what is anti realism/ an anti realist?
an anti realist believe that miracles are the interpretation of the mind, they are psychological, personal interpretations
natural events,
the laws of nature would be wrong if there was a ‘miracle’
what is realism/ a realist?
believe that miracles really happen. god is the god of classical theism and breaks natures laws
how would realists and anti realists see the parting of the red sea?
realist: god granted the miracle, it defies nature
anti realist: moses would say its a miracle, the natural laws cannot be violated
quote to back up the violation of natural law (Matthew’s gospel)
“with man it is impossible, with god all things are possible”
who said that unlike manmade rules, the laws of nature are “universal and unchangeable”
Stephen Hawking
who is holland? what is his view on miracles
philosopher who uses stories to get his ideas across: the child on a bike analogy.
there is no such thing as a “coincidence miracle”
the mother interprets it as a miracle but thats the only way it can be seen as it
what is Tillich’s view on miracles?
miracles are sign events, telling the person new information “without contradicting the natural structure of reality” miracles reveal god to people causing understanding for the experiencer
what is ward’s view on miracles in a quote?
“miracles astonish me and cause me to re-envision my inner relation to the ground of my being. the robe remains intact the miracle is mainly in my mind”
“me and my reactions”
“supernatural interference would destroy the natural order of events”
what is ward’s view on miracles?
“supernatural interference would destroy the natural order of events” god doesn’t defy laws, miracles are in the mind
what does hick say about miracles?
” for a miracle is an event where we become vividly and consciously aware of god acting toward us”
examples of VIOLATIONS OF NATURAL LAW
the resurrection
water to wine
unexplainable
divine intervention
REALIST
Examples of NATURAL EVENTS
growth of a plant from a seed
surviving a plane crash
part of natural processes/laws
beneficial coincidence
ANTI-REALIST
what does Wiles say about miracles being natural event or a violation?
“miracles by definition are infrequentor else the laws of nature would be undetermined. yet its strange that no miracle prevented Auschwitz or Hiroshima. the purposes acclaimed by christians seem trivial in comparison”
how does wiles raise a moral dilemma - which examples does he use to make divine intervention sound stupid?
The Holocaust or Hiroshima were both awful genocides that were not stopped by a ‘miracle’ from god, yet in the bible, god allowed water to be turned into wine to spare the hosts embarrassment. this depiction of god is not that of the traditional classical theist god and therefore raises questions of his omnibenevolence. god PICKS who is worthy of help and this for wiles shows that god is not worthy of worship.
is wiles a realist or anti realist?
anti-realist
how would Hume describe his stance ?
hes an empiricist and a realist
how does Hume describe miracles
“a transgression of a law of nature by a particular volition to the deity or by the interposition of some invisible agent”
miracles break the laws of nature (which are unchanging) by god who can and does interfere in our world
what are the 5 arguments Hume uses to discredit miracles?
- proportionality: consider evidence that can be empirically verified
- Ockhams razor - most logical soloution is probably the correct one
- witnesses: people often lie/exaggerate making it inadequate
4.claim that reports often come from idiots eg the poor and uneducated in the Bible
5.other religions’ miracles cancel each other out, instead of picking one, deny all of them
Is Hume’s argument on miracles inductive (not provable) or deductive (provable)?
inductive, its not a logical necessity and cannot be proven. possibility not proof
who says that “faith not reason” is the foundation of religion?
Hume
