Religion seems to benefit the most from this reality
The majority of humans seem unaware of their ignorance, and simply want to thrive as best they can in the world, have a good time, be entertained. But then there are some who are also born with curiosity. They want to know and learn, to find out as much as they can about our world and the cosmos. Religions in general are nervous about curious people. I’ve mentioned quite a few times what an elderly Catholic woman once told me—and it is worth repeating: “The priests told us never to think about what we learned in catechism."
It would be so refreshing—such a delight—if devout Catholics could summon the courage and curiosity to ask their priests: Please tell us exactly how you know for sure what you claim to be true about Mary. It was in 1854 that Pope Pius IX issued the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, which claims that when Mary was conceived, original sin was not passed on to her, thus guaranteeing that Mary could not have passed on this human flaw to Jesus. In 1950 Pope Pius XII issued the dogma of Mary’s bodily assumption to heaven. How in the world could either pope have known these items of fantasy? But when supposedly holy people have been steeped in deeply superstitious thinking for decades, nothing seems impossible. Hence Mary has become the Queen of Heaven, she makes personal appearances around the globe. Mary is idealized and depicted extravagantly.
Why don’t devout Catholics ask for reliable, verifiable, objective evidence that what they’re being taught is true?
It's hard to resist the conclusion that the Catholic Church is trying to disguise, to divert attention from, it embedded misogyny. Pope Francis was emphatic that women will never be ordained as priests, upholding that ancient custom. Thus all of the cardinals who elect a new pope are all male. I have this fantasy of Mary, Queen of Heaven, appearing in the conclave in person, asking to be elected pope. “I’ll bring back my body from heaven, so that I’m a real person again, and can fulfil the role of pope.” Would that be enough to persuade the cardinals to give up their opposition to women being priests?
Where would Catholic theologians begin in trying to find reliable, verifiable, objective data about Mary? It’s no use to claim that the gospels can be used, because nothing at all in the gospels can be verified. These documents are also the product of theological imagination.
Devout Catholics would have to be persistent: name your sources of information, but the gospels do not qualify because their authors don’t mention sources.
In Mark’s gospel, chapter 3 we read that Jesus’ mother and siblings heard the reports that Jesus was possessed by “an unclean spirit,” and went to restrain him. Jesus waved them off:
“And he replied, ‘Who are my mother and my brothers?’ And looking at those who sat around him, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.’” (Mark 3:33-35)
In Matthew’s gospel we find the claim that Jesus was conceived by the holy spirit, before Mary married Joseph. But virgin birth was a common claim in other literature of the time about heroes and gods. It’s a borrowed idea. Luke provides more elaborate mythology, claiming that an angel visited Mary to tell her the good news, and she responds with an elaborate Song of Praise. But the most obvious question is: Who heard it and recorded it for Luke to add it to his gospel? “Well, it was divinely inspired” cannot be taken seriously, because all religions claim the same thing for their scriptures.
In John’s gospel, chapter 2, Jesus scolds his mother for mentioning that there is no wine for the wedding at Cana—and John never identifies Jesus’ mother as Mary. In all of the apostle Paul’s letters, Mary is not mentioned; Paul does say that Jesus was born of a woman, but says nothing about a virgin birth.
Devout Catholics should learn these facts, and keep pressing their priests for honest answers, based on reliable, verifiable, objective evidence.
The Catholic church excels at razzle-dazzle: it has perfected the art of show business, hence all the exaggerated portrayals of Mary—as well as all of the elaborate costuming of priests, cardinals, and popes. Devout Catholics should protest all this excess, which disguises spiritual errors and deficiencies.
David Madison was a pastor in the Methodist Church for nine years, and has a PhD in Biblical Studies from Boston University. He is the author of Ten Tough Problems in Christian Thought and Belief: a Minister-Turned-Atheist Shows Why You Should Ditch the Faith, now being reissued in several volumes:
• Guessing About God (2023)
• Ten Things Christians Wish Jesus Hadn’t Taught: And Other Reasons to Question His Words (2021). The Spanish translation of this book is also available.
His YouTube channel is here. At the invitation of John Loftus, he has written for the Debunking Christianity Blog since 2016.
The Cure-for-Christianity Library©, now with more than 500 titles, is here. A brief video explanation of the Library is here.
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