Miracles

Question 1

Who are the Philosophers associated with miracles?

Answer 1

• Maurice Wiles
• RF Holland
• David Hume

Question 2

Who is Maurice Wiles?

Answer 2

Anglican priest and academic

Question 3

Is Maurice Wiles for or against miracles?

Answer 3

Against

Question 4

What does Maurice Wiles reject?

Answer 4

He rejects the idea of any interventions by God into the created universe

Question 5

What does Maurice Wiles not reject miracles on the grounds of?

Answer 5

Logic or science:
He does not see anything logically wrong with the idea that God could choose (if he wanted to) to create miracles

Question 6

What does Wiles reject miracles on the grounds of?

Answer 6

He rejected them from a moral perspective

Question 7

What book does Maurice Wiles illustrate his views on miracles in?

Answer 7

God’s action in the world

Question 8

Maurice Wiles “God’s action in the world” quote

Answer 8

“… it would seem strange that no miraculous intervention prevented Auschwitz or Hiroshima (…) miracles acclaimed in traditional Christian faith seem trivial by comparison”

Question 9

Examples of miracles healing in the Bible…

Answer 9

• a woman with internal bleeding (Mark 5:25-26)
• a man born blind (John 9:1-7)

Question 10

Maurice Wiles conclusion on miracles

Answer 10

Wiles concluded that it is better theologically, to believe in a God that does not do any miracles than one that is not morally good

Question 11

Objection to Maurice Wiles

Answer 11

We cannot make God conform to human rationality as God acts in ways beyond our human understanding

Question 12

What is an example of miracles that are important to Christians?

Answer 12

• The resurrection of Jesus
• Jesus walking on water
• The feeding of the 5000 people

Question 13

Why is the resurrection of Jesus important for Christian faith?

Answer 13

• the basis of Christian faith
• it validates who Jesus claimed to be
• validates life after death
• validates Jesus’ teachings
• Jesus died for our sins

Question 14

What allowed Jesus to walk on water?

Answer 14

His faith in God

Question 15

What is the “feeding of the 5000” also known as?

Answer 15

The “miracle of the five loaves and two fish”

Question 16

What perspective does RF Holland have on miracles?

Answer 16

An anti-realist perspective

Question 17

What does RF Holland call his argument?

Answer 17

Contingency miracles

Question 18

What does Holland argue that miracles are?

Answer 18

Nothing more than an extraordinary coincidence interpreted in a religious way

Question 19

RF Holland quote

Answer 19

“a coincidence can be taken religiously as a sign and called a miracle”

Question 20

What example does Holland give to support his argument?

Answer 20

Holland gives the example of a boy stuck on a railway track with a train approaching. The train driver faints causing the train to stop which saves the boys life

The boys mother sees it as a miracle - even though she understands that there is a naturalistic explanation (interpretation)

Question 21

Hume is an…

Answer 21

empiricist

Question 22

What is an empiricist?

Answer 22

The idea that our beliefs should be based on evidence and experience

Question 23

Hume miracle quote

Answer 23

“a violation of the laws of nature”

Question 24

Hume’s multiple claims argument

Answer 24

Testimony for miracles “destroys itself”
The fact that different religions all have miracle stories in them means their claims cancel eachother out

Question 25

Hume on the low quality of testimony for miracles

Answer 25

There is no miracle witnessed by multiple people who were of good sense, education, integrity and reputation

Instead, miracle stories come “chiefly” from ignorant and barbarous nations and when found in civilised people, they tend to be inhereted from ignorant and barbarous ancestors

Question 26

Hume’s argument from evidence and probability

Answer 26

When judging what to believe, we should proportion our beliefs to the evidence. So, the evidence we have for the miracle (testimony) must be weighed against the evidence for the law of nature (scientific experiments)