[net.religion] Virgin birth

nlt@duke.UUCP (N. L. Tinkham) (04/20/85)

Eliyahu Teitz writes:

>	My question is a simple one. I was told, by someone on the net
> a while back, that Mary and not Jesus was of virgin birth. Did I mis-
> understand the person or are there differing theologies as to who was
> the child of a virgin.

   I don't remember the quote to which you refer, so I don't know what the
speaker intended.  But:  As far as I know, no theology claims a virgin
birth for Mary.  The strongest claim made for Mary's conception in Christian
theology is that it was "immaculate", meaning that she did not inherit
original sin.  (This belief is held in Roman Catholic tradition but not
in most Protestant traditions.)  The virgin birth of Jesus (not Mary)
is claimed by a long-standing tradition common to Catholicism, Protestantism,
and Orthodoxy; it is currently disputed by many Christians.


                                    N. L. Tinkham
                                    duke!nlt (Duke University)

nlt@duke.UUCP (N. L. Tinkham) (04/23/85)

[*]

   Ken Swanson writes the following, in regard to my article on views
on the immaculate conception (of Mary) and the virgin birth (of Christ):

> The virgin birth of Jesus Christ is claimed by a long-standing tradition
> common to Catholicism, Protestantism and Ort[h]odoxy; it is currently
> disputed (as it has been through the centuries) by SOME Christians(?)
> who obviously must not believe in the inspired and infallible
> written word of God, the Bible.
[References to Matthew 1 and Luke 1 are given.]

   Due to the nature of the original question (What are the major views on...),
I tried to give as neutral a summary as possible.  And I think it is correct
to say that many modern Christians doubt the virgin birth of Christ;
in fairness to them, this view should be included in a summary of the
existing viewpoints.
   Ken is correct, however, to point out that the accounts in Matthew
and Luke support the doctrine of the virgin birth.  It is also correct
to say that most who deny the virgin birth would not describe the
Bible as "the inspired and infallible written word of God" (though many
of them would say that the Bible is in some sense "inspired" and conveys
to us the word of God).

                                        N. L. Tinkham
                                        duke!nlt

slb@drutx.UUCP (Sue Brezden) (04/24/85)

Dan writes:

> I am only aware of two different views. The Roman Catholic theology
>  states that both Jesus and Mary were virgin born.

NO, NO, NO.  I am a Buddhist, and _I_ know better than that.  The
doctrine of the Immaculate Conception has nothing to do with the
doctrine of the Virgin Birth.

The Catholic view is that Mary was born without original sin--her
mother was not a virgin.

Before you start condemning people's views as non-scriptural, be 
sure you know what those views are.



-- 

                                     Sue Brezden
                                     
Real World: Room 1B17                Net World: ihnp4!drutx!slb
            AT&T Information Systems
            11900 North Pecos
            Westminster, Co. 80234
            (303)538-3829 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                    Honk if you love Shiva!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~