MIRACLES

What is a miracle?

A true miracle is an event in the external world brought about by the immediate agency or the simple volition of God, operating without the use of means capable of being discerned by the senses, and designed to authenticate the divine commission of a religious teacher and the truth of his message

Merriam-Webster: An extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs

Attitude

Listen Love Learn

What do they mean by miracle

What is their reason for unbelief

Discuss the existence of God

Share your own personal experience

Ask: what would a miracle look like to you?

Areas of science where we are moving farther and farther from a naturalistic explanation

Origin of the universe Origin of life Origin of man Nature of consciousness

These are the same areas where the Bible the Bible says God has intervened

Why is there order in the universe in the first place?

Miracles are an interruption in that order

Miraculous vs. Impossible odds

Complexity: Everything in our everyday experience teaches us that any structure that is complex and has parts that are highly specified in their design and construction are purposefully designed by a conscious mind (man) who has the means to build them, ……

Therefore it is reasonable to infer that biological systems which are complex and have parts that are highly specified in their design and construction are also designed by a conscious mind (God) who has the means to build them

Same argument with information Same argument with something from nothing

A creator is a more reasonable argument than impossible odds

Purely naturalistic worldviews are self defeating

Divine intervention similar to human intervention

We, as free will beings, can intrude on the natural process of cause and effect for reasons of our own using means at our disposal Why would it be any different for God?

God uses miracles to communicate with us This is the best response to deism

No need to discuss from a defensive position