Apologetics: Debunking Deconstruction – Was Mary Raped?

One of the things that deconstructers (especially atheists) like to toss around is the idea that Mary was raped in the Bible, using this as an excuse to justify their hatred of God. This is a frankly insulting belief to every Christian out there and has absolutely no Biblical basis whatsoever.

If we look at the account that Luke gives in the Bible, we get the fullest picture of the virgin birth as the only other time it’s mentioned is in Matthew. According to Luke, Mary was living in Nazareth and was betrothed to Joseph, which if we’re looking at Jewish marriage customs around that time, puts her around 12-14 years old, though later apocryphal sources claim she was 16-17. However, the Bible never specifies her age, so we’re just left to guess.

From there, we’re told that one day, while Mary was chilling at home, the angel Gabriel appeared to her, totally freaking her out. Gabriel tells her that the Lord is with her and to not be afraid because she has been chosen to bear God’s Son, who will be called Jesus, and who will rule over a kingdom that will never end. She wonders how that could happen since she’s a virgin. To that, Gabriel says, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So, the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. “

This is where we get the most important line on this topic of “Was Mary raped?” After Gabriel explains what will happen, Mary immediately says, “I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.” (Luke 1:38). She gives her express consent to being the mother of Jesus, and later, when she goes to visit her cousin, Elizabeth, she even sings a song about how thrilled she is to be carrying the Son of God (Luke 1:46-56). She happily “rejoices in God my Savior” and sings, “From now on all generations will call me blessed, /for the Mighty One has done great things for me.”

To say that Mary had been raped implies that there was no consent, that it was forceful and there was no changing the matter. However, from the context provided in the Bible, Mary could’ve, at any point, said no. She could’ve told God, “Hey, I don’t want to do this. Can you find someone else?” However, she didn’t. She happily consented, the Holy Spirit “overshadowed” her, and nine months later, Jesus was born.

The second point that debunks this theory is that Luke says the Holy Spirit “overshadowed” her. This is not a polite way of referring to intercourse. It’s meant in a similar way to when God came over the Tabernacle or Mount Sinai in the Old Testament. There is nothing to suggest even a hint of sexual activity anywhere in this passage.

Thus, the argument that Mary was raped is completely ridiculous. It’s a plain lie perpetrated by those who wish for any reason to hate God, or it’s one used by cults to justify absolutely disgusting things. If you want to say that Mary was raped and have a case for it, then your time would be better spent criticizing the Quran’s retelling of the immaculate conception, but that’s Friday’s post.

Until next time,

M.J.