"Assess Hume's reasons for rejecting miracles."
"Assess Hume's reasons for rejecting miracles." A miracle is held to be an action of God, or an invisible agent, which goes against the laws of nature and has some religious meaning or significance. Miracles have traditionally been taken as validations of religious claims. As the Christians believe in the Bible they say that the miraculous signs and wonders they see testifies that it was God working through him accompanied Jesus' ministry. His resurrection from the dead is seen to be the greatest of these miracles and even till this day it is regularly taken as a sold reason for believing in the existence of God. According to Hume no matter how strong the evidence for a specific miracle maybe, it will always be more reasonable to reject the miracle than to believe in it .He distinguished that there are two factors to consider in deciding whether to believe any given piece of testimony. The first one is the reliability of the witness and the second one is the probability of that to which they testify. For Hume the testimony of a witness that is both honest and a good judge of that to which they testify are worth much. The testimony of a witness who is either dishonest or not in a position to know that to which they testify are worth little. The reliability of the witness is therefore something that is to be taken into account in deciding whether to believe anything on the
Explain the term miracle.
Veronica Marcinek 10A R.E Miracle Assignment Section 1 A) Explain the term miracle In this essay I shall explore the different ways of explaining the term 'miracle'. A dictionary definition of a word 'miracle' is; 'an event contrary to the laws of nature and attributed to a supernatural cause' [-Collins dictionary.] This means, that a miracle is something that is opposite to the laws of nature and mystical. Christians believe that a miracle is something caused by God. It might tell us a bit from the life of Jesus. St. Augustine stated that a miracle is an event we cannot forecast or 'expect with our present understanding of nature'. This reflects the view that miracles are somehow violations of the laws of nature and presupposes, that God is the only power who can do this. Miracles are unexpected and fortuitous events. It is God that intervenes directly into our lives to suspend the laws of nature. These events are said to be signs of God or His help. Wonders can be used to prove Jesus' divinity or tell us something of the nature of Jesus. B) Describe how Jesus was presented as a worker of miracles giving examples from Luke's Gospel. During the life of Jesus, He worked four types of miracles - Power over the Nature, Exorcisms, Healing and Raising People from the Dead. One of His disciples-Luke, tells us
Healing Miracles Do Not Happen Today"Do You Agree?Give Reasons to Support Your Answer and Show That You Have Thought About Different Points Of View. You Must Refer to Christianity in Your Answer.
"Healing Miracles Do Not Happen Today"Do You Agree?Give Reasons to Support Your Answer and Show That You Have Thought About Different Points Of View. You Must Refer to Christianity in Your Answer. As well as Jesus' own miracle working, the Gospel describes how he authorised the twelve apostles to work similar wonders in his name. The disciples performed these in the early years of the church' history, after Jesus' death and resurrection. Although the New Testament only deals with the early life of the church, there is a strong argument in believing that from the time of Jesus people have developed the power to heal others. Miracles and healing are "spiritual gifts" along with the gifts of teaching and administration. These still exist in the church so I expect, as a Christian, that Jesus continues his miraculous work today, from time to time, through certain Christians. However, that does not mean that all modern-day claims to the miraculous should be believed. Some can be proved fake whilst others may be the product of human deception, and some even genuine. Many Christians believe that Jesus still heals people miraculously today, in answer to prayer. According to Antonio Bernardo, between 1858 and 1978, 64 miracles were declared as official miracles. Miracles in Lourdes, a small village in the northern France, which is closely associated with God and the miracles
Describe how Jesus was presented as a worker of miracles giving examples from Luke's gospel. The miracles Jesus performed in his life fall in to four groups
PAPER 1 - CHRISTIANITY THROUGH A STUDY OF LUKE AND ACTS a i) Define the term 'miracle' The term 'miracle' can be defined in many different ways. The Concise Oxford Dictionary defines a miracle as a "marvellous event due to some supposed supernatural agency; remarkable occurrence; remarkable specimen (of ingenuity, impudence, etc)"; however the Concise Oxford Dictionary of Christian Church definition of a miracle is, "a miracle, according to the traditional view, is a sensible fact produced by a special intervention of God, transcending the normal order of things, usually termed the force of Nature". People define the word 'miracle' in many different ways. Some people believe nature itself and the world God created is full of miracles. Inventions and developments in the world and science that may once have seemed impossible can be thought of as miracles. Some believe a miracle is an event where God's work becomes clearly seen in a mysterious way, such as an amazing coincidence, healing or an answered prayer. It is a direct intervention by God breaking his own laws of nature (like a dead person coming alive again or an unaccountable healing). They believe miracles are signs that God is at work and cares about the world he created. Other people believe miracles are impossible; a coincidence might be taken religiously as a sign and called a miracle, and some people might say a
Explain how going on a pilgrimage can change people's lives. As many people go on pilgrimage there must be a reason and many pilgrims say
A02: Explain how going on a pilgrimage can change people's lives. As many people go on pilgrimage there must be a reason and many pilgrims say it is a life changing experience. This could be because they are 'healed' or because they feel emotionally or mentally different. It isn't necessarily an actual change the person may just feel better in themselves. I talked to a 16 year old boy who went to Lourdes with a group of people called the "Red Shirts" who help people at Lourdes by preparing the mass, getting things ready and being nice and friendly. This student chose to go to Lourdes because he thought it would put him at peace with himself and to find things he liked. He found it changed him because he made better relationships with the people he already knew and built new bridges with people he didn't. He felt important because he was helping other people and putting other before himself. Pilgrimage can change you both mentally and physically, there is physical healing and mental or emotional healing. The physical healing could vary from curing someone of cancer to fixing a broken bone. Some of the miracles performed in Lourdes are curing people of incurable diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis and Cancer. This physical change is very emotional for the person it is happening to and can improve someone's faith greatly. Someone could be emotionally healing because in the
i) What is meant by the term 'miracle'?
RS Coursework A.) (i) What is meant by the term 'miracle'? The term miracle means according to the Chambers Oxford Dictionary, 'a supernatural event: hyperbolically, a marvel, a wonder: a miracle play.' It is something extraordinary and is thought to be when God does something to break all the normal rules and laws of nature. Miracles generally do not seem to happen much nowadays as it is more associated with Jesus' time than ours. Some people e.g. Newspaper journalists and magazine editors use the term 'miracle' in the wrong sense. They can use it from something like "It is a miracle that he got out alive" when someone has been in danger of some sort or "This product can work miracles" trying to promote some cream or new product. A book on Mark's Gospel called Synoptic Gospels by R. Cooper says 'A miracle is simply an event which is not explicable in any normal way'. Scientists may think of a 'miracle' as an extraordinary event which have no scientific explanation (events that they can not work out why they happen). People in Mark's Gospel might also think that some the events that happened when Jesus was around at that time could be classed as a miracle when we would not see them as one because we now have the knowledge to know the power of medicines and other illnesses that they never knew about. A.) (ii) Describe how Jesus was presented as a worker of miracles giving
The value of choice the dilemma of charitable choice and the further funding of faith-based initiatives.
Georgetown Public Policy Institute The Value of choice the dilemma of Charitable Choice and the further funding of faith-based initiatives -- Ethics June 30, 2003 CONTENTS Executive Summary 4 I. The Issue 5 II. Values Involved 7 III. Analytical Frames 8 IV. Alternative Solutions 20 V. Summary and Conclusion.....................................21 BIBLIOGRAPHY 24 Appendices I. Charitable Choice Legislation (House Resolution 7) Executive Summary In the aftermath of September 11th, and with the continuing financial burden of the war against terrorism and Iraq, it is imperative that we maximize the utilization of every tax dollar. We, as citizens, must insist that services be provided in the most efficient and quality-saving method. Given the level and depth of social services entitled today's population and the fact that tens of millions may be currently served by them, faith-based charities could be an important and valuable resource for the provision of services, and warrant the support of the federal government. However, we must not do so at the expense of the integrity of the relationship of church and state or the soundness of the faith-based organizations themselves. Perhaps the most contentious point in this debate is the question, "Whose faith?" There is great fear among advocates of a strong separation of
In the novel Jeremiah is the representation of Christ and everything in the world. He is very religious and humble who has the power to perform miracles. Many of the characters such as Israel Finch and Tommy Basca seem, at first, to represent evil
Good versus Evil In the novel Jeremiah is the representation of Christ and everything in the world. He is very religious and humble who has the power to perform miracles. Many of the characters such as Israel Finch and Tommy Basca seem, at first, to represent evil. Jape is the representation of the Anti- Christ and Jeremiah's opposite. Between the two of them they are the balance of right and wrong. As Davy is the representation of Lucifer, the fallen angel. Ruben is the representation of mankind, he flips back and forth between choosing good and evil, Jeremiah and Davy. As Jeremiah has the fight with God he is still trying to save Davy, while he gives his life to Ruben as Jesus did for everyone. Ruben is told to try to get Davy to find God again no matter what. The struggle between Jeremiah and Davy for Reuben's allegiance, and Reuben's struggle to decide between the two. Reuben's reaction to the murders at first he feels Davy did the right thing protecting his family. Later after finding out that Davy had more to do with the murders then Reuben first knew about, he thinks it is wrong. When Davy leaves Reuben feels as though Davy had done the right thing, again, but after talking to his father he sees that it was wrong. Davy is very young and when he talks to Swede about it he agrees with her, even though she is younger she seems to be more wise. Reuben trusts her,
Describe how Jesus was presented as a worker of Miracles, giving examples from Lukes Gospel.
Describe how Jesus was presented as a worker of Miracles, giving examples from Luke's Gospel. In the Bible Jesus is shown to be God on earth, he does the work of God and performing miracles is part of that work. Luke believed that Jesus' miracles were important because he wrote about them in his gospel. There are four types of miracles that Luke wrote about. The four are; healing the sick, raising the dead, casting out demons and showing power over nature. When Jesus heals he shows Gods love reaching to those who are sick. When he raises people from the dead he is showing that nothing can stop God not even death. Jesus shows that the kingdom of God is stronger and more powerful than the devil's when he casts out demons from people, and when he shows his power over nature he is showing God can do marvellous and impossible things. God can take control of nature. Luke writes about these types of miracles to emphasize and show their importance and raising there profile Jesus healed many people including 'the woman who was bleeding' (Luke 8:42-48), this miracle shows that if you have faith then you can be healed. A woman who had been bleeding for 12 years was in a crowd around Jesus, she went up and touched his cloak and was instantly healed. This miracle was performed when Jesus wasn't fully aware of his actions; her faith was the characteristic that was strong enough for Jesus
Healing Miracles do Not Happen Today. Do you agree? Give reasons to support your answer and show that you have thought about different points of view. You must refer to Christianity in your answer.
Healing Miracles do Not Happen Today. Do you agree? Give reasons to support your answer and show that you have thought about different points of view. You must refer to Christianity in your answer. A miracle, as we have already discussed, is something supernatural, an intervention with nature. Some people may find it hard to believe that they do happen, which is understandable, however faith allows us to believe that a divine intervention has been made by God. Some find it difficult to accept how some are miraculously cured and others, despite their extreme faith, are not. It is not possible to answer this, as nobody knows what a miracle really is or how it happens, yet we just have to believe and have faith and maybe someday the questions will be answered. A miracle is in the eye of the beholder. Saint Augustan of Hippo once stated that: "The multiplication of corn in a corn field is just as much a miracle as the multiplication of the loaves in the desert." He is telling us that in each scenario, the person being fed at the end of it is a miracle in itself. When Jesus worked miracles, people saw him as a very powerful figure. These people didn't have to see the miracle first hand to know that Jesus was a special man, just as today, we do not have to know the miracle to believe in its authenticity. This shows that there is power at work in the world that