A1: What is a miracle?

'A miracle may be accurately defined as a transgression of a law of nature by a particular volition of the Deity, or by the interposition of some invisible agent.' 

David Hume

A miracle is a ‘marvellous event due to some supposed supernatural agency’ Oxford English Dictionary.

In my opinion I believe that a miracle is an event that cannot be explained for by scientific reasoning, and so we do not understand why and how it has happened. This could be due to the fact that we do not have the scientific knowledge and understanding to fully be able to explain it as even today we are learning knew things about the world around us.

People interpret miracles differently; some may believe that they have been performed by some higher power, such as Jesus, Allah and other religious Gods. Others just simply believe that miracles are not miraculous at all and are just showing that we do not fully understand everything about the world around us.

Miracles can be broken down into four different main categories:

  • Religious Miracles
  • Religious miracles are miracles that are believed to have been performed by a divine intervention. For example, in Christianity it is believed that Jesus has and still does perform miracles. Some of the Miracles that Jesus is believed to have performed in the bible are; Jesus heals ten men, Luke 17:11-19 and Jesus heals a paralysed man, Luke 5:17-26.
  • Many Chritistians believe that the miracle of the resurrection of Jesus validated his claim to be the only way to God, John 14:6. To most Christians, miracles are proof of the existence of God, most will claim that a miracle has occurred in either their own lives, or the lives of someone close to them.
  • In some areas of the world where it is believed that miracles have happened special services are held where people will go in the hope of being healed. For example, many people visit Lourdes, as it is believed that the Virgin Mary appeared to a French girl named Bernadette. It is believed that she was cured by the water that came from a spring produced by the Virgin Mary. Nowadays people bathe in the water, believing that it had healing qualities and is Holy Water. Lourdes is seen as a place of pilgrimage to many.
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  • Nature Miracles
  • People often say that nature is full of miracles. After all, no one can make a tree or a flower. Some feel that the process of producing a baby in the womb is a miracle. This is because it is not possible to recreate the process of the heart, brain, kidneys being made; the whole idea of producing another human being is miraculous to some.
  • There are some nature miracles that are accounted for in the Bible. The cursing of the fig tree, Mark 11:12-21; Matthew 21:18-20; Luke 13:6-7. Turning water into wine, John 2:1-11. Calming ...

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