The two most important doctrines concerning Our Lady Theotokos are that she was
a Perpetual Virgin and that she is the Mother of God. However, other doctrines
concerning her, seem to flow from these two points. For example, when we speak
of her being Perpetual Virgin, it means she was a virgin before, DURING, and
after childbirth, not just that she had not other children besides Christ (or
the frightful notion that she had carnal relations!).

There are also the doctrines concerning her purification by the Holy Ghost as
the Annunciation, her special conception, her Dormition and Assumption into
Heaven, her crowning as Queen of heaven, and her title as Queen of the Universe
and Supreme Proctress and Advocate of all Christians.

There seem to be some currents in modern time, some inside Orthodoxy, others
outside of it, that sometimes seek to belittle or alter two of these beliefs.
For example, there are some Greek writers from the 50s that seem to say that
only her soul was assumed, and their was no bodily assumption and resurrection
of Our Supreme Lady. Others also seem to say that she had a perfectly natural
birth, but, without pain. But, what do they mean by perfectly natural. Human
birth today is in a fallen state, and is not natural as God intends it.

Any comments?