Quote:
Originally Posted by manualman
Including a former President of the USA. (What, somebody had to crack that joke!)
I'm not aware of any theological reason a man can't be called a virgin. As far as I can see the only reason it wasn't done in the past was the same reason they stoned women for adultery and not men: double standards. Let's admit that the feminists occasionally make a good point. Women have historically been held to higher standards than men. There are two potential explanations for that. Neither one is flattering to men! (think about it)
We also don't know for sure Joseph was a virgin. He may have been a widower prior to Mary (which is one of the common explanations for the "brethren" of Jesus. They're either half-brothers or cousins, the Aramaic isn't conclusive.)
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Yes, I think that is correct. It is possible (and I have read, likely) that he was a widower, and was married to Mary to take care of her. She had been a consecrated virgin at the temple, but with the arrival of her menarche, she could no longer stay there. So she was married to Joseph, so that he would care for her, but it was not for the purpose of them procreating themselves. Hence, Joseph was chaste as her spouse.
The teaching is from the Protoevangelion of James, the main source of our teaching on Mary's Perpetual Virginity.
http://www.catholic.com/library/Mary_Ever_Virgin.asp
And as was also mentioned, due to cultural standards that were in place throughout history, it was not as "relevant" a fact whether a man was a virgin or not, as whether a woman was, hence the word was applied more to women being held to the standard.
Re: How to Lose Virginity?
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