I doubt she’ll be able to LionHeart, her poor catechesis has firmly set a “Catholics are absolutely wrong all the time, no matter how logically correct their arguments are ( )” mentality within her. The only purpose I see in prolonging this thread is for the lurkers. That’s right, lurkers, we’re doing this for you!
I feel it is hard to get through too, and by her posts it seems that she can’t understand why we don’t see what seems “clear” to her.
Leslie, have you understood the response to your “until” argument?
basically, as others have pointed out, there are two ways to take the word. **One ** of the ways is the way you explain it.
example 1: “I’m going to remain a virgin until I get married” my intent here is to say that
after I get married, I no longer intend to remain a virgin
(this is not about me as a sidenote, I am married w/ a 21 month old gaughter)
example 2: “I’m going to remain a virgin
until the day I die.” My intent here is
not to say that I am planning on having “relations” in the afterlife.
To me that seems “clear” to us, and I can’t understand why you couldn’t cede the point that
until can be taken either way.
It is one thing to disagree w/ example 2 in Mary’s case but another to dismiss it and insist that example 1 is the only way the word
until can be used.
Now if you insist on #1 even though admitting #2 is a way that
until can be used, the we will just disagree. But it’s hard for some of us to fathom how (if we set the disputed passage in Romans aside), you could not concede that point.
That being said, Romans 3 was dealt w/ also-- if you want to try to understand how Catholics understand that passage, please go back and look at the posts or ask a fresh ?
also, I said this to you earlier:
I was trying to get you to see that sinlessness doesn’t necessarily = God
although God is sinless.
can you at least give us Catholics this much?
that the teaching that Mary did not sin and was spared from the stain of original sin doesn’t elevate her to the status of God.
Would you mind addressing my comments here as well when time permits?
Please excuse my persistance.
I think Leslie, although it is not likely that we are going to change your mind hear & now or vice versa, but at least we could walk away w/ a better understanding of each others position- all those who read.
I will say that I understand that you were Catholic (we would argue that you still are and are 1 confession away from being in good standing), anway; please don’t be offended but as others have mentioned, it seems that some of the things that you thinks that Catholics believe or that the Church teaches are not so; there seems to be some misinformation. I admit that, generally speaking, there is mis-info on both sides, which result in “straw man” arguments.
I can understand your position on the topic at hand as I was formerly Evangelical in my Theology; you being a convert to Evangelical Christianity might be more less likely to accept the Catholic teachings on Mary, at this time, than I was… but I was pretty obstinate.
Also, a big disconnect between “us” and “you” is the fact that we do not adhere to
Sola Scriptura. This is a big part to this equation- perhaps, even though there has been many threads on it, we could start a new one and respectfully dialogue about it.
Peace, and Happy New Year to all