How did the Virgin Mary became "without sin"?

Davao, Philippines
June 28, 2011 9:03am CST
Please do not take offense! I am a Roman Catholic--though not devout-- and I just heard a couple of other religion practitioners discuss this one evening that I caused me to pause in all the things I did and thought "They're quite right...how did the Virgin Mary became without sin?". We all know (maybe) that for Mary to conceive Jesus, she has to be free from sin, untouched by corruption and other things that would make the prophecy of the birth of the Messiah void. And I heard another thing that caught me by surprise again. One of the people discussing this said, "in order for Mary to be without sin shouldn't her parents be without sin too? And her grandparents? And the rest of her descendants from the very beginning?". Please enlighten me in this matter. Where ever I search, I couldn't find an understandable explanation/answer to this question. Thanks in advance! Happy MyLotting!
1 person likes this
17 responses
@Gordano (795)
• United States
28 Jun 11
As a Muslim we never discuss such a sophistic subject knowing that the God alone who can judge and consider someone is a sinner or sinless, we believe that Jesus Christ is a Human being, and who told you that Jesus himself is sinless? What kind of divine wisdom do you find in cursing a fig tree which could not give fruit before the season? What was the crime of that tree? What kind of divine wisdom do you find in calling the Canaanite woman a dog?
@devideddi (1435)
• United States
28 Jun 11
The Holy Bible states that Jesus is without sin. He is the only one. He was in human form...I believe so we could relate to him better and he to us. The fig tree represents christians who do not bear fruit. -kindness, goodness, etc. I'm not sure about the dog comment, you'll have to refresh my memory with verse #s. :)
1 person likes this
@mantis36 (4219)
• Philippines
29 Jun 11
how about Saint Joseph??? if He is a Foster Father of Jesus.... therefore.... Saint Joseph has a Foster Sinless too.... i am wrong????
• Philippines
29 Jun 11
Everyone commits a sin including Jesus and Mary but if you regret and repent to God, with the intention of not doing it again,He can forgive you and wipe out all your sins.I don't believe that sins can really be inherited, maybe it's just made up by people for their own advantage.As what mentioned by most religious books; when we die,we will be punished and rewarded according to our deeds.Nobody can help us except our self and you can't help anybody either.
• Canada
10 Jul 11
Just to enlight you, Mary was never without sin! Did you recall when her's son got presented at the temple? The only passage we see is in Luke 2: 23-24! As we clearly see in verse 24, Mary & Joseph had offer sin sacrifice and that taken from Levitus 12 verse 8. If Mary was without sin, she wouldn't have the need in offering such sacrifice! All what Mary is respond to God's calling! If she would have refuse then God would have choose another women! Look in Luke 1: 26-38. Was she troubled by such event and did she knew right of the bat what was happening? If she freed of sin then she would have know from the start on what was happening!
@bellis716 (4799)
• United States
7 Jan 12
Please read the 12th chapter of Leviticus. Remember that Jesus was born and continued to live all the days he inhabited his earthly body under the law of Moses.
• Davao, Philippines
6 Jan 12
First thing's first: Mary and Joseph didn't go to the temple for themselves but to offer Jesus to the temple. Try to think of it like this, "I am offering my child to God so I entrust the welfare of my child to Him." Where did you get the concept that Mary and Joseph offered Jesus to the temple because of their sins?
• Canada
5 Aug 11
Well, I didn't suggest that God does not have a perfect knownledge. Yes, she did have a free will I agree! However, there are too teachings that says Mary have never sinned and due to this, all praise and focus belongs to her! Believe me that for years I tried finding teaching against the "priase and focus aspect of Mary! Though I haven't heard such teaching, however, until I came through a biblical passage, it breaks those teaching entirely! See Luke 11: 27-28 27 As jesus was saying those things, a woman in the crowd called out. "Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you. 28 He replied, "blessed rather are those who heard the word of god and obey it" We know that mary was blessed but why would Jesus reply using words as in verse 28? It suggests that praise and the focusing on Mary is a "BIG NO NO" and isn't according to God's word! Would you think?
@ParaTed2k (22940)
• Sheboygan, Wisconsin
2 Jul 11
There is nothing in the Bible that ever says she never sinned. Nor does it say that she had to be sinless to be the mother of Christ.
• United States
2 Jul 11
Bingo!
• Davao, Philippines
6 Jan 12
True, Catholic Christians do not only rely on the Bible but on oral tradition as well in the passing of knowledge from one generation to another as is the creation of the New Testament of the Bible. But in order for Jesus as a human form of God, to remain pure, the vessel in which he is brought into the world, should also be free from the original sin, correct?
• Philippines
28 Jun 11
The sin we talk might be the Sin in Flesh... Mary is acquited with the inherited sin when the Supreme Being choose her to be the carrier; besides Mary's mother conceived Mary without also the inherited sin of the flesh, it was said that Mary's father at first did not acknowledge Mary for the reason that he did not impregnated mary's mother, not until he dreamed about the circumstaces... So there... hope it helps.
• Philippines
6 Jul 11
Joseph has also a different case... as we know Joseph is of David's lineage... and it was a long contract that the child of light/jesus will come from david's lineage... though mary also came from david's lineage...
@mantis36 (4219)
• Philippines
29 Jun 11
how about Saint Joseph???? if he is a Foster Father of Jesus and Virgin Mary's Wife.... Saint Joseph too has a Foster sinless too???? i am already confused....
29 Jun 11
This is typical of the sort of confusion you get when you start taking this sort of fiction seriously. Of course Mary was not a virgin this idea is present in several early religions including Mythraism a very popular Roman religion at the time Constantine adopted Christianity. Most religions particularly Catholicism are full of ideas and stories made up by priests and writers interested in expanding the religion or gaining some sort of control and they all should be subject of critical examination
29 Jun 11
I did not say that Mary got laid every day and in any case nobody can be certain how old she was and it was not uncommon for girls at that time and place to get married at 12 years old. The idea that she was not married to Joseph sounds like nonsense and probably is even if the story of the visit to Bethlehem is true and there is in fact no record of a roman census at that time. Also a census was conducted to raise taxes and the Romans needed to know where people had a business and property not where they were born. So the whole story is very suspect and was probably made up many years after the crucifixion was supposed to have happened when Jesus started to become an important historical figure in order to support the idea that of the messiahs who were around at that time he was special. I would not say that Catholicism in particular was a false religion just that they all religions are false and the Catholic religion is just one of them. Of course it has been around for a couple of thousand years (A very short time in universal terms) but it was boosted by Constantine for political reasons and has maintained it's position ever since by political means and of course murder. Of course I will defend to the best of my ability your right to believe in any religion you wish all I would say it that if you are going to accept these sort of stories that are full of holes and contradictions you must expect some confusion
• Davao, Philippines
2 Jul 11
Ah...I see... Yes, there are some problems with how the Church interprets certain things...but these were made years after the first generation followers of Christ. Is this what you meant to say? "There would surely be inconsistencies because there are some points in time that the Church was ruled by hypocrites instead of saints(I meant it as a small "s" not the 'Saints' --who are good models as followers of Christ.)", I see this between your lines...xD
• Davao, Philippines
29 Jun 11
Okay...so 13 year old HEBREW girls, 2,000 years ago, goes and gets laid everyday like the present time under their parents' noses? I don't think so... And if Catholicism is a false religion, then why is it still existing today? Big cults before, like how Catholicism started, vanished in the face of history...this religion stayed upright. What do you think those people ate when they thought of martyrdom for their faith(when they are prosecuted for what they believe)is okay? Heck, they can even change their religions anytime but didn't. FACT: Christianism was continued by the disciples and apostles. POINT: They are only a few people. QUESTION: How have they sustained this religion for so long and made this religion known by most of the whole world?
@bellis716 (4799)
• United States
1 Jul 11
Ask those who say that Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, was without sin to give you the scripture reference that states that. I am not aware of a scripture that states that she was without sin either before or after Jesus was conceived. The bible does say that she was a virgin. We know that she was a good woman, well versed in the scripture. However, the bible does say that if a man (or woman) says he has not sinned, he is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
@bellis716 (4799)
• United States
2 Jul 11
I was not the one who stated that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was without sin. The conception of Jesus is discussed in the first chapter of Matthew beginning with the 18 verse and the first chapter of Luke in verses 26 through 38. I see nothing in these verses saying that Mary was without sin.
• Davao, Philippines
6 Jan 12
Thanks for your answer bellid716, but I was not able to ask anymore. It was already taught to us Roman Catholics ever since I could ever remember so I could not ask anymore the person who taught us where in the Bible he/she saw that. I made my research, mantis36, and the verse can be found in Isaiah 7:14 of the Roman Catholic Bible.
@mantis36 (4219)
• Philippines
1 Jul 11
where would you find in the chapter and verse in the Bible that Virgin Mary having no sin?
@peavey (16936)
• United States
6 Jan 12
I don't understand why she would have to be sinless to have Jesus. He was sinless Himself through the power of God that was in Him before birth. His mother was a human being and like all human beings, she was born into sin. Her faith and obedience saved her but did not make her perfect. Jesus was the only perfect being in human form on this earth. Hebrews 5:8-9 Jesus touched and walked among sinful people all His life. He was not afraid of it and it didn't rub off on Him, so why would His physical mother have to be sinless?
@EvanHunter (4026)
• United States
29 Jun 11
I know you are catholic and that this is your belief but is it possible for you to point out to me where in the bible that Mary was without sin?
@mantis36 (4219)
• Philippines
29 Jun 11
i am a Roman Catholic too but i never find in the bible that Mary is conceived without sin... but by just a word of mouth only that they kept on saying Mary is a sinless...
@Adoniah (7513)
• United States
28 Jun 11
It was decided at the Council of Nicaea. When the various early christian factions and the various pagans and gentiles kept fighting with each other, the pagan ruler Constantine called this council together to stop the fighting. This was in 325CE. The outcome was the Nicene Creed. It stated the divinity of the christ figure, the existence of the holy spirit, and the virginity of the christ figure's mother mary. Prior to that none of this was a given. Only certain factions believed these things to be true. The christian testament did not exist yet, that was compiled at a later Council and was compiled based on these new truths.
@urbandekay (18278)
6 Jan 12
The New Testament was about from the early 200s in a form recognisable today and was possessed by Origen The Council of Nicaea, by which I take it you mean the first Council of Nicaea, was concerned not so much with the N T cannon as with Christological disputes all the best urban
• India
2 Jun 12
She is the mother of jesus. That is wy
@ebuscat (5935)
• Philippines
29 Jun 11
For me she has no sin it is impossible because she is not perfect by that she is committing a sin.
@mantis36 (4219)
• Philippines
29 Jun 11
i'm thinking that even until now, they still kept on praying "Hail Mary Conceived without sin" ?????
@babyEj (1522)
• Philippines
28 Jun 11
"WE are all sinners because of our first parents are sinner". Yes , it is true. But through the baptism we renew our faith to Christ and make us his brother. And by then we are saved. Human are sinners, Mary is human too. She is bound with temptation. However, since Mary lived with great fear and love to God then she was cleaned and saved.She lived according to God's will. She is appointed to be Christ's mom. She was here on earth because God planned her life already.She is planned to be holy since then.
• Davao, Philippines
28 Jun 11
How was Mary cleansed? During her time, baptism was not yet common--at least not yet until the time when John the Baptist was exclaiming that the coming of the Messiah is at hand and that people should repent...and if I remember it correctly, Mary was not baptized by John too after that. But what's significant is before Mary...how is she a pure vessel for Christ--a woman without sin--if ALL people are sinners because of the original sin made by our first parents?
@mantis36 (4219)
• Philippines
29 Jun 11
Even the angel created by God committed a sin too by mutating himself from white skin with angel's bird feathered wings to a transformation of red skin, with two horns and long spear end tails, bald headed who laughs "Bwahahahaha".... how about Virgin Mary on which only a HUMAN BEING and truly capable of making a sin...
@visavis (5934)
• Philippines
28 Jun 11
Actually for me bible doesn't say without sin instead virgin. Also even she had a sin Dog will choose anyone who pleases Him in order to fulfill His word. Like what happened to Judas Iscariot to fulfill it, He used him..
• Davao, Philippines
28 Jun 11
So...it's saying the same thing as "the one who carried Jesus Christ(a God) is someone who is tarnished by sin"? *confused*
@visavis (5934)
• Philippines
29 Jun 11
As I said God can be used anyone according to His purpose. It is not a big deal whether Virgin Mary has sin or not but most probably no.
• United States
7 Jan 12
I have never read or been taught that Mary was without sin. She was favored by God and found worthy enough to bear a Son… according to the scriptures. I’m not sure why Mary is worshiped like a Goddess, because she was the vessel used to bring forth the Son of God… or for God to change Himself into flesh and blood. I remember meeting a lady who believed she was also pregnant by the Immaculate Conception. She even convinced her husband into her fantasy. She was eventually taken to a mental hospital because she kept insisting that she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit… why was it believable then and not now? What makes it more believable back in Mary’s day when it is not logical for now in the modern times?
@urbandekay (18278)
5 Dec 11
Just another invention of the Roman Church. In fact Jesus had brothers, James the Just being one of them all the best urban
@cher913 (25782)
• Canada
6 Jan 12
if she was human, she was sinfull at some point in her life.
@mantis36 (4219)
• Philippines
28 Jun 11
maybe the sin's that Virgin Mary committed up to the time when she give birth to Jesus is delete edited.... but.... after the birth of Jesus, if Virgin Mary committed a new sin, its not an exception.... maybe she committed a new sin since she is only a human.... and she has a sin too, exactly.....