Dr. Eric Sprankle, a certified sex therapist and Associate Professor at Minnesota State University, has made a controversial claim that the Immaculate Conception was not that immaculate, in fact.
"The virgin birth story is about an all-knowing, all-powerful deity impregnating a human teen. There is no definition of consent that would include that scenario," he wrote on Twitter.
The virgin birth story is about an all-knowing, all-powerful deity impregnating a human teen. There is no definition of consent that would include that scenario. Happy Holidays.
— Eric Sprankle, PsyD (@DrSprankle) 3 декабря 2018 г.
Dr. Sprankle, who is studying sex work stigma and the effects of sexually explicit material, was reminded by a user that Virgin Mary actually agreed to be the Mother of Christ.
He argued, however, that the biblical God abused his authority and forced Mary to consent over fear of being punished.
"The biblical god regularly punished disobedience. The power difference (deity vs mortal) and the potential for violence for saying 'no' negates her 'yes.' To put someone in this position is an unethical abuse of power at best and grossly predatory at worst."
The biblical god regularly punished disobedience. The power difference (deity vs mortal) and the potential for violence for saying “no” negates her “yes.” To put someone in this position is an unethical abuse of power at best and grossly predatory at worst.
— Eric Sprankle, PsyD (@DrSprankle) 4 декабря 2018 г.
Unsurprisingly, the audacious claim drew the ire of Christian laypeople and clergy. "Dr. Sprankle's comments are nothing but blasphemous babble from a liberal who is completely ignorant of the Bible," Pastor Robert Jeffress from the First Baptist Church of Dallas told The Christian Post.
"This professor had better pray that there is no God because if there is, his goose is cooked on Judgement Day," he said.
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Fox News contributor Mark Steyn also gave a stinging rebuke to the academic. "The stupidity and banality and shallowness and reductiveness of this is a dismal comment on the state of atheism in America. They don't seem to make the same kind of Ramadan jokes as they do Christmas jokes."
