Are there such things as miracles?

Question

Does anybody know more about David Hume's stance on miracles? I know he said they are violations of the laws of nature, but I would like to know more. Also, any sources would be great.

Answer 1

Here's an answer I gave to someone else recently:

It's about testimony. Hume thinks it's not reasonable to believe in a miracle on the basis of testimony. Or at least you can't base a religion on the strength of such testimony.

Why? Because, due to the kind of event being reported, any miracle report is very improbable -- so improbable you'd need super-credible testimony to outweigh the improbability. That's Part I of the essay. And for a variety of reasons, testimony of miracles is never that credible. That's Part II of the essay. It follows that it's not reasonable to accept testimony of miracles or base your religious convictions on such testimony.

Why are miracle reports intrinsically improbable? Because when you evaluate testimony, there are many factors to take into account. There is the nature of the testimony (how credible are the witnesses?), and the nature of the event being reported (how unusual is the it?). The more unusual the event being reported, the less confidence you should have in the report. Now, miracles are, by definition, violations of the laws of nature. And the laws of nature are established by the strongest kind of evidence. Therefore, miracles are threatened by the strongest kind of evidence, and hence any miracle report is extremely improbable just due to the kind of event being reported.

Why isn't the testimony credible enough to outweigh this extreme improbability? First, nowhere in history do you find really credible miracle reports (e.g., lots of educated witnesses with integrity and a reputation to lose). Second, we humans kind of want to believe in things that are supernatural and 'cool', and in religious matters we tend to 'turn off' our skepticism and common sense. Third, miracle reports tend to show up more among uneducated people. Fourth, there are different miracle reports for different religions, and they can't all be true.

Here's an often-overlooked point. Hume admits that super-credible testimony really could establish a violation of the laws of nature: see his Jan 1, 1600 'eight days of darkness' hypothetical example. It's just that he thinks that you'll never find such solid testimony in real life, and that religion has such a history of lies and forgeries and frauds that, as a rule, it's reasonable to ignore miracle reports coming from religious contexts.

Answer 2

Miracles can happen it’s just a miracle for one person may not be a miracle for another person. Here is a little tale; A farmer has a horse and one day during a storm the horse runs away. The farmer’s friends come to console him and say “sorry for your bad luck”, and the farmer replies “I’m not sure yet if its bad luck maybe God has a meaning for this”. The next week the horse comes back but with two wild mares. The farmer lets his son ride one of the wild mares and unfortunately the boy falls down and breaks his leg. The farmer’s friends come by again and they say “sorry to see your boy has a broken leg, why you think God let this happen, you must have bad luck”, but the farmer replied “I’m not sure it’s bad luck, maybe God has a meaning for this.” Two weeks later soldiers come to the village they are recruiting young males for the army, but because the farmer’s boy has a broken leg they decided to leave the boy there. The farmer’s friends come by and say “your lucky that the soldiers left your boy behind he doesn’t have to fight in the war” and the farmer replied “I knew God had a meaning I’ve been praying for a miracle every night.”

Answer 3

There are still miracles that happen today. But in America, faith is so low, we see few miracles. We tend to rely on doctors instead of God. In foreign countries, their faith is much greater, not so complicated by greed and healthcare...and since they often have neither, they just simply believe because they have no other source. And, suprise, suprise.... God heals them! Ask a missionary!

Answer 4

Nope, there were no miracles in 20th century.

People who say praying can perform miracles is bs ill give a christian a cup of water and i want them to pray so it turns into wine.

Answer 5

I was saved from dying at birth,of a premature baby,and must still serve a purpose to live here,or I would not now,if i still didnt have it with me,sometimes i disgree but really this world could care-less of me,thanks.

Answer 6

Just to be alive is a miracle.