This article on the subject of miracles is the first in a new blog series that will continue indefinitely. Often times Christianity is said to be strange, outlandish, superstitious and just plain weird. If God can do anything, then Why did Jesus have to die on the cross? Isn’t the idea of the Trinity just silly and impossible? Are we really supposed to believe in miracles when we live in such an advanced 21st century world? I plan on answering all of these questions to the best of my ability through these new posts in a grand experiment to show that Christianity isn’t weird (something that many Christians won’t admit), and that it actually makes perfect logical sense. I am also trying to make this as simple and accessible as I can so that you’ll actually read, and recommend it to others. However, first things first, let’s talk about why miracles aren’t weird.
We begin with miracles because if one rejects their possibility then they cannot except anything that matters about the Christian faith. As one great Christian thinker pointed out:”Those who assume that miracles cannot happen are merely wasting their time by looking into the texts: we know in advance what results they will find for they have begun by begging the question.”- C.S. Lewis, Miracles (New York: Macmillan, 1947, 1978), p. 4.
Even among Christians there is great debate about what constitutes a miracle. I do not wish to enter that discussion. However, if we give the briefest definition that a miracle is an event that cannot be explained by natural phenomenon then I think we can demonstrate that belief in miracles is the most logical position to take. Let me point out why by giving you a formal argument for miracles. This is going to be a regular part the blog from now on.
1. If a single miracle (as defined above) has ever occurred then we should believe in them.
2. At least one miracle has certainly occurred, therefore
3. We should believe in miracles.
Now lets take a look at the argument to see if it holds up.
The first premise is somewhat self-evident. If we can show that a miracle has ever occurred then obviously they can occur. Premise number 2 is the controversial statement. How can we say that at least one miracle has certainly occurred?
At present, cosmologists (people who try to figure out how the universe began) have only two possibilities. Either the universe came to exist uncaused, out of nothing at all, or God created the universe. For those who have studied this matter, and feel like there are more ways of looking at this, I encourage you to listen to my debate with Will on Braxtonhunter.com. There really are only two options. The interesting thing is that whether the universe came to exist in either way IT WAS by definition A MIRACLE! Thus, we have at least one certifiable miracle that everyone should believe in no matter what their worldview is.
The conclusion that “we should believe in miracles” seems logical and acceptable in light of this. Now granted this is an argument for miracles, not the existence of God or truth of Christianity in general, but we are laying groundwork here. In the future I’ll explain why the rest of Christianity isn’t weird. Still, the next time someone indicates that it’s silly to believe in miracles you’ll know how to respond.
Head over to the Trinity Radio podcast page using the links at the top of the page to hear more on modern day examples of miracles.