Need help explaining Marian dogmas

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How do I explain the doctrines of the immaculate conception, perpetual virginity, the Theotokos, and the assumption from a BIBLICAL perspective to my Protestant family members. :confused:
 
suggest you look at top of screen for “encyclopedia” tab and conduct search there for some really good articles on any subject that interests you.
 
Take a look at this about the Immaculate Conception by Fr. Robert Barron.

youtube.com/watch?v=dwx8g8z7FUo

Check this website out about the Marian dogmas and references to CCC.

campus.udayton.edu/mary/mariandogmas.html

Check this site out about Marian dogmas and references to scripture.

aboutcatholics.com/faith_beliefs/mary_scriptures/

Check this out about the Marian dogmas also.

ewtn.com/faith/teachings/marya1.htm

Here is something from Catholic Answers about calling Mary the Mother of God.

catholic.com/quickquestions/isnt-it-blasphemy-to-call-mary-the-mother-of-god
 
 
BListon said:
How do I explain the doctrines of the immaculate conception, perpetual virginity, the Theotokos, and the assumption from a BIBLICAL perspective to my Protestant family members. :confused:
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If we flip to Luke chapter one in the Bible, we read:

[41] And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit
[42] and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!
[43] And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
[44] For behold, when the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leaped for joy.
[45] And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

Jews used “Lord” to refer to God, so “mother of [the] Lord” is equivalent to “Mother of God” or “Theotokos”.

Next check out “The Perpetual Virginity of Mary”, which considers the matter from a Jewish standpoint.
 
Some simple, advice is read the CCC, study the Mysteries of the Rosary which take you through the complete gospel and understand where they came from in Oral and Written Tradition, by the ECFs

Undertstand the Bible never states one must read the Bible alone, and the Bible is all you need. Very much to the contrary is 2 Thessalonians 2:15-So then, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye were taught, whether by word, or by epistle of ours.

The Traditions of the Assumption/Dormition and Immaculate Conception date back early 1-st century.

The Search engine here will give you most of the information in this regard Patristics here.

Peace

Plus good info has been provided above.
 
I find the problem with a lot of Catholic sites on Mary is that it doesn’t take into account how Bible-centered Protestants are. Many Catholic sites can go on and on about theology and the Church Fathers and Tradition but that stuff won’t fly with most Protestant. I found a really good video that’s only 11 minutes long and centers on Scripture to elucidate what Catholics believe about Mary and why. It also has some folky guitar music in the background since your family might be turned off by hardcore Gregorian chant. I hope you enjoy.

youtu.be/rvhpG-u1RlM
 
BListon said:
How do I explain the doctrines of the immaculate conception, perpetual virginity, the Theotokos, and the assumption from a BIBLICAL perspective to my Protestant family members. :confused:
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How about Martin Luther’s own words in writing?

Martin Luther

Assumption:

In his sermon of August 15, 1522, the last time Martin Luther preached on the Feast of the Assumption, he stated:

There can be no doubt that the Virgin Mary is in heaven. How it happened we do not know. And since the Holy Spirit has told us nothing about it, we can make of it no article of faith . . . It is enough to know that she lives in Christ.

Immaculate Conception:

It is a sweet and pious belief that the infusion of Mary’s soul was effected without original sin; so that in the very infusion of her soul she was also purified from original sin and adorned with God’s gifts, receiving a pure soul infused by God; thus from the first moment she began to live she was free from all sin" (Sermon: “On the Day of the Conception of the Mother of God,” 1527).

She is full of grace, proclaimed to be entirely without sin- something exceedingly great. For God’s grace fills her with everything good and makes her devoid of all evil. (Personal {“Little”} Prayer Book, 1522).

Perpetual Viginity:

Christ, our Savior, was the real and natural fruit of Mary’s virginal womb . . . This was without the cooperation of a man, and she remained a virgin after that.
{Luther’s Works, eds. Jaroslav Pelikan (vols. 1-30) & Helmut T. Lehmann (vols. 31-55), St. Louis: Concordia Pub. House (vols. 1-30); Philadelphia: Fortress Press (vols. 31-55), 1955, v.22:23 / Sermons on John, chaps. 1-4 (1539) }
Christ . . . was the only Son of Mary, and the Virgin Mary bore no children besides Him . . . I am inclined to agree with those who declare that ‘brothers’ really mean ‘cousins’ here, for Holy Writ and the Jews always call cousins brothers.
{Pelikan, ibid., v.22:214-15 / Sermons on John, chaps. 1-4 (1539) }

A new lie about me is being circulated. I am supposed to have preached and written that Mary, the mother of God, was not a virgin either before or after the birth of Christ . . .
{Pelikan, ibid.,v.45:199 / That Jesus Christ was Born a Jew (1523) }
Scripture does not say or indicate that she later lost her virginity . . .
When Matthew [1:25] says that Joseph did not know Mary carnally until she had brought forth her son, it does not follow that he knew her subsequently; on the contrary, it means that he never did know her . . . This babble . . . is without justification . . . he has neither noticed nor paid any attention to either Scripture or the common idiom.

{Pelikan, ibid.,v.45:206,212-3 / That Jesus Christ was Born a Jew (1523) }

Mother of God:

“. . . she is rightly called not only the mother of the man, but also the Mother of God. . . . it is certain that Mary is the Mother of the real and true God.”
Ref: Sermon on John 14. 16: Luther’s Works (St. Louis, ed. Jaroslav, Pelican, Concordia. vol. 24. p. 107)

“Men have crowded all her glory into a single phrase: The Mother of God. No one can say anything greater of her, though he had as many tongues as there are leaves on the trees.” (From the Commentary on the Magnificat.)
 
BListon said:
How do I explain the doctrines of the immaculate conception, perpetual virginity, the Theotokos, and the assumption from a BIBLICAL perspective to my Protestant family members. :confused:
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First of all tell your protestant family members that sola scriptura is a heresy and you are not, therefore, confined to just BIBLICAL perspectives. Tell them Jesus left us with an authoritative church guided by the Holy Spirit into all truth. Therefore, just as the scripture writers could write truth as guided by the Holy Spirit so too the Church can teach truth also guided by the Holy Spirit.
 
BListon said:
How do I explain the doctrines of the immaculate conception, perpetual virginity, the Theotokos, and the assumption from a BIBLICAL perspective to my Protestant family members. :confused:
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I like this:
veritasbible.com/resources/sacred_scripture_shortcuts/categories/Family_of_God

It has several sections on Marian issues:
• Mary - Ark of the new covenant
• Mary - Assumption
• Mary - Ever Virgin
• Mary - Full of Grace
• Mary - Immaculate Conception
• Mary - Mother of God
• Mary - Queen of Heaven
• Mary - Virgin

All from a Biblical Perspective. Lots of bible citations.

And it has sections on the related “Brothers of the Lord” and the “Intercession of Saints” and the like.

You’ll likely run into claims that the bible does not offer “indisputable proof” on these issues. I don’t believe the bible ever claims to offer indisputable proof, so that’s a false standard.

Good luck.
 
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