Miracles

Non-religious Attitudes to Miracles

Many non-religious people, such as atheists and humanists, argue that miracles do not prove God exists.

• Some do not believe in miracles at all, so they can't possibly offer proof of God.
• There could be other rational or scientific explanations; God has nothing to do with these events.
• If some events are scientifically 'unexplainable' now, at some point in the future science may offer an explanation.
• Miracles are no more than coincidences.
• People who are healed could simply have been misdiagnosed, therefore they were never seriously ill in the first place.
• Miracle healings could be a case of 'mind over matter.' If someone believes something enough, they can overcome anything, including illness.
• Some miracles are made up for attention, to gain money or to mislead people about the existence of God.

Christian Responses

Christians believe that miracles provide evidence of God's existence. They respond to non-religious viewpoints by highlighting the number of miracles that have occurred, both within the Bible and today. All without scientific explanation.

For example, they would point to the large number of healings that have taken place at Lourdes. These healings have been verified by doctors who have been unable to suggest a scientific explanation. This offers sound evidence that God was involved, as do other more recent miracles.

They would argue that whilst science is important, it doesn't offer the answer to everything. Just because you can't see or prove the cause of miracles, doesn't mean God does not exist. We can see love, but we know it exists because we can feel it and see the outcome of its presence.

It's not possible to fully understand God; that's what makes him God. Faith calls for Christians to trust in God without being able to figure him out scientifically.

Whilst there will always be people who use and abuse aspects of religion, this doesn't mean that the vast majority of miracles are fake.