An exploration of miracles in religious belief, including definitions, types, challenges from Hume, and debates about evidence, faith, and reason.

This topic explores philosophical and theological debates surrounding miracles, focusing on how they are defined, evaluated, and understood within religious belief,particularly Christianity. It examines both traditional and critical perspectives and assesses whether belief in miracles is rationally justified.

1. What Is a Miracle?

• General understanding of miracles as extraordinary events attributed to divine intervention
• Distinction between natural and supernatural explanations
• The role of miracles in religious belief and faith traditions
• Realist and Anti-Realist views
• Aquinas on miracles

1. Hume’s Definition of a Miracle

• David Hume’s definition: a miracle as a violation of the laws of nature
• The idea that laws of nature are established by uniform human experience
• The implication that miracles are extremely improbable
• Hume’s argument that testimony is never sufficient to prove a miracle

1. Hume’s Critique of Belief in Miracles

• The problem of unreliable testimony
• The influence of ignorance, superstition, and emotional bias
• Competing miracle claims across different religions
• Hume’s conclusion that it is always more rational to reject miracle claims

1. Responses to Hume

• Richard Swinburne’s understanding of miracles as non-repeatable divine acts
• The principle of testimony: when testimony should be accepted
• The idea that miracles may be the most reasonable explanation of certain events
• Criticisms of Hume’s narrow definition of natural law
• Holland
• Wiels and Hume comparison

1. Miracles as Signs - Tillich

• Miracles understood as signs of God’s activity rather than violations of nature
• Biblical examples, such as healing miracles and resurrection narratives
• The role of miracles in strengthening faith rather than proving God’s existence

1. Evaluation and Debates

• Whether miracles can be rationally believed
• Whether miracles undermine scientific understanding
• The relationship between faith and reason

Are miracles necessary for religious belief?

Essay questions