Religion-Miricales

Question 1

what is the purpose of biblical miracles and how to they relate with science?

Answer 1

-proves the power of Jesus and testify to a personal god.
-science isn’t a problem from biblical miracles
-examples of biblical miracles:
feeding of the 5 thousand, walking on water, water into wine, Moses and the sea.
-is the bible a respectable source? Yes, we know J esus existed

Question 2

what does Holland think of miracles?

Answer 2

• science and miracles are compatible.
• The train example (remember to include the disagreement over whether or not a miracle)-the train example confirms a legitimate religious use of the word miracle which does not imply any scientific laws had been breached.

Question 3

what does Diderot think?

Answer 3

-he sees the universe as a self contained casual system-he compares it to a machine

Question 4

are miracles, in principle, permissible?

Answer 4

-can we make sense of miracles if we also believe in science? Not a dilemma for bible writers because it was a pre science age.

Question 5

what does Hick think?

Answer 5

• Hick suggests there is more to a miracle than extraordinary events-miracles have personal significance. As a miracle involves interpreting events. Not a disagreement about facts but about what the facts mean.
• according to some thinkers any occurrence can be described as a miracle so long as it holds religious significance.

Question 6

what does Wittgenstein think?

Answer 6

a miracle is a gesture from god
a man sits quietly then makes a big gesture
God lets the world run smoothly then makes a big gesture-causes a miracle
our interpretation of the gesture comes not only from the gesture but from context and culture in which the gesture is placed.
therefore a miracle is an event which the beholder interprets as an expression of God

Question 7

what does Bultman think?

Answer 7

Jesus’s resurrection is an attempt to understand the religious significance of the historical crucifixion of Jesus. Had a pre-science understanding of the world but had to express the huge significance. However now with science the miracle can be broken down and still retain the religious significance.
Today we have to explain miracles because otherwise they would threaten our fundamental truths-we cannot remove ourselves from the science way of thinking.

Question 8

Purtill’s analogy

Answer 8

president can override laws of the country however once that is done it returns to normal-God can override the laws of physics.
however if the system is not disrupted how can we judge exceptions to the rule

Question 9

the balance of probabilities

Answer 9

• Hume: we shouldn’t believe events took place based on biblical testimony. We should instead use probability.
• if someone always forgets their essay when they then say their cat eat it how likely is the case that that is true and they didn’t just forget .-failure to adjust your beliefs to the evidence indicates that you are not wise. (teacher would be unwise unless they sore a cat regurgitating the essay)
• people like things which are against the odds
• problem for hume is that he failed to take into account the number of witnesses at each miracle. and a lack of analogy between our familiar experiences and miraculous events-how can we compare. How can the ordinary be a guide to the extraordinary.

Question 10

finally

Answer 10

how can God be considered supremely good if he intervenes sporadically.
Hick suggests because he keeps out
McGabe explands and suggests that to be involved you have to be a part of

Question 11

Levine

Answer 11

levine suggests that perhaps the laws of nature do not apply to non-natural events so none natural events such as the supernatural could be the case and don’t break any laws