miracles

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What does Aquinas call miracles?
“Those things……which are done by divine power apart from the order generally followed in things”
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According to Aquinas what do miracles break?
The general order
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What are Aquinas categories for miracles?
1)Events done by God that nature could never do, e.g stopping the sun. these events are logically impossible, physically or naturally impossible
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What are Aquinas categories for miracles?
2)Events done by God which nature could do but not in that order, for example exorcism, these events are not impossible but are highly unexpected
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What are Aquinas categories for miracles?
Events done by god that nature count do but God does it without the use of natural laws, e.g. forgiving sins (mark 2:5)
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What does Aquinas categories of miracles show about God?
God is omnipotent, only he is the explanation for a miracle, if science or nature cant explain it then it must be God
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What do Aquinas categories allow?
An explanation for what he classes as a miracle e.g door opens due to wind (its nature) Door opens by its self with no natural causes (it God)
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Problems about Aquinas’ miracles
Aquinas is suggesting a dominant God by his definition of miracles , This poses huge problems, It suggests God acts on random occasions, choosing to help some and not others; this means he isn’t all loving, God isn't all loving
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Problems about Aquinas’ miracles
God breaks natural laws, What are all the natural laws?, do we know them all?- NO!!!!, How can we possibly tell if one has been broken if we don’t know them all, We can only say what we have seen in the past- we cannot predict the future
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What are Maurice's views on Aquinas miracles approach
Rejects that God intervenes with the world and therefore rejects the existence of miracles, believes that he doesn’t intervene, God would not undermine the natural laws that he created by intervening the world,
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What is Swinburne's views on miracles?
It is perfectly probable that there could be one off exceptional and unrepeatable occurrences. The laws of nature do not have to be rewritten. If God is omnipotent, then he quite clearly could suspend the laws of nature although not too often
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Why does Swinburne say that God rarely changes the laws of nature?
If God is omnipotent, then he quite clearly could suspend the laws of nature although not too often as this will interfere with scientific progress and free will.
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what is the Principle of Credulity?
If x is present, then probably x is present. Swinburne says it is reasonable to believe that the world is probably as we experience it to be. Unless we have some specific reason to question a religious experience.
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What is the principle of testimony?
In the absent of special consideration it is reasonable to believe that the experiences of others are probably as they report them. In other words you should believe other people as well
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What does John Hick say a miracle is?
A miracle is “an event through which we become vividly and immediately conscience of God acting towered us"
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What does John hick say a miracle is?
Something that suspends natural laws but does not make us aware of God is not a miracle according to Hick
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What does Hick say about an theist view of getting a job and what does Hick say about a atheists views on getting a job?
Theist would say they got a job because of praying to god who helped them to get the job. An atheist would say that they got the job
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What is an atheist?
A person who disbelieves or lacks belief in the existence of God or gods
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What is a theist?
The belief in the existence of deities
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why does Hick say we cannot have miracles alone?
They are something that is experienced
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What does Hick say miracles do to people?
God caused miracles through human agency and God inspires people to act in a particular way
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What was John Hick?
An atheist, scientist and a skeptic
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Where does Hick believe our knowledge of the world comes from?
Hume is empirical in the sense that he believed that our knowledge of the world comes from the observations made by our senses
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How does Hume contradict him self?
However he is also a sceptical the argued that we cannot reason accurately beyond what we see and hear as this requires us to make assumptions
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What is the Lack of Probability and Proof? (part 1)
Evidence from peoples experience of observing the word (posteriori evidence) showed the laws of nature to be fixed, E.g water freezes at 0oc,
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What is the Lack of Probability and Proof? (part 2)
To suggest a miracle occurred was to say that the laws of nature has been violated, e.g Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, But for Hume it was for more likely that the eyewitnesses was mistaken in what they witnessed
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What does CS Lewis say about miracles?
CS Lewis- miracles are a type of revelation from God. Nature does not have to be broken; God would have the power to alter it.
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What is John Polkinghornes view on miracles?
1)He says that science can tell us is that a given event is against normal experience but it cannot completely disperse its occurrence 2)Miracles do not break nature, but can bring about a change, which is God interacting with us in a different way
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What is Anthony Flews view on Miracles?
Argues that we do not have direct experience of miracles, we have to rely on indirect accounts passed on from others, when presented with an account of resurrection from the dead or water being turned into wine
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What example does Anthony Flew use to disprove accounts of miracles?
Historically we have to reject this as our tested experience tell us that dead people stay dead and water does not suddenly become wine
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What is Peter Atkins views on miracles?
1) people seek publicity so they claim they seen a miracle 2) miracles are just delusions 3) people can also hallucinate over miracles
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Why is it unclear to say that an event is a miracle?
It’s very difficult to verify a miracle e.g. how do we know an illness just healed itself, why must it be God
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Card 2

Front

According to Aquinas what do miracles break?

Back

The general order

Card 3

Front

What are Aquinas categories for miracles?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

What are Aquinas categories for miracles?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

What are Aquinas categories for miracles?

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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