I would like to offer two arguments against the virgin birth claim found in the New Testament. In a later post, I will discuss the numerous other gods who were born of a virgin, as well as other attributes similar to Jesus. Stay tuned.
Argument #1
According to the Bible, Jesus the Messiah was born of the virgin Mary, who was impregnated by the holy spirit (see Matthew chapter 1, verse 18). Beyond the accounts in Matthew and Luke – Mark and John left this part out for some reason – this claim is apparently supported by Old Testament prophecies, notably in the book of Isaiah. Isaiah made this prophecy in chapter 16, verse 5 – In love a throne will be established, in faithfulness a man will sit on it – one from the house of David – one who in judging seeks justice and speeds the cause of righteousness (NIV).
Jesus is referred to, and emphasized as, the Son of David throughout the New Testament. This is an extremely important reference to the virgin birth when one considers the geneology of Jesus found in opening verses of the first gospel of the New Testament – Matthew chapter 1 (NIV):
1 This is the geneology of Jesus the Messiah the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:
(…..verses 2-15 list Jesus geneology……)
16 and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah.
The prophecy of Isaiah, as well as numerous points throughout the New Testament, clearly refer to Jesus as the son of Joseph through the geneology of Abraham and David. This is not Mary’s bloodline – Jesus’ supposed only human blood relation. So if this is Joseph’s bloodline and Joseph is not the biological father of Jesus, why even include this information in Matthew? (Keep in mind that bloodline was much more important to past cultures than it is in modern cultures.) According to the virgin birth claim, Joseph is supposed to be a foster father of Jesus with no blood relation. The contradiction here is of epic proportions, even more so considering the all-knowing creator of the universe in all his infinite majesty couldn’t at least make the geneology of his own son make sense. As I pointed out in an earlier post, I can’t understand how religious people can read this story over and over and not question the logic of the opening pages of the story of Jesus their Messiah.
If Jesus is the “Son of David”, he is the biological son of Joseph – not the holy spirit. The prophecy of Isaiah, the geneology in Matthew, and the references in the New Testament all support this.
Also see John 6:42 and Matthew 13:55 for examples of Jesus being referred to as the son of Joseph.
P.S. for anyone who likes conspiracy theories ro consider: Motive for claiming an immaculate conception can be found in Matthew 1:19 – Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
Here is the Old Testament law – God’s merciful, all-good, all-perfect law – Joseph may have feared: If, however, the charge is true and no proof of the young woman’s virginity can be found, she shall be brought to the door of her father’s house and there the men of her town shall stone her to death. She has done an outrageous thing in Israel by being promiscuous while still in her father’s house. You must purge the evil from among you (Deuteronomy 22:20-21).
Arguments Against Religion 