D2's heresies, The Immaculate Contraception

[greybeta]

Yes, you read that right. The Immaculate Contraception.

D2 starts playing “Greensleeves” on the piano
What child is this, who, laid to rest, on Mary’s lap is sleeping? Whom angels greet with anthems sweet, while shepherds watch are keeping? This, this is Christ the King, whom shepherds guard and angels sing: Haste, haste to bring Him laud, The Babe, the Son of Mary.

So bring Him incense, gold and myrrh, come rich and poor to own Him. The King of Kings, salvation brings, let loving hearts enthrone him. This, this is Christ the King, whom shepherds guard and angels sing: Haste, haste to bring Him laud, The Babe, the Son of Mary.

Angels greet with anthems sweet
I wonder what those angels thought when they saw God’s one and only begotten son on the Earth. I surmise they were gladdened and frightened at the same time, at once happy to see their Lord but also afraid of why it was necessary for him to go down to Earth. I wonder if the angels knew what His purpose was then. I suspect they had a clue but had not the slightest idea, similar to Aslan’s closest confidants knowing little about the Deep Magic. I wonder if Jesus could hear the angels’ sweet anthems. I would have to expect He could hear angels' voices with his omniscient powers, even as a newborn Babe.

Shepherds watch are keeping
I wonder what those shepherds thought when they saw God’s one and only begotten son in person. I surmise they were overjoyed to have found their Messiah, the Christ Savior mentioned so often in prophecies. I wonder what the shepherds believed His purpose was then. I suspect they believed Him to be a literal king, raising glorious Jewish armies to conquer the Roman Empire and restoring the kingdom of Israel. I wonder if Jesus knew why the shepherds kept watch over him. I would have to expect He could foresee the day where they would forsake him, mercilessly calling for His death while he walked up the hills of Golgotha.

Bring Him incense, gold and myrrh
I wonder what the three Magi thought when they met God’s one and only begotten son. I surmise they were relieved to have found Him, the Jewish king predicted by the Star of Bethlehem. I wonder what the three Magi believed His purpose was then. I suspect they had hope for the Jewish nation, as the prophecies foretold great things would come of this Babe. I wonder if Jesus knew why Casper, Melchior and Balthazar gave him three gifts. I would have to expect that He knew the incense was for His death, the gold for His riches, and most important was the myrrh that christened Christ as Lord and Savior of all.

Salvation brings
Only by the blood of Jesus, a man without sin, can we all be redeemed.

Let loving hearts enthrone him
So that hating hearts crucify him. I wonder, how bittersweet was Palm Sunday for our Lord and Savior? I cannot begin to imagine.

The Son of Mary
I wonder what the young Virgin Mary thought of God’s one and only begotten son. I surmise she did feel worthy of bearing such an important person, the one who would correct the original mistake made in the garden of Eden. I wonder what she believed His purpose was then. I suspect she had no idea of the cross her son would have to carry, betrayed by a close friend in the garden of Gethsemane. I wonder if Mary’s son knew how His mom would react to that fateful day, when those sinister nails pierced his hands and feet. I would have to expect that Jesus understood Mary would shed sorrowful saline just like any other caring mother would.

D2’s heresy of the Immaculate Contraception
I wonder why people call Christ’s birth the Immaculate Conception instead of the Immaculate Contraception. I surmise most people would say a “virgin” conceiving a baby is unscientific and illogical enough that we could call such a conception miraculous, or immaculate as the case may be here. I wonder if Joseph and Mary had sexual intercourse before Jesus was born, for people like me are rare, a virgin of twenty one years of age. I suspect Jesus's parents just might have given into their passions as young people are apt to do, drawn to each other in that magical moment. I wonder if Jesus knew his real father was Joseph, for it is said Christ is descended from the paternal lineage of Abraham. I would have to expect that Jesus knew the Truth, for Jesus is Truth.

God used Immaculate Contraception to prevent Joseph’s sperm from penetrating one of the “Virgin” Mary’s eggs until it was time for the Immaculate Conception, if you know what I mean.

Comments

[agirlnamedluna.livejournal.com]

*OR* maybe Joseph was sterile and Mary prayed to God for a baby she could apparently not have who thought "sheesh, there she is again, oh well, let's help her" and he sacrificed himself to get her a baby ...

[zoethe.livejournal.com]

Okay, that's about as far out there as one can get, considering they weren't even married yet and Joseph was going to "put her aside quietly" for getting knocked up while he was being a good boy.

If you believe all that.

[agirlnamedluna.livejournal.com]

I know it's about as far as they could get hehehe -- that's by the way how my uncle ended up with my grandfather's name ^_^

[greybeta.livejournal.com]

Clarify, who sacrificed himself?

[agirlnamedluna.livejournal.com]

Well, since God isn't really about sex and all, at least not in certain interpretations of the Bible, he had to sacrifice himself to inseminate Mary ;)

[jeremyarc7.livejournal.com]

That's highly unlikely, since Joseph sired other children.

Mark 6:3 reads as such: Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joseph, and Jude, and Simon? are not also his sisters here with us?.

An interesting line, no? I mean, it specifies that Jesus is a skilled worker and that he has four brothers and at least two sisters.

[renough.livejournal.com]

Yeah, he had younger brothers. Doesn't mean Mary didn't bear children after Christ. Jude wrote Jude, and I'm trying to remember if James wrote James, or if it was a different James.

[jeremyarc7.livejournal.com]

What exactly are you getting at there? Someone stated that maybe Joseph was sterile and then pointed out that he couldn't have been as he and Mary produced at least six children to accompany Jesus. Then you seem to both agree and disagree with me. I'm confused.

Jude and James the Just are attributed as the authors of the New Testament texts bearing their names, but that's not a certainty. The Epistle of James is rather different than the rest of the New Testament, so much so that Martin Luther urged removing it from the Bible.

[agirlnamedluna.livejournal.com]

I know - I wasn't entirely serious with my interpretation.

However, they're supposed to have been his "disciples" Then again, much hasn't been said about what probably really happened

[zoethe.livejournal.com]

Nobody calls Christ's birth the Immaculate Conception.

Mary was immaculately conceived, as the belief goes, so that she was without original sin and therefore holy enough to bear the son of god.

The Virgin Birth is another matter entirely.

[greybeta.livejournal.com]

Nobody calls Christ's birth the Immaculate Conception.
I stand corrected. Sigh, stupid common misbeliefs.

But as long as people get the idea of what I'm talking about, it's good enough (i.e. I'm too lazy to back and edit it at this point).

[wldntulk2knwwho.livejournal.com]

Isaiah 7:14
14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you [c] a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and [d] will call him Immanuel.

Why would God, through Isaiah, hand down the prophecy of a virgin birth only to not fulfill it when it came about?

In addition...

Matthew 1:18
18This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.

I believe your entire theory hinges on this verse. Does "before they came together" mean before Joseph took her into his house? Or does it mean before they had sexual intercourse? Even if it means the former, I think it would have been very difficult (bordering on impossible) for Joseph to have had sexual relations with Mary prior to her being taken into his house.

[greybeta.livejournal.com]

Why would God, through Isaiah, hand down the prophecy of a virgin birth only to not fulfill it when it came about?
When did I say the prophecy was unfulfilled in my heretical explanation? "The virgin will be with child" could be interpreted one hundred different ways, couldn't it?

18This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.
Why are more and more teenagers marrying these days? (And yes, I am thinking about a certain friend of yours who likes to drive cars fast...)

[wldntulk2knwwho.livejournal.com]

"The virgin will be with child" could be interpreted one hundred different ways, couldn't it?

What other way can it be interpreted other than "the person who has never partaken in sexual intercourse will conceive?"

On the other note, you know where I stand on teens who get married in today's society. My fast-driving friend is actually the opposite. He has no desire to marry his son's mother because he doesn't think he can spend the rest of his life with her. And frankly, I agree with his decision.

[greybeta.livejournal.com]

What other way can it be interpreted other than "the person who has never partaken in sexual intercourse will conceive?"
How does any virgin become with child?

By the way, your friend is very smart. Lucky Andy's mom and dad agreed to do the same thing and it worked out great for them. Then again, this is today's society and in the old days the pressure to marry was much, much greater.

[renough.livejournal.com]

*How does any virgin become with child?*

Luke 1:34-37
34 "How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"
35 The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called {Or So the child to be born will be called holy,} the Son of God.
36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month.
37 For nothing is impossible with God."

"Any" virgin doesn't. Ones that have had biblical prophecies written about them... yeah, they stand a chance. ;)

[purplkat.livejournal.com]

*prod* Those are the lyrics to 'What Child Is This?', not 'Greensleeves'. Greensleeves was, IIRC, written by Henry VIII and set to pre-existing music. (I don't know if 'What Child Is This?' is the original song, or if it's also set to existing music, though.) Greensleeves is written in the troubadour tradition, and it's extremely amusing to think of someone like Henry VIII heartbroken and pining after 'his lady Greensleeves'.

(In case you care, the lyrics to Greensleeves are: 'Alas my love, you do me wrong to cast me off discourtiously, and I have love'd you oh so long, delighting in your company. Greensleeves was all my joy and Greensleeves was my delight. Greensleeves was my heart of gold, and who but my lady Greensleeves? Your vows you've broken like my heart, oh why do you enrapture me? And I remain in a world apart while my heart remains in captivity.)

[greybeta.livejournal.com]

I know that What Child is This? is based on the melody of Greensleeves. So it doesn't matter which melody I play on the piano because they're one and the same.

[purplkat.livejournal.com]

That's interesting. I wonder what the original song was.

[jeremyarc7.livejournal.com]

Two things on the Abrahamic lineage:

1. First, the nameless author of Matthew is directing his work at Jews. In order to woo them, he presents Jesus as being the sum of all the Biblical stories.

2. Joseph appears to have adopted Jesus into his household and raised him as a son. In doing so, Jesus becomes adopted into the lineage.

[greybeta.livejournal.com]

Hmmm, those are two points I did not consider.