however, overcoming those who opposed it, and finally becoming
accepted as beyond doubt or question by the orthodox, believing
Christian.

But the present time finds many leading minds in the churches, who
refuse to accept the doctrine as usually taught, and the voice of the
Higher Criticism is heard in the land in increasing volume and many
doctrines unquestioningly held by the pews are being abandoned by the
pulpits, usually in the way of "discreet silence" being maintained.
But here and there courageous voices are heard stating plainly that
which their reason and conscience impels. We shall now consider these
dissenting opinions.

We have to say here, at this point, that we have no sympathy for the
so-called "infidel" opinion, which holds that the whole tale of the
Virgin Birth was invented to conceal the illegitimate birth of Jesus.
Such a view is based neither on intelligent investigation or
criticism, or upon the occult teachings. It was merely "invented"
itself, by those who were unable to accept current theology and who,
when driven from the churches, built up a crude system of
reconstructed Biblical History of their own. And so we shall not stop
to even consider this view of the matter, but shall pass on to the
scholarly objectors and their views and thence to the Occult
Teachings.

In the first place, the theologians who favor the views of the Higher
Criticism object to the idea of the Virgin Birth upon several general
grounds, among which the following are the principal ones:

(1) That the story of the Divine Conception, that is the