Miracles

Question 1

What does Aquinas believe about Miracles?

Answer 1

A miracle must go beyond the order usually observed in the laws of nature; breaking laws of nature (like Hume and Swinburne).

Question 2

What quotation did aquinas use to help explain this definition?

Answer 2

“Those things… which are done by divine power different from the order generally followed in things.

Question 3

What were aquinas’ 3 events?

Answer 3

Events done by God which nature could never do; event that goes completely against the laws nature “Joshua 10 when the moon stood still to let Joshua walk home safely and have enough light
Events which nature can do but not in the order; life to death
events usually done by the working of nature bur without the principles of nature; healing a persons broken bone would be healed instantly

Question 4

What did Hume believe about Miracles?

Answer 4

Simplifys aquinas definition. For miracles to happen must break the laws of nature. Most of the time he believes miracles cant be miracles, most experience we have of normal things less likely the opposite will occur.

Question 5

What was Hume’s quote towards a miracle?

Answer 5

“A transgression of a law of nature by a particular volition of the deity”- Break in the law of nature by a supernatural or god.
No miracle can happen if its bought in the way of normal nature; has to be brought by a deity

Question 6

What does Hume say in his essay?

Answer 6

Miracles are variable as they contradict the consistent laws of nature

Question 7

What did Mark Lambe say about Hume`?

Answer 7

Said that Hume is a theist as he adopted an agnostic approach, whilst saying he didn’t see any good evidence for God.

Question 8

What does Rf holland say about miracles?

Answer 8

Suggests Miracles are just coincidence; train analogy when train stops for the boy in time but infant train driver fainted. just clearly the inerpretation of the person

Question 9

What was Rf Hollands definition about a miracle?

Answer 9

“A remarkable and beneficial conindice that is interpreted in a religious fashion”

Question 10

What does Swinburne say about religious experiences?

Answer 10

Breaking of laws of nature by God. For a miracle to be called a miracle must have a deeper meaning, for God to break the natural laws it would not be efficient to call it a miracle if there were no religious significance. Used the marimba footballer experience and said it had religious purpose as they prayed

Question 11

What is a Lourdes example?

Answer 11

Since 1958, there have been 69 verified miracles or cures in Lourdes, 1989 Danila castelli who had a tumour

Question 12

What does CS Lewis say about laws of nature being broken?

Answer 12

Says that Natural laws cant be broken but instead God introduces new ones “Miracles do not infact, break the laws of nature’

Question 13

How are Brian Davies and aquinas’s view on God being an intervionist in contrast?

Answer 13

Aquinas says `god is an intervionist who only acts on certain/random occasions. Davies says God is merely just a spectator who observes us suffer ; contrast to classical theism where God is all loving.

Question 14

What do Aquinas and swibhurne both say about natural laws?

Answer 14

Say that God only intervenes with miracles that alter th laws of nature

Question 15

What does Wiles say is wrong. about God being an omnibenelovent God?

Answer 15

Swibburnes and aquinas’ view on altering laws of nature prescribes that God only does miracles for odd people and at random; who did nothing for people in the holocaust; only way to say God is omnibenelovent is to reject all miracles and not have miracles

Question 16

What does Arminus say about free will?

Answer 16

If God is interfering at random points, he is interfering with our free will; theologians lie pelagius and armies would reject miracles as miracles are deterministic and would compromise free will.

Question 17

Why might Hollands view of coincidences interpreted in a religious fashion be a problem?

Answer 17

As anyone could say anything is a miracle without it being a miracle; depending on the interpretation; Priest being suffers with a stroke unlikely to recover placed on his head with a 300 year old mummified hand English martyr which was said to bring about miracle and recovered. Coincidence/

Question 18

What was a bilk?

Answer 18

Hares view of looking against this coincidence by suggesting it is a miracle if nothing can be counted against it.

Question 19

What does it say in the apostles creed that could bring about a miracle?

Answer 19

“Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
Born of the virgin Mary
he desended to the dead
on the third day he rose again”
2 miracles central to its declaration of faith
God altered his natural laws to bring about this miracle because he is powerful and loving

Question 20

What Miracle was found at Lourdes by Bernadette?

Answer 20

Sister Bernadette had a 40 year long back problem which cold never be fixed, attended Lourdes and felt warm then a voice said to remove her braves and she did and walked- no scientific evidence was found

Question 21

What is the problem with aquinas’ definition?

Answer 21

Outdated

Question 22

Whats the problem with Humes definition?

Answer 22

God goes against his own laws, if god is omniscient he could have extended his laws for miraculous events to occur

Question 23

Can the law of nature change?

Answer 23

Humans accept the law of nature as generalisations, not set in stone. Hypothesis is needed to be tested. Many people don’t believe in God, meaning atheists couldn’t accept any event as a miracle.
It isn’t adequate to say God intervenes because he chooses randomly like Swinburne said, nut why doesn’t he interfere in stress.

Question 24

Why can law of nature be broken?

Answer 24

Law of nature is the best explanation as it is so well established, a break would be extraordinary.
Like Hume says saying a god or deity intervene would be right as it would take something extraordinary to change the world of regularity
If theres no breaking of the world it wouldn’t be called a miracle. God might have said its better to perform some miracles better than none.

Question 25

What is Humes statement in chapter 1 about evidence?

Answer 25

a wise person proportions their belief to the… evidence

Question 26

What evidence does Swinburne have for miracles?

Answer 26

private Memories
testimony of otgers
physical evidence
understanding of natural laws (checks other evidence too)

Question 27

Why does Swinburne criticise Humes standards of witnesses?

Answer 27

Not all religious people are liars, our own is better than someones else

Question 28

How does Swinburne respond to Humes suscpecitibility of belief?

Answer 28

he says if we are sceptical of peoples claims and miracles should be sceptical of other personal claims

Question 29

What does Polkinghorne say about miracles?

Answer 29

Believes in miracles as he believes science has no part in explaining a supernatural event

Question 30

What was Humes quotation about evidence?

Answer 30

“Extraordinary claims demand extraordinary evidence”

Question 31

What is Humes criticism towards Swinburnes principle of testimony?

Answer 31

Most reports of miracles come from clueless, uneducated, ignorant who are susceptible to belief

Question 32

What does C.D Broad reject Hume?

Answer 32

As Hume says there are fixed laws which can be broken but Broad disagrees and says there aren’t and what if they’ve changed might need to be revised

Question 33

What do clack and clack say about Humes argument?

Answer 33

Say that Hume provides an unsatusfactory problem of miracles for he has confused improbability with impossibility; miracles re unusual events but it doesnt mean thy Havant occured

Question 34

What are swiburnes 4 types of evidence?

Answer 34

Memories of our epereicne
testimony by others of their experience
physical traces of the event
understanding or modern science what is thought physically impossible

Question 35

What is a miracle to Swinburne?

Answer 35

Expressions of Gods love and his response to special pleading with God interacting sometimes

Question 36

What are the main problems with Swinburne?

Answer 36

Says that religions don’t cancel out but they do like the exodus events says egyptaisn were wrong- seems to suggest god intervenes- raises problems of evil