogy is not complete to describe the relationship between us and God. In the physical world, a three year old daughter does not know that it is dangerous to her health that playing in the street. ... With God, though, WE CANNOT claim that lack of knowledge! We DO know.
Really? That's ridiculous! :) Yes, a three-year-old does not understand that playing in traffic might kill her. If you sat her down and told her that if she played in traffic that she would never see her mommy again, then she would decide not to play in traffic. That's full information. However, you say that we have enough knowledge of God to make a choice, and some choose against. So, even though the choice is between eternal torment and eternal blessings in Christ, some, with this full information, still choose hell? There is no comparison here. You can't make the cookie daughter wiser than the majority of humanity. ... Can you? :)
In other words, yes, the mother will let her daughter play in traffic - because the DAUGHTER knows it is against her mother's will, is against the Law of her conscience, and yet desires to do it anyway. She is still a daughter, but the daughter has disowned her mother by this action.
That is felony child endangerment, Joe! :) God wouldn't do that to His children, He loves us too much. Doesn't the Good Shepherd always take care of His sheep? Does He let any of them get lost? No, of course not! And, He would never let any of them stray onto the highway! :)