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Miracles Understood

Some of our religious friends believe that some unexplained events are miraculous, and these miracles prove the existence of a god.

 A miracle is typically understood as an extraordinary event or happening that is explained as being the work of a divine supernatural entity.  Before miracles can be used as irrefutable proof of a god's existence, the cause or origin of so-called miracles must be proven. There is currently no credible evidence for  miracles exist. In reality, there are several underlying explanations behind most miracles, for example:
  • The event is statistically unlikely. A single person surviving a natural disaster is no more miraculous than a single person winning the lottery. It's an unlikely random occurrence.
  • The event has a scientific cause that is not immediately apparent or understood but is later identified. Many natural phenomena were once viewed as miraculous. 
  • The event was meaningless and meaning and significance was added later.  If a person is in the hospital, a family member might "pray" for recovery.  If there is recovery, the relative will attribute this to the power of prayer, not to any medical intervention, immunological responses or chance.


 The miracles done by a benevolent god so often involve helping only a few people from an accident, disaster or disease. A god is rarely held accountable by believers for all of the deaths that occur when prayer clearly fails.
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