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Question Title Posted By Question Date
Expaning upon belief John A Sunday, May 13, 2007

Question:

Thanks for all of the answers : )

I want to expand upon a a question I had earlier if you dont mind ; )

In the "2 part question" I asked about faith in dogma and you said "If the person denied a dogma of the faith, like the perpetual virginity, then technically the person would be in a state of automatic excommunication as a heretic"

What if the peron believed in the dogmas essence such as Mary is forever pure(a.k.a virgin). But could not see it physcially happening.

When I originally left Protestant Christianity it was because I was raised solo scriptura(I think that is the right term for Bible alone). Of course when being taught that way it is easy to see how that could not be the truth.

So I went Atheist(big A Atheist LoL) for a while. Then I felt I was missing something so I went to a local Pagan circle even though I am not Pagan. Where I met a Wiccan and a Anglican Hermetricist. With their help I was able to see pass my bitterness. To see that just because you do not literally believe something dose not mean it cannot have an effect on you because the essence of intangibles is real enough.

What is your view on Dogma and intangibles of belief?



Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM

Dear John:

One must believe all that the Catholic Church requires for belief, and all the details of that dogma.

The teaching you were taught that to believe in the essence of the intangibles is enough is a false idea. Look to the source you got that -- a wiccan and pagan. A wiccan and/or pagan cannot be expected to have a correct worldview about much of anything let alone a correct understanding of God's Truth and Christianity.

There are many things that we do not have to believe literally. We do not have to believe that there was a literal Noah's flood. We do not have to believe that Jonah was literally in the belly of a fish for three days. We do not have to believe that the world was created literally in six days.

But we do have to believe in the dogmas of the faith as literal and objective truth, not just an essence of an intangible. These are non-negotiable and must be believed not in mere essence, but in fact and tittle.

The dogma of the Perpetual Virginity states:

1) Mary was a virgin before, during and after the Birth of Jesus Christ. (Ott, 3, 3, 5) 

2) Mary bore her Son without any violation of her virginal integrity. (Ott 3, 3, 5.2)

3) Also after the Birth of Jesus Mary remained a Virgin (Ott 3, 3, 5.3)

These three statements are de fide, which means "of the faith", that is, they are required for belief by all Catholics upon pain of heresy.

The dogma does not try to explain how Mary was able to give birth and remain "without any violation of her virginal integrity", but it is a item of the faith to believe so.

Nothing is too hard for God to do. If God could impregnate Mary with His Incarnate Self, without a human father and without the sexual faculty, He could certainly protect her virginity intact.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary


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