Jerome, Luther, Zwingli, Calvin and Wesley’s heartfelt convictions notwithstanding (cuz, you know: whadda those guys know?), I never understood why it’s so important for Mary to remain a virgin after having Jesus. I get why people like the idea of Mary being a virgin before the birth of Jesus, since that would definitely be a bonafide miracle, and so would point, Springer Spaniel-style, to the divinity of Christ.
But why on earth would I care if Mary remained a virgin after the birth of Christ? I hate the assumption in which insistence on the perpetual virginity of Mary is, it seems to me, necessarily grounded, which is that it’s somehow ideal for a woman to spend her entire life as a virgin.
I just don’t see how to escape the conclusion that the insistence of Mary’s perpetual virginity sounds pretty exactly like good ol’ fashioned misogyny.
If, given a choice (and you better believe that the Bible’s utter ambiguity on the matter does, in fact, give us that choice), I choose to insist that the married Mary died a virgin, then what does that say about how I feel about women, marriage, and sex—which is to say about the sacred value of family?
Why would anyone who is pro-family values insist that Mary died a virgin? Isn’t that like someone being pro-weather, but then never stepping outside?
Let Mary have, and know, sexual relations with her loving husband. Are we such idiots that we deny the divinity in that?
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