RE: Miracles and Anti-supernaturalism
August 9, 2013 at 12:18 am
(This post was last modified: August 9, 2013 at 12:24 am by Whateverist.)
(June 9, 2013 at 10:34 pm)BettyG Wrote:
I can concede some points but not others. But please some definitions first. May I suggest:
Definition: a miracle is an event caused by God. [I could use "gods" instead of God, but since you are Catholic as well as the original poster, lets go with that.]
Definition: a 'supernatural event' is one not brought about through natural means. [I really have a hard time making sense of this as a category, but I'll let it go for now.]
Okay, I hear you arguing that we as humans have learned so much that we should now realize that our best scientific theories are very likely incomplete. With great knowledge should come the recognition of how much we still do not know. Granted.
In recognition of our immense ignorance you think we should be in no hurry to rule out supernatural causes and hence miracles. But how do you know that God works in supernatural ways? For all any of us know, if there is a God, perhaps he works in purely natural ways, albeit in ways consistent with a perfected and complete natural law. Perhaps a completely adequate natural law is synonymous with God's law? In the interest of humility in the face of our epistemic position, can we really assume that God acts in ways divorced from natural law? Would He want to? Need to? Be able to? We just don't know.
Lets imagine the Christian God really does exist and really did bring the universe and everything in it into existence. Can we know that He did so in a completely spurious and magical way? How can we rule out the possibility that He brought it about in a completely craftsman like way working within the limits of what the materials would allow? I know that seems to diminish God, but again how can we rule it out? We should know enough to admit we don't know. Suffice it to say, if He exists, he works in ways mysterious to ourselves but perhaps not mysterious to him. Perhaps He understands how he does what he does and exercises not magic but skill. Who knows?
We are simply in no position to know whether God works within the natural laws of the universe or not. That doesn't mean He doesn't perform miracles. If He does anything at all, by definition, it's a miracle. But I can't see how we will ever be able to conclude that any particular action was performed through the agency of God and not as a result of natural causes and effects to which we are not yet privy.
For that matter, if natural law were truly mutable and there existed a class of beings capable of 'supernatural' agency, we cannot rule out the possibility that God is not the only supernatural agent. Perhaps some events thought to be miracles were actually brought about by the agency of the devil, some cherubs, Mary, some saints or an angel .. and that doesn't even begin to exhaust the possible sources of supernatural agents if we move beyond the Christian pantheon.
