What is a miracle?

[André de Raaij]

Some time ago I was announced as "a christian" in the anarchist surroundings I have known for such a long time. First and only question: do you believe in miracles?
My answer: I presume you think it a miracle when I throw a ball and it remains floating in the air. To me, it is a miracle that it will fall down, everytime I throw it, according to rules that guide everything in the universe.

The person who asked the question fell silent in amazement. This was not what he wanted or expected to hear. But it is the only way as far as I see ot look at the world in belief.

Remember: the miracle is not the ability to walk on water, it is the sinking down.
If you wish I can point at Mt. 14:31 to illustrate this, but I'd rather not.

Other example: not turning the Nile into blood is a miracle, but the Nile itself. And it should not take blood to realize this.

Or, to put it in other words: what is the belief in taking the world as it is for granted?

[Micheal McEvoy]

André
Your response was superb. I am as guilty as the next for many times taking the miracle of creation as common place, and I work out in it daily.

I would like to see this thread worked out a bit more, it has quite a large relevance to the submission of the world to the powers that control it.

[André de Raaij]

Yes, thank you Micheal, that was the underlying thought.

According to Evelyn Underhill this way of looking at the world is mystical, I was told off list. If it is, I'd say anyone taking Jesus of Nazareth seriously should imply looking at the world as a mysticist. Thinkers like Rahner, Sölle and Maurin stressed that there was no future for the Church without mysticism. I had not looked at it that way, though.

And as you say: it has its consequences for worldly powers. When you take nothing for granted, authority certainly cannot be taken for granted. It is indeed a miracle that we still comply with these powers, for the biggest part, day by day.

[Chad]

Good thoughts. Great response. Personally, I don't put any limits on what God can or can't do. I've seen some miraculous stuff in the past, BUT my faith isn't dependent on the occurrence of those miracles. The two sides of this coins is heads: Faith is belief in things unseen, and tails: the worth of an olive tree is dependent on whether it produces or not. I think that Jeus did miracles and healed people, but I think that they experienced a spiritual healing that was so profound that their physical ailments were healed as well. I also think that a healthy church/Christian is in connection with the Holy Spirit and one of the effects of being connected to that Spirit is healings, both physical and spiritual. what do you all think?

[Micael]

The early church was charactirized by both miracles and a radical living, and I don't want to focus on the one thing and exclude the other, I think both will come when we follow Jesus. However, there is a quote by John Chrysostom where he says that no matter how much signs and wonders the church performed, what really would make the whole world repent was disciples who returned "to the angel-like life of pentecost", that is, living in community. He thought that it was necessary for the church to reject private property if they would succeed missionizing (see also http://www.christarchy.com/profiles/blogs/john-chrysostom-on-economics)

Although, there is a risk that we say that daily things re miracles just because we don't have a very miracle-full life. I think we have to search God's miracles, because it is first when we see His power that we can truly follow Him and put our trust in Him. If God weren't able to do miracles, Christian pacifism for instance would be idiotic because some situations have only two options: violence ora miracle from God, and if we are pacifists we must trust on those miracles.

[Keith Butler]

A miracle to me is working the rougher area of Birmingham in the uk for twenty years and never refusing to pick up a fare in my capacity as a private hire driver and never getting hurt or robbed another miracle is what happened to my companion, i have seen a few in my life, i had every addiction after already having two years of very bad things happening i believe the correct word would be synchronicity and i am 55 now still smoking ciggys like a trooper and i feel like a twenty year old. there is a reason why i cannot stop smoking because i always believed there poisons will not hurt you and i have to say in my case thus far they have not, but smoking is not a clever thing to do and i hope i never test our lord again and so shortly i will try and stop for good.

[Keith Butler]

This is a Brain test and my companions results as well

Auditory : 62%
Visual : 37%
Left : 33%
Right : 66%

that is scary my companion got

Auditory : 68%
Visual : 31%
Left : 33%
Right : 66%
i am a paradox that processes entire swatches of reality

Keith, you show a slight right-hemisphere dominance with a moderate preference for auditory processing, an unusual and somewhat paradoxical combination of characteristics.

You are drawn to a random and sometimes nonchalant synthesis of material. You learn as it seems important to a specific situation, and might even develop a resentment of others who attempt to direct your learning down a specific channel.

Your right-hemispheric dominance provides a structure that is only loosely organized and one which processes entire swatches of reality, overlooking details. You are emotional in your reactions and perceptual more than logical in your approach, although you can impose structure and a language base when necessary.

Your auditory preference, on the other hand, implies that you process information sequentially and unidimensionally. This combination of right-brain and auditory modes creates conflict, as you want to process data more rapidly than your natural processes allow.

Your tendency to be creative and free-flowing is accompanied by sufficient ability to organize and be logical, allowing you a reasonable degree of success in a number of different endeavors. You take in information methodically and systematically which can then be synthesized rapidly. In this manner, you manage to function consistently well, although certainly less efficiently than you desire.

You prefer the abstract and are a theoretician at heart while retaining the ability to be practical. You find the symbolism in a great deal of what you encounter and are something of a "mystic."

With regards to your lifestyle, you have the mentality which would be good as a philosopher, writer, journalist, or instructor, or possibly as a systems designer or social worker. Perhaps most important is your ability to "listen to your inner voice" as a mode of skipping over unnecessary steps to achieve your goals.