Holy Virgin Mary

ak_m_f,

Get another penguin, please. He is telling me my "wrong" IP address.  Have you emptied the box? I need to send a PM.

Dear All,

The reason I asked that question is that Muslims and Catholics hold Mary in a very high esteem. One can see that in Patty's reply, when she quoted:

"Luke 1:28 - "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you." These are the words spoken by God and delivered to us by the angel Gabriel (who is a messenger of God). Thus, when Catholics recite this verse while praying the Rosary, they are uttering the words of God."

"Luke 1:42 - "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus." The phrase "blessed are you among women" really means "you are most blessed of all women." A circumlocution is used because there is no superlative in the Greek language. Note also that Elizabeth praises Mary first, and then Jesus. This is hyperdulia (but not latria which is worship owed to God alone). We too can go through Mary to praise Jesus. Finally, Catholics repeat these divinely inspired words of Elizabeth in the Rosary.

Looking at the bold emphasis done by me, Qur'aan says,"O'Mary, God has chosen and made you pure you above all the women of the worlds." This also means that Mary was the most blessed one above all the women of the world. This also does not mean that other women were not pure. It shows a very high stature for Mary.

superme, that honour and the title of "Nisa-Al-Aalameen" was only given to Maryam (Mary) which indicates that she was the Virgin for Ever to remain pure and untouched.

The verse from Isaiah, according to the Jewish Scripture does not refer to a virgin, instead it refers to a young married woman.

Now I come to my main gripe with the Protestants:

The Protestants and their Evangelists downgrade Mary by saying that Jesus had other brothers who were born of Mary through Joseph. Joseph was a very, very old man. Could have been 85+ when all the 85Plus Temple priests asked him to take care of Mary. However, Qur'aan tells us that it was Zeccharias who took custody and looked after her. Not a single gospel says that Mary bore other children.

Mary was not a virgin just till the birth of Jesus. She was a Virgin forever. Thus the other so-called brothers of Jesus were not born of Mary. Jesus was her only son. Catholic Church upholds the point that she was the Virgin forever, like we do. She was thus an Ever-Virgin.

On a side-note, has anyone noticed why only girls were considered fit for serving God in God's temple? Not a single boy was ever selected! The reason: Boys could have never remained "pure".  They could have polluted the Temple!  No wonder.

BMZ

Cyril wrote: Virgin births were so common in pagan religions at the time of Jesus. I strongly suspect Christians to have borrowed the idea from their pagan neighbours.

Well it is always a possibility. But the problem is - it is in the Qur'an as well so I think not.

What I have in mind is why the virgin birth story was like the front page news back then, kind like something that was so big. But maybe it was not, than later on a "strong influental arm" made it big.