THE BIBLE TELLS THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD

I was talking with an old friend last night and the conversation got on to religion…surprise, surprise.  She was relating on an experience her sister had at a Bible Study.  The leader of the study asked, “What myths have you recently stopped believing?”  Her sister answered, “The virgin birth.”  My friend said she had recently stopped believing in that myth as well.  Several things came to my mind. First, why do we think we have to stop believing in our myths and second, what does it matter whether or not we believe in doctrines such as the virgin birth?

I began to ponder why do I not have a problem believing in all of what the Bible says and don’t see a need to give up believing any of it?  It all helps me in my walk with God and strengthens my faith and practice.  I consider myself relatively intelligent and I have been studying religion for over forty years.  I just recently finished a course in Apologetics so I know the whole Enlightenment and appeal to Reason over superstition explanation, of doing away with the supernatural influences in religion, such as the virgin birth; but personally I just don’t buy it.  The so called myths and stories are what I enjoy in the Scriptures.  I learn real life lessons from them and therefore I will continue to simply believe them.

I believe that myths and stories are very important to a culture.  The American Indians used their myths and stories to make a connection to what was unknown to them and give meaning to their lives.  They used the stories for healing and general well being.  I think this is true in many, if not all primitive cultures.  If Christianity destroyed that then it was wrong to do so.  Jesus used stories in the form of parables to make his teachings understandable to people, to make connections to the unknown so it could be known.

That is what stories do for me.  They connect the dots of reality and bring form to the truth I may not see in the dots; but clothed and enhanced in the story it makes sense to me.  Thinking rationally about The virgin birth doesn’t make sense or seem real. But when I ponder my experience, my story of how God entered my being in an instant one day and how I have grown from that seed that was implanted into my inner being, then I see the connection and I have no trouble believing in the virgin birth.  It is supernatural…it is true…it is God at move in mysterious ways I don’t understand but I do experience.

I have no plan of getting rid of any of the myths.  I will continue to simply delight in the greatest Story ever told recorded in the Bible.