Miracle

:For other uses, see Miracle (disambiguation).

Christian views of miracles

Early Christian writers of the first few centuries appear to take the biblical stories of miracles at face value. In addition, they report additional miracles that happened in later centuries. The purposes of miracles vary, but recurring themes are miracles done for the benefit of a person, such as physical healing, or raising from the dead; miracles done to prevent or discourage some evil from happening, such as Herod Agrippa being consumed with worms upon inviting people to worship him, or various martyrs being found unusually difficult to kill, such as not being touched by flames (Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego; or Polycarp of Smyrna); and oftentimes to increase the faith of those who witnessed or later heard of the miracles, whether the faith of current believers or unbelievers moved to convert to Christianity after witnessing a miracle.

Related Topics:
Healing - Raising from the dead - Evil - Herod Agrippa - Worm - Worship - Martyr - Shadrach - Meshach - Abednego - Polycarp - Smyrna - Faith

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Miracles are central to most forms of Christian Theology, (especially Roman Catholic Theology); they are often the pillar upon which the reasonableness or truth of a religion is set to stand. Although most Catholic and certain Protestant theologians believe that the existence and certain limited properties of God can be proven philosophically and/or scientifically, these theologians explain that other elements of their beliefs have come from statements made by God either directly or through a person who proved that the statement was coming from God by performing a bona-fide miracle. (This assumes God wouldn't lie, something which is believe true by a philosophical argument.) This is seen by many theologians as the primary reason for Jesus to perform miracles, to prove that he was God so that humans would follow him. The miracles of Jesus were preformed in front of many people, not in private. He did them wherever he went, at all times. They were done for all types of people, not just Jews. The miracles benefited the people Jesus was with, not Jesus himself other than serving as proof as to who he was. C.S. Lewis, Norman Geisler, William Lane Craig, and Christians who engage in jurisprudence Christian apologetics have argued that miracles are reasonable and plausible. http://www.comereason.org/phil_qstn/phi060.asp http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/edn-t011.html http://www.leaderu.com/offices/billcraig/docs/miracles.htmlhttp://www.tektonics.org/gk/hume01.htmlhttp://www.ses.edu/journal/articles/2.1Hoffman.pdf.

Related Topics:
C.S. Lewis - Norman Geisler - William Lane Craig - Christian apologetics

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Types of Miracles

Often skeptics try to explain away miracles by natural processes. For example the crossing of the Red Sea can be explained by natural processes. However, what cannot be explained is the timing and placement. It happened at the right moment at the right place when and where the Israelites needed it to happen. This timing and placement is not achievable by chance and is what makes these events miracles. These unusual or natural events that occur at precise times and places are called nontranscendent miracles.

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Another type of miracles are ones that seem to defy physics all together. Modern physics, specifically dimensional physics, help to explain how events that seemingly defy reality can occur. These transcendent miracles include events such as the virgin conception of Christ and his bodily resurrection.

Related Topics:
Physics - Transcendent - Christ

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Catholic view of miracles

There have been a large number of Catholic Christians, philosophers, and clergy. They have discussed a wide variety of ideas concerning the nature of miracles. These ideas vary from strict literal acceptance of the Biblical text, to neo-Aristotelian rationalist interpretations of miracles.

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In some Catholic views, a miracle is an unnatural occurrence that is brought about by divine intervention.

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In other Catholic views, anyone can perform a miracle if he or she adheres to certain conditions. The person must be clear of any sin, and long before that, one should be well aware of what a sin really is. One should live entirely by the dictates of Jesus, whom Christians view as part of the Godhead, and as the Messiah. Fasting, penance, atonement and prayer are considered to be crucial to the success of the miracle.

Related Topics:
Jesus - Messiah

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Some Catholics hold that a Satan-assisted miracle is a temporary miracle that disguises itself as a genuine miracle. The miracle is more based on hysteria than on anything genuinely happening in the supernatural. The miracle does not last long and the situation is back to its previous state in a short time. In this case, the goal of the miracle is to attest false prophets and soothsayers.

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The Vatican records some 12,756+ events that it regards as miracles. Saints like St. Francis of Assisi and St. Anthony have been credited with hundreds of miracles during their lifetime and thousands after their death. Many Catholics believe that dead saints are still performing miracles, by interceding on behalf of the sinner before God.

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