Mary and the Virgin Conception

[Patrick]

@Guy_Coe

What got lost in the shuffle here is the assertion that Mary was “impregnated without her consent.” A simple reading of Luke chapter 1 dispenses with that old shibboleth.
–The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God. And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. - Luke 1:30-38 NASB (Note that in all this, the future tense prevails. Note also Mary’s self-description: a bondslave was one who had been released from any remaining obligations of slavery, but who had entreated their “master” for the opportunity to voluntarily remain serving in the household. Mary was, in no manner, asked to do anything against her will; she could easily have said “no.”)

I see this very differently. I don’t see any consent. I see a poor child being abused. I see it this way because I live in today’s world where children are abused. I have a difficult time sugar coating this story into something wonderful.