Reddit mentions of Behold Your Mother: A Biblical and Historical Defense of the Marian Doctrines

Rome Sweet Home by Scott Hahn: A biographical account of how Dr. Scott Hahn, former Presbyterian minister, and his wife found their way into the Catholic Church, and why.

Behold Your Mother by Tim Staples: An apologetic defense of the Marian doctrine using Biblical and historical references.

Hail, Holy Queen by Scott Hahn: Another defense of the Marian doctrine from Dr. Scott Hahn.

The Case for Catholicism by Trent Horn: A litany of apologetic responses to typical Protestant objections to and misunderstandings of Catholic teachings.

Catholic Answers Podcast: A weekday radio broadcast with various Catholic apologists and advocates for various Catholic issues.

Called to Communion radio podcast (with Dr. David Anders, available on EWTN's channel): A radio broadcast specifically oriented towards answering objections launched by Protestants. The host Dr. Anders is also a former Presbyterian seminarian.

> Obviously both dogmas could be true, but my question is why are they assumed to be true, why is the church so sure that they are true, why is it so important that they must be true, that they are raised to the level of dogma.


First, for an in-depth treatment of this, I definitely recommend Behold Your Mother: A Biblical And Historical Defense Of The Marian Doctrines, by Tim Staples, and Hail, Holy Queen: The Mother Of God In The Word Of God, by Scott Hahn. Both relatively affordable if you choose the "used books" option on Amazon, and highly recommended.

To give a brief overview here... we first must recognize that every Marian dogma, and any title given to the Blessed Mother, is meant to magnify or point to some reality about Jesus Christ. The dogmas you referenced can be drawn out from the Catholic beliefs about Mary and certain biblical titles she holds - The New Eve, The Ark Of The New Covenant, The Queen Of Heaven.

If I may ask, are you able to go a bit more in depth on what specifically is challenging about each doctrine, apart from not seeing their connection with other important Christian doctrines? That might help me lend a bit more guidance apart from the books I recommended. Prayers your way!

Books (both from former protestants):
Hail, Holy Queen: The Mother of God in the Word of God
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0385501692/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_forRDbHKC4JST


Behold Your Mother: A Biblical and Historical Defense of the Marian Doctrines https://www.amazon.com/dp/1938983912/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_3orRDb4NBP4WJ

Videos:
Mary the Ark of the New Covenant
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmNWqLSJcJI&feature=share

Hail Holy Queen, Scripture and the Mystery of Mary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dn1tWuIoZsg&feature=share

I have a four-way tie for best mariology.

In no particular order:

Marian Mystery by Denis Farkasfalvy

Queen Mother by Ted Sri

Daughter Zion by Joseph Ratzinger

Mariology by Matthias Joseph Scheeben



If you're looking for books directed at a more popular audience (i.e. if you're not a theologian), then the following are very good:

Behold your Mother by Tim Staples

Hail Holy Queen by Scott Hahn




EDIT: Here's a great bibliography my professor made for a mariology course.


EDIT: Just as a caveat, my interest in mariology is mostly biblical. Apparitions aren't a huge interest of mine. So the above reflects that. Though there's plenty on dogmatic/systematic mariology there too.

Books that tackle this topic: Tim Staples' Behold Your Mother, Scott Hahn's Hail, Holy Queen. I also found these two audiobooks very informative on Marian doctrines.

Those should all at least touch on this topic, though they are about Mary in general.

The super-short version is that Mary was given special graces by God because she agreed to be his Mother through Jesus. One of those graces was complete freedom from original sin (excluding even the concupiscence which we still bear as a result of that stain) and another was the free capacity not to sin (which was wrapped up in her "let it be so" and filled her entire life). This was accomplished not by her power, but by God's as a gift of grace.

> I am still curious about the rationale behind & historical origin of some doctrines (e.g., some Marian dogmas, like perpetual virginity)

For this topic, I would recommend "Behold Your Mother: A Biblical and Historical Defense of the Marian Doctrines" by Tim Staples.

> I’m wondering if I could get any recommendations on authors with similar conversion experiences. Someone who began as a Protestant philosopher and became Catholic & who chronicles their experiences.

"Return to Rome: Confessions of an Evangelical Catholic" by Francis Beckwith is the perfect book for you. The description of the book is the following:

 

"What does it mean to be evangelical? What does it mean to be Catholic? Can one consider oneself both simultaneously? Francis Beckwith has wrestled with these questions personally and professionally. He was baptized a Catholic, but his faith journey led him to Protestant evangelicalism. He became a philosophy professor at Baylor University and president of the Evangelical Theological Society (ETS). And then, in 2007, after much prayer, counsel, and consideration, Beckwith decided to return to the Catholic church and step down as ETS president.

This provocative book details Beckwith's journey, focusing on his internal dialogue between the Protestant theology he embraced for most of his adult life and Catholicism. He seeks to explain what prompted his decision and offers theological reflection on whether one can be evangelical and Catholic, affirming his belief that one can be both. "

Learn the rosary! Read this book!