Part 1 and Part 2 have responded, respectively, to these answers to the QUESTION: “Do miracles really happen?”

(1) “YES miracles happen! There have been and continue to be many amazing occurrences that defy natural explanation in the world, including documented cases of answered prayer. If you don’t believe in miracles, you’re just in denial!"

(2) “IF YOU SAY SO. A miracle is a purely subjective interpretation of some event or perceived event regardless of whether the phenomenon in question has a natural explanation or not. Someone can also choose to believe something is a miracle or is somehow miraculous without denying it is also natural. This personal layer of interpretation cannot be proved nor disproved because it is a matter of faith."

This third and final blog will address the following answer to the question:

(3) "NO, there are no such things as “miracles”. What is dubbed “miraculous” is either a phenomenon which has yet to be explained naturally (but eventually will be – like so many other natural phenomena previously thought to be supernaturally caused but since proved otherwise), or can already be explained naturally yet is nonetheless automatically characterized as miraculous because of already-held religious beliefs or a highly emotional experience (e.g., the “miracle” of birth)."

I can already hear the retort to this answer:

“How can you be sure that miracles don’t happen? One might not be able to PROVE a miracle happened, but by the same token, one can’t DISPROVE it either. If it is a matter of faith-interpretation, then how is the one who answers in this way any different than the fundamentalist who says miracles are provable?”

The proponent of this answer would likely defend his or her assertion by appealing to an argument of probabilities. In order to explain this position, perhaps a little primer on how science works would be helpful. Further, such a primer might surprise some of you who’ve been taught to be highly suspicious of the scientific method.

Most people don’t realize that science itself is based upon probabilities, not certainties. What scientists deem a “scientific fact” is essentially a theory that has been tested time and time again, yet consistently yields the same results. Each time a scientific theory is subjected to further testing and that testing confirms the theory, it inches closer and closer to what the scientific community would call a “fact”. Any theory that earns the title of “fact”, however, is always subject to further testing with the presupposition that it might just be overturned by another theory that better explains the evidence. Thus, scientific knowledge is measured in varying levels of certainty…but, from a philosophical standpoint, never absolute certainty. Science is guided by the foundational principle that every theory, no matter how well tested, could potentially be overturned by another theory if the evidence warrants it. In that way, science is based upon probabilities. Any real scientist will tell you the same.

Scientific knowledge is therefore always tentative. It’s important to note, though, that tentative doesn’t mean invalid. The obvious progression of understanding about our universe (expressed through and corroborated by dozens of scientific disciplines) and the exponential proliferation of technology make the staggering success of the scientific enterprise more than evident. Ironically enough, I always find it amusing (albeit sometimes infuriating) that many evangelical/fundamentalist Christian circles who condemn the scientific enterprise of being flawed, erroneous, biased, deceived, and even a "tool of the devil" nonetheless enjoy its fruits. Computers, microwaves, medical technology...all of it the result of the progression of science -- the same science using the same scientific method as those studying biological evolution but not receiving the same condemnation.... ughh.... talk about a double standard.

So, do miracles happen as evangelical Christians claim they do? The proponent of the perspective of this blog would probably insist that you consider the following:

(a) Most all events claimed to be miraculous can be explained naturally.

(b) Most all events claimed to be miraculous are not “large” miracles (i.e., someone blind from birth is prayed for and suddenly is able to see); rather, most are small, much more easily explained phenomena.

(c) Many miracles are simply the product of unusual circumstances. However, there are as many negative things that happen against the odds (i.e., freak accidents) as there are positive things that happen to us. Just because something happens out of the ordinary doesn’t deserve the name “miracle” any more than it deserves the name “bad luck”.

Personally, I have yet to read about (or see substantiated) an actual “miracle” which is so far beyond natural explanation that it actually deserves the title “miracle”. Just being honest. I'm not saying definitively that miracles don't happen. It's just, in my life, I’ve yet to experience or read about a documented event where the dead are raised, the blind from birth see, the deaf from birth hear, the crippled or physically/mentally retarded are cured, or any other truly unexplainable phenomenon occurs due to the prayers of people or obvious divine fiat. Have you? Nor have I read of truly documented (and not just passionately insisted upon) evidence that these things still occur today in the way the Bible plainly claims can happen if they are just asked of God in Jesus' name). Headaches, body aches, keys found, or even lotteries won are simply not enough to substantiate an actual miracle for me. For that matter, the occasional cancer victim who somehow survives is not enough. There are plenty of those who are not praying for God to heal them.

Maybe, when it comes down to it, life is life. People live, people die. Sometimes unexpected things happen. Some of those things are good for us, some bad. We get cancer, we get treatment, we pray, we beg, we live or die. Yes, people pray; and some prayers are “answered” and some are “not” (and there’s always some ad-hoc explanation for both). Conversely, other people don’t pray and some good things “happen” and other bad things “don’t” (and vice-versa). In fact, the latest, most controlled scientific studies show prayer of even the most devout to be...well...ineffective (much to the dismay of the very pro-faith scientists who conducted the tests).

Granted, Christians will continue to claim “miracles” for even the simplest things just because they are taught to believe that God works in all things to a greater or lesser extent. For those who hold to the answer offered in this "PART 3" blog, however, they would find that particular worldview to be far too fairytale-ish to hold onto with any real integrity.

This is where the proponents of this view would stand: "There are no miracles. If you want to try and explain why God would allow children to be raped, murdered, starve, etc., in a world where divine miracles happen, please, by all means, explain."

After undergrad and graduate degrees in biblical studies and theology, as well as many years of reflection and reading, it is hard to disagree with those who argue for this view. Nonetheless, in the spirit of siding with faith (and a certain level of agnosticism), I would suspend a definite stance with them. Still...

Sorry it has taken so long to even get to PART 2 (not that I have a huge fan base or anything ;) ). Recent events have brought my attention back to this blog. I realized I wrote part one without part 2 (or 3). So...here goes...

Assuming you've read PART 1, you'd know that it was dealing with those who would answer the question posed by this blog with a resounding YES. Obviously, I haver serious issues with those who claim to be able to prove or substantiate a miracle objectively. But, what about a more subjective approach? What about someone who answers the above question with:

“If you say so. A miracle is a purely subjective interpretation of some event or perceived event regardless of whether the phenomenon in question has a natural explanation or not. Someone can also choose to believe something is a miracle or is somehow miraculous without denying it is also natural. This personal layer of interpretation cannot be proved nor disproved because it is a matter of faith”

This is a less popular answer given by Christians but a more popular answer offered by Christian apologists. They are saying, essentially, that miracles are outside the realm of provability; however, that fact doesn’t make them illusory. They are, rather, purely a matter of personal faith and judgment. (A “Christian apologist”, by the way, is one who argues for the truth of Christianity – i.e., that Christianity can be shown to be likely true based upon alleged evidence or logical reasoning). So, a miracle is something interpreted by the individual, and perhaps agreed upon by others who either experienced the event or believed testimony about it, to be evidence of supernatural intervention in human history causing some otherwise unlikely or improbable reality to nonetheless obtain. In other words, when people experience something they consider amazing, many will attribute the cause of that event to God. The key for this point is that “interpretation” is very subjective (i.e., personal): what you consider a miracle, I might not, etc.

For many Christians, the issue of “faith” as a lens for interpreting real events in life is paramount to this subject (and for life in general) when it comes to the theistic worldview that God actually is aware of, cares about, and intervenes in our individual lives as well as the world as a whole. Christians will typically say, “If you don’t experience God intervening in your life, it’s either because you’re not looking for it or you just don’t believe it. “Not looking for it” is tantamount to exhorting you to “open your eyes” and begin attributing certain events to God’s providential hand at work in the world. Such examples of this, quite frankly, could be anything from hitting every light on green some day when you’re running late to someone surviving cancer. “Not believing it”, on the other hand, could either be suggesting that non-belief is blinding you to the obvious (that God intervenes in the natural world), or that because of your unbelief God will not or cannot intervene in your life.

So, in this case, the three sub-questions that need to be asked are: (a) Is having faith the key to *interpreting* miracles in your life? Or, (b) do you not *experience* miracles because of your *lack* of faith? Or, conversely, (c) are miracles not really miracles at all but really just natural events that seem improbable to you so that, because of your upbringing or training, you attribute them to divine intervention? Let’s look at them one at a time.

As for (a), I’m sorry, but it just seems so overwhelmingly subjective, I can hardly latch onto it with any sense of rational integrity. That a “miracle” is just what you decide is a miracle is so arbitrary that it means nothing with regard to truly trying to understand reality as it really is. For example, if I hit every light on green on a day I’m late for an important appointment, and (to add drama to the scenario) I’m asking God to “help me get there on time” to boot, then I can conclude one of two things. First, I could conclude that God has indeed intervened, making every light green to help me out. But such a facile and quick answer to prayer begs the question of why my prayers for so many other much more grave issues seem to go ignored. Am I to really believe that God cares more about me getting somewhere on time more than all the suffering and dying children in the world? People pray for them too, after all. Does God care more about making my travel time more expedient than about the child being abused at the same moment somewhere else in town? I once had a parishioner who insisted that God fixed his washing machine and that God helped him find a waterline buried in this front yard. I wanted to shake him, shouting “Wake up, man! Snap out of this fairytale world of yours!” Of course, I suppose I could attribute every successful endeavor or beneficial event in my life to direct divine intervention, but that’s just obviously silly...and, anyway, doesn’t that blur what a miracle is really supposed to be, i.e., something remarkable which could seemingly only have been caused by God? Surely so. So then what about that remarkable event I label “miraculous”? Well, other than the fact that many things seem remarkable only because we don’t expect them to happen (as opposed to whether or not they are really possible or probable), the truth is that most “remarkable” events have natural explanations. Oh, I could acknowledge that event X has a natural cause and still claim that God was the cause of that natural cause...but gee, that sure seems redundant! If an event has a natural cause, an additional supernatural cause is unnecessary and unwarranted. Yet, this is precisely the tact taken by many: miracles happen in the natural world and might be able to be explained naturally on some level, but that doesn’t mean God wasn’t still at work. In this sense, interpreting a miracle is said to be a matter of seeing events through the lens of faith. People are free to do this, of course, if they want. As mentioned, you can believe that finding your lost keys is a miracle of some sort, but that doesn’t make it so...or even rational. Adding a supernatural layer of interpretation over natural events in my life only complicates things unnecessarily. Instead of trying to understand why God did or didn’t do this or that (which causes serious cognitive dissonance, guilt and fear in many people’s lives), it is much simpler to just view the world the way it is: natural. But, of course, that doesn't really answer the question of miracles...it kind of circumvents it for a simpler worldview. Yet, simplicity is a key element in truth.

As for (b), there are many Christians who state unequivocally that without faith, you will never see God work in your life. This is not the same as saying that God intervenes but people don’t see it for lack of faith. This is saying that God does not (some theologians would say can not) intervene where faith is absent. This makes faith a kind of currency, a “key” if you will, that unlocks divine power in your life. Health and Wealth preachers often use this line of persuasion to incite their listeners to send money…and it works. If you show faith by sending money (especially in amounts you really can’t afford!), then God will perform great miracles in your life – one presumably being that God will award you with a lot more money…which you can once again send to the televangelist. The result? The preacher gets richer, the follower gets poorer, the terminally ill still die, and the handicapped remain handicapped. Amazingly, people will continue to follow these lying shysters since they are programmed to believe that any fortunate event in their lives must indeed be “miraculously” caused, hence reinforcing their trust in the preacher. It is a vicious cycle of nonsense. Is it true that as long as you have faith, God will do miracles in your life? I hardly think so. Over the years, I can’t tell you how many times I have been puzzled and horrified to see people of faith pray for the recovery of a sick (or missing) child only for the child to die (or be found dead with signs of torture). It seems that faith isn’t enough to clear our pediatric cancer wards. That’s going to take science. I have also had numerous adults with terminal illnesses say to me, “I have been praying for God to heal me, but I guess I don’t have enough faith...” Some preacher or Christian has no doubt planted that seed in their head somewhere along the line. Hey, why not add mental and emotional torture to their already tortured physical state? Appalling. Furthermore, there are stories of God supposedly acting independently of human faith, both in the Bible and in popular anecdotes. So, it would seem that how much or little faith one has seems to have little bearing on the existence or non-existence of miracles.

Finally, as for (c), well, as it turns out, that’s the subject of the next blog in this little series.