For the last little bit, I've been researching and writing for a scholarly article about the Virgin Birth. As a scientific healthcare professional, I have a unique perspective on numerous issues about the function of our bodies and nature.
And as a believer, I am equally awed at all of creation. So it seemed "natural" to attempt some rational understanding about the Blessed Event.
So, with that introduction, here is an excerpt and synopsis.
(Perhaps a more intriguingly captivating title could have been "How DID that sperm get in there?")
Of all the claims that Christianity makes, perhaps it is the one of virgin birth that seems most problematic.
It's not that anyone disagrees with the presence of a man named Jesus of Nazareth, whom was a Jew, and born to Mary. But it is the claim of her virginity that bothers many.
Again, it's not an issue so much to those whom believe, though they may have certain questions, but to those whom, like Thomas, say within themselves ""Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe."
Unless I see...
When Jesus made his mystical appearance, it's not recorded that the disciples seemed to be amazed at how He gained entry, though the doors were locked.
When Jesus spoke to the assembled, He encouraged Thomas to "be not faithless, but believing."
It's then recorded that Jesus followed up, saying "Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed [are] they who did not see, and [yet] believed."
Of course, it's human nature to believe what we see. That's why magicians remain popular entertainers. We know, of course, they have no mysterious power to make things appear or disappear, but it is their tight-lipped nature about their closely-guarded secrets that keeps magic so fun to watch.
But Jesus is not a magician. Nor is the the son of a magician.
So then, is the virgin birth a fallacy, some type of hoax perpetuated upon the "poor, uneducated, and easy to command"? Or is there a rational, reasonable explanation?
Modern scientific research in reproduction has enabled many formerly childless couples to bear children. Some describe fertility drugs as a "miracle," while others describe techniques such as in vitro fertilization similarly. Of course, neither are miracles, because we have greater understanding of how things work.
As some have said, the Almighty is not a law-breaker. There are natural laws, and as the Creator of those laws, has full and complete understanding of them. As such, transcendence of any natural law would neither be improbable nor impossible, even though our human minds not yet comprehend any such action.
However, there is a phenomenon in nature known as parthenogenesis, wherein an unfertilized egg begins to behave as if it were fertilized. It's not uncommon, and occurs in higher, land-based vertebrates.
It may be that the Blessed Event remains Blessed because of the circumstances under which they occurred.
As the Anointed One said to Thomas, "be not faithless, but believing."
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