Miracles

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Who was David Hume?
An empiricist and a sceptic
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What was Hume's view on Miracles?
'Violations of the laws of nature'
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What is Hume's Maxim?
A miracle is not true unless the idea of the witnesses being false is more miraculous than the miracle itself - e.g. the feeding of the 5,000
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What was Hume's Probability Argument?
what is more likely - the law of nature being wrong or the reports of the miracle being incorrect?
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What did Hume say about the witnesses of miracles?
that they are always uneducated and from ignorant and barbaric nations
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Criticisms to Hume?
How many witnesses does there need to be to satisfy Hume? What classes as a barbaric nation? SWINBURNE says that there may be evidence for some miracles yet Hume does not consider this
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What did Richard Swinburne believe?
That our Quantum Laws are probabilistic - perhaps God can suspend these laws to allow a miracle to occur. Miracles have to be occasional in order to remain special.
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What did Keith Ward believe?
He believed in miracles and said that he did not agree with the term 'violations of the laws of nature' as it suggested that there is something wrong with believing in miracles.
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What did Paul Tillich believe?
That miracles are signs from God - they have to reveal something about God to the people. He also said that miracles HAVE to violate the laws of nature to be classed as extraordinary
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What did R.F. Holland believe?
that miracles are just coincidental events that have been given religious significance.
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What did Maurice Wiles believe?
That miracles would have to occur infrequently to prevent the laws of nature becoming meaningless. That the pattern of occurring miracles is strange and he posed the question about the problem of evil.
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What was Maurice Wiles' solution?
That the universe is one single act of creation that reveals something about God to the people and shows how he works within the world.
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What are the Criticisms of Wiles?
The Bible and religion suggest a more direct involvement of God within the world, he also applies human rationality to God which cannot be done as he is a divine creature, and he doesn't portray a traditional view of God
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Why do miracles matter for religious believers?
(1) support God's existence (2) show God's continuing activity in the world (3) Miracles show that prayers are answered (4) support the resurrection (5) show that jesus is from God (6) show God's providence
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What are the gifts of the Holy Spirit?
Awe and Wonder, Knowledge, Right Judgement, Understanding, Wisdom, Reverence and Courage
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What does Hans Kung say about miracles in the old testament?
they would not have had scientific laws of nature - so people would not have thought of miracles breaking the laws of nature.
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what does Joshua 10-1:15 say/show?
'The sun stood still and the moon did not move until the nation had conquered it's enemies' - shows that God has divine control over the elements - Miracle
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What does John 1:1 say/show?
'before the world was made, the word was with God, he was with God and he was the same as God' shows that miracles are signs of the divine nature of Jesus
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what does Mark 2:12 say/show?
'we were all completely amazed and praised God saying, we have never seen anything like this!' - shows that miracles provoke feelings of awe and wonder
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What does Mark 8:11-12 say/show?
'so they asked him to perform a miracle...'why do people of this day ask for a miracle? no I tell you! No such proof shall be given to these people!' - shows that Jesus is only concerned with the PURPOSE of the miracle, rather than the miracle itself
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Why is Jesus' resurrection so important for religious believers?
shows that there is life after death
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What are some Christian responses to challenges of Miracles?
- if God intervened every time a natural disaster/tragedy occurred then we would not learn or progress - God does act in the world people just fail to see it; although many people die many people also survive against the odds
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How does Thomas Aquinas define a miracle?
'that which has a divine cause, not that whose cause a human person would fail to understand' - miracles are from God
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Where did Aquinas get his ideas from?
Aristotle
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What did Aquinas and Aristotle believe?
that everything has a nature, and that a miracle must have a divine cause to be classed as out of the ordinary
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What does Mark 2: 1-12 say/show?
Jesus heals the paralysed man - religious believers would not care how the miracle had occurred, just the fact that the man was cured.
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What did Antony Flew say in response to Hume?
'a wise man should go with the evidence and reject miracles' - says that Hume is technically correct as there is no evidence to prove miracles.
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What did John Polkinghorne believe about miracles?
he believed in them - although he was a scientist - he said that the laws of nature do not change, yet the consequences may if God deals with humans in a new way.
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

What was Hume's view on Miracles?

Back

'Violations of the laws of nature'

Card 3

Front

What is Hume's Maxim?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

What was Hume's Probability Argument?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

What did Hume say about the witnesses of miracles?

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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