Aliens & Mary's Pregnancy
Ask Me Anything
Week 13: Aliens & Mary's Pregnancy
Do you think that aliens could have played a part in Mary’s pregnancy and Jesus?
I think it is worth really diving into what we believe to be true about Christmas. For people who are in the midst of deconstructing, questioning or rethinking faith, major holidays like Christmas and Easter can be difficult. I believe like with anything else that we've talked about that there is room for a wide range of belief, and that it's important to process where we stand in our beliefs. Whether we believe the story is historically accurate, or metaphor and imagery to tell us about God's character, or somewhere in between, there is beauty in these stories.
I think that the idea of a virgin birth is significant, and worth exploring. So let's look at a few different alternative theories around Mary's pregnancy. In terms of Aliens being involved, I suppose it's possible, because there is so much we don’t know about Aliens. . A very common alien trope is the idea that aliens are procreating with humans. However, I feel like just from my basic understandings of biology the likelihood of an alien species being able to reproduce a viable fetus with a human would be improbable. Last week we did touch on the theory that the Angels of the Bible are actually aliens. In that case, maybe the Shepperd's saw UFOs or Aliens announcing Jesus's birth. Therefore, maybe aliens weren't involved in the pregnancy, but were involved in other ways. I think that is a fun thing to think about. I could find very little about this theory, I was hoping to fall down a tiktok conspiracy rabbit hole, but I could truly only find one Quora thread about Aliens being involved in Mary's pregnancy. However, I did find some other juicy theories and historical tidbits.
There are two prominent theories that seem likely if we are assuming that Mary didn't have a virgin birth. The first is that Mary conceived Jesus naturally outside of wedlock. This may have been with Joseph or with someone else, and needed to cover up her pregnancy to avoid retribution. For a lot of human history, women's virginity was gate-kept by the men in their families. Because their virginity was a commodity that secured a dowry, and before DNA tests, it was a way to try and ensure that children were legitimate. She could have been put to death for carrying another man's child, or getting pregnant before marriage. In the article, There Is Nothing New About Virgin Births (Just Ask Plato), author Berwyn Lewis states, "Claims of divine intervention aside, virgin births may have a more human explanation – a tragic demonstration of the extreme measures women have been forced to take to save themselves and their reputations."
The second scenario was that Mary and Joseph got married, got pregnant, and gave birth to Jesus. Then, many years after Jesus's legacy, the story was augmented. Mark, the first recorded gospel, is written approximately 40 years after Jesus's death. There is no mention of the birth story. It isn't until Matthew and Luke, written around 55 years after Jesus's death that we get two differing birth stories. So it is likely, that these birth stories are supposed to tell us what Jesus was like, and the significance of his birth in a human body. The idea of virgin births is not specific to the Nativity. There are many other religions and nations that hold the idea of a prominent figure being born of a virgin birth. In fact, for many people in power, or deities, it was fairly common to claim a virgin birth. Think of Romulus and Remus, it was true of many Greek and Roman gods. The Gospels were written after Paul expanded the story to gentiles, so it is possible that the tale of a Virgin Birth, in Luke and Matthew could've included stories that would appeal to a "pagan" audience. This is similar to the adoption of Christmas on December 25. Jesus would've been born sometime in March-April. However, when Constantine made Christianity the state religion of Rome, Christmas was moved to December 25. Originally there was a pagan holiday celebrated on this day. So like many other things, it is possible Christianity adopted elements of other religions in order to appeal to pagan converts.
It is important to reflect on what we actually believe to be true? Does that shift if we think aliens were involved? If the pregnancy was caused by a natural conception, or a divine one? We have been told the same stories over, but it is important to really take stock and evaluate. I think there is room for all range of belief! I was just having a conversation with a friend about how I do believe so much of the bible is composed of stories that tell us of God's character, but that I do believe it's possible that some of those things happened. I do believe in miracles and the unexplainable. I think there is something significant about believing that the Divine came to earth in the form of an infant. One of my favorite Richard Rohr quotes is that "God loves things by becoming them." I think that this beautifully summarizes incarnation. The Nativity reflects what we believe to be true of the mystery of Jesus, and the way that God chooses to interact with humanity.
Discussion Questions
What’s your past understanding of Christmas?
How do you view Christmas now?
If your beliefs have changed, what caused the shift?
What are you hopeful for this Christmas?
Resources
There Is Nothing New About Virgin Births (Just Ask Plato)
Was Joseph Really- Suspicious of Mary's Pregnancy
What History Really Tells Us About the Birth of Jesus
Is It Possible that the Blessed Virgin Mary was Artificially Fertilized by Aliens?