The Perpetual Virginity of Mary

The Perpetual Virginity of Mary
By David Cox

See my tracts on Catholicism here

• cat02 Should we worship the Virgin Mary? No.
• cat01 Is the Pope the Vicar of Christ?
• cat05 Why we don’t use images in worship

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Introduction

The Catholic church exalts Mary into a position of being a goddess, equal to or over the Trinity. This godness status they assign her cannot be “ruined” by having sexual relations with a man.

“It is Catholic faith that Mary was a virgin before the divine birth; during it; and after it—Our Lady never had any other children” (Mary—Doctrine for Everyman, p. 14).

Catholic error towards sex

The reason why in Catholicism this is so important is that they think that sex is sinful, and even among a legally married couple (one to the other), it is more spiritual for individuals to not have sex. This is why priests and monks all are celibate. Equally so, this is why the Roman Catholic church insists upon Mary being celebate, even though she was legally married to Joseph.

Heb 13:4 Marriage [is] honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.

The Bible declares that marriage is honorable, and “the bed” is undefiled. The word “bed” is not really bed, but is the word for the woman’s genital organ. That is undefiled in God’s sight, but God will severely judge all those who are whoremongers and adulterers.

Mary’s Oblation as a Spiritual Wife towards Joseph

There is a point in this, that for one to be “spiritually superior”, he or she should comply fully with what God asks of that person. In the case of all married individuals, it is their duty before God to fulfill their sexual obligations before God towards their marital partner.

1Cor 7:3 Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband. 4 The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife. 5 Defraud ye not one the other, except [it be] with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.

In other words, Mary’s spirituality would have been in jeopardy if she was to be married to Joseph for the rest of her life and not to have had sexual relations with him.

Bible declares they had sexual relations after Jesus’ birth

Matt 1:24  Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: 25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.

This passage of Scripture is clear that they had no sexual relationship until after Jesus was born. Simply put, there can be no other interpretation of this passage of Scripture except this. To change the wording to remove this thought would do violence to the words and their meanings. There is no warrant for changing this passage when it reads very clearly, and it really forms no doctrinal problem either.

The Catholic church annuls a marriage if the couple does not have sexual relations, and thereafter say the marriage did not really exist. Why don’t they say that Mary and Joseph never had a true marriage?

Jesus had brothers and sisters

Mark 6:3; Matthew 12:46-50; Acts 1:14