Everything supposedly attributed to Jesus, and everything that Christians claim is special or unique about him had already been done many times before. He performed miracles, as many others before him claimed to have done. He was "born of a virgin", just like so many others. Last, but not least, Jesus claimed to be the son of God.
It is believed that Jesus performed miracles, such as the infamous water into wine (John 2:9), and healing of the blind (Mark 8:21-23) But it has also been recorded that several other prominent figures in history have performed miracles themselves. In the case of Buddha, he performed what people would call miracles' on the day of his birth until his passing away to
nirvana. The psychic powers (so-called miraculous powers in other religions) of the Buddha were attained through his long and intense training in meditation. Among his many abilities were "the power to levitate, to multiply his body, to read the minds of others, and to pass through solid rock." (www.parami.org) These abilities were performed during many
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episodes of his life and were considered common events by his disciples and those who encountered him. The Buddha often taught that such powers can be acquired through training in meditation. Often times, when the uneducated, the unsophisticated and the naïve see the performance of miracles, of faith and incredulity deepens. "The converts who are attracted to a religion, and Jesus Christ, through witnessing these powers embrace a faith, not because they realize the truth or gain in wisdom, but because they are either frightened or impressed by matters they do not understand." (www.parami.org).
"Miracles are violations of natural laws. Natural laws are immutable. It is impossible for immutable laws to be violated. Therefore, miracles are impossible." (Spinoza, Benedict) Benedict Spinoza was a jewish philosopher, who insisted that "a miracle, whether in contravention to, or beyond, nature, is a mere absurdity." He said that nothing came to pass in nature in contrast to her universal law. Several others such as David Hume, and Alistair McKinnon agreed with Spinoza's theories.
Another Christian belief is that jesus was "born of a virgin", the
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mother of course being the Virgin Mary. The scientific impossibility of being born without the contributions of a human mother and a human father
aside for now, countless others have been, or claim to have been, born of a virgin.
Miracles. An event that happens that cannot scientifically and logically be explained. Miracles tend to happen in the most unexpected ways. Even though many people tend to not believe in miracles, for different reasons, I, however, believe that miracles happen every day to different people all over the world. Miracle on Ice was truly and definitely a miracle. How is it possible for a group of college kids to overcome the challenge of beating a full, grown, experienced, USSR team? It’s not. It’s a miracle.
We can see the birth of Jesus in Matthew (Matt 1:18-25) (Matt 2:1-12), Luke (Luke 2:1-2) and John (John1:1-18). Both Matthew and Luke tell us that Jesus’ birth place was in Bethlehem in Judea in the time of King Herod of Judea and Emperor Augustine of the Roman Empire. The gospels tell us that Jesus was born in a stable under an inn (Luke 2:7). This is unlikely because Bethlehem was the birthplace of David, who was Joseph’s ancestor. This means that there may have been a house with his cousins or extended family there. The Hebrew word for inn can also be described as ‘the upper room’ and in traditional Jewish houses, there was an upper room where the family stayed and underneath this was the place where the animals were kept. This could have been seen as the stable under the ‘inn’. Now because of the census performed by Emperor Augustine the Jews had to travel to their ancestral home that meant that the house Mary and Joseph were staying at could have been full, so the upper room was full, making the only available room for the baby to be born in the stable below. Jesus was thought to be traditionally born in 1AD after the Monk Dionysus Exigus tried to calculate the year, from the Birth of Jesus, by taking away the reigns of Kings. Unfortunately Exigus made a few errors and Jesus is now thought to be born a few years BC. We know that in Matt 2:1 and Matt2:16 (Luke 1:55) that King Herod the Great was the ruler of Judea. From Roman records we know that King Herod died in 4BC near the feast of the Passover. This means that the earliest time Jesus could have been born was early 4BC. Herod plays an integral part in determining Jesus birth date because it also could explain the Bethlehem Star, which we...
Oroonoko is a splendid novel in which tells the story of a royal slave. Throughout the story there are many similarities between Oroonoko and Christ. He is often referred to as a Christ figure with his dismemberment resembling the crucifixion. In this essay I will explore the resemblances’ throughout the novel which support this theory of Oroonoko being a Christ like figure.
In his discussion 'Of Miracles' in Section X of An Enquiry concerning Human Understanding, Hume defines a miracle as “a violation of the laws of nature and as a firm and unalterable experience has established these laws”1. Basically a miracle is something that happens which is contrary to what would happen given the structure of the universe. He also states that a miracle is a “transgression of a law of nature by a particular volation of the deity, or by the interposition of some invisible agent”2. Hume argues that it is impossible to deduce the existence of a deity from the existence of the world, and that causes cannot be determined from effects.
Josephus, a non-Christian contemporary writer of the apostles, attests that, ‘at that time there was a wise man named Jesus, a teacher, who performed wonderful works among the Jews and Gentiles.’ (Powell/Attridge:P.492). The Jewish Talmud, C5thC.E., attributes Jesus' miracles to sorcery. Opponents of the Gospels do not deny Jesus performed miracles, they just give different explanations. (Twelftree:P.50).
The central teachings of traditional Christianity teachings were created to assure that man could work out his salvation. Therefore, making man responsible for finding his way to God, so that he could have a personal relationship with his Savior through Jesus the Son of God, the Father, and the Holy Spirit (The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 2017). Jesus Christ attracted followers who eventually took his teachings throughout the Roman world and beyond. Jesus, who was born to Mary and Joseph in Judea teaching methods placed him in conflict with prevailing Jewish beliefs and authorities; nevertheless, Jesus message inspired a small group of followers, who believed he was the Messiah (Matthews et al., 2014). However, the meaning of Jesus’s
Hume strongly depends on the laws of nature to disprove miracles because it is something that he knows will hold up through experience. Even if something happens that is extremely rare, for example, snow in June, we can disprove this as a miracle because it has been our experience in life that the weather is never constant and under extreme conditions we can get very cold weather during the summer. He is so skeptical against miracles, that he says he cannot even believe someone claiming to have witnessed a miracle, without first examining their reason for making such a claim.
Over twenty-five hundred years ago, Buddha Guatama practiced meditation and came to what is known as “The Four Noble Truth,” an important principle in Buddhism (Elder, 2010). This principle informs the reader of what suffering is and how affect is. This is a great example of how valuable meditation is- on the very first session ever recorded, the awareness that came from it would later be the foundation of a new religion. This proves how powerful meditation can be. Furthermore, some form of meditation can be found in various religions. Although the styles, techniques, and ideology behind the meditation can vary per religion, personal transformation is the key goal (Modi, Singh, 2012). Today, in Western society, mindful meditation (a form of meditation) has grown in popularity, used for relaxation and to help treat those who suffer from mental illness’ and mood disorders. Viewed as alternative medicine for the mind and soul, it is beneficial for our emotional and mental
To be born from virgin makes the child blessed because the mother is then untouched and pure. Owen Meany was also born from a virgin.
According to the book of Matthew, “Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king,” indicating he was born between 6 and 4 BCE (Matthew 2:1). The Bible refers to this as the virgin birth because Joseph and Mary never conceived him. He was a human being in which God took his form. Very little is known about his childhood and the Bible only reveals a picture of Jesus and his teachings when he was approximately 30 years of age. Whatever happened to Jesus during these years is a mystery to us all, but whatever happened transformed him into the divine being which he is today.
God can do amazing things through ordinary people. God can and will do the same through us if we fully submit ourselves to Him.
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.
It is fair to conclude, that while Hume attempts to refute the existence of a miracle, whether through the induction theory or his personal, individual opinion, Hume’s conclusions tend to fail in a range of aspects, but the most intriguing relates to his inadequate proposal and later the revision of a law of nature. He forgets the concept that if ever a more accurate explanation is found, there would be no reason to view miracles as a violation of the laws of nature. Who’s to say miracles need to violate the laws of nature? Can’t unexpected, everyday events, which we live through, account to be miraculous?
The Virgin birth of Christ is an actual Historical fact. God came (in the sinless form of Jesus) into the earth "HE" created. No other event in the past has had so much impact out side of Calvary where Christ paid the price for our transgressions. Seven hundred years earlier, this was prophesied by the prophet Isaiah and it came about just as predicated in (Matthew 1:22, 23)
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.