Does The Realist Approach To Miracles Disprove The God Of Classical Theism? Flashcards
Realist definition of Miracles
Miracles are real events that are brought about by god. They cannot always be understood due to epistemic distance but are signs of the kingdom of god.
Realists believe that we can have knowledge of a world that exists independently of our mind
Criteria 1 of realist miracles ; extraordinary coincidences of a beneficial nature
E.g. Nebraska Chirch explosion 1950
All 15 members were late to a choir practice for different reasons, they would have perished if they had been on time which they had been consistently till this 1 incident.
Criteri 2 of realist miracles; miracles are events brought about by god or god working through people
Moses delivering the Israelites from slavery where God vested his power in his stick so Moses could part the Red Sea.
2016, Catholic Church declared mother Tessa of Calcutta to be a saint due to her performing at least 2 miracles e.g. healing of a woman with a stomach tumor and the recovery of a Brazilian man from brain abscesses, qualifying her for canonisation - official admission of a dead person into sainthood
Criticisms of realist violating natural law
Contradicts with natural law which encourages a god of the gaps approach ( gaps in scientific understanding are used as evidence for god’s existence and intervention).
Challenges the idea that there is a stable,ordered universe
Would a perfect god create an unordered universe
Lack of evidence vs Kierkegaard fiedist
Criticisms of miracles being brought by god or god working through people
If god intervenes in nature when he wants to, why is there still suffering
Goes on to lead us to the question why would god choose to save some people and not others in thousands of explosion per year
Counter: theist approach -theodicies life is a test
Criticisms of miracles being an extraordinary coincidence of a beneficial nature
Subjectivity- specifically around miracles as an extraordinary coincidence of a beneficial nature. We can’t know for certain that this was not just luck
