Scripture several times explicitly lists Jesus’ brothers and names them, as well as referencing sisters. Yet despite the clear evidence and witness of Scripture, Catholic interpreters will assert that Mary and Joseph never had sex (Mary has the status of a consecrated virgin who remained a virgin throughout her whole life) and thus deny that Mary and Joseph had any children after Jesus was born. This is once again despite and in opposition to the fact that Scripture explicitly says they had sex once Jesu was born.
As a Protestant I am not bound by any pre-existing stipulations or pronouncements of a Magisterium, I am free to engage in honest and open exegesis of the texts of Scripture. Catholics. on the other hand, come to the text loaded with pre-existing assumptions and presuppositions imposed on them, which color how they see the text.
It’s obvious, and very sad, Catholics need for Mary to be ever virgin/consecrated virgin, because if they let the biblical texts speak for themselves they will be left with an inescapable conundrum: either Scripture is wrong, or their exegesis is wrong and the Magisterium is not infallible. That would be untenable and unthinkable for the Catholic mind, so since it is straightjacketed by prior theological commitments it will inevitably fall into eisegesis when it comes to the texts referencing Mary’s children or Joseph and Mary having sex.
This restrictive process of interpretation which Catholics are bound by severely limits and hampers proper exegesis of the biblical texts.
Further the Catholic assertion that they possess an infallible Magisterium (teaching authority) is fallacious. No such thing exists. There are no infallible interpreters of Scripture.
It should be apparent that Catholics cannot engage in open, honest, and direct exegesis of Scripture. Literally every single Catholic doctrine of faith is subject to eisegesis due to their interpretive methodology.
Further, Catholics, by rejecting the principle of Sola Scriptura, lay themselves open to distortions of the text and eisegesis. They elevate tradition to the same level of authority as Scripture. This is very wicked and unbiblical. Nothing should have the same exalted status as the very Word of God! By being bound by Sola Scriptura we have a safeguard against eisegesis and adopting errant doctrines. Catholics on the other hand have no such safeguard.
Zach Uram's Blog 