A Male God Sending Sperm Down to Impregnate Mary

Published December 19, 2009 @ 20:50 in Losing My Religion

religionSt. Matthew-in-the-city is a progressive Anglican church in Auckland, New Zealand. They recently created some controversy by erecting the following billboard.

jesus

The Vicar of St Matthew-in-the-City, Glynn Cardy, said the billboard was "attacked by a knife-wielding Christian fanatic". That was actually the fourth attack on the billboard in two days.

Archdeacon Cardy earlier said the billboard was designed to let people outside the church realise that many Christians and church leaders did not believe in the literal virgin birth, and did not believe that was the true meaning of Christmas.

"We're out to critique the idea of a male god impregnating Mary and the literalism of the virgin birth.

"The topic is ... something the church has talked about for centuries, but what is new is that we have the audacity to laugh at something quite so ridiculous as a male god sending sperm down to impregnate Mary," he said.

At the risk of becoming rather unpopular during this Christmas season, I've got to ask. Does anyone actually believe that Mary miraculously conceived Jesus while remaining a virgin?

20 Responses to "A Male God Sending Sperm Down to Impregnate Mary"

Roshan
December 19, 2009 / 22:07

With full intention of insulting religious fundamentalists - does anyone actually believe that Jesus (if the dude actually existed) was the son of any god?

Argie
December 19, 2009 / 22:16

Jesus IS God. Confirmation will come when you die.

Merry Christmas!

Buffaloboymike
December 20, 2009 / 00:35

What came first Religion or Man?
Seriously what is wrong with treating religion like it probably should be a philosophy, Greeks got it right, their Gods are mythical beings each made up to tell a story and teach a moral/value where as Christians in the US and Canada look at the bible as the Truth....If thats the case then Santa must really have 8 reindeer who can fly and hes got a list of all the good little catholic boys and girls.

Dave
December 20, 2009 / 05:21

Can we all agree that it's in bad taste?

And really, how many times do you change a person's opinion by mocking them?

LEW
December 20, 2009 / 05:53

Tom Waits story of the virgin birth from Big Time is far more believable to me, and leaves us with a lot less baggage.

Buffaloboymike
December 20, 2009 / 07:54

Dave, how is it in bad taste when its coming from the Church itself, even the church is admitting that the virgin birth is a hoax. If it was someone from outside the church who wasn't affiliated, yeah its in bad taste, but I actually think its about time that the Church admits that some of the hocus pocus walk on water/supernatural stuff wasn't as it says. People take this stuff way too seriously and literally, this add basically says that its okay not to and to read between the lines, Mary was a virgin before Joseph poked her.

Buffaloboymike
December 20, 2009 / 07:55

Is it me or does Mary have Blue and White hair?

Dave
December 20, 2009 / 08:48

Buffaloboymike,

This billboard was made by a single church within one diocese that's within one denomination. They aren't speaking on behalf of anyone but themselves, with most of their diocese and denomination (the Church of England) disagreeing with them (adamently, I'm sure), let alone the rest of Christians in the world.

I found it eye rolling at best. All it does is rile up people who hold this belief.

Mike from Lowville
December 20, 2009 / 09:16

Bah Humbug!

Buffaloboymike
December 20, 2009 / 10:00

Actually, my wifes pastor laughed when we showed her, My wife is Lutheran, even her pastor said its wrong to take the Bible literally...Seriously a virgin birth literslly? Do you believe in Santa or the Easter Bunny? What about Superman?

Army
December 20, 2009 / 10:09

You know what you find out when you die? NOTHING! Tony Soprano. had it right when he said, "Everything goes black."

brad
December 20, 2009 / 12:01

god is dead

everything goes black

accept it and enjoy life

Anonymous
December 20, 2009 / 14:19

brad writes:"god is dead

everything goes black

accept it and enjoy life"

Funny you should write that. Stats always show people who believe in God and who live a religious life do have longer, happier, more fulfilled lives.

Stats on depression, suicide, drug/alcohol abuse, divorce, etc are much higher in the God hating, secular world.

Ironic, isn't it?

Argie
December 20, 2009 / 14:25

**Oops, that was me in the previous post.**

Actually its kind of funny and typical of a Christian church to criticize its own. Why do they do it? Because they can.

Can you imagine if a branch of Judaism or Islam were to publicly state something like that about its own faith??? The Jewish branch would be buried under by lawsuits, boycotts & letters to editors while the Islam would be buried, simply by a huge bomb.

Argie
December 20, 2009 / 14:26

mike,

Its all facts I wrote - no ignorance.

Ajax Mike
December 20, 2009 / 17:54

Argie, can you provide a link for the study or studies you refer to? I'd honestly be curious to see those, and to see if they include other socio-economic factors.

Buffaloboymike
December 20, 2009 / 18:30

Moral of the story is kids, dont take your religion too seriously or literally

Buffaloboymike
December 20, 2009 / 18:32

Dave,
Two lines suggest to me that it is more than just one church with this belief:
"many Christians and church leaders did not believe in the literal virgin birth, and did not believe that was the true meaning of Christmas."
and
"The topic is ... something the church has talked about for centuries"
"

Dave
December 20, 2009 / 20:18

I hope someone else is catching the irony of a person mocking people who blindly take the Bible as truth and then quotes this priest in Australia and their wife's pastor as fact.

I'm not saying they are the only church ever to hold this opinion, I'm saying they are in the great, great minority. Mostly what I'm saying, though, is they aren't laughing at themselves, they are laughing at other people.

Which isn't a big enough deal to deserve 3 different comments from me, however.

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