MIRACLES: Anti Realist Views Of Miracles Flashcards
What is an anti realist approach to miracles?
We can have no knowledge of a transcendent realm so the idea of miraculous intervention by a transcendent god is non sensical
A miracle is something that lifts the spirit or transforms a community of people; miracles are in the mind
Who is Tillich?
German American Christian philosopher
What is Tillich’s approach to miracles?
Miracles are sign events that can’t be divorced from their religious context
‘An event which points to the mystery of being’
Who is R. F. Holland?
Member of the Swansea Wittgensteinians
What is Holland’s coincidence miracle?
A train braking saves a child from being run over and the mother thanks god
Holland is saying that there’s nothing miraculous about coincidences except the way they’re interpreted
Problems with anti realist views
Any anti realist interpretation will vary according to the values, hopes and intentions of the people concerned
It makes no difference to the truth or falsity of that statement whether I or you believe it or not
