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Do Miracles Happen? - Essay by A. Montreal

This is, perhaps, one of the most debated or argued about topics known to man. Why is this true? It may be that miracles are often associated with religions; particularly Christianity. It may be that folks have difficulty in deciding the accuracy of another’s claim if it doesn’t make sense to them. Even more interestingly, it may be that answering such a question requires a person to delve into deep thought and consideration of what the population would refer to as a “gray area”--they have to decide for themselves, and form an opinion. In order to come to the conclusion of whether or not miracles did/do happen, certain things must be examined. These include: what the prerequisites are, where they came from, and where they are going. Then an inference may be made. One might ask, “Well, what exactly is a miracle?” Listings of miracles online include: life after a dangerous kidney attack, a husband getting out of the Pentagon on 9/11, forgiveness, and even microwave ovens. Since it is a topic that receives a wide range of views, there is more than one definition. When “define: miracle” is searched on Google, there are two definitions that appear. The first: “A surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is considered to be divine.” The second: “A highly improbable or extraordinary event, development, or accomplishment.” Apple’s dictionary application goes on to say: “an amazing product or achievement, or an outstanding example of something.” On Dictionary.com, two others come up: “such an effect or event manifesting or considered as a work of God,” and “a wonder; marvel.” Obviously, there are two main categories of what people would call miracles: divine and fortunate. Are miracles from God, or are they just coincidences that are favoring someone? Many of those who disagree with the existence of miracles contribute their beliefs to science. Surely, there is something to be said for scientific advancements of the world/society as a race. However, do people disagree with miracles because of their confidence in science, or should it be attributed to their lack of faith? If so, what characterizes this? It is best said in the words of Samuel Johnson*: “Sir, a desire of knowledge is the natural feeling of mankind; and every human being, whose mind is not debauched, will be willing to give all that he has to get knowledge.” As humans, our hunger for knowledge is what helps us in so many instances, but can lead to a complete lack of faith in anything or anyone. It overcomes many people’s desire to believe in the unseen. Immanuel Kant said: “man desired concord; but nature knows better what is good for his species; she desires discord. Man wants to live easy and content; but nature compels him to leave ease.. and throw himself into roils and labors.” Essentially, this proves that people take the easy route, and faith is often quite the opposite, whether what one has to believe is actually true or not. The Bible is often regarded as the single largest source of information on miracles that one may have access to. As for the accuracy of the events recorded there, there is much controversy. The people who wrote the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) in the bible were actually witnesses to what happened in those books. There were also many people there that saw and could testify to the events that occurred there. The huge dispute is over the credibility of the witnesses that were really there. One way to look at it is this: Do you think that early Christians shared a collective death wish? That puts it in perspective, doesn’t it? They were ordinary citizens (with no reason to lie or be irrational) who experienced extraordinary happenings. They saw, believed, and weren’t afraid to be honest about it. Now, in order to theorize on what happened since then that caused faith to weaken and people to develop doubt, there was a question that should be asked, in one form or another. I chose to survey people about (1) why they believed the Holocaust and WWII really happened (since there are many doubters even today), and (2) whether or not they can see the possibility of people starting to doubt and question the Holocaust in a few thousand years. After all, those are some really insane things that happened. The answer that was sought came out remarkably fast. The first group asked included someone who said they believed that those events took place because they have relatives or friends who fought in that war. The more far-sighted people tended to answer that they did believe that the Holocaust being thought of more as a myth than a truth a few thousand years in the future is a rational possibility. If in theory, people can disregard such an outstanding milestone of human history as nothing more than words on a page, what are the chances that this has already happened? It is known that Jesus had a significant impact on the world of his time. The miracles he “performed” that were witnessed by many and written down--is it possible that as time goes on, humans allow doubt to get inside of them like water in a sidewalk, and rip apart what they once knew as fact? Perhaps it was not the Biblical witnesses themselves who caused debate and controversy for millennia to come--perhaps it was all that time in between. Now, even if someone were sure of the validity of Biblical miracles, what can they say about miracles today? If they ever happened, do they still happen? Scientists are constantly coming up with “new and improved” explanations of natural--and what can be referred to as unnatural, for the time being--occurrences. There are lot of coincidences that just happen on a regular basis, right? However, after in-depth analysis, are they just coincidences? Are they the result of false testimony? There are a lot of people out there that would lie for the sake of money. However, there are still more important questions that remain unanswered. Are these things an example of coincidence or divine intervention? Even those who say they believe in Biblical miracles would not necessarily testify to things happening now as being miracles, or that God still acts in such ways. There are, however, objections to the “laws of nature” that puzzle intelligent people even now. There was a man named Tony Davis that died and came back to life. Ian McCormack (atheist) was stung by more jellyfish than his body should have been able to handle, became paralyzed, had his life flash before him, “confronted” God about his life in his last moments, forgave his friends, and according to what he says, has been forgiven, and now lives to tell the story in full health. Jeff Markin died of a massive heart attack. One of the doctors at the hospital felt convicted to pray for Jeff, who, after being pronounced dead for a while, came back to life at the shock of the paddles that was only done out of respect for the doctor who prayed for Jeff. Don Piper was at “Heaven’s Gate” for 90 minutes. You see, what one would call “crazy” things actually happen. Are they just coincidences, or the result of false testimony? Perhaps, one of the more interesting examples is one that happened recently, and therefore everyone should be familiar with. What about Tim Tebow’s John 3:16 “coincidence” a few months ago? Since we can rule out false testimony, was that an act of divinity or a mere coincidence? I’ll give you miracles; you tell me whether they’re an instance of divine intervention. Christopher Hitchens said: “Perhaps you notice how the denial is so often the preface to the justification.” This rings very true in light of a subject such as this, which is very debatable. I always say, “even in a gray area, you can always look at the pixels.” I, for one, believe that miracles have happened and continue to occur daily as a result of God’s help and love toward us, despite whatever the majority says. You just have to look for them.
 * Johnson, being well-educated as of his time, received a Master of Arts at Oxford University and later a doctorate from Oxford and an honorary one from Trinity College Dublin.