Im a greek mythology nerd and every time i talk about it my mother asks how the ancient greeks believed such nonsense, how could Zeus possibly birth Athena from his head. She doesn't question how a virgin birthed jesus though.
It’s super-weird to watch from the outside. And they’re completely oblivious to it, because it’s the water they swim in.
This is the nature of indoctrination, cognitive dissonance and confirmation bias.
Beliefs they already hold that weren’t obtained through any form of evaluation are assumed right, and all others outside the clique are viewed with suspicion and assumed wrong, to protect the existing beliefs. (This is, of course, different from skepticism which draws no conclusion until after you either make or else fail to justify your case with appropriate evidence.)
The “wrong” ones can be easily mocked, especially when they’re absurd. But the “right” ones are dearly held, even if they’re just as absurd, and all reinforce each other’s validity: since god is true and Jesus is true then Mary as a virgin must be true. And if Mary being a virgin is true and god is true, then Jesus must be true. And since Jesus is true and Mary being a virgin is true, then god must be true. It all makes sense, right? And if you don’t think so then you just don’t understand Xtianity. Because how can “god” be hamstrung by logic… even while Zeus is?
This is why they’re taught not to examine or question “faith”; it’s a precarious house of cards, and when you start to pick at it, it rapidly falls apart. Either they double-down by inventing their own explanations to avoid the terrifying possibility of their beliefs being untrue (aka “personal relationship”, “out of context!1!” and “well I just have faith”), or they end up an atheist, astonished they were ever suckered into it in the first place.
