diff understandings of miracles - break in natural law

what are 5 different understandings of miracles?

• break in natural law

• demythologising

• sign events

• coincidences

• creation as a continuous miraculous event

what is realism?

• binary view of reality

• perception not involved

• objective

examples of realist views of miracles

break in natural law

• HUME

• SWINBURNE

• AQUINAS

break in natural law

HUME - “a transgression of a law of nature by a particular volition of the deity”

• ‘law of nature’ = happens in specific regularity in nature (e.g. gravity)

• by God’s will

e.g. parting of Red Sea, Jesus’ resurrection, healing miracles

how do AQUINAS and SWINBURNE develop on HUME?

• AQUINAS - includes beneficence

• SWINBURNE - must be a “deep ultimate purpose”

evidence for it being possible to break natural law

• omnipotent

• God of the Gaps

  • just fill him in when it’s something else?

• God = cause in esse / sustaining cause

  • if he can create laws, can break

evidence for it being impossible to break natural law

HICK

• haven’t fully understood natural law yet

  • could be exceptions

e.g. magnetism considered miracle until science discovered

arguments against break in natural law

• why some and not others?

  • only 70 miracles at Lourdes out of thousands who visit

• may contradicts freewill