Miracles? Virgin Birth? Nah, We’re Here for Jesus’ Teachings
Episode script. Originally published 2026-11-01 at https://basedcamppodcast.substack.com/p/miracles-virgin-birth-nah-were-here
In this Based Camp tract episode, we hash out our Techno-Puritan approach to biblical authority, prioritizing the Gospel of Mark and the proposed Q collection of Jesus’ sayings while treating other New Testament writings as fallible human accounts rather than equally authoritative divine revelation.
Comparing conflicting birth narratives, genealogies, accounts of Jesus’ death, and resurrection stories, they argue that accepting historical errors and later embellishments resolves apparent contradictions without undermining faith in Jesus as the Messiah. Our central claim is that Christianity’s most important “miracle” is not the virgin birth or supernatural events but its enduring moral and societal effects, which they see as stronger evidence of its truth.
We also question conventional accounts of atonement, suggesting that Jesus’ death sealed a new covenant rather than transferred individual sins onto an innocent sacrifice. The discussion concludes by connecting this framework to our proposed “third covenant,” in which technological progress and changing human circumstances require believers to exercise moral judgment rather than rely unquestioningly on inherited religious institutions or rigid interpretations.