Modernist theologian- "A plethora of absurd stories" in the Bible. All time favourite song, "Mary Did you know?"

Delphine Conzelmann: The Virgin Birth of Mary as an "Intellectual Challenge"

What on earth was the point of converting?

The Virgin Birth for Catholics is not an intellectual challenge.  It is a reality and the truth

Roman Catholic theologian Delphine Conzelmann doesn't take "absurd stories" in the Bible literally. She embraces the intellectual challenge, full of "freedom in faith." At Christmas, she appreciates the "indestructible, positive power."

A year ago, Basel theologian Delphine Conzelmann converted from the Reformed Church to the Roman Catholic Church. She told kath.ch that her reasons for the change were "primarily spiritual." She said she had developed a new understanding of the Last Supper and the Eucharist.

Now, the theologian is pushing back against the tendency to view faith and reason as opposites. That's a misunderstanding, she says in an interview with NZZ am Sonntag.

"A woman who claims she became pregnant by a ghost—of course, that sounds totally bizarre!"

She takes biblical narratives like the one about the virgin birth of Mary in stride. When asked by the newspaper if she really believed it, she replied: "A woman who claims to have become pregnant by a ghost—of course, that sounds totally bizarre!"

"A plethora of absurd stories" in the Bible

This also seemed strange to Christians of earlier centuries. "There's no need to deny it; it should pique your curiosity," she says, adding: "There are indeed a plethora of absurd stories in the Bible. If you take them literally, you miss out on a lot." She has never taken these stories literally, but has "always read them as an intellectual challenge." This freedom of belief is important to her.

The theologian values ​​Christmas as a sign of hope. "Christmas always creates a ray of light, even if only for a moment. It shines into the world, no matter how dark it may be. This indestructible, positive power moves me anew every year."

Little left for consumer criticism

She doesn't think much of the criticism that it's all about consumption anymore. She finds that hypocritical. After all, gifts are part of it. And when businesses collaborate with the church, as with the Basel Nativity Trail, both benefit.

Delphine Conzelmann names "Mary, Di You Know?" as her favorite Christmas carol. Songwriter Mark Lowry tries to put himself in Mary's shoes and poses the "great, unanswered question: What does it feel like to carry God within you and bring him into the world?"

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