Is it sinful to call Mary the Mother of God?
Question:
Is it sinful to call Mary “The Mother of God”? If Christ is fully God and Jesus was fully his mother should this be a problem? On a deeper level if Christ’s natures are inseparable and Mary bore and birthed someone who is fully human and fully God (The God-Man) then it should make sense to refer to her as the mother of God or is this incorrect? I don’t find it plausible to say she’s the mother of Jesus without it also being ok to call her the Mother of God… thoughts?
Answer:
Mary was the mother of Jesus, who was God, so it is not improper to call Mary the Mother of God because, in a sense, that is what she was. However, to do so is to attach oneself to Catholic ideas about Mary, which may not be a very good idea. The Catholic and Orthodox Churches use the “Mother of God” label as a reason to venerate Mary, not simply to indicate whose mother she was. It is not wrong or sinful to call Mary the Mother of God, because she was, but, in my opinion, it is not wise in most contexts to use that description. I am quite confident that, if Mary were alive, and if you were to ask her, she would politely ask you not to use this name for her. So, let’s honor Mary by NOT using this label.
John Oakes
