Martin Luther & Mary's Immaculate Conception

Would you believe Martin Luther firmly held to the belief that Mary was immaculately conceived even after he became a Lutheran? & that he continued to teach that belief? I don't know if Lutherans again accepting this doctrine would have the result the author suggests. But, I am sure it wouldn't hurt.

(OK, I know some would say Luther didn't become a Lutheran. But by splitting off & starting his own Church that was named after him, he technically did become the 1st Lutheran.)

Martin Luther's belief in the Immaculate Conception of Mary
Posted by Taylor Marshall

Here are some surprising words. It seems that Martin Luther, that once Augustinian priest turned Revolutionary, upheld belief in the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception (even before it was declared a dogmatic doctrine in 1854 by Pope Pius IX). The doctrine of the Immaculate Conception holds that Mary was preserved from original sin at her conception and from all sin during her life - that she was conceived, lived, and died without any taint of sin.

The eminent Lutheran scholar Arthur Carl Piepkorn (1907-73) has also confirmed that Luther believed in the Immaculate Conception even as a Protestant. Here is Martin Luther in his own words:

"It is a sweet and pious belief that the infusion of Mary’s soul was effected without original sin; so that in the very infusion of her soul she was also purified from original sin and adorned with God’s gifts, receiving a pure soul infused by God; thus from the first moment she began to live she was free from all sin"
- Martin Luther's Sermon "On the Day of the Conception of the Mother of God," 1527.
"She is full of grace, proclaimed to be entirely without sin—something exceedingly great. For God’s grace fills her with everything good and makes her devoid of all evil.
- Martin Luther's Little Prayer Book, 1522.
Both quotations derive from Luther's writings after his break from Rome.

Far be it from me to approve of Luther. I only list these quotes to show how far Protestantism has come from it's quasi-Catholic origin. If only Lutherans would return to this single doctrine of their founder; how quickly our Lady would turn them into true Catholics!

Queen conceived without original sin, pray for us!

H/T: Patrick Madrid (Did Martin Luther believe in the Immaculate Conception of Mary?)
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Taylor Marshall was an Episcopal priest in Fort Worth, Texas before being received with his wife into the Catholic Church by Bishop Kevin Vann of Fort Worth on May 23, 2006. Read more here.