I'm still having troubles with the Doctrine of the Immaculate Conception. Why does the Church insist on this dogma, and doesn't it contradict the Bible?

Recall that there are three common objections to the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception which are made by modern Protestants in general and Evangelicals and Fundamentalists in particular:

• Only God is sinless. So if Catholics believe that Mary is sinless too, does that not mean that Catholics make Mary into God (or a god)? Jesus was sinless because He Is God.
• Isn't sin a part of human nature? Then how can Catholics believe that Mary was conceived without sin?
• Doesn't the Bible itself tell us that all of us are sinners—and so doesn't this belief necessarily contradict the Bible?

There may be a number of other less-frequent objections, but, as I have mentioned before, to treat every objection would require too much time for even a short series of posts (or RCIA sessions). In the previous installments of this short series, I considered in turn the doctrine of original sin and what the Church teaches concerning the Immaculate Conception, and then I replied to the first two objections. Today, I would like to wrap-up by considering a few of the Biblical verses concerning this doctrine.

I'm having troubles with the Doctrine of the Immaculate Conception. Why does the Church insist on this dogma, and doesn't it contradict the Bible? Also, if Mary is sinless, then how is she not God (or at least a god)?

In talking a number of my friends who have converted from Protestantism—in particular, Baptist, Evangelical, or Fundamentalist forms of Protestantism—to Catholicism, I've found that there are certain doctrines or dogmas which are always last to be accepted. The Marian doctrines are always among these, and I suspect that if they had to name one doctrine which was hardest of those, it would be the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. The objections aren't always the same, but many are similar:

• Only God is sinless. So if Catholics believe that Mary is sinless too, does that not mean that Catholics make Mary into God (or a god)? Jesus was sinless because He Is God.
• Isn't sin a part of human nature? Then how can Catholics believe that Mary was conceived without sin?
• Doesn't the Bible itself tell us that all of us are sinners—and so doesn't this belief necessarily contradict the Bible?

These are the main objections, though there are also a number of questions which get associated with these, and there are a number of "minor" objections held by different individuals which are no less potent (for those individuals) for not being widespread. Actually to deal extensively with these three "major" objections (let alone the "minor" ones) and to explain the meaning the of dogma, etc would be more than could be dealt with by one post or one RCIA session (etc.) [1].

The North is full of tangled things and texts and aching eyes,
And dead is all the innocence of anger and surprise,
And Christian killeth Christian in a narrow dusty room,
And Christian dreadeth Christ that hath a newer face of doom,
And Christian hateth Mary that God kissed in Galilee
-From G.K. Chesterton's poem, "Lepanto"

Mark Shea arguably saved the most important book of his Marian trilogy for the end. In his first two volumes of Mary, Mother of the Son, Mr Mark Shea has made the case that Catholic piety and teaching towards Mary come not from pagan sources, but rather from sacred Tradition, and that the particular Marian Dogmas are not just about Mary, but about Christ, His Church, and the destiny of mankind. Now, in the conclusion to his apologetics trilogy, he gives us "Miracles, Devotion, and Motherhood." Whereas the previous two volumes were concerned with defending the Catholic teachings and piety surrounding our Lady, the third volume is more dedicated to the practice and meaning of those devotions in the life of the Church.

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In the first volume of Mary, Mother of the Son, Mr Mark Shea addressed the sources from which the Church developed her teachings concerning Our Lady (or anything else, for that matter). Now, in the second volume, titled First Guardian of the Faith, he now sets his sights on four of the 5 Marian dogmas* of the Church: Theotokos (God-bearer), Mary's Perpetual Virginity, her Immaculate Conception, and her Assumption (Body and Soul) into heaven at the end of her life. Here, he gives a cogent defense of these dogmas by explaining how the doctrines have developed, examining some scriptures which hint at these dogma, and by rebutting Protestant readings of select verses which seem to counter these dogma.

Concerning these alleged proof-texts, Mr Shea states at the outset that
Marian dogmas are not derived from Scripture. They are, rather, reflected there. That is, they're what you get when you read Scripture through the lens of the apostolic Tradition as preserved by the Spirit-guided Body of Christ in union with the bishops and pope in succession from the apostles. In short, they have the same descent as the canon of Scripture itself, the doctrine of the Trinity, the rejection of polygamy, and the teaching that human life is sacred from the moment of conception. To reject such teaching, it's not sufficient to show that it's not absolutely in Scripture alone, since none of the teachings I just mentioned earlier are, either. Rather, one must show that Scripture clearly and unequivocally contradicts it. And, as we shall show, not only is there no place where Scripture clearly and unequivocally contradicts Catholic Marian teaching, there are actually many places where the Bible bears surprising witness to it.

The Christ-child lay on Mary's lap,/His hair was like a light.
(O weary, weary were the world,/But here is all aright.)
The Christ-child lay on Mary's breast/His hair was like a star.
(O stern and cunning are the kings,/But here the true hearts are.)
The Christ-child lay on Mary's heart,/His hair was like a fire.
(O weary, weary is the world,/But here the world's desire.)
The Christ-child stood on Mary's knee,/His hair was like a crown,
And all the flowers looked up at Him,/And all the stars looked down
A Christmas Poem by G.K. Chesterton

One of the (relatively recent) bones of contention which Protestants have against the Church is her teachings concerning Our Lady. Whether it's over the particular dogmas of the Church concerning Mary (there are five, most modern Evangelical Protestants challenge four of these), the sources for the Church's teachings, or the place of Our Lady in popular Catholic devotion, challenges arise from both curious Protestants and more militant ones. In his Mary, Mother of the Son trilogy, Mr Mark Shea addresses these various challenges.