What is a miracle ?
People use the word miracle in many different ways. Was the mission to the moon a miracle or technology, is the birth of a baby a miracle, would cloning a person be a miracle? The dictionary defines the word miracle as being 'something that cannot be explained by rational means'. However there are many things that we can explain today (space flight, television, the movement of the planets etc...) that could not have been explained 50, 100 or 200 years ago and there may be things that we cannot explain today that will be explained in 50, 100 or 200 years.
So are miracles things which we consider 'impossible' such as a person who has been brain dead for 24 hours suddenly getting up or if your cat started doing the housework! In the bible miracles are seen as something else they are seen as signs of the power of God. The Jews believed in miracles, they believe that God delivered them out of slavery in Egypt by parting the Red Sea (exodus 14). There are also many miracle stories in the teachings of the prophets in Elijah and Elisha.
Also in the bible there are many stories of the miracles of Jesus. The people who Jesus lived with had no problem in believing in miracles. They would have believed that there are forces of good and evil that could help or harm them. Many other people also claimed that they could do miracles, the important thing in the miracles of Jesus is the meaning of these miracles.
People use the word miracle in many different ways. Was the mission to the moon a miracle or technology, is the birth of a baby a miracle, would cloning a person be a miracle? The dictionary defines the word miracle as being 'something that cannot be explained by rational means'. However there are many things that we can explain today (space flight, television, the movement of the planets etc...) that could not have been explained 50, 100 or 200 years ago and there may be things that we cannot explain today that will be explained in 50, 100 or 200 years.
So are miracles things which we consider 'impossible' such as a person who has been brain dead for 24 hours suddenly getting up or if your cat started doing the housework! In the bible miracles are seen as something else they are seen as signs of the power of God. The Jews believed in miracles, they believe that God delivered them out of slavery in Egypt by parting the Red Sea (exodus 14). There are also many miracle stories in the teachings of the prophets in Elijah and Elisha.
Also in the bible there are many stories of the miracles of Jesus. The people who Jesus lived with had no problem in believing in miracles. They would have believed that there are forces of good and evil that could help or harm them. Many other people also claimed that they could do miracles, the important thing in the miracles of Jesus is the meaning of these miracles.
