Western Cultures live within a miracle-less world. The materialist philosophy which reigns over the West implies that anything outside of the physical realm is not real. Anything which is supernatural, or ‘above Nature’, is an illusion. So in this framework, if miracles are supernatural incidences, then they can’t be real and there must always be a natural, non-spiritual, explanation for them.
If there is a God, ANYTHING is possible to Him: a man living 800 years as well as deep waters separating 🤔 Even when I was still an unbeliever, I never put it into doubt
Well said. Hume complains that miracles always happen long ago and far away. But this is simply false. The Marian apparition in Egypt was witnessed by like a quarter of a million people within living memory. There are standard miracles, Eucharistic miracles for instance are pretty common across history. The case of Eucharistic miracles shows why miracles are always said to be discredited. They happen, and the experts of the day test them and are baffled. But then in a few years some expert declares that he would have tested the miracle and surely debunked it with a new and better method. The miracle is judged as it were in absentia. Then another Eucharistic miracle occurs and the cycle repeats. I think you must be right that people struggle with miracles for some reason related to psychology or disposition.
It’s retroactively changing the narrative around the miracles. And with our modern coddled western worldview, it’s safer to assume “science” explains all than leave anything to the supernatural. Cessationist Christian’s don’t make the situation any better.
Anyone who uses “illusion” as the basis for their argument, must bring evidence of the illusion other than they don’t happen to like it. In their extremely limited and reductionist worldview, these seeming illusions cover anything they cannot explain. It’s like a “progressive” calling it “racist.”
Some do try to give explanations but that is where they drift into some collective hallucination by the disciples, as you mentioned, Really? Who is pretending here?
I appreciate the connection between reality and language. Language is how we view and comprehend the world. As well, it’s this world view shift that has fostered the strain of theological liberalism that James the church today. The claims of the Bible are not taken seriously even by our so called clergy and ordained ministers.
If there is a God, ANYTHING is possible to Him: a man living 800 years as well as deep waters separating 🤔 Even when I was still an unbeliever, I never put it into doubt
Yes the modern western worldview has no place for the miraculous. But have you considered the effect that organized religion has had on the same, way before the modern western worldview was established? Perhaps as early as the second and third centuries. How we have put up systems, hierarchies and traditions that have essentially rendered the Almighty God powerless in our midst? God has not changed but we have and continue to do so, but not in a good way.
If there is a God, ANYTHING is possible to Him: a man living 800 years as well as deep waters separating 🤔 Even when I was still an unbeliever, I never put it into doubt
Having personally seen a myrrh streaming icon of the Theotokos and trying to explain that to Protestant friends…I can relate.
Well said. Hume complains that miracles always happen long ago and far away. But this is simply false. The Marian apparition in Egypt was witnessed by like a quarter of a million people within living memory. There are standard miracles, Eucharistic miracles for instance are pretty common across history. The case of Eucharistic miracles shows why miracles are always said to be discredited. They happen, and the experts of the day test them and are baffled. But then in a few years some expert declares that he would have tested the miracle and surely debunked it with a new and better method. The miracle is judged as it were in absentia. Then another Eucharistic miracle occurs and the cycle repeats. I think you must be right that people struggle with miracles for some reason related to psychology or disposition.
It’s retroactively changing the narrative around the miracles. And with our modern coddled western worldview, it’s safer to assume “science” explains all than leave anything to the supernatural. Cessationist Christian’s don’t make the situation any better.
IMHO God intervenes in this world, through the Holy Spirit, to answer prayers. And each answer is a miracle.
Anyone who uses “illusion” as the basis for their argument, must bring evidence of the illusion other than they don’t happen to like it. In their extremely limited and reductionist worldview, these seeming illusions cover anything they cannot explain. It’s like a “progressive” calling it “racist.”
Some do try to give explanations but that is where they drift into some collective hallucination by the disciples, as you mentioned, Really? Who is pretending here?
I appreciate the connection between reality and language. Language is how we view and comprehend the world. As well, it’s this world view shift that has fostered the strain of theological liberalism that James the church today. The claims of the Bible are not taken seriously even by our so called clergy and ordained ministers.
If there is a God, ANYTHING is possible to Him: a man living 800 years as well as deep waters separating 🤔 Even when I was still an unbeliever, I never put it into doubt
Yes the modern western worldview has no place for the miraculous. But have you considered the effect that organized religion has had on the same, way before the modern western worldview was established? Perhaps as early as the second and third centuries. How we have put up systems, hierarchies and traditions that have essentially rendered the Almighty God powerless in our midst? God has not changed but we have and continue to do so, but not in a good way.