Why I Do Not Believe in Miracles
"There are no atheists in foxholes."
To Pyle's comment, I would like to add:
"... or in Intensive Care Unit waiting rooms."
I propose the above modification, in part, as an introduction to my explanation of why I do not believe in miracles.
I begin my argument against miracles by accepting David Hume's definition of a miracle as a "...a transgression of a law of nature by a particular volition of the Deity, or... some invisible agent..." Notice that although Hume does not categorically deny the existence of miracles, he restricts the definition of a miracle to "a transgression of a law of nature" and that such transgression must be implemented by a supernatural force or power. In light of Hume's definition, there are only two methods by which I can assure myself that miracles are possible: by personal observation or by irrefutable logical reasoning.
As to the former method I hold that, having spent the better part of the past 30 years as either a paramedic or as Physician's Assistant with special interests in Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, I have seen more than my share of both the critically ill and those about to step into that undiscovered country that awaits us all. I would therefore expect, if miracles do indeed occur, to have seen at least one instance of survival and/or recovery that could not be explained except as being the direct result of an intervention by a supernatural force or power.
Although I have tried, and on more occasions than I care to remember, I cannot recall a single instance that I would unhesitatingly identify as miraculous. To be sure, I have seen many recoveries that I would call unexpected and definitely unlikely to have occurred but in each and every case I am unable to say that each case wasn't due to a combination of medical technology, excellent nursing care, and someone's refusal to admit defeat.
The same is true for prayer. In my younger days I thought that, when all else failed, it was time to "get off your feet and on your knees." Again, I cannot recall even a single instance where a full-blown, 24-hour-a-day prayer marathon did anything other that give the families a little more time to come to grips with the inescapable truth that someone they loved wasn't coming home again. Notice that I didn't say that prayers never resulted in a miracle: I only said that I never saw a prayer that worked.
Is it possible that miracles can be justified by logic and reasoning? They probably can, but when I try to reason it all out I can't get much further than the Philosophy 101 arguments about dualism and guys like Descartes or Kant. Maybe I'll get back to you on that one if I figure it out.
Back in the 1970s my old mentor and master, Dr. Thomas Jefferson Lattimore, Jr. taught me one thing about miracles and such that served me very well over the following quarter-century. His way of seeing things went like this:
"When God takes the patient by the hand, it's time for you to get your hands off the patient."
I'll say one thing about my old boss; he may have been as hard-headed as me, and almost half as cantankerous, but sometimes he could summarize a lifetime of experience in one sentence. The above quote happens be from one of those moments.
Published by Wayne McDonald
I'm a retired Physician's Assistant with special qualifications in adult & pediatric echocardiography (heart ultrasound) and cardiovascular testing. I'm also working on my master's degree in history. View profile
What Do I Believe?Going around from town to town, Traveling, and seeing many churches. I have to ask myself.
What do I believe. Come and read. I hope you enjoy. What I believe.
Are Christians Really Under Attack in America?Christians verus the world? Why do Christians arouse the ire of so many groups. Is America going to hell in a hand cart? In this admittedly long article, I try to answer some...- Atheists Don't Need to Be Saved, but Thanks for the ConcernWhy do so many Christians feel the need to convert Atheists? Is it because they confuse Atheism with Satanism? Are they trying to save us from a hell we don't believe in with one ounce of our being?
Baptisms Within the Book of Acts: Why Baptism Is Not Just A SymbolIs baptism important? What does the Bible say about baptism and what examples are given to us? This discussion examines the examples of baptism within the book of Acts.- The Law of KarmaKarmic law. Even the sound of the word law sounds restrictive, and so perhaps leads us to the idea that karma punishes us. It never does, our karma in fact is always only loving us.
- Do You Believe in Miracle Healing?
- Do Miracles Still Occur in Today's Society?
- Do Christians Believe in Ghosts? This One Does!
- How the Basic Laws of Nature Control All Life
- Transform Your Life by Making Full Use of the Almighty Power of Nature
- Ghosts - Do People Really Believe in Them?
- Christmas is NOT Just for Christians
11 Comments
Post a CommentNope, won't ever believe in miracles. The world has yet to see one. If there were such as thing as miracles then the bipolar wouldn't be bipolar. He has been sick most of his life and he could use a little abracadabra but it just isn't going to happen.
Is your contention, then, that natural laws are immutable, even by God? I would think that if God exists, and God created those laws of nature, then it is only natural that He would have the ability to violate or change them if He so desired. Immutable laws aren't a problem for the Creator of the universe.
Again, I stand by my position that Hume's definition of a "miracle" is logically correct and that the reason it is so often attacked by those with strong "religious" beliefs is that it refutes their position of "only God can cause a miracle and, since miracles happen, God must exist." Anyone that wants to convince me that I'm wrong will have to do more that parrot the tired "party line" of "believe because I say so."
(Read Previous) Here are some things that cannot be proven, but we are all rational to believe: I can not prove that there are other minds besides my own, I can not prove that history happened in any sort of way that I was told, I cannot prove that the memories of the past five minutes were not injected into my mind falsely, etc. Also, take what you said and put it into a sentence: "If one can not prove something to be real/true, one should not believe it." That statement itself cannot be proven real or true, and thus becomes self-defeating. Here is my article, if you wish to read it: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/6202206/a_rebuttal_to_humes_argument_against.html?cat=34
(Read Previous) ...we often do is accuse God of being cruel, much like the child would. The child presumably has no idea that the thing he/she desires can hurt him/her, and neither do we. Lastly, you had a line under the title that immediately caught my attention: "How can I believe in something that I cannot prove to be real?" That is called Logical Postivism, which is a logical fallacy. (cont.)
(Read previous) If that child asks for something that can harm him/her, then the adult most certainly would not be considered "cruel" to not answer the child's request, no matter how loud the child screams or how unfair the child thinks it is. This is very similar to how we are with God. If a prayer is not answered our way, what
Very interesting article. I actually just published one on here recently as a rebuttal to Hume's argument against miracles. As for your contentions against them, I am confused: you seem adament that if a prayer is not answered "your way" (the way of the person who prayed) it must be because God is either cruel or can not answer prayer. Consider this possibility: if you have a child, or have ever taken care of one for any period of time, you may notice that that child will want certain things not good for him/her. (Cont.)
I stand by my original contention that I have never seen either an answered prayer or a "miracle." In an informal survey for an article on another site, I contacted a number of MDs, RNs, etc (all personally known to me) and, out of that group representing almost 300 man-years of patient care experience,no one was able to cite a single instance of a "miracle" or an "answered prayer" that could not be explained by good medical or nursing care. I must also reject your contention that prayers could be answered all the time but simply not recognized. Wouldn't that make God ( or whoever else) a cruel rather than benevolent being and thus not possessing infinite and perfect compassion? The same would be true if one attempts to use the argument that "God has a reason for not answering some prayers." Either argument leads to a logical inconsistency and thus requires that I reject the idea of miracles.
"I only said that I never saw a prayer that worked". I think the individual perception on how prayers are answered is key. Prayers may be answered all the time but if people don't get the answer they want they may file it as unanswered in their memories.
Wayne, that line by, as theBarefoo calls it, the wise ole doc, "When God takes the patient by the hand, it's time for you to get your hands off the patient." is awesome. I have never heard such wisdom in a one-liner...One of my favorites was, "There are only two ways that you can live. One is as if nothing is a miracle. The other is as if everything is a miracle. I believe in the latter" Albert Einstein