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  1. While some Christians believe that miracles continue to occur today, the more important question is whether miracles have ever occurred, especially the miracles described in the Bible—like the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Some believe that science, with its understanding of “natural laws,” decisively excludes the possibility of any miracles at any time. But is this really true?
  2. Science tells us a lot about how the world works within a limited frame of reference. For instance, it informs us that heavy bodies don’t just “fly away” on their own into the sky. But it also recognizes that other factors or forces can change the way things would have been otherwise. Planes do just “fly away,” but they don’t really violate the principle of cause and effect, because there are other factors and forces that have entered the picture. In the same way, miracles do not violate the principle of cause and effect. They may well go against our normal experiences, but they do so on the basis of other causal factors and forces—an Agent who has the capability of causing things to occur.
  3. By definition, miracles should be considered as extremely unusual. (The birth of a human baby certainly seems like a “miracle,” but if it is, it is a miracle in a different sense than the resurrection of Jesus.) A key question, then, is this: How can anyone rationally believe in such an unusual event? Well, if we just count the number of instances of a purported miracle (e.g. the resurrection of a dead person) and compare it with the number of instances in which the purported miracle did not occur (e.g. people dying and staying dead), then it may seem “unreasonable.” But we all know that very unusual events do occurand we often accept their occurrence. So, believing in some very unusual event does not, by itself, mean that it’s an “irrational” belief. Sometimes, the quality of evidences is such that it legitimately overrides vast quantities of evidence.
  4. If God exists—the kind of God described in the Bible—then miracles should not at all be rationally unbelievable.

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Rich Knopp

Executive Director of Room For Doubt and presenter for Room For Doubt seminars and workshops at conventions, conferences, colleges, Christian camps, and churches. He provides and manages content on the R4D website and app. His personal webpage can be accessed at www.richknopp.com.