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Miracles (Hume ('Violation of the laws of nature' - e.g. the…
Miracles
Hume
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- To use the term to any other event other than the violation of the laws of nature, would be seen as a misapplication
- We must accept that natural laws exist in order for them to be broken In the first place.
- If we believe the laws of nature are in-volatile, we accept that miracles cannot happen. (If rules cant be broken)
Holland
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He takes on board what Hume says and admits that if there were multiple witnesses then the law of nature would have to be rectified - but he knows this would be simple
Child stuck on railway line that the driver fails to see, he does however faint, just in time and so the train stops before hitting the child.
There is no hand of God in this example, the driver fainting was a coincidence.
Peter Vardy
Widens the definition to include an event with religious significance - this can weaken the scope of the term
If a woman left her bag in a store and then went back later to find it untouched, she could claim it was a miracle it wasn't stolen. This is a trivialization of the term but if the recipient believes God is responsible for its safety then it could be seen to have religious significance.
A02 - Lack of clear guidelines, you could argue most things have religious significance
Tillich
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1) They are astonishing events but this doesn't mean they have to violate laws of nature
2) They point people to what Tillich called the 'mystery of being' i.e. God
3) Miracles reveal God to people and this experience causes the ecstatic experience.
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Hume's criticisms
Lack of probability
1) Evidence can be collected
2) Laws of nature cannot be violated
3) Miracles seem to be the violation of laws of nature
4) It's more probable to accept miracles don't happen than to suggest the laws of nature have been violated.
The problem of testimony
"A wise man proportions his belief to evidence" and in order to arrive at the probability a miracle has taken place, there must be enough scientific evidence and experiments to prove them likely. Since this isn't the case, its safe to assume miracles don't happen.