Miracles

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Miracles

Theists use the term 'miracle' to refer to an event performed by God that appears to break the laws of nature.

There are two types of miracles:

  • Events that break the laws of nature and cannot be explaind by the sciences. For example, Jesus is said to have turned water into wine at the marriage in Cana
  • Events in whichno laws of nature are broken but a coincidence occure at just the right time to cause a good outcome. this is beleived to be because of God's intervention. for example, a toddler is trapped on the railway line in the path of an express train. the train driver collpses and the train comes to a halt before it hits the child

Miracles are acts of God

Many people believe that miracles can only be performed by God because only God is outside time and space, and therefore not limited to the laws of nature. If people perform miracles, then most religious believers think it is because God is working through them. Muslims accept the miracles of Jesus but they beleive t was God working through Jesus, and not Jesus himself, who performed them.

Does God work in the world through miracles?

  • Buddists and atheist would argue that God does not work in the world through miracles because Buddhists and stheidsts do not beleive in God. However this does not mean Buddhists reject the concept of miracles, they just do not accept that miracles result from an action of God
  • Christians believe that God works through miracles. They beleive that Jesus performed miracles that showed the power and love of God, or revealed that Jesus was God in human form.
  • Muslims believe that only Allah can perform miracles. No human can perform miracles, but Allah can work through individuals to perfrom miracles. Allah performed miracles through all the prophets, to prove that they were chosen by Allah.
  • Sikhs believe that miracles occur, and the saints and prophets could perform miracles if they chose. However, they also believe that miracles should not be peformed to prove a prophet's power or to gain popularity, or to prove greatness or truth of a religion. The believe that miracles should only be used to assist other poeple, especially to help them understand the right way to live and to believe in God
  • Hindus beleive that some miracles are the result of direct intervention by Brahman, but others are performed by the gods in their many aspects of Brahman, such as Krishna and Rama
  • Jews beleive that God works directly in the world, particularly for the benefit of the Jews. An example of Gods intervention occured when the prophet Moses was leading the Israelites out of Egypt. When they reached the sea, they were trapped and the Egyptians were catching up with them. God parted the Red Sea and the Jews were able to cross safely. As the Egyptians tried to follow, the water collapsed over them

Can humans perform miracles?

Buddhists who accept that miracles happen…

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