Do you believe Mary was a virgin? (page 3)

MungoBaobab

The Greeks had many stories of their gods fathering human children with unique abilities. And what ethnic group were the first Christians courting with their Jewish sect?

Double Edge

She gets one in the oven when she is bethrothed, convinces him it's god's, and convinces her son he is the son of god so he bases his entire life on.
An entire world religion based around a horny, lying fourteen year-old.

Gee, such a "sweet" retelling of the Christmas story.

The thing is....if your only interest is to find out if the story is true or not, or historical or not, then I would agree that there would be no point to further look into the matter once you've examined the matter to your satisfaction. But if you're interested in the process of storytelling, of the history of ideas, of witnessing how old motifs are combined and used in new ways, and maybe even (God forbid) if there are any universal literary themes that could reveal something about the human condition, then there might be a reason to dig further and examine closely how a story that has lasted thousands of years came to be. These stories are like the songs to Mulan Rouge, integrating old bits in new, interesting ways.... and are so successful that even the old sources lie forgotten. It's interesting to rediscover the roots to a story that almost everybody knows in our culture....

frankiespeakin

Leo,

universal literary themes that could reveal something about the human condition, then there might be a reason to dig further and examine closely how a story that has lasted thousands of years came to be. These stories are like the songs to Mulan Rouge, integrating old bits in new, interesting ways.... and are so successful that even the old sources lie forgotten. It's interesting to rediscover the roots to a story that almost everybody knows in our culture....

I think you raise a good point here,,and i would be interested to explore this. ((I may make fun of bible stories,,(which I think is totally understandable being that I was decieved and manipulated by the telling of them.)). You know I always like to give jehovah a good kick in the *ss,,I guess in an infantile,, boyish kind of way,,it gives somekind of wierd pleasure.

I do think that these myths made up by the human imagination,, can tell us a lot about ourselves. Carl Jung felt that way. They also give us insight into how the mind invents explanations and accepts them as true when dealing with the unknown.

frenchbabyface

Do you believe Mary was a virgin?

(short - just for kidding)

Who checked ? She's been lucky we were waiting for "the son" and her boyfriend - or good friend (Jo) too (knowing what would have happen to them if things had been known) !!!

Cicatrix

"Mulan, then of course the other option is to believe they were all virgin births! Seems logic would dictate that the more often it occurred the more likely it is to re-occurr. More unbelieveable if it only happened once in all of history. Generally mammals do not successfully reproduce by hermophroditic events. Many lower animals do. I once had a goat when I was young that gave birth without ever being bred. The kid was malformed and died within a couple days but it was a successful birth.

There are many stories of virgin births outside of the mythical mirical men of non-Christian origin. They almost always result in still births. Who knows! Still don't think it means squat!"

Carmel,

I think along these same lines. I actually just got into the was Mary a virgin discussion with someone the other day, and mentioned parthenogenises. A successful "virgin birth"/parthenogensises would certainly classify as a miracle, wouldn't it?;)

JustTickledPink

I have another question. I am not that educated in biology, but doesn't a child receive 1/2 their DNA from their mother and the other 1/2 from their father? Well, if God was the father, wouldn't Mary's DNA be the other half? Wouldn't the child be 1/2 human and 1/2 perfect?

OR was it a perfect child, no need of Mary's egg and she was just the womb used to carry God's child?

If this was today it would be very easy to haul her ass onto the Maury Povich, or Montel Williams show entitled "Who iz my baby daddy?" and they give free paternity tests to their guests. It would make an interesting show.

Midget-Sasquatch

Parthenogenesis has never been documented in any mammal as far as I know. It does occur in some reptiles. But in each and every case the offspring is the exact same sex as the mother (very much a clone of it) --- so scratch that as a plausible mechanism for the story. Unless there's some new data I'm unaware of?

Abaddon

carmel

Seems logic would dictate that the more often it occurred the more likely it is to re-occurr.

No, that's credulity, not logic. You have no evidence for it ever occuring. A lie that works get repeated.

More unbelieveable if it only happened once in all of history.

No, more unbelievable if it never happens, and in mammals parthenogenises never hapens.

Generally mammals do not successfully reproduce by hermophroditic events. Many lower animals do. I once had a goat when I was young that gave birth without ever being bred. The kid was malformed and died within a couple days but it was a successful birth.

Mmmm; which is more likely? Your goat is unique to all medical science, or a male goat covering it without your knowledge? Let me think....

Double Edge