Quote:
Originally Posted by OBW
To be honest with you, while I believe the virgin birth to be true, I have yet found nothing requiring that belief to be considered a believer. And despite the conditions that some put on the need for Christ to have been born of a virgin (other than in the manner required to meet the prophecy which may not have actually said virgin) I cannot consider it to be a literal need.
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I much appreciate this post.
My journey has been a tough one, to say the least. My life would be much simpler if I could just go back to accepting the canon on faith.
But I see two gospels that are very inconsistent with each other, even though they started with the same source (Mark). This alone is strong evidence that they were not written by firsthand witnesses, but by those from a later generation. The disharmony is evidence of falsehood.
And if I am right, the damage caused by the introduction of the nativity is profound. Many generations of Jews have found Matthew in particular to be a stumbling block. The arguments between Justin Martyr and Trypho continue to this day, 1800 years later.
Take Matthew and Luke out, replace it with the message of Mark and John about the Spirit coming down upon a man, and you win many more Jews.