Do the Laws of Nature Exclude Miracles?

I loved this chapter. Not because it gives a specific answer to any question, but because it made me think. A lot. Ward asks, "Are the laws of nature absolute?" As a scientist, I would say yes. The "discovery" of the laws of nature in science took away the ancient spirituality of the world, in a sense. Before physical and mathematical laws were understood (before Descartes, Newton, Galileo, Copernicus, Einstein, etc.), the world was a playground for the spirits of the universe. If something were to fall from the sky, it would be because the gods wanted it to fall, not because gravity brought it towards the earth. The revolution in human thinking based on laws of nature turned the world into more of a mechanical function rather than the workings of supernatural presence. Contrary to thought, this revolution did not take away from religion. In a sense, it made belief in the higher power stronger, and it made miracles more evident, thus, God more powerful.

God created the world as a perfect machine and has the power to intervene. Any transgression from natural laws can be seen as divine intervention and purposeful, at that. Laws of nature, then, ARE absolute; anything that defies the law of nature can be defined as a miracle. Philosopher David Hume, in An Inquiry Concerning Human Understanding gave a secular insight. He did not believe in God, but took a more rational approach to defining a true miracle. His was based on primarily probabilities, or, rather, improbabilities. For example, if someone were to say they witnessed a miracle, then there are two improbabilities that should be weighted before determining whether or not the event actually occurred: The miracle itself is improbable, and the falsehood of the story is also improbable. So one must take into account which is more improbable, whether or not the person would lie, or the event itself.

Now, is the resurrection of Jesus a miracle? The event itself is improbable. Highly improbable, actually, considering no one has been resurrected from the dead since. But, the probability that the mass of people (who saw Jesus at different places and times after his resurrection) lied about his reappearance is far less probable and can thus be considered a miracle. We know that Jesus is capable of performing miracles; we have all read the New Testament and have heard of his miraculous actions. In this case, God is intervening, as he promised he would in the Old Testament.

Miracles are prominent in many religions. In fact, the Qur'an is considered a miracle because "no ordinary human poet could have created a text of such beauty and power" (83). Defiances in the laws of nature are possible and do occur, as with people that hear divine spirits or have visions of the dead. Some may not believe in these situations, but why limit God's power? If things are not going according to His plan, he will intervene.