Theodicy: On Miracles
Sem. Dale Andrew S. Aguihap
4th Year Philosophy | Class of Servites
But He said, "The things that are impossible with people are possible with God.” Luke 18:27
Do you believe in miracles? Have you ever experienced something out of the box? Something
which made you believe in the presence of some higher authority around you? That supreme
power, which is sitting there and controlling us, even I never use to give it a thought. Miracles
can be defined as any activity can contravenes the normal laws of nature. They cannot be
explained through the normal laws of science. Miracles in themselves are a wonder which causes
amazement and in explainable by normal standards. The debate about miracles in modern
philosophy raised deep philosophical problems about how to understand both the natural order
and the possibility of miraculous exceptions.
First, let us take a look at the definition of a miracle. (It only seems right, that if we are going to
discuss a subject, we define the subject) The word “miracle” comes from mirari, to wonder at,
and is often used in a broad sense to denote anything that cause wonderment. For philosopher;
“A wonder is that which astonishes the beholder. A miracle is an astonishing event which the
beholder cannot trace to any known law.”
Secondly, now that we have defined a miracle and took some time to look at miracles, let’s
consider some of the miracles we see in our modern days. The existence of God makes miracles
possible. That being the claim that miracles are not possible is a philosophical assertion. Which
does not deny the reality of miracles. No one will ever deny that God Almighty can perform a
miracle. Granted that God is omnipotent and omniscient. The purpose of miracles is not to secure
a material good. The purpose of miracles is to secure some moral good; and that moral good is of
a particular kind and to be secured in a particular way. The main purpose of miracles then is to
confirm new revelation of God’s goodness and beauty given to the world. The fact that there
exists a creator of the universe an Almighty Being miracles will certainly occur.
Thirdly, well for some people, miracles do not exist. They believe that there is always a scientific
explanation for everything. For them, things do not get easily be done out of something. It does
not just pop up out of the blue. A situation cannot be easily considered as a miracle. There must
be something that should be done or you should have done for some people to believe that it is a
miracle. The verity of a miracle includes, ordinarily, three truths; Philosophical means that the
event exceeds the power of visible creation, Theological means that the event is such could not
be attributed to an evil spirit, and Historical means that the event occurred, it is an historical fact.
Lastly, concluding philosophically miracles are possible and theologically they have been shown
to be actual and historic. If God exist, miracles are possible. Despite the fact that miracles cannot
be proven scientifically it doesn’t follow that they can’t happen. Science cannot answer every
question and therefore because science cannot prove miracles does not mean that miracles cannot
happen.
