so...God sent an angel to TELL Mary that she was going to give birth to God's son. Gabriel, the angel, didn't ASK Mary anything. she was told. considering she was a young woman or maybe even a girl...and God was a deity. w/all power in His hands and all that jazz. Alpha/Omega...you know the deal. what if she'd said 'no'? what would've happened to her? we know how God was at that point - He was still very Old Testament. he was into smiting ppl who disobeyed. and there was no salvation via Jesus - yet.

given the power differential did Mary give meaningful consent to this whole thing? isn't this at least as bad as what happens when a young girl has sex w/a teacher? i know God wasn't her teacher exactly - He considers Himself her 'father'. so...this is at least somewhat incestuous. we can ask Soon-Yi and Woody about it...we call that rape too. or molestation. either way we don't celebrate it.

i think maybe she was raped.

Luke 1:26-38

26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, "Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!" 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end." 34 And Mary said to the angel, "How will this be, since I am a virgin?" 35 And the angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God." 38 And Mary said, "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.