Dear Laura

DO YOU THINK MIRACLES ARE REAL?

DEAR LAURA, 

A lot of people think that miracles are just fiction and not compatible with a scientific viewpoint. Do you think miracles are real and why? – Wondering in Cebu 

DEAR WONDERING IN CEBU: 

First off, let me start by defining the word miracle as an intervention of God into the natural order.¹ Since miracles are a sign of God’s power, it is not surprising that doubts about them prevail since it directly relates to believing God exists. In the 1700’s, systematic mistrust of the Bible began with the entitlement belief that miracles cannot coexist with a modern, rational view of the world. 

From Old Testament verses that speak about the creation of the world in six days and the global flood, to New Testament verses describing the conception of Jesus Christ with the Virgin Mary and the multiplying of food, there are ample descriptions of the miraculous in the Bible. Matthew 28:17 says, “When they saw Him, they worshipped Him; but some doubted.” This means some of Jesus’ own disciples did not believe in the miracle of the resurrection, which sounds like many people today. 

Science by its nature cannot discern or test for supernatural cause. It is not able to explain why a grubby caterpillar morphs into a stew before transforming into a beautiful, delicate butterfly. John Macquarries, a Scottish-born theologian, philosopher, and priest argued that, “Science proceeds on the assumption that whatever events occur in the world can be accounted for in terms of other events that also belong within the world.”³ Because God is not confined to this world, science does not have a category for the concept of miracles. 

Timothy Keller summed it up well in his book The Reason for God, and I agree with him: “If He created everything out of nothing, it would hardly be a problem for him to rearrange parts of it as and when He wishes. To be sure that miracles cannot occur you would have to be sure beyond a doubt that God didn’t exist, and that is an article of faith.”⁴

– Laura 

Laura teaches creation science in the Philippines. If you have a scientific or philosophical question for her, send it to wotsmagazine@gmail.com. 

¹ Keller, Timothy. The Reason for God. P. 88, ³ Keller, Timothy. The Reason for God. P. 89, ⁴ Keller, Timothy. The Reason for God. Keller, Timothy.