What does Immaculate Conception mean?

Question

Seriously, im starting to hear this term everywhere now. What does it mean? i know it has something to do with child birth, but what?

Answer 1

It's what happened to Jesus' mother. She got pregnant without having s*x. It can't happen to anyone else.

Answer 2

It’s important to understand what the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception is and what it is not. Some people think the term refers to Christ’s conception in Mary’s womb without the intervention of a human father; but that is the Virgin Birth. Others think the Immaculate Conception means Mary was conceived "by the power of the Holy Spirit," in the way Jesus was, but that, too, is incorrect. The Immaculate Conception means that Mary, whose conception was brought about the normal way, was conceived without original sin or its stain—that’s what "immaculate" means: without stain. The essence of original sin consists in the deprivation of sanctifying grace, and its stain is a corrupt nature. Mary was preserved from these defects by God’s grace; from the first instant of her existence she was in the state of sanctifying grace and was free from the corrupt nature original sin brings.

When discussing the Immaculate Conception, an implicit reference may be found in the angel’s greeting to Mary. The angel Gabriel said, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you" (Luke 1:28). The phrase "full of grace" is a translation of the Greek word kecharitomene. It therefore expresses a characteristic quality of Mary.

The traditional translation, "full of grace," is better than the one found in many recent versions of the New Testament, which give something along the lines of "highly favored daughter." Mary was indeed a highly favored daughter of God, but the Greek implies more than that (and it never mentions the word for "daughter"). The grace given to Mary is at once permanent and of a unique kind. Kecharitomene is a perfect passive participle of charitoo, meaning "to fill or endow with grace." Since this term is in the perfect tense, it indicates that Mary was graced in the past but with continuing effects in the present. So, the grace Mary enjoyed was not a result of the angel’s visit. In fact, Catholics hold, it extended over the whole of her life, from conception onward. She was in a state of sanctifying grace from the first moment of her existence.

http://www.catholic.com/library/Immacula...

Answer 3

Conceiving without having s*x

Answer 4

in easy form : it is when Mary became pregnant with Jesus with no intercourse  

Answer 5

Something that can;t ever happen to anyone bar the Virgin Mary. Its someone who falls pregnant whist being a virgin still

(My parents didn't believe me when I told them its how I feel pregnant :P

Answer 6

Immaculate Conception is usually talking about the Virgin Mary and her birth of Christ. Mary didn't have s*x when she gave birth to Christ, even though she was married, but w/e. It was a virgin birth.

I don't believe in it, but I mean, I wasn't there, so...

Answer 7

baby no s*x yeah right lol

Answer 8

The Immaculate Conception is a Roman Catholic doctrine asserting that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was preserved from the effects of Original Sin from the first moment of her conception. The doctrine was defined as a dogma binding on Catholics by Pope Pius IX in the papal bull Ineffabilis Deus (1854). The doctrine as defined was debated by theologians during the Middle Ages and was rejected by Saint Thomas Aquinas. It is based on the biblical idea of Mary's holiness (Luke 1:28), early church teachings on Mary as the "new Eve," and the belief that Mary is the mother of God (Theotokos, or "God-bearer"), articulated at the Council of Ephesus (431). The feast of the Immaculate Conception is observed on Dec. 8.

Answer 9

I always thought the same as your other answerers, but then I heard otherwise, and looked it up.  It is actually the conception of Mary, not Jesus that is referred to here.

According to Catholic dogma (not the Bible itself)  Mary was born without the "sin nature" that all humans have been born with since the fall in the Garden of Eden.  It claims also that she was able to live a sinless life before the time that she conceived Jesus - the virginal conception.

This is a term that apparently is just misused all the time in our society.  As your answerers prove, most use it to mean that Mary concieved Jesus without having s*x.  

Answer 10

Immaculate conception would mean that a woman got pregnant without having intercourse...

Answer 11

Immaculate means faultless and clean, Conception means fertilization of the egg.

Actually, I'm Catholic, and Jessica is the only one of the respondents who really got it right. Its referring to the conception of Mary! That's why she has come to people in prayer saying that she IS the Immaculate Conception.

Answer 12

Immaculate conception means that the egg was provided from Eve's body, but the sperm part came miraculously directly from God. That is why Jesus was all man and all God at the same time. Eve did not have sexual relations with her husband Joseph until after their child was born. She did not get pregnant from a man, but was inpregnated by seed from heaven.

Answer 13

its virgin-birth

Answer 14

I believe to better understand it...think about virgin mary......how she got pregnant and gave birth to her only begotten son...the immaculate conception; she got nocked up without having s*x

Answer 15

read the bible

Answer 16

You got pregnant without having s*x (can't happen)

Answer 17

Its what you tell your dad when you are suddenly pregnant.

Answer 18

No, immaculate conception is NOT the same as virgin birth.  In Catholic tradition it's the belief that Mary herself (NOT Jesus) was conceived and born without any taint of 'original sin'.  Her mother did, however, conceive her in the usual fashion, by having s*x with her father.  

Answer 19

it refers to the virgin mary when she gave birth to jesus christ . she had a virgin birth .