I regularly hear the term “Immaculate Conception” used in relation to Jesus instead of Mary. I’m not sure but it seems like a majority of people believe Jesus’ conception was immaculate. What do you regularly hear that you know to be wrong?
Well, I think if you’re not raised Catholic, it’s a very easy mistake to make. It sounds right.
Anyway, mine is the use of the term “begging the question.” No one ever uses it right. Today the editorial in my newspaper used it wrong, which is just embarrassing. But probably 3 people in town noticed, because everyone always uses it wrong.
I once spent 10 minutes in class trying to explain the Immaculate Conception thing to my teacher. I still don’t think he understood. :smack:
I honestly have no idea where the mistake is. (I was raised Jewish BTW.)
(There was a funny NFL commercial about the Inaccurate Reception a few years back, though.)
Whenever anyone debates over whether something “is a word” or “is not a word”, I want to put my fist through (not into, through) their face. Nothing else can drive me to such heights of violent anger. You could personally set my house on fire and then inaccurately diagnose me with cancer and I wouldn’t get as angry.
The doctrine of the Immaculate Conception refers to the conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The belief is that she was conceived in the normal way, with a human mother (by tradition St Anne) and father (by tradition St Joachim), but without the stain of original sin (cf the Latin word macula, meaning stain or blemish). Many people, especially journalists, use the phrase Immaculate Conception when they really mean a Virgin Birth. This is the belief that Jesus was conceived in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary miraculously through the Holy Spirit, and without a human father.
OK, so is Mary supposedly the only person born without the stain of original sin? What exactly does that entail?
That she is the only person capable of birthing a savior.
Right, but how was she conceived without original sin? What, exactly, does that mean?
Original sin entered the world when Adam and Eve broke God’s Law and ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Mary was born without original sin, so she would have been as perfect as Adam and Eve in Eden. Also, she presumably didn’t commit sins either. I think. I spent more time arguing with my religion teachers than paying attention in class. (I’m sorry, but if you’re going to say that women are physically incapable of performing priestly functions you had damn well better explain how you know that to be true.)
OK. So how was this feat achieved, exactly? Did God look at her egg and go “Ah, yes, I think that’s the one. She’s going to be immaculate!” and magically remove all sin from her or some such thing?
In a nutshell? Yes. Are you trying to make some point here about the inherent illogicality of religion or what?
Take it easy Hotsauce, I’m just not very familiar with the tenets of Catholicism and I was curious about what the Immaculate Conception was about.
What if I set your house on fire and then accurately diagnose you with cancer?
Hot Sauce? 
Ok, then, I apologize for jumping the gun. Wikipedia might be able to help you out more than I can. Like I said, IANA theologian.
Well, I wouldn’t be as angry with you, considering you’d have done me a major service by telling me something important about my health.
I think it’s just that it is used so commonly in the media/pop culture. It’s entirely reasonable that someone brought up in another religious tradition would either not understand it fully or not have heard of it at all.
Annnyway… I think only Dangermom has addressed the OP as I understand the question.
Mine is “Slippery Slope” being used inaccurately.
Slightly akin are “Unthaw something for dinner” and “Irregardless of what you think…”
A few months back I had a discussion about “Agree to Disagree” with my therapist.
How can two people “Agree to Disagree”? There is no agreement there. Either you disagree or you don’t. His posit was that you can’t agree to disagree because you cannot disagree to disagree.
What the hell does that mean? I not only disagree with you but I think you are wrong for thinking that I disagree with you. If you think that I agree with you because we disagree then you are quite mistaken.
I left his office that day with a headache, kind of like the one I have now.
Hope you enjoy it.
-N8
I think your therapist is trying to drive you mad* in order to get more business.
*With semantic illogic.
I hear that expression used most often at bars where friends, in various states of inebriation, wish to end an argument without coming to fisticuffs. So’s to get back to the important topics, like who is buying the next round and the size of the hostess’s breasts.