Clarifications on Christianity

[sherifgg]

Hey guys, I'm new to this forum but I liked the idea of debating religions so I decided to join up! I'm a muslim btw.

I would like to start off my posts by a couple things I was wondering about Christianity and would be interested to hear thoughts regarding this questions.

1) Why did people believe Mary was a virgin and gave birth to Jesus through a miracle? As opposed to people saying she committed adultery which is what most people would normally assume.

2) Since Christianity is considered an Abrahamic Monotheistic religion, and since all the prophets in Abrahamic religions prior to Christianity and after (i.e. Islam) always preached that god is one, without mention of any trinity (to my knowledge), wouldn't that prove against it?

I can split these into different threads if needed.

Thank you!

 

[ChristineM]

Welcome to RF. Sit back, relax and enjoy the cake



Im atheist so i hope you don't mind a non christian input.
1/ why the bible account of a virgin birth seems so me a story to enhance the mystery. My view is that Mary either had an affair with or was raped by Julius Pantera. There are indications of this in non christian documents.

2/ again mystery, it makes a good, compelling story.

 

[viole]

1) Why did people believe Mary was a virgin and gave birth to Jesus through a miracle? As opposed to people saying she committed adultery which is what most people would normally assume.

Why do Muslims believe a black stone has been sent by God? As opposed to a garden variety meteorite falling on the desert, which is what most people would normally assume?

Your answer will be in the same category of their answer.

Ciao

- viole

 

[danieldemol]

Hey guys, I'm new to this forum but I liked the idea of debating religions so I decided to join up! I'm a muslim btw.

I would like to start off my posts by a couple things I was wondering about Christianity and would be interested to hear thoughts regarding this questions.

1) Why did people believe Mary was a virgin and gave birth to Jesus through a miracle? As opposed to people saying she committed adultery which is what most people would normally assume.

2) Since Christianity is considered an Abrahamic Monotheistic religion, and since all the prophets in Abrahamic religions prior to Christianity and after (i.e. Islam) always preached that god is one, without mention of any trinity (to my knowledge), wouldn't that prove against it?

I can split these into different threads if needed.

Thank you!

Hi Sheriffgg,
Welcome to RF
I'm no Christian by any stretch but I would imagine the answers are;
1. Indoctrination
2. Begging the question, most Christians do not accept post Jesus prophets (such as Muhammad), but believe the Trinity was mentioned implicitly in the old and new testaments. Although it probably comes down to Indoctrination as well.

Do you think Mary committed adultery? What denomination of Islam do you belong to?

 

[1213]

...
1) Why did people believe Mary was a virgin and gave birth to Jesus through a miracle? As opposed to people saying she committed adultery which is what most people would normally assume.

2) Since Christianity is considered an Abrahamic Monotheistic religion, and since all the prophets in Abrahamic religions prior to Christianity and after (i.e. Islam) always preached that god is one, without mention of any trinity (to my knowledge), wouldn't that prove against it?
...

Hi and welcome!

1. I think people believed it because of two reasons. One is the things what was said to the people involved, like for example:

Behold, you will conceive in your womb, and bring forth a son, and will call his name 'Jesus.' He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father, David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever. There will be no end to his kingdom."
Luke 1:31-33
The angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore also the holy one who is born from you will be called the Son of God.
Luke 1:35
Joseph, her husband, being a righteous man, and not willing to make her a public example, intended to put her away secretly. But when he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, don't be afraid to take to yourself Mary, your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She shall bring forth a son. You shall call his name Jesus, for it is he who shall save his people from their sins."
Matt. 1:19—21

Obviously, these are the experiences of those specific people and others would not have heard of them the same way. I think the reason why people believe Maria and Joseph in this is that what Jesus then later did and spoke. If Jesus would not have acted the way he did, then I don’t think people would have believed them.

2. I think it would be good to know, Bible doesn’t have the word Trinity. Jesus said that there is only one true God that is greater than him. And even Paul taught the same.

This is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and him whom you sent, Jesus Christ.
John 17:3
the Father is greater than I.
John 14:28
For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
1 Timothy 2:5
There is only one true God

 

[Redemptionsong]

Hey guys, I'm new to this forum but I liked the idea of debating religions so I decided to join up! I'm a muslim btw.

I would like to start off my posts by a couple things I was wondering about Christianity and would be interested to hear thoughts regarding this questions.

1) Why did people believe Mary was a virgin and gave birth to Jesus through a miracle? As opposed to people saying she committed adultery which is what most people would normally assume.

2) Since Christianity is considered an Abrahamic Monotheistic religion, and since all the prophets in Abrahamic religions prior to Christianity and after (i.e. Islam) always preached that god is one, without mention of any trinity (to my knowledge), wouldn't that prove against it?

I can split these into different threads if needed.

Thank you!

Welcome to RFs.
As a follower of Jesus Christ, l would say that it was an essential requirement that Mary be a virgin and that her conception be miraculous. This is to ensure that Christ is the true embodiment of God, come to dwell amongst men on earth.

IMO, Christ, as mediator, holds a position that is perfectly balanced between God and man. He has the fulness of the Godhead bodily, and comprehends both perspectives. For this to be true, Christ must be descended from king David, yet also be the Son of God.

The doctrine of the Trinity is borne out of God's redemptive plan. Once God has come to dwell on earth, the transcendence of God is compromised. God, in Christ, dwells amongst men. But, for redemption to take place, it is not enough that God should dwell amongst men only, He must also dwell within men. For this to happen, men must receive the Holy Spirit in baptism, thereby drawing men into Christ and into salvation.

God does not stop being one God by coming to earth, or by dwelling in the hearts of men.

IMO.

 

[Kenny]

Hello Sherifgg, good to have you
As-Salaam-Alaikum

1) Why did people believe Mary was a virgin and gave birth to Jesus through a miracle? As opposed to people saying she committed adultery which is what most people would normally assume.

The short and the long...

1 - The short - Fulfilling Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

2. The long - The Word had to come sinless like Adam was before he sinned. Had The Word been birthed by a man, he would have carried the sin-nature of man and would not have been able to fulfill the redeeming of mankind. Romans 5:14

He had to come through a woman - because it was the only legal gate that was declared from the beginning to have the right to exercise legal authority on earth. Genesis 1:26

The Word (Jesus) - was created in the womb of Mary even as Adam was created by the hands of God.
1 Corinthians 15:45

His purpose in coming in the flesh is to reconcile man back to God by forgiving all of our sins and joining us spiritually back to Him through the death, burial and resurrection. He,in essence, paid for our sins.

2) Since Christianity is considered an Abrahamic Monotheistic religion, and since all the prophets in Abrahamic religions prior to Christianity and after (i.e. Islam) always preached that god is one, without mention of any trinity (to my knowledge), wouldn't that prove against it?

Not really. If you can think of it this way.

When God said "Let us make man in our image and after our likeness" - we can understand more about the makeup of God by looking at the makeup of man.

Man is a three part being, a spirit that has a soul and lives in a body. Spirit, soul and body. - three parts one person (Other people us the analogy of an egg - shell, white and yolk)

Since we are in His likeness, God is three parts but one person (Father, The Word, and Holy Spirit).

 

[Brickjectivity]

2) Since Christianity is considered an Abrahamic Monotheistic religion, and since all the prophets in Abrahamic religions prior to Christianity and after (i.e. Islam) always preached that god is one, without mention of any trinity (to my knowledge), wouldn't that prove against it?

Having spoke with Christians from different backgrounds I've found there are varying opinions on what the trinity means. I think Father, Son the Holy Spirit describe our relationship (as Christians) to God, rather than describing God. For example 'Father' does not imply that God has a sex or genitals. I understand that creeds sound like descriptions of God, however I am not defending creeds. I'm merely answering your question.

My understanding of the trinity is posted here: catholics, orthodox, and protestants: can you explain the trinity?

1) Why did people believe Mary was a virgin and gave birth to Jesus through a miracle? As opposed to people saying she committed adultery which is what most people would normally assume.

There are two different reasons. There is dogma with church tradition, and then there is literal reading of Matthew 1:23.

The gospel of Matthew says so in chapter 1 verse 23. That is why many protestant Christians believe so. You have to understand, too, that for protestants this is more of a detail than an extremely important article. A protestant rarely gives much thought to Mary at all. She is not central. Also a protestant, having a broken fellowship away from the catholics, can speak about Mary however we like and do not have to repeat dogma to be called a Christian, but we do have our own creeds sometimes. We often have our own dogmas which may or may not include Mary.

Roman Catholics on the other hand consider this (about Mary) to be dogma, so while they can hold different views about Mary they are compelled to speak about Mary in a particular way during prayers. They must speak the dogma but may think about this in different ways and interpret it different ways. They are compelled by creeds (whereas the protestants mostly are only compelled who read Matthew 1:23 literally). Catholics do not rely upon scriptures alone but rely upon the traditions of their church. In church almost every week they recite something about the virgin.

 

[Windwalker]

Hey guys, I'm new to this forum but I liked the idea of debating religions so I decided to join up! I'm a muslim btw.

Welcome to RF!

1) Why did people believe Mary was a virgin and gave birth to Jesus through a miracle? As opposed to people saying she committed adultery which is what most people would normally assume.

The story from the gospel of Luke tells the story of how he was born of a virgin. It doesn't mention adultery. That's why they believe he was born of a virgin.

2) Since Christianity is considered an Abrahamic Monotheistic religion, and since all the prophets in Abrahamic religions prior to Christianity and after (i.e. Islam) always preached that god is one, without mention of any trinity (to my knowledge), wouldn't that prove against it?

Trinitarian views are simply as way to look at the nature of the Divine, just like the OT prophets would speak of the Wisdom of God, Sophia, as being with God. They weren't polytheists either. Trinitarianism is fundamentally a monotheist belief. The problem is when people try to make a highly abstract concept, into a concrete literal reality. "You're saying there are 3 gods?" That's not a problem with the concept. It's a problem with the student.

 

[Brian2]

Hey guys, I'm new to this forum but I liked the idea of debating religions so I decided to join up! I'm a muslim btw.

Welcome to the forum.

I'll let others give you answers at the moment as I have not time today.

 

[sherifgg]

Welcome to RF. Sit back, relax and enjoy the cake

Im atheist so i hope you don't mind a non christian input.

Thank you, any input is welcome, but I guess the question is tailored to those who believe in that, since you generally would have to believe it to justify it.

Your answer will be in the same category of their answer.

I guess you might have misunderstood my question as I might have not phrased it very clearly - it is more so, why did people back then believe Mary when she said Jesus was miraculously born, not why do Christians right now believe it, as the latter would be more fitting of your analogy.

Hi Sheriffgg,

1. Indoctrination

Do you think Mary committed adultery? What denomination of Islam do you belong to?

Thank you!

1. My opinion is indoctrination wouldn't be correct, because a significant number of Jews at the time rejected that claim.

I would fall into the category of Sunni Muslim if I had to classify myself. We believe in the miraculous birth of Jesus but I want to understand more of the Christian belief in it, specifically right after he was born.

Hi and welcome!

1. I think people believed it because of two reasons. One is the things what was said to the people involved, like for example:

Luke 1:31-33
Luke 1:35
Matt. 1:19—21

Obviously, these are the experiences of those specific people and others would not have heard of them the same way. I think the reason why people believe Maria and Joseph in this is that what Jesus then later did and spoke. If Jesus would not have acted the way he did, then I don’t think people would have believed them.

2. I think it would be good to know, Bible doesn’t have the word Trinity. Jesus said that there is only one true God that is greater than him. And even Paul taught the same.

Hi, thank you!

1. While your answer would explain why people right now believe, it does not explain why people would believe her at the beginning. As it would have been an outrage for her to become pregnant outside of marital relationship.

2. Interesting point, What religion do you follow if I may ask? Also that doesn't directly address the point as to why Christians would believe in it, if other Abrahamic religion followers do not believe/mention a trinity.

Welcome to RFs.
As a follower of Jesus Christ, l would say that it was an essential requirement that Mary be a virgin and that her conception be miraculous. This is to ensure that Christ is the true embodiment of God, come to dwell amongst men on earth.

IMO, Christ, as mediator, holds a position that is perfectly balanced between God and man. He has the fulness of the Godhead bodily, and comprehends both perspectives. For this to be true, Christ must be descended from king David, yet also be the Son of God.

The doctrine of the Trinity is borne out of God's redemptive plan. Once God has come to dwell on earth, the transcendence of God is compromised. God, in Christ, dwells amongst men. But, for redemption to take place, it is not enough that God should dwell amongst men only, He must also dwell within men. For this to happen, men must receive the Holy Spirit in baptism, thereby drawing men into Christ and into salvation.

God does not stop being one God by coming to earth, or by dwelling in the hearts of men.

IMO.

Thank you,
1. That doesn't address why people believe Mary at the beginning
2. If i understand your explanation correctly, so prior to Jesus being born, there was no trinity? and It only occurred after in order to carry out god's redemptive plan?

Hello Sherifgg, good to have you
As-Salaam-Alaikum



The short and the long...

1 - The short - Fulfilling Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

2. The long - The Word had to come sinless like Adam was before he sinned. Had The Word been birthed by a man, he would have carried the sin-nature of man and would not have been able to fulfill the redeeming of mankind. Romans 5:14

He had to come through a woman - because it was the only legal gate that was declared from the beginning to have the right to exercise legal authority on earth. Genesis 1:26

The Word (Jesus) - was created in the womb of Mary even as Adam was created by the hands of God.
1 Corinthians 15:45

His purpose in coming in the flesh is to reconcile man back to God by forgiving all of our sins and joining us spiritually back to Him through the death, burial and resurrection. He,in essence, paid for our sins.



Not really. If you can think of it this way.

When God said "Let us make man in our image and after our likeness" - we can understand more about the makeup of God by looking at the makeup of man.

Man is a three part being, a spirit that has a soul and lives in a body. Spirit, soul and body. - three parts one person (Other people us the analogy of an egg - shell, white and yolk)

Since we are in His likeness, God is three parts but one person (Father, The Word, and Holy Spirit).

Thank you!

1. The fulfillment of Isaiah 7:14 makes sense, but how did she prove that she was the one referred to, at that time after birth?

2. If God had three parts, why did prior religions not worship him in such a way?

Welcome to RF!


The story from the gospel of Luke tells the story of how he was born of a virgin. It doesn't mention adultery. That's why they believe he was born of a virgin.

Trinitarian views are simply as way to look at the nature of the Divine, just like the OT prophets would speak of the Wisdom of God, Sophia, as being with God. They weren't polytheists either. Trinitarianism is fundamentally a monotheist belief. The problem is when people try to make a highly abstract concept, into a concrete literal reality. "You're saying there are 3 gods?" That's not a problem with the concept. It's a problem with the student.

Thank you,

1. The gospel of Luke came much later, I am more interested in the events right after jesus's birth. Why believe Mary then and there?
2. Why would you need a new nature of looking at the divine, which causes significant conflict with Judaism and other teachings of previous prophets? As well as conflict even within the same religion[/QUOTE]

 

[sherifgg]

Having spoke with Christians from different backgrounds I've found there are varying opinions on what the trinity means. I think Father, Son the Holy Spirit describe our relationship (as Christians) to God, rather than describing God. For example 'Father' does not imply that God has a sex or genitals. I understand that creeds sound like descriptions of God, however I am not defending creeds. I'm merely answering your question.

My understanding of the trinity is posted here: catholics, orthodox, and protestants: can you explain the trinity?



There are two different reasons. There is dogma with church tradition, and then there is literal reading of Matthew 1:23.

The gospel of Matthew says so in chapter 1 verse 23. That is why many protestant Christians believe so. You have to understand, too, that for protestants this is more of a detail than an extremely important article. A protestant rarely gives much thought to Mary at all. She is not central. Also a protestant, having a broken fellowship away from the catholics, can speak about Mary however we like and do not have to repeat dogma to be called a Christian, but we do have our own creeds sometimes. We often have our own dogmas which may or may not include Mary.

Roman Catholics on the other hand consider this (about Mary) to be dogma, so while they can hold different views about Mary they are compelled to speak about Mary in a particular way during prayers. They must speak the dogma but may think about this in different ways and interpret it different ways. They are compelled by creeds (whereas the protestants mostly are only compelled who read Matthew 1:23 literally). Catholics do not rely upon scriptures alone but rely upon the traditions of their church. In church almost every week they recite something about the virgin.

1. I skimmed through that post previously, but will look for your answer.
2. See my answer above, as I clarified my question a little better.

 

[Windwalker]

1. The gospel of Luke came much later, I am more interested in the events right after jesus's birth. Why believe Mary then and there?

Well, that's an historical question, not a theological question like the virgin birth. Historically speaking there isn't a lot to work with, other than trying to align dates of history with the biblical account. For instance the likely date of his birth was approximately minus 6 BCE. There is no historical mention of Mary outside the biblical narrative.

BTW, I don't believe the biblical author actually heard Mary tell of that. I doubt he knew her personally.

2. Why would you need a new nature of looking at the divine, which causes significant conflict with Judaism and other teachings of previous prophets? As well as conflict even within the same religion

I don't think the purpose of the theologians who were trying to understand the relationships of the mentioned figures of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in their scriptures as distinctive in nature, yet all spoken of as the Divine itself, or God. It was a theological gaze into the depths of their own scriptures. They did not conclude a multiplicity of deities, or gods, nor a divided power structure of 1/3rd God idea, which likewise is not monotheism. So therein is the Divine Mystery, theologically speaking. Three, but ONE. Trinity is just a way to try to talk about it.

The issue is a matter of perspective. From an outsider perspective, it doesn't make sense. But from the insider perspective, seen through the lens of the writers of their sacred texts, it's a theological view of the one same monotheistic God. Same God, different lens seeing that same God through. Make sense?

 

[Brickjectivity]

Since Christianity is considered an Abrahamic Monotheistic religion, and since all the prophets in Abrahamic religions prior to Christianity and after (i.e. Islam) always preached that god is one, without mention of any trinity (to my knowledge), wouldn't that prove against it?

Not understanding it and not wishing to learn it is not proof against it. Just because not everyone needs to understand it and not everyone needs to know it, this is not proof against it.

Why did people believe Mary was a virgin and gave birth to Jesus through a miracle? As opposed to people saying she committed adultery which is what most people would normally assume.

The reason is a secret, however if you claim she was raped (being raped is not adultery in Judaism) or else that she committed adultery you can do so without being punished. She cannot be harmed by cast aspersions since her death. I'm not suggesting that its Ok to accuse young women of things, but when it comes to discussing Mary and this theological question there is freedom. Also the gospels say slander against Jesus is forgivable, too. Here are three partial quotations with references about forgiveness of slander and other things:

• [Mat 12:32 NIV] 32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven,...
  
• [Mar 3:28 NIV] 28 Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter,...
• [Luk 6:37 NIV] 37 "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

So the real reason is a secret, however it is part of the creed that catholics must recite as well as many anglicans, episcopals and other liturgical protestants.

I suspect the real reason is that she symbolizes the church, but I don't know for sure. It is not official dogma.

 

[viole]

I guess you might have misunderstood my question as I might have not phrased it very clearly - it is more so, why did people back then believe Mary when she said Jesus was miraculously born, not why do Christians right now believe it, as the latter would be more fitting of your analogy.

Apparently you did not get the purpose of my counter question. Or is there a problem with my English, which I cannot rule out, since it is my fourth language in decreasing order of proficiency?

So, let me explain it to you very slowly. It is very easy actually. So, no panic.

When you ask belief X why it believes in Y, because belief Y has many alternative naturalistic explanations, then you need to be sure that you do not hold any belief Z that has also obvious naturalistic explanations. Otherwise your question is undermined by you believing in equal nonsense, that has the same amount of much more obvious naturalistic explanations. You know, like believing that a black stone has been sent by God, when there are tons of naturalistic explanations thereof. IOW, believers in Mary virginity are as entitled to believe that stuff, as you are entitled to believe your black stone stuff. You are both at the same level of irrational belief without a shred of evidence, with both beliefs having obvious alternative naturalistic explanations.

Is that clear enough, also considering that English is the language I am least confident with?

Ciao

- viole

 

[IndigoChild5559]

My view is that Mary either had an affair with or was raped by Julius Pantera. .

You are referring to a story about a Yeshua in the Talmud. Consider that Yeshua and Miriam were both extraordinarily common names at that time. So the question becomes, are the Yeshua and Miriam in this Talmud account the same Yeshua and Miriam of the gospel accounts? Since the stories so strongly diverge, I would say no. Indeed, I don't think any of the mentions of a Yeshua refer to the Yeshua of the gospels. The Yeshua of the gospels just wasn't significant to the writers of the Talmud. Of course this is one of those cases where Jews disagree, so you may get different answers.

Personally, I do not consider the gospels to be entirely historical. They mix in legend and myth. I think the virgin birth story is a myth. Thus, there was no instance where Mary claimed to be impregnated by the Holy Spirit, and so, no need to explain why Joseph would believe it.

 

[ChristineM]

You are referring to a story about a Yeshua in the Talmud. Consider that Yeshua and Miriam were both extraordinarily common names at that time. So the question becomes, are the Yeshua and Miriam in this Talmud account the same Yeshua and Miriam of the gospel accounts? Since the stories so strongly diverge, I would say no. Indeed, I don't think any of the mentions of a Yeshua refer to the Yeshua of the gospels. The Yeshua of the gospels just wasn't significant to the writers of the Talmud. Of course this is one of those cases where Jews disagree, so you may get different answers.

Personally, I do not consider the gospels to be entirely historical. They mix in legend and myth. I think the virgin birth story is a myth. Thus, there was no instance where Mary claimed to be impregnated by the Holy Spirit, and so, no need to explain why Joseph would believe it.

Also in the lost work of Celsus as described in Origen's work 'against celsus'

 

[sherifgg]

Apparently you did not get the purpose of my counter question. Or is there a problem with my English, which I cannot rule out, since it is my fourth language in decreasing order of proficiency?

So, let me explain it to you very slowly. It is very easy actually. So, no panic.

When you ask belief X why it believes in Y, because belief Y has many alternative naturalistic explanations, then you need to be sure that you do not hold any belief Z that has also obvious naturalistic explanations. Otherwise your question is undermined by you believing in equal nonsense, that has the same amount of much more obvious naturalistic explanations. You know, like believing that a black stone has been sent by God, when there are tons of naturalistic explanations thereof. IOW, believers in Mary virginity are as entitled to believe that stuff, as you are entitled to believe your black stone stuff. You are both at the same level of irrational belief without a shred of evidence, with both beliefs having obvious alternative naturalistic explanations.

Is that clear enough, also considering that English is the language I am least confident with?

Ciao

- viole

Not panicking at all, I did get the purpose of your counter question but it is not what I am asking. My question is not simply why people believe in anything that has other natural explanations, it is quite more specific to the story of Mary. We as Muslims actually believe in the miracle birth of Jesus the same way Christians do, so I am not saying it is not true, nor am I asking why would anyone believe in that when there is a natural explanation, but rather more specifically when Mary claimed that she gave birth miraculously, I'm sure the majority of people at the time wouldn't of believed it normally, what made them believe such a huge claim, which was a first of its kind? Obviously there must have been something to convince people into believing her story.

And the reason I ask this specific question is because in the Islamic narration of the Mary and Jesus PBUH story there is a specific explanation as to why people believed her, but I could not find such an example in Christianity.

When you give the example of the black stone, we believe it is from heaven because it is narrated through hadith (traditional sayings of the prophet), and since we believe Prophet Muhammed PBUH is a true messenger of God, so if he did say it then it is true to us. Now you could question the authenticity of the hadeeth, since not all hadith are accurate and authenticated but this specific hadith has been authenticated. You could also question whether prophet Muhammed is a true messenger, and to me that comes from reading and understanding the Quran, but that would be an entire different debate from what I am asking.

 

[Kenny]

Thank you!

1. The fulfillment of Isaiah 7:14 makes sense, but how did she prove that she was the one referred to, at that time after birth?

2. If God had three parts, why did prior religions not worship him in such a way?

Good questions... and I don't think I have had anyone ask those questions.

It isn't just that one thing that happened to Mary that qualified her (although, to my knowledge, no other virgin had a baby... but rather a multiplicity of reasons:

You have her cousin Elizabeth who also had a child miraculously in her old age that when she say Mary, who was pregnant, was touched by God to say the following: Luke 1:42 And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. 43 And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.

Then you had the angels of God appearing to the shepherd saying "Luke 2:10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

You also had the Maggi as well as the sages of the Jewish faith. Matthew 2: 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, 6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.

John the Baptist confirmed that Jesus was the Messiah as foretold by Isaiah 40:3. and as mentioned in Luke 3 and John 1:23

Then you had the prophetess Anna Luke 2:38 who spoke of Him

I could continue on but the statistical reality of Jesus fulfilling just 8 prophetic statements of the 108 by the Prophets is already in the impossibility realm.

applying-the-science-of-probability-to-the-scriptures

As far as "why didn't previous religions worship that way"... well, I'm not sure they didn't (subtracting those who worshipped false gods.

The Jerusalem Edition of the Zohar, in its comment on Genesis 1:1, explains why the authors believe that God is triune. They point out especially that the name of God, Elohim, is made up of the two Hebrew words El and Haym. El means God and Haym means they; therefore, they conclude that God is a plural being. The Zohar passage is as follows:

Jehovah, Elohaynu, Jehovah. There are three steps to accept the mystery from above. In the beginning God created. In the beginning is the first mystery from where all else spreads…The name takes three forms and from there the name is interpreted in several ways… Rabbi Bechai explained: Elohim is El Haym. These are gods. Remember your creators (Ecclesiastes 12:1). The wise will understand.

Rabbinic Judaism and the Plurality of God

But, regardless, understanding God isn't an easy endeavor. Who can understand all of God? We see Jesus as the fulness of the expression of God.

 

[Twilight Hue]

Hey guys, I'm new to this forum but I liked the idea of debating religions so I decided to join up! I'm a muslim btw.

I would like to start off my posts by a couple things I was wondering about Christianity and would be interested to hear thoughts regarding this questions.

1) Why did people believe Mary was a virgin and gave birth to Jesus through a miracle? As opposed to people saying she committed adultery which is what most people would normally assume.

2) Since Christianity is considered an Abrahamic Monotheistic religion, and since all the prophets in Abrahamic religions prior to Christianity and after (i.e. Islam) always preached that god is one, without mention of any trinity (to my knowledge), wouldn't that prove against it?

I can split these into different threads if needed.

Thank you!

Christianity is a mythology of many borrowed religions.

There are a lot of virgin births in the ancient Roman and Greek pantheon of gods and demigods.

The trinity is nothing new either and it satiated the need of one God while preserving polytheism.