[photon]

Originally Posted by Playfair

Fair enough. If that is what they choose to do then that is fine. But that is what the Truth is. You can't call yourself a Christian and not believe in the virgin birth. The two don't go together.

And yet there are Christians who do not believe in the virgin birth. You may not call them Christians, but they do. Who judges such things? Surely not you or I.

Some biblical scholars think that the concept of a virgin birth was added to Christianity later on. Paul doesn't mention a virgin birth and his writings are earlier than the gospels, and Paul does specifically talk about Jesus' birth. Mark is the earliest gospel and doesn't mention it either.

Matthew has the virgin birth, but Matthew always goes out of the way to try and fit his account with his reading of OT prophecy.

Some view it as a fulfillment of what they think is a prophecy in Isiah 7:14, but it appears that the authors of Matthew and Luke may have been using an incorrect translation of Isiah in Greek, where "young woman" is mistakenly translated as virgin.

Even some modern translations of bibles translate Isiah 7:14 correctly in that they say "young woman" rather than "virgin".

Originally Posted by Playfair

Jesus was born with a sin nature, like all of us, that he inherited through Mary. He was sinless because He was the Son of God and though tempted like all of us are, He never sinned. If He didn't go to the cross and He choose not to die, He would still be walking amongst us. He would not have tasted death.

The doctrine of original sin didn't come about until the second century and was debated and changed in the church for long after, so while maybe important it can't be critical to Christianity, otherwise people before that weren't Christian.

Catholics also believe differently, they believe that Mary was preserved and immune from original sin.

Originally Posted by Playfair

But He choose to die for us. Now you can say that it is all hogwash, that you don't believe it, but that doesn't take away from the fact that is what the Bible says, and that is what true believers in Christ would know.

That's what some people's interpretation of the Bible says, which is different.

Originally Posted by Playfair

It is very basic theology, much like Jesus rising from the dead. If you don't believe that, you are not a true believer, you are a pretender. You may have some of the same beliefs, but Holy Spirit does not indwell you. You are not born again into Christ.

If it was basic theology and those that didn't believe it aren't true believers, that would mean all the Christians before the doctrine was first developed were actually not Christians at all?

Salvation comes through belief in Christ or through good works or a combination (depending on who's interpretation of which gospels you believe), belief in the doctrine of original sin doesn't seem to be specified as a requirement.

So it would still be possible to believe in the completed work of Christ on the cross and redemption through the shedding of blood without the doctrines of either the virgin birth or original sin, and even when I was a Christian I wouldn't have presumed to call my revelation of scripture superior to another's.

To denounce them as Christians does both you and them a disservice I think.

So getting back to the point of the billboard, not everyone believes that every word of the Bible is literally true and is to be taken thus, and they're trying to express that with the billboard.

EDIT: See, that's what happens when you leave a post in the middle and come back to complete it, others steal your thunder!