This was explained in post 5. Short of divine intervention, she could not have had Christ’s merit applied to her in advance. The question is whether or not there is evidence in divine revelation for this dogma. Catholics say yes. Here is more thorough reading (by no means an exhaustive list).
Thank you for taking this discussion to some of the central documents and arguments that are connected with it. This discussion was devolving from a discussion of the truth of the doctrine and its sources in Scripture and Tradition to a case of undergrad theological musings about its relevance. As an original participant, I thank you for taking it to a higher level.
First answer me this - Where is the infallible doctrine that everything must be explicitly defined in Scripture taught in Scripture?
Hopefully what I’m writing here is accurate - maybe other Catholics can give a correction, if needed.
I see you’ve decided not to answer my question. Why?
How about bad tree can not produce good fruit? If Jesus is considered good fruit, therefore the tree must be considered good too.
In Catholic theology original sin is regarded as the general state of sinfulness, that is the absence of sanctity and perfect charity, into which all human beings are born. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, original sin is the natural state “of deprivation of the original holiness and justice” we inherit as descendants of Adam and Eve. It is a sin which is contracted by all human beings by natural propagation, not a sin committed by them. Thus original sin does not entail any personal responsibility or guilt on our part as human beings. We do not inherit any “original guilt” as descendants of Adam which Calvin believed we do. Adam’s particular sin is his own personal sin which he committed. Because original sin is a state or condition of our human nature and not a sinful act itself on our part, original sin “does not take on the character of a personal fault in any of Adam’s descendants”. We are all simply implicated in Adam’s sin, including Mary. And because God did not hold Mary personally responsible for the sin of Adam and Eve, He could - and did - in His divine mercy, without negating His divine justice, preserve Mary immune from the stain of original sin by a “singular grace and privilege in view of the merits of Christ”. Without Divine intervention, Mary would have been conceived in the state of deprivation of the original holiness and justice, since she was a human being and not a Divine Person in the flesh like her Son.
There are tons of ways Scripture shows us that Mary was concieved without sin.
The New Eve could be different only by remaining sinless - unlike the biological mother of the human race. Elizabeth pronounced Mary to be “most blessed among women” (Lk 1:42), who would include Eve, and not only because she conceived and bore Jesus instead of Cain (the serpent’s seed) as her firstborn Son. Rather she was more blessed for having heard the word of God and kept it (cf. Lk 11:28). Certainly the woman spoken of in Genesis 3:15 is the new Eve, and her offspring is the new Adam, both of whom are at enmity with the devil.
Hmm… If it were so, then it would make Mary a sinner as well and we won’t be celebrating the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.
From listening to others: All non believers are afraid that the Catholic Church chooses to make Mary a God. The Catholic Church does not. What it does is make Mary our Greatest Saint. When we pray the Rosary we pray to God but asking Mary to pray with us on our behalf. It is the most powerful prayer, aside from the Mass, that man can put forth to God. Why? Because Mary like an angel is in the “Face of God” way more than anyone else. I truly believe She is all that the Church says she is. Why then quibble about her sins, her celibacy after Jesus, her assumption into heaven? Just believe and pray. God hears you and the more you believe the more he loves you.
Where do you get, *“Sinless, would make Mary deity, we could have sacrificed her on the cross for mankind and been done with the sin problem.” *Adam and Eve were created sinless. Were they also deity. Let’s face it, being created sinless only makes one sinless. Nothing more, nothing less. Also you have a defective understanding of Catholic teaching on the Blessed Virgin. This is what you get when you follow protestant ministers who themselves are ignorant of Catholic doctrine. When the blind lead the blind both fall into the pit.
The Eastern Church also agrees that Mary was sinless all of her life. However the Eastern Church tends to say it was at the Annunciation that Mary was cleansed with this privilege Grace from God. For me I sense the time for her to receive this Grace didn’t matter since God was capable of doing this either at the Annunciation or at the Conception of Mary or at any other time. The time of her Conception though would be better since it would give more time for Mary to grow to become this great Saint and Handmaiden for the Lord. This great head start in Mary would be to God’s advantage as well as to Mary as He was preparing her for the greatest vocation any human would have. She was to become the Mother of God and to be the greatest Saint ever. However the Dogma the Catholic Church which it puts out does not have any Eastern (name removed by moderator)ut at all. I suspect this is why the Eastern Orthodox Church rejects this doctrine on a principal of the way it is worded.