What is a miracle?

[Clara Tea]

Many people especially in religious settings speak about the miracle done by someone in the past, or even today.

But what is actually a miracle?

To me, miracles are not something supernatural miracles are actually something most of us experiences every day or week, But we do not see it as a miracle, because what is a miracle has become natural to humans today.

A kid survives an accident where a house falls upon the kid, that is a miracle to me.
A car runs over an elderly person, but the person survives and walks away, that is to me a miracle.

So what are miracles to you?

Miracles are wonderful. If you wish that there were more miracles, you'd have to make more conditions for miracles to occur. For example, if you think that it was a miracle that an elderly person survived getting run over, you'd have to run over a lot of elderly people and, with any luck, a few would survive (miracles--truly a result of pious living--though your insurance rates will surely go up).

God has a way of never showing his existence. To theists, it is obvious that he exists. To atheists, things that people call miracles are just random events. For example, theists would think that surviving an accident is a miracle (act of God), whereas an atheist would think that it was random chance. Both are given enough evidence to prove their own conclusions.

 

[Clara Tea]

That's the concept.

Then want do you call it when you expect $5 and get 50 cents? Is that an anti-miracle? Do we conclude that God hates us? Maybe God has nothing to do with the good or bad things happening to us? Maybe God has given us a bible filled with ways of coping with bad news, and that is God's gift to us?

God tells us not to drink excessively, not to gamble, not to cheat on our spouses. All sound advice, and it should help in the long run.

 

[Revoltingest]

Then want do you call it when you expect $5 and get 50 cents? Is that an anti-miracle?

Sure.

Do we conclude that God hates us? Maybe God has nothing to do with the good or bad things happening to us? Maybe God has given us a bible filled with ways of coping with bad news, and that is God's gift to us?
God tells us not to drink excessively, not to gamble, not to cheat on our spouses. All sound advice, and it should help in the long run.

I don't do this God stuff.

 

[Clara Tea]

A miracle is any low-probability high-consequence positive event. Such an event could be called a blessing.

"Tommy: A mirable is when something good happens that you thought would never happen.
Chucky: Well that will never happen!"
[The Rugrats Hanukka episode]

A low-probability high-consequence negative event could be called a curse...and they certainly cause a lot of cursing.

An old Italian woman put the Sicilian curse on me "maladetto....maladetto," and wiggled her extended fingers in my direction. That's ridiculous, of course....she cursed me to be fat, unlucky, and stupid. Surely I'd notice if I was fat, uh, wait a minute....but surely I'd notice if I was unlucky, uh, wait a minute....but surely I'd notice if I was stupid. Aha.....I figured out the whole thing. If I was smarter, I'd realize that I was fat, unlucky, and stupid (though, if I was smarter, I wouldn't be so stupid). So, the key to curses is that we might be so stupid that we don't realize that we are cursed, and we can go about our day in bliss. It's true...ignorance is bliss.

I suppose that it is also possible to be extraordinarily lucky and take it for granted. If a grape Popsicle falls from a passing airplane, we might grumble that we wanted orange instead.

 

[firedragon]

I had a friend in Pakistan message me, inquiring about my health. He'd had a dream I was ill.

I'd just gotten home from the doctor. Had never told him there was a thing wrong...

Profound isn't it!!

 

[We Never Know]

Miracle-A wonderful event occurring in the physical world attributed to supernatural powers.
Luck-Something that happens to someone by chance, a chance occurrence.

To me, something fortuitous that was not predictable which is attributed to supernatural influence.

I generally consider myself a lucky individual. Bad events happen but I generally end up no worse for wear.
It would seem to me, removing the supernatural component leaves one with, luck.

Like the time I was ran over on the freeway while riding a motorcycle. I was hit from behind, I went down with the motorcycle and ending up under the car. The motorcycle was totaled but saved me by propping the car up over me. I crawl out from under the car with a few minor scratches. The police offer on the scene called it a miracle. Me, I thought if I had been luckier, I wouldn't have been hit at all.

Weird idea isn't it? Something bad has to happen to you, which you happen to survive.

So you weren't this lucky...

 

[RestlessSoul]

Another day, another miracle