Atheists: Why do you need a mechanism for a Miracle? Do you believe in Miracles?

Question

Let's take Noah's ark for example. Someone just asked a question as to where all the flood waters would have gone after the world was flooded as there is not enough water on the planet to cover the entire surface.

Alright, you got us, there's absolutely no scientific explination. But before dismiss all Christians as looney consider something. We believe in an all powerful creator of the universe. A designer of all things seen and unseen. He literally wrote the book when it came to physics. What are the laws of the universe when it comes to acts of God? Why would a miracle need a scientific explanation? What you are basically saying is that you don't believe in miracles. That's one thing but please don't try to tear down someone's belief with a scientific arguement. I trust you all are smarter than that.

A side note however: In the ancient world would He have to cover the whole world or just the known world? Would both be acceptable interpretations?

andy: precisely my point. why debate a miracle? We believed it happened. You believed it didn't. Science will never prove either of us right or wrong.

Answer 1

I'll start off by saying I don't believe in miracles.

Miracles involve a leap of faith, the issue as I see it is when a leap of faith is used as a part of scientific theory, such as creationism.

Answer 2

Far be it from me to try to tear down somebody's beliefs with scientific argument. If Christian belief has survived the earth being knocked from the center of the universe, then the sun, and the discovery of the dinosaurs, and the scientific view of the age of the universe, and the acceptance of the theory of evolution, a piddly little scientific argument from me isn't going to bring anything crumbling down.

And you're right. I really don't believe in miracles. Not because I don't think it would be possible for a God to bring about miracles in a universe that he created, but because I have seen no convincing scientific evidence for any miracles (miracles being phenomenon the occurrence of which contradicts known physical laws). Regarding the flood, sure, if God created the universe then it stands to reason that he could have caused a world-wide flood, regardless of how much water there is on the planet now. But the fact is that there is no geologic evidence to support the theory of a worldwide flood, and if such a flood occurred, there would most certainly have been evidence left behind.

Now, it could be argued that God might have caused the world-wide flood and then made it appear that the flood never happened, but as a pope who was acquainted with Galileo found out, one appears rather silly if one avers that God can cause something to happen and then deliberately make it appear that something entirely different happened.

Answer 3

Your question slightly makes the asertion and thinking that something is either a miracle or it's science. I mean your not the only one to have that thinking;but I am a christian and believe like some other people have said, God and science do not have to be seperate.

God's miracles more than likely have some practical science behind them;but when the science that is aplied is not understood by the particular society at the time, it gets put in the miracle catagory. Like there are some miracles in biblical days that we have knowledge of the practical science today. But just cuase we know the science now does not make it any less of a miracle cause the society at the time did not know what we no now.
Healing,water into wine,walking on water, removing mountains,healing the leper,healing a blind man,the deaf,the dumb,few into many; there all ligitament miracles.There probably is practical science behind it, but we obviously havent discovered what it is yet.
And it more than likely probably is possible to flood the whole earth;scientist themselves say that a good 70-80% of icebergs are under water and that we only see about10-20% that breaks the surface of the water. So yes it's no doubt possible to flood the whole earth; heck we got global warming going on now threating to make rising oceans and have more tsunamis.
So yes, there practical science behind miracles.But the science doesnt make it any less a miracle.
There will no doubt be some practical science behind the whole earth being set a blaze, as God said the next time He destroyed the earth would be by fire.
We'll I guess the next generations after us will be tryna figure that one out.

Answer 4

I think the Bible is myth for several reasons. One big reason is that there is no credible evidence of any miracles occurring during recent times. Why did the miracles stop?

Modern Physics has made a great deal of progress by plentiful application of the principle of symmetry or invariance. For example, Einstein's entire theory of Special Relativity came about from realizing that there is no privileged position of observation -- any (non-accelerating) point in the universe is just as good as any other point for making observations. Another way of saying this is that the laws of physics don't change just because you move from one location to another. Einstein actually had to introduce the concept of space-time, i.e. making time to be a 4th dimension, and noted that the laws of physics don't change from moment to moment in time.

These assumptions of symmetry and invariance of been so useful and powerful that one should be very hesitant to assume that the laws of physics were different in the past. Of course, you argue that an all powerful God is not constrained to the laws of Physics. But I think the principles of symmetry and invariance apply even in this case. Why would God choose to reveal himself through miracles in the past, and then get all shy and stop doing miracles now? Why are we being tested under different conditions now than the people of time past?

My answer is that the assumption that miracles happened in the past and not now is fundamentally flawed, and in fact, the God of Abraham is a myth. This hypothesis explains on the available evidence much more reliably and simply.

Answer 5

I don't believe in miracles. Of course not, I don't believe in God so why would I.

Science is all we have to explore the nature of the Universe. It by nature encourages others to tear at all theories so that it can ultimately arrive at the truth. Science will make mistakes, but it attempts to be self correcting and anything is game to be questioned as long as you have reproducible evidence. The reason we go after religious beliefs with science is because it is the only rational method to arrive at conclusions that has a chance of being right.

Answer 6

There are no miracles.
If you have to believe that something happens and there is no scientific explanation, then it's a lie. Plain and simple. I'm not "tearing down" your beliefs, just pointing out how utterly simplistic and childish they are.
See the difference?
Oh and as for the mythical story of Noah, It's a fairy tale, nothing more. The sheer size of such a vessel would destroy itself by it's own weight. And where would he get the animals from North America and Australia?
It's not only simplistic, but utterly silly as well.

Answer 7

I AM AN ATHEIST, BUT I REALIZE THAT MOST ENDURING MYTHS/LEGENDS HAVE A SLIVER OF TRUTH TO THEM. THE FLOOD STORY TRANSCENDS CHRISTIANITY AND IS KNOWN THROUGHOUT ANCIENTS CULTURES OF THE WORLD. IT HAS BASICLY BEEN DETERMINED THAT WHEN THE SEA FINALLY BROKE THROUGH A TINY STRAIGHT INTO WHAT IS NOW THE DEAD SEA, THE WATER LITERALLY RUSHED IN FOR OVER TWO WEEKS SOLID. JUST THIS TORRENT OF WATER COMING AND COMING FLOODING AND FLOODING AND FLOODING; IT WOULD HAVE BEENT THE LARGEST FLOW OF WATER LIKE THAT ANYONE IN THE WORLD WOULD HAVE EVEN SEEN. THUS WAS BORN THE FLOOD STORY, NOAH IS JUST OUR VERSION. AS FOR MIRACLES, I ABSOLUTELY BELIEVE IN MIRACULOUS THINGS, BUT MIRACLE IS JUST A WORD. THE MEANING IT IMPLIES IS WHAT'S IMPORTANT. IN ANY EVENT A MIRACLE DOESN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH DIVINITY OR SALVATION. IT IS WHAT IT IS AND HAD WE THE TOOLS TO TRACE IT'S SOURCE WE WOULD. A MICROWAVE OVEN AT FIRST APEARS LIKE A MIRACULOUS THING, TIL YOU KNOW HOW IT WORKS.

Answer 8

If there's no viable scientific explanation end of story-sorry but the debate ends there. If you're reduced to citing the supernatural you are leaving the realms of philosophical debate and entering the realms of personal belief which is an issue for you not atheists.

Answer 9

Maybe back then the Mountains weren't that High?
Just Guessing.
Did you know that there is a LOT of Water under the Earth?
Rivers flow down there I have been told.

Answer 10

NO.