Miracles

Question 1

What is a miracle + e.g.?

Answer 1

extremely unlikely event that is inferably beyond probability

e.g. jesus coming back to life

Nebraska Baptist church story

Train and toddler

Question 2

What is antirealism, in terms of miracles?

Answer 2

The event didn’t really happen, but the interpretation is more important than whether the event actually happened.

Miracles aren’t meaningful according to the V.P.

Question 3

What are Wiles, Tillich and Holland’s arguments for Miracular antirealism?

Answer 3

Wiles:
interpretation of a natural event which gives the illusion of a transcendental God.

Tillich:
they are signs and are supernatural inferences of natural processes

Holland:
natural coincidence that the human mind deludes itself into a sign of God.

Question 4

What is Wiles anti realist argument + strengths and weaknesses?

Answer 4

• miracles are just signs and symbols
• shouldn’t be taken literally
• messes with our free will

+++++++++++++++
1. no superstition
2. aligns with VP
3. existential significance
4. cultural

1. St Paul - if Christ didn’t rise from the dead, there’s no point of your faith.
2. Is God, God without miracles?
3. interpretation is everything
4. not all got talk is non cognitive

Question 5

What are the attacks on Anti realism (miracles)?

Answer 5

1. CS Lewis:
   No laws have been broken, rather an unseen factor enters the equation (God) and with complete knowledge of Him, we could deduce the outcome.
2. An omnipotent God can create or break the laws he made
3. hard problem of consciousness is also supernatural

Question 6

What is realism, in terms of miracles?

Answer 6

• outside the mind
• violates laws of nature
• supernatural intervention
• it either happened or not
• requires a transcendental explanation

Question 7

What is Hume’s realist summary of miracles?

Answer 7

1. actual empirical event
2. can’t be explained through existing laws
3. due to God

That is if they do exist…

Question 8

What are Hume’s attacks on realism?

Answer 8

1. the empirically verified event didn’t happen (witnesses were untrustworthy)
2. the miracle happened, but didn’t break any laws of nature.

• its more likely that the laws of nature havent been broken and the witnesses are stupid, data was limited and our scientific understanding was limited.

3. Miracles by definition are maximally improbable and why should we believe something that is beyond belief and probability?

Question 9

What are the strengths and weaknesses of Hume’s attack on Realism?

Answer 9

++++++++++++
1. authentic understanding of miracles
2. says its more than a BLIK (either true or false)
3. helped believers clarify the criteria for belief in miracles

1. automatically dismisses miracles
2. ignores credible witnesses
3. assumes all of god talk are delusions
4. W. James defence