Help with College Paper Re: Blessed Virgin Mary

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Hello,

I tried to get some help in the Trad forum but no luck there. So, I thought this was probably a better place after searching around the site more.

Anyhow, I have a paper due in about a month. The purpose is to argue a point and hopefully to influence the other side. I am choosing to argue for the veneration of Mary. My teacher pushes a VERY “left” viewpoint. Most all articles she gives us talk about lesbianism, feminism, and on and on…really seems to push it in our face. I mention this because when I proposed I would argue for Mary she said I shouldnt write about her and borderline said I couldnt as I cant find “scholarly and refereed” sources.

Now my school library is vast but yet very limited on the topic of Mary.

Im hoping that someone can point me in the direction to where I can find such sources.

I have a few articles but need more. She is really going to put this under the microscope and I want to do a good job and defend the veneration of Mary.
 
Jotobo said:
Hello,

I tried to get some help in the Trad forum but no luck there. So, I thought this was probably a better place after searching around the site more.

Anyhow, I have a paper due in about a month. The purpose is to argue a point and hopefully to influence the other side. I am choosing to argue for the veneration of Mary. My teacher pushes a VERY “left” viewpoint. Most all articles she gives us talk about lesbianism, feminism, and on and on…really seems to push it in our face. I mention this because when I proposed I would argue for Mary she said I shouldnt write about her and borderline said I couldnt as I cant find “scholarly and refereed” sources.

Now my school library is vast but yet very limited on the topic of Mary.

Im hoping that someone can point me in the direction to where I can find such sources.

I have a few articles but need more. She is really going to put this under the microscope and I want to do a good job and defend the veneration of Mary.
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Hello,

Im kind of confused as to why your debating the veneration of Mary? For example are you for the veneration of Mary because it shows that the Church is not sexist?

Either way here is a link that might help you. It explains Mary in great detail, her relationship with us, and the form of veneration that is given to Mary.

fisheaters.com/mary.html
 
Just curious. Are you in a Catholic institution? Doesn’t sound like it. I think it would be very difficult for a non-Catholic to judge the merits of your paper. It might be interesting to show how Christianity opened more opportunities for women and enpowered them.
 
Here are some scholarly books on the subject of the Virgin Mary. The first is practically obligatory to include in your references:

Alone of All Her Sex: The Myth and the Cult of the Virgin Mary, by Marina Warner.

Mary Through the Centuries: Her Place in the History of Culture, by Jaroslav Pelikan.

Mary: The Church at the Source, by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger and Hans Urs von Balthasar.

In Search of Mary: The Woman and the Symbol, by Sally Cunneen.

It’s hard to suggest articles because of the broadness of your topic. I suggest you look up these books in the Arts and Humanities Citation Index to see which scholarly articles have referenced these books.

Edited to add: Check the Social Sciences Citation Index as well.
 
I am arguing the paper as follows:

Audience: Christians in general, Catholic and non-Catholic

My Backround: In RCIA, will be confirmed Saturday.

Purpose of Argument: Within the minds of many Christians there is at least a hesitation to venerate Mary. It is my attempt to not only show that it is proper but that it was the norm from the days she was on Earth until the time around the Reformation.

I am asking for help. as I stated, because my teacher by way of her assignments and her direct words are for me to not write this paper. She says I can not argue for her based on fact and there are no “scholarly sources” available. I need four sources to come from a “scholarly” source and I can only locate two from the library.

These can not be internet blogs, forums, or articles written by who knows who…they must come from “reputable” sources. Like academic journals, etc…
 
Not sure how you intend to present you case, but I would suggest one reference which is the 95 page magazine that explains the Apparitions and Miracles of FATIMA, with documentation from several non-believers who were present at the miracle and wrote in evidence of proving the miracle. www.fatima.org THE TRUE STORY OF FATIMA A Complete Account of the Fatima Apparitions.

The point would be to provide proof that Mary still visits the “World” and still carries messages from Her Son JESUS.
 
Just_Lurking said:
Here are some scholarly books on the subject of the Virgin Mary. The first is practically obligatory to include in your references:

Alone of All Her Sex: The Myth and the Cult of the Virgin Mary, by Marina Warner.

Mary Through the Centuries: Her Place in the History of Culture, by Jaroslav Pelikan.

Mary: The Church at the Source, by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger and Hans Urs von Balthasar.

In Search of Mary: The Woman and the Symbol, by Sally Cunneen.

It’s hard to suggest articles because of the broadness of your topic. I suggest you look up these books in the Arts and Humanities Citation Index to see which scholarly articles have referenced these books.

Edited to add: Check the Social Sciences Citation Index as well.
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Thank you. This will only be a 5-8 page paper. I go to community college and this is in a 101 type class. The teacher is just being really hard nosed and almost offensive that I chose this topic.

Again, many Christians see her as nothing more than a woman, a vessel. As Catholics, we know she was much more than that. I am only attempting to give people who dont see her as we do something to think about.
 
Just FYI, see here for a sample college paper The Cult Of The Virgin Mary And Its Effect On Women’s Sexuality by Ariel Shaw, Kenyon College, 2004. From the paper’s abstract:

Catholic worship of the Virgin Mary honors the mother of Christ whose miraculous virgin motherhood allows her to be both virgin and long-suffering, making her a perfect combination of chastity and humility. Women are expected to emulate her virtues and her sexual behavior, categories which are inextricably linked. This imitation causes women to be limited to inferior positions through cultural rules which censure anyone who moves beyond her prescribed role, branding her a whore and open to sexual exploitation. These social guidelines work in a self-perpetuating cycle with the male attitude machismo because macho men enforce the roles expected and women must submit to their authority or lose their honor. Thus, the cult of the Virgin Mary, while seeming to worship women, results in the moderate or even violent suppression of women in many parts of the world.
 
Heliotropium said:
Hello,

Im kind of confused as to why your debating the veneration of Mary? For example are you for the veneration of Mary because it shows that the Church is not sexist?

Either way here is a link that might help you. It explains Mary in great detail, her relationship with us, and the form of veneration that is given to Mary.

fisheaters.com/mary.html
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The only issue with this that she wont view it as “scholarly”. I will use quotes that are from these kind of sources, but some have to come from academic journals and peer reviewed articles.
 
I like to read Scott Hahn and here are two books of his that should be of help:

Hail Holy Queen (entire book on the subject of Mary)
Reasons to Believe (the “Saints Alive” section has roughly 5 pages (front and back) of really straight to the point, easy to understand, explanations of Catholic belief in Mary and reasons why.
 
If you need it to appear scholarly, you should pull in writings from the Early Church Fathers and councils.

St. Irenaeus and the theology of the “New Eve” would be (name removed by moderator)ortant to mention (It is found in his work Against Heresies and was written in the latter part of the 2nd Century.) Also the documents of the Council of Ephesis in 431 which defined Mary as the Mother of God. Also the Second Council of Nicea in 787 which talks about the veneration due to saints, and the special kind of veneration due to Mary (i.e. hyperdulia).
 
Katholish said:
If you need it to appear scholarly, you should pull in writings from the Early Church Fathers and councils.

St. Irenaeus and the theology of the “New Eve” would be (name removed by moderator)ortant to mention (It is found in his work Against Heresies and was written in the latter part of the 2nd Century.) Also the documents of the Council of Ephesis in 431 which defined Mary as the Mother of God. Also the Second Council of Nicea in 787 which talks about the veneration due to saints, and the special kind of veneration due to Mary (i.e. hyperdulia).
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This is a great idea since the early christian writings can be taken as scholarly. Here is a link for early christian writings on the Blessed Mother: scripturecatholic.com/blessed_virgin_mary.html

the scripture will be at the top but the early christian writings will be at the bottom. it will give you the date and the name of the works the quote was reff from. you can also email john salza who made that site and ask him what are some good scholary sources for Mary and where to find them. I have emailed him once and he was quick with his reply so hopefully the same will be for you. His email will be listed on his www.scripturecatholic.com or if you select the link above it should also be at the bottom of that page.
 
If you want scholarly patristics, also see Mary and the Fathers of the Church: The Blessed Virgin Mary in Patristic Thought by Luigi Gambero. See here for Fr. Gambero’s scholarly credentials.
 
I don’t mean to sound like a pain, however given you are at college to pass and gain a qualification would you not be better to write about a subject that would allow you to achieve that goal?

I understand your frustration, however you have to look at the bigger picture. In a few years you will either have a qualification that may change the rest of your life and the opinion of a lecturer will mean nothing to you. On the other hand you may fail and the opinion of this lecturer may have a drastic influence on the rest or your life.

The truth is you are going to struggle to find academic peer reviewed papers on the virgin mary.
 
Hooding_Trees said:
I don’t mean to sound like a pain, however given you are at college to pass and gain a qualification would you not be better to write about a subject that would allow you to achieve that goal?

I understand your frustration, however you have to look at the bigger picture. In a few years you will either have a qualification that may change the rest of your life and the opinion of a lecturer will mean nothing to you. On the other hand you may fail and the opinion of this lecturer may have a drastic influence on the rest or your life.

The truth is you are going to struggle to find academic peer reviewed papers on the virgin mary./QUOT

Totally agree!👍
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aicirt said:
Hooding Trees;6481613:
I don’t mean to sound like a pain, however given you are at college to pass and gain a qualification would you not be better to write about a subject that would allow you to achieve that goal?

I understand your frustration, however you have to look at the bigger picture. In a few years you will either have a qualification that may change the rest of your life and the opinion of a lecturer will mean nothing to you. On the other hand you may fail and the opinion of this lecturer may have a drastic influence on the rest or your life.

The truth is you are going to struggle to find academic peer reviewed papers on the virgin mary.[/QUOT

Totally agree!👍
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Why would I back down? Not a chance. I will write this paper to the standard set in the instructions. Will it be hard? Yes. So what? Im not not writing in because my teacher hates the idea of it. This paper is a speck in the “big picture”. This class has nothing to do with my degree, its just a requirement for graduation, but is in almost no way related to my degree. I will write it and even if I get a C I will get a B in the class overall, big deal. Small price to pay for not cowering in the corner because an obstacle was in my way. I treat this paper as more than an assignment, but a chance to show Mary to others, perhaps in a way theyve never known her. No way do I not write this paper, no way. You should be ashamed for even implying I shouldnt.
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[/quote]
 
Jotobo said:
aicirt;6482672:
Why would I back down? Not a chance. I will write this paper to the standard set in the instructions. Will it be hard? Yes. So what? Im not not writing in because my teacher hates the idea of it. This paper is a speck in the “big picture”. This class has nothing to do with my degree, its just a requirement for graduation, but is in almost no way related to my degree. I will write it and even if I get a C I will get a B in the class overall, big deal. Small price to pay for not cowering in the corner because an obstacle was in my way. I treat this paper as more than an assignment, but a chance to show Mary to others, perhaps in a way theyve never known her. No way do I not write this paper, no way. You should be ashamed for even implying I shouldnt.
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Ashamed? I am merely trying to get you to look at the bigger picture. I take it you are still quite young? When you get a little older you will understand what i was saying. I was only trying to help. If anything you should be ashamed for being so rude to someone that was only try to offer a little advice. 🤷
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Jotobo said:
aicirt;6482672:
Why would I back down? Not a chance. I will write this paper to the standard set in the instructions. Will it be hard? Yes. So what? Im not not writing in because my teacher hates the idea of it. This paper is a speck in the “big picture”. This class has nothing to do with my degree, its just a requirement for graduation, but is in almost no way related to my degree. I will write it and even if I get a C I will get a B in the class overall, big deal. Small price to pay for not cowering in the corner because an obstacle was in my way. I treat this paper as more than an assignment, but a chance to show Mary to others, perhaps in a way theyve never known her. No way do I not write this paper, no way. You should be ashamed for even implying I shouldnt.
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Bravo! Marks are less important than homage to Mary - our life, our sweetness and our hope… 🙂
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tonyrey said:
Bravo! Marks are less important than homage to Mary - our life, our sweetness and our hope… 🙂
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Oh yeah, bravo. Passing courses that may effect the rest of your life is far less important than trying to make a point. Honestly, get a grip.

Heres the thing about University, you have to do thing you don’t want to do. You have to study things you don’t want to study. The people that can do this get good marks and pass. The people that can’t get bad marks and fail.

University is a tool, it is simply a way of equipping oneself with a tool set that will further their prospects. When you go through university you play the game. When i sat my honors if my lecturers told me to change something, i changed it, because guess what THEY ARE THERE TO HELP AND ADVISE YOU.

All that is going to happen in this case is the person is going to get a bad mark if not fail. The lecturer is going to think the student is a moron/upstart for not taking or deliberately ignoring advice. The student will get a reputation as one to be avoided. Which can have major consequences if the student decides to take their studying to a higher level.

Anyway it is none of my business if the student wants to fail and get bad marks. The student asked for advice and i gave my opinion (which is clearly shared by the person that is going to be marking the thing). I didn’t realise the dude had such a chip on his shoulder about the whole thing, that he would start mouthing of at people that were only trying to help. Must be that loving christian thing, eh? 🤷
 
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