Could've Mary said no?

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I believe that she could have said no, even if she was full of grace. Think of it this way, Adam and Eve did not have original or actual sin, and yet still went against God.

Just my two cents.

A lone Raven
 
Bruised_Reed said:
Gabriel wasn’t ordering Mary to do something, he was prophesying that something would happen.
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Dancelittleewok, I still don’t think I answered your question. Mary did have a choice; she could’ve said no. She was told that she would conceive and her response was a practical one, she wanted to know how this was going to happen since she did not “know” man. She asked thoughtful questions considered the facts (her cousin conceiving in old age) then gave her consent.
 
I also think Mary could’ve said no. I always thought Gabriel was asking her permission, not prophesying.
 
corvidae said:
I believe that she could have said no, even if she was full of grace. Think of it this way, Adam and Eve did not have original or actual sin, and yet still went against God.

Just my two cents.

A lone Raven
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I think you have put your finger on an important point: The stark contrast between Eve & Mary.
Eve was created unfallen & with free will ; she chose to say “no” to God.
Mary–the New Eve–was born without sin also, & with the same 2 choices & the same conditions. She said “yes”.
Praise God, she said “yes”; we really need to thank her more often for that!!
 
Zooey said:
I think you have put your finger on an important point: The stark contrast between Eve & Mary.
Eve was created unfallen & with free will ; she chose to say “no” to God.
Mary–the New Eve–was born without sin also, & with the same 2 choices & the same conditions. She said “yes”.
Praise God, she said “yes”; we really need to thank her more often for that!!
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Yeah, consider the alternative: God forcing Himself on His own mother.
 
I believe that she could have said no, even if she was full of grace. Think of it this way, Adam and Eve did not have original or actual sin, and yet still went against God.
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Just my two cents.
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A lone Raven
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I would agree with the above. She still had a free will. God does not remove that from us. Think about this too. Lucifer and the rebel angels knew full well what their refusal would bring, yet they still said “NO”. Mary knew that to be with child and not be married would bring stoning by death, so she could have said no. However, she in her great love for God placed all her trust in God. That’s why she said, “Let it be done to me according to your word”. She didn’t say “Well, since I have no choice…”
God forcing Himself on His own mother.
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God never forces Himself on anybody. We are free to love Him or not. We are free to reject Him or not. He reveals Himself to us but it’s our choice.
 
This reminds me of a conversation I had with my Mother in Law after she asked my wife and I to watch “Catholicism: Crisis of Faith” (long story). After this, I was explaining some of the distortions in the video and discussing the role of Mary, when she said in regards to the Annunciation “I never had the impression that Mary had a choice.” I was dumbfounded, because I never had the impression that she DIDN’T. Finally, I had to ask her what you would call someone who impregnated someone without her consent. The answer, of course, is a Rapist. That is as far from the Christian view of God as one can get, I think.
 
I’m not denying that she didn’t have full will. I’m denying that someone full of grace could ever ponder the thought of refusing God. Their will and the Lord’s would be one-in-the-same.
 
Weren’t Adam and Eve “full of grace” prior to the fall, in that they didn’t have any stain of sin? That’s what full of grace is, isn’t it?
 
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