Was the immaculate conception a story Mary told so people wouldn't  think she was a s lut?
548652
Mary, if she even existed at all, knew nothing of any "immaculate conception". That was a story made up much later by Christian theologians who needed some way for Jesus to avoid being born under original sin, so they claimed that Mary's birth was "immaculate" by a special dispensation by God so that original sin wouldn't be imputed to her.
109438
That was Mary Magdalen.  Some people believe she was actually the wife of Jesus.
539253
there's something about mary
383954
Personally, no. Mary was a Virgin, Immaculately Conceived, and was assumed into Heaven as a Virgin. \n\nHowever, some scholars believed that St. Joseph was a widow who was elderly and had grown up children  from that previous marriage and married the adolescent Mary as a favor to the High Priests of the Temple. Hence, Jesus had step-brothers. Other say that his reference to brothers is synonymous to cousins, which is how it was used back then, and still used today. \n\nOn Suday of Resurrection, the History Channel had a program about him, and on this topic you have brought up. The web History Channel web site might provide links to that show, as well as internet links to follow up on this subject.
487552
I listened to Women in Islam q&a and I don't quite understand how someone who has never been born, be worshipped.........but then, I'm sure that you don't understand how I could beleive in immaculate conception.......its all so hard to imagine, and beleive for me, at times I think its all nonsense, my religion, your religion, all of it...
674207
Jesus peace be upon him spoke in his cradle as a proof of her innocence peace be upon her.\n\nFollowing is how the story is related in the Noble Quran [Translation of verses 19:16 -19:33 ]\n\n{\nRelate in the Book (the story of) Mary, when she withdrew from her family to a place in the East.\nShe placed a screen (to screen herself) from them; then We sent her our angel, and he appeared before her as a man in all respects.\nShe said: "I seek refuge from thee to (God) Most Gracious: (come not near) if thou dost fear God."\nHe said: "Nay, I am only a messenger from thy Lord, (to announce) to thee the gift of a holy son.\n She said: "How shall I have a son, seeing that no man has touched me, and I am not unchaste?"\n He said: "So (it will be): Thy Lord saith, 'that is easy for Me: and (We wish) to appoint him as a Sign unto men and a Mercy from Us':It is a matter (so) decreed."\nSo she conceived him, and she retired with him to a remote place.\nAnd the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm-tree: She cried (in her anguish): "Ah! would that I had died before this! would that I had been a thing forgotten and out of sight!"\nBut (a voice) cried to her from beneath the (palm-tree): "Grieve not! for thy Lord hath provided a rivulet beneath thee;\n"And shake towards thyself the trunk of the palm-tree: It will let fall fresh ripe dates upon thee.\n"So eat and drink and cool (thine) eye. And if thou dost see any man, say, 'I have vowed a fast to (God) Most Gracious, and this day will I enter into not talk with any human being'"\nAt length she brought the (babe) to her people, carrying him (in her arms). They said: "O Mary! truly an amazing thing hast thou brought!\n"O sister of Aaron! Thy father was not a man of evil, nor thy mother a woman unchaste!"\n But she pointed to the babe. They said: "How can we talk to one who is a child in the cradle?"\nHe said: "I am indeed a servant of God: He hath given me revelation and made me a prophet;\n"And He hath made me blessed wheresoever I be, and hath enjoined on me Prayer and Charity as long as I live;\n"(He) hath made me kind to my mother, and not overbearing or miserable;\n"So peace is on me the day I was born, the day that I die, and the day that I shall be raised up to life (again)"!\n}
79301
there are no statues of God, nobody knows what God looks like. Yes, they do acknowledge the Virgin Mary as a very important person in the Catholic religion.
943683
I don't think there is any real evidence for her being a prostitute, but I also don't believe that the Catholic Church did this to keep women down. I've always felt like they wanted to sensationalize the story a little more. Peter is made to look like a dumb bloke who only cared about fishing till Jesus came along- and then went on to become the foundation of the Christian Church. Paul was a cold blooded killer of Christians- the most unlikely to believe- yet converted. And of course Mary was a horrible, demon filled prostitute, yet Jesus loved her even more than the others. It's poetic. \n\nI don't get too rapped up in how and why they changed some of the stories. No true life movie is actually true life. People change the details to bring out the elements they want you to see. They wanted people to understand that Jesus will save ANYONE. And that's why they wanted Mary to be an ex-prostitute, it's more impressive that way.
345469
Basically, Jesus was a man, who married Mary and had children.  His bloodline survives to this day.  The Holy Grail is not a chalice of any sort, it's his and Mary's descendants.  The Catholic Church thought it would be best to keep this hidden from the public, and to also turn Mary into a whore so that people would lose respect for her, the position she held as the wife of Jesus, and for women as a whole.  It also goes on to explain how the Catholic Church has used it's position to change actual history and have us raised to believe in stories that in fact didn't happen.  \n\nReally, just read the book.  Twice if you have too.  Besides being entertaining and a very good read, it leaves you with lots to think about.  Being raised a Catholic and having doubts about my beliefs for years and years now, this book was a real kick ..........
395658
It is generally agreed that the Virign Mary was young when she gave birth to Jesus and that apocrypha claims that she outlived him dying between three and 15 years after the Crucifixion. Little is known about her personal history other than she was the relative of Elizabeth, lived in Nazareth and was engaged to Joseph. The Catholic Encyclopedia claims that she was 14 when the High Priest of the Temple wanted to send her home to prepare for marriage.\n\nIt should also be noted that for much of human history, it was not unusual to be married at 15. Average life expectancy was only 30.
392738
No she did NOT. Mary was only pledged to be married to Joseph.\n\nMary was a person conceived without original sin as she was the chosen one to bear the Son of God. \n\nMary & Joseph did not have any physical relationship. So before Mary & Jospeh came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. \n\nYou can read the whole Holy Bible. Every thing is written and happened under the name of Lord Jesus, the Son of God. Even in the old tesimony God has indirectly told about the birth of the Christ.\n\nAccording to my knowledge, You are an anti-christian and placed this question here to insult Virgin Mary, the Mother of God and make fun of the Catholics with the anti-christ answers.\n\nIt doesn't matter if you believe or not, people answer possitively or negatively....the Truth is "Truth". No one can change it. \n\nMay the Blessed Mother pary to God for you that God may enlighten your mind to understand the truth.
624859
Mary was a normal human like everyone else.  She never preformed miracles, and she didn't stay a virgin much longer after Jesus was born.  She gave birth to Jesus' brother.    And right now (sorry Catholics) Mary is a dead woman who is nothing special.  What if a woman named "Suzan" gave birth to Jesus?  Would people start praying to "the virgin Suzan"?  Dead people don't hear prayers, only God does.
1095242
Yes, St. John the Baptist is considered to have been cleansed from sin while in the womb.  BV. Mary, who was conceived without sin, had a sinful mother.\n\nBut lets get to the heart of your problem.  Let's dismantle the idea that "all have sinned".\n\nRom 3:23: "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God..."\n\nThe problem with this is that the word 'ALL' here is the Greek word, 'PAS', which can have different meanings to the absolute that we immediately think of - as shown in other verses of Holy Scripture.\n\nJohn 12:19, "All the world has gone after him!" Did everyone in the entire world really go after Christ?\n\nLuke 2:1 "And an order went out from Caesar Augustus that ALL the world should be counted."\nWas everyone in the whole world counted?\n\nRom 11:26, "ALL Israel shall be saved." Will everyone in Israel truly be saved?\n\nNow we know that there is a possibility to have a sinless child from a sinful mother and that it is not against scripture to say such.\n\nSecondly, let us point out that Christ's sinlessness doesn't depend on Mary's.  Christ is sinless because he is a Divine Person (the Son of the Father and the 2nd person of the Holy Trinity).\n\nIt is rather that Mary's sinlessness depends on Christ.  She is without sin because it is fitting and proper that the Divine Person of the Son be gestated in a womb that has never been touched by sin.\n\nIf it is fitting, is it true?  The testimony of the beliefs of historic Christian faith, the oral testimony of the apostles, scripture, Church Fathers, and official teachings of the Church (both east and west) testify to this being a statement of fact.  In other words, it is what Christians believe.\n\nHowever, this NOT something that can be proven through scientific methods for obvious reason (only deductive evidence exists for the statement).  Yet the methods that we use to say that Mary was without sin, are the same methods that we use in our judicial system, and the same methods that we use to say that Caesar existed and crossed the Tiber even though such evidence for Caesar being real is much less than the evidence for Mary being without sin.\n\nIt is though, a statement of Faith, meaning that its belief is grounded in the teaching of the Holy Spirit who speaks through the Church.  It is supported by deductive evidence (which you may believe in and take as truth) but the requirement for belief comes from the Holy Spirit, who teaching and guides us in truth.
287872
Both Islam and Christianity agree that Mary conceived Jesus when she was a virgin. She was chaste (throughout her life) and after the conception and birth of Jesus she gave birth to more children, who were Jesus's brothers and sisters.\nSo naturally she is remembered for the her having conceiving Jesus without marrying or the agency of a man.\nThat in essence is what the Virgin conception is all about.
746773
I've come across this many times.  A lot of people think that we worship Marry, and it's hard to convince them otherwise.  People can be stubborn, and unwilling to look deeper into things (like Catholicism), before they make claims about it.\n\nI noticed one of the "answers" to your question is in the form of another question, so I decided to answer this one as well.\n\n>>"Her likeness is used as adornment in church, she is prayed to, and asked forgiveness from. How is that not a form of worship?"\n>>Yes Mary's sacred image is used inside the church, to remind us of our Lord's Mother.  He places a lot of importance on families, so why wouldn't we find Jesus' very own MOTHER important enough to have images of her in the place where we worship her son?  Mary is prayed to only to ask her to pray FOR US.  We ask her to help us pray to Jesus.  Do non-Catholic Christians ask people to pray for them? Yes, all the time.  So why shouldn't we ask our Lord's mother to pray for us? Just because she's no longer living here on Earth? \n\nPersonally, I can only hope that the world (Catholics and non-Catholics alike) can come to realize that Mary is not worshiped.  I realize there are probably some Catholics out there that actually believe we do worship her, but they have been seriously misguided, and need to know the truth just as well.\n\nThanks for your question, it was a good one!\n\nGod bless =0)
204346
"Immaculate Conception" means being conceived without Original Sin.\n\nBut the anti-christ is the author of sin and lies.\n\nTherefore, no.\n\nWhat he could do though is to fool others into THINKING that his "child" were immaculate.\n\nHope this helps.
237506
Read the Bible.  The messiah was prophesized to be "born of a virgin."  Thus, Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit.\n\nThat is not, however, the Immaculate Conception.  The immaculate conception was the process by which Mary, mother of Jesus, was conceived.  This meant that Mary was conceived without original sin.  This is important because, as we read in the Torah (1st 5 books of the Bible), we see that the Arc of the Covenant (box that held God's Law) had to be pure and perfect.  Thus the new Covenant of God with Man, Jesus, should also be housed in a pure and perfect container until birth.  That means Mary had to be perfect, free from sin...even original sin.\n\n****\n\nSomeone quoted Mary as saying "My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior."  Remember that, at this point, Jesus was not born.  God, being the savior of the jews from Egypt, is the savior Mary references.  All jews know God as Master and Savior.  Read the Psalms.  God is constantly being referred to as someone's rock, their savior, and their shelter.  Mary's calling God her savior does not equate to her declaring herself sinful.  It simply declares that God saves His people, Israel.