Questions abound this time of year. Did God literally enter this world as a child? Was it the result of a miraculous conception in a virgin? What are the arguments for and against?
The previous several posts have focused on the infinitude of God precisely to shed light on these questions. Frankly, sharing my opinions with you will not amount to a hill of beans unless you have resolved the infinitude issue for yourself. If you have not, I suggest you go through the previous several posts and carefully consider the logical and mathematical progression. Continuing to read this post may be meaningless unless you have resolved this fundamental issue.
The discussion to come is based on the following 7 affirmations . . .
1: Observationally, all effects have a cause. (The Origin of the Cosmos)
2: Mathematically, the initial cause must be infinite. (An Infinite Initial Cause)
3: Scientifically, this infinite initial cause must have personality. (An Infinite Initial Cause with Personality)
4: Existentially, we know we exist in a broken world, having originated in an unbroken realm. (A Broken World; A Puny God and a Broken World)
5: Emotionally, we long to return to “the Garden.”
6: Practically, we cannot cross the dimensional chasm that separates us from the God-realm.
7: Amazingly, only the IICP (Infinite Initial Cause with Personality) can accomplish such a task.
Mythologies, including Greek, Judaic, Eastern Religious, & Native American mythologies, are filled with deities taking on the form of human flesh. I believe mythology is fundamentally built on either real human experiences and/or innate knowledge. We innately realize not only that deities can take on human form, but also that it must be done for the restoration of humankind. If there were no such need, these myths would not abound. Some interpret the volume of messianic myths from diverse cultures and various eras as proof it is not a viable option. Again, I believe the volume of such myths only confirms this messianic need. The probability is too great to ignore: an ultimate reality drives such beliefs.
While there have been volumes of messianic claims over the millennia, and from numerous religions, mathematically this God-become-flesh must be infinite in origin. That being the case one will suffice. (If there are two or more unique messiahs, then none is infinite.) For the purposes of this post, I will continue by asserting that Jesus of Nazareth was this messiah. The evidences are overwhelming. For much more on this subject see chapter 2.15 in Slices of God.
But how is such a deity-in-the-flesh supposed to enter this broken world? Is it to happen through a normal human conception? I suppose such an entry is possible, if a deity were to replace the essence of the previously conceived embryo with itself. That seems a bit abrupt to me (not to mention finite), booting out some other soul to make room for God.
I was quite surprised as I read the Koran to find that it, in addition to the Bible, claims that Jesus’ conception was miraculous: “Remember when the angel said, ‘O Mary! Verily God announceth to thee the word from Him: His name shall be, Messiah Jesus the son of Mary, illustrious in this world, and in the next, and one of those who have near access to God; And he shall speak to men alike when in the cradle and when grown up; And he shall be one of the just.’ She (Mary) said, ‘How, O my Lord! Shall I have a son, when man hath not touched me?’ He said, ‘Thus: God will create what He will; When He decreeth a thing, He only saith, ‘Be,’ and it is.’”[1] Even though Jesus is not believed to be divine in Islam, the virgin conception is clearly affirmed.
Some theologians and textual critics work hard to refute such scriptural narratives because such things “just don’t happen.” Marcus Borg resolves this tension by arguing that scriptural stories such as the virgin birth of Jesus are not literally true, but metaphorically true.[2] (It makes me wonder if such a statement is also a metaphor!) So what is at the root of such disbelief?
This is where we circle back to the infinitude of God. If we believe and/or function as though God is finite, limited by the same constraints our common sense is, then of course we need to finagle our way around such fairytales. On the other hand, if God is infinite . . .
-Sam Augsburger
Slices of God: Strange, Dimensional, and Fractal Perspectives on God and the Cosmos
[1] The Koran as translated by Rodwell, The Koran, III:40-42.
[2] Marcus J. Borg, The Heart of Christianity: Rediscovering a Life of Faith (New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2003), 12.
