Miracles in the Bible Miracles and the miraculous are some of the most pivotal and important components of the Biblical scriptures. For those who are Protestant Christians, such as myself, the idea of miracles is widely accepted and in fact serves as the basis for a large portion of our faith. Outside of the Christian/Catholic community, the concept of miraculous occurrence is understandably met with a great deal of criticism. There is a substantial amount of dialogue going on about how one should process the concept of miracles, but it can be difficult for a person to make sense of it all and come to a conclusion that he or she can find to be one hundred percent satisfactory. I should start out by saying that I myself do believe in miracles. …show more content…
I went to two different nondenominational private Christian schools for K-12, and in both schools, we had Bible class every day. In these classes, the events of the Bible were presented to us as factual texts that were to be understood literally, aside from the book of Revelation, which was said to be more allegorical. So, the concept of miracles has never been foreign to me. We were of course taught about science and the limitations that come with it in our other classes, but our understanding was that miracles simply defied those rules. These miracles were examples of God demonstrating the power that He had over the laws of nature and of the great things that a …show more content…
There are some texts in which some modern analysts and experts have found a way to come up with a more rationalized explanation for seemingly irrational events. For example, the crossing of the Red Sea in Exodus after the Israelites left Egypt can be more reasonably explained when the translation from Hebrew is actually the crossing of the Reed Sea. However, there are some other miracles for which there does not seem to be any widely accepted explanation, such as the previously discussed virgin birth. Anyone who understands biology knows that a virgin birth is flat out impossible. However, I would argue that that is the point of the inclusion of the miracles in the Biblical text. These events are supposed to defy the laws of nature as we know
McGrew, Timothy, "Miracles", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2010 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = .
Miracles are fore-facts of the future done on a small scale. There had been no appearance of God to anyone for more than four hundred years, so people probably thought the age of miracles was long gone. The people would not have accepted Moses as God’s spokesperson without some kind of proof. The miracle-plagues were just that. They are significant because of the number of them that were brought forth. There were ten. The number ten is significant to completeness. God said that he would execute judgment against all of the false gods of Egypt, and each plague was said to be directed toward a particular heavenly deity. So the ten plagues reveal the full wrath of God’s judgment on Egypt. The first nine Plagues were just God proving that he was more powerful than the Egyptian gods. They were simply tricks in comparison to the final one. The tenth plague, the death of the firstborn, was the most powerful of all. This final plague brought death to all Egyptian homes, even the home of the beloved pharaoh, and ensured Israel’s release from slavery. After this calamity, pharaoh had no choice but grant Israel their demands and he even pleaded for blessings from them. This plague destroyed idolatry and showed that life and death are in the hands of God.
Of course, it is hard for such a man to believe in extraordinary claims without being there to witness them. Especially when such events require a lot of faith. In order for an event to be deemed a miracle, it must disobey the laws of nature. However, it is these same laws that disprove almost any miracle that has ever been reported. He writes that some events that people report as miracles truly are not. For example, it is not a miracle that fire burns wood, or that a healthy man dies, because both of these are within the laws of nature. If a person does seemingly commit a miracle, they must do something that obviously defies the laws of nature and be able to do it repeatedly, as to prove that it is not a fluke.
In An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding by David Hume, the idea of miracles is introduced. Hume’s argument is that there is no rational reason for human beings to believe in miracles, and that it is wrong to have miracles as the building blocks for religion. It is because the general notion of miracles come from the statement of others who claim to have seen them, Hume believes that there is no way to prove that those accounts are accurate, because they were not experienced first-hand. In order to believe a miracle, the evidence should be concrete, and something irrefutable. When there is any sort of doubt to a miracle, Hume says that any evidence that can be contrary to the proof of a miracle is merely evidence that the miracle did not happen, and it should be disproved. The only way a miracle can be proven is from the testimony of the person who had witnessed it, while any evidence against the miracle is something that defies the laws of nature. It falls upon the reputation of the witness to prove whether or not he or she actually observed a miracle, because a miracle can only be plausible when it is more likely than the opposing laws of nature. Hume’s reasoning in favour of miracles being insufficient events are also explanations as to why he believes miracles are not probable. First is the idea that human beings are not honest enough to be able to have possibly witnessed a miracle. Next is that human beings want to believe in the supernatural, and that desire allows us to believe in things that could never happen, simply because it would be wonderful and fantastical if that miracle actually did occur. Thirdly, the people who usually report sightings of a miracle are those who are uncivilized, or unsophisticated, so they ...
In other words, it is a gap between faith and scientific reasoning. In modern medicine, a miracle is described as any occurrence where a higher power, God, for example, takes over and intervenes benevolently in the fate of the patient.3 The doctor, along with everyone else, can only marvel. As a generality, it can be said that miracles are modern examples of the continuing contradiction between faith and reason.
Per Reporter: Eli, Nya, Kat, and Elly's father (Randy) are physically abusive to them. Randy hit Kat s in the face with a belt. It is unknown when this occurred. It is unknown if medical attention was sought. Randy pulled Elly and her friend (Adleigh) by their shirt collar. Randy was calling Elly and Adleigh to eat. Elly and Adleigh did not hear him because there were playing Minecraft. Randy grabbed Adleigh and Elly's by the shirt collar with their hair inside their shirt collar. Randy dragged both of them into the kitchen. Randy had Adleigh's shirt collar so tight around her neck; he was choking her. Adleigh were staying the night over at home. Adleigh does not visit the home anymore. Randy punched the Eli, Nya, Kat, and Elly with a full
For someone to believe in the exact Biblical account of the Exodus, they must first believe in the God of the Hebrews, and then believe in His ability to cause such events. They must also believe in miracles. According to a recent survey, nearly 80% of Americans believe in miracles. (Conan) Still, because the event as it occurred in the bible requires the existence of a God, for some, this makes the story irre...
So why does the existence of miracles have any meaning at all? Belief in miracles helps to bring a sense of the divine existence of God to those who believe in a material way. Miracles are a way for signs from God to be transferred to mankind, in a way that we are able to understand. These miracles or signs from God can help to show divine favour, and to support our moral beliefs and ideology, to let us know that we are on the path of righteousness for those who believe. But what then, constitutes a miracle? A miracle, according to Hume, is a violation of the laws of nature, something that cannot happen, but does. (Hume, 1777,E10.12) I believe that Hume believes that the the laws of nature, cannot ever be violated, for if one believes that this is possible, then the laws of nature are fallible and belief in the laws of nature which should be unalterable, would no longer apply. It is therefore, far more reasonable to believe that the laws of nature, which have proven themselves over and over again, are in fact to be believed and accepted over any possiblity for the existence of a miracle.
He made this claim based off of three points: first, he said that everything that happens in nature and in the course of time is the result of divine decree, and that miracles/events that contradict nature, would also contradict the nature of God. Second, he said that miracles do not help us gain a greater understanding of God, but instead order and eternalness in his natural laws are what give us understanding of his nature. Lastly, third, he pointed out that in scripture it calls for the killing of those that claim to be able to perform, or have had miracles performed on them, for it leads them away from God and to false prophets. The miracle described above has components that fall under each of these claims, and likewise are what I will use to criticize this
Briggs, D. (2013). In age of Oprah, belief in miracles rises. Christian Century, 130(2), 15-16.
The only point that I thought completely supported their existence is that they were mentioned by non-Christian texts. The trouble is that they were not eyewitnesses; miracles could be rumors that could be messed up through retelling. I understand that eyewitnesses wrote the gospels and so if they said they saw miracles, they probably happened. Is there any other evidence though? Miracles to not be very well historically supported compared to other elements backed in this book. Why was indirect evidence not mentioned? The resurrection of Jesus is more credible because of the indirect evidence, such as the empty
Faith and imagination is all about truth and the belief in a higher power beyond man himself. Faith and imagination binds the power of God’s existence. However, in lack of evidence and that which is unforeseen; consequently, if we know the value of life and understand that which is right and wrong; it truly acknowledges God’s presence among us. when people reference a “miracle” has happened; most people that hold faith as a powerful source don’t just assume the miracle came out of nowhere without some concept of a divine attribute connected to faith. A miracle is not an act based purely on a violation of natural law, but an act of God’s law and his true existence. And if man is to find his true purpose of his existence and fulfilling his life, he must adopt faith and reason.
Let me ask you a question, do you believe in miracles? Or, more appropriately, do you consider, that in today’s scientific era, it is illogical to relate a fact out of common sense, to one that would establish a witness for the intervention of a supernatural being? Here’s a moment to think a about it. Let me guess, you’re sitting there trying to make up your mind. Don’t worry; you’re not the first person that does not believe in miracles. In the past, some two centuries ago, Scottish philosopher David Hume did not believe either. And probably you have good reason not to either. But, let’s not diverse.
Blomberg, C. L. (1984). New Testament miracles and higher criticism : climbing up the slippery slope. Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, 27(4), 425-438. Retrieved from EBSCOhost
The miracles of Jesus are the supernatural deeds attributed to Jesus in Christian text. They were categorized into four groups; cures, exorcisms, resurrection of the dead, and control over nature by Henrik Van der Loos. Many Christians and Muslims believe the miracles are real historical events. Liberal Christians consider these stories to be figurative. Modern scholars tend to be skeptical about miracles. In the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus refuses to give a miraculous sign to prove his authority. In the Gospel of John, Jesus is said to have performed seven miraculous signs that characterized his ministry.