#Miracles

[thepersonalwords]

When we do the best we can, we never know what miracle is wrought in our life, or in the life of another.

William Gibson, The Miracle Worker

[bliegmeister]

I'd like to add something to this.

Now, I'm part of a rather different Christian denomination, and other denominations don't even really consider us to be Christian (which, since we don't believe in the Trinity - that Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are the same person, but rather that they are three separate individuals - I GUESS I can understand where they're coming from, even if it's not true), but because of that, I have a bit of a different perspective.

In order for there to be miracles, there must FIRST be faith that it will happen.

For if there be no faith among the children of men God can do no miracle among them; wherefore, He showed not Himself until after their faith.

And neither at any time hath any wrought miracles until after their faith; wherefore they first believed in the Son of God.

(Ether 12: 12 & 18)

We live in a faithless generation. When I say "faithless", I don't mean those who are open to believing, but they haven't put the time and effort into getting answers. (Btw, this is nothing against you, Mr Constitution! I can't think of a way to say it without sounding rude, so forgive my weakness in words.) Rather, when I say "faithless", I refer to those who go out of their way to refuse to believe. Who have seen amazing things happen, and they explain it away. Who not only refuse to look for answers, but mock those who have, and call them "gullible".

And there's more.

The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired Him that He would shew them a sign from heaven. He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times? A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And He left them, and departed.

(Matthew 16: 1-4)

And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with Him, seeking of Him a sign from heaven, tempting Him. And He sighed deeply in His spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation.

(Mark 8: 11-12)

And now Korihor said unto Alma: If thou wilt show me a sign, that I may be convinced that there is a God, yea, show unto me that he hath power, and then will I be convinced of the truth of thy words. But Alma said unto him: Thou hast had signs enough; will ye tempt your God? Will ye say, Show unto me a sign, when ye have the testimony of all these thy brethren, and also all the holy prophets? The scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator. And yet do ye go about, leading away the hearts of this people, testifying unto them there is no God? And yet will ye deny against all these witnesses? And [Korihor] said: Yea, I will deny, except ye shall show me a sign. And now it came to pass that Alma said unto him: Behold, I am grieved because of the hardness of your heart, yea, that ye will still resist the spirit of the truth, that thy soul may be destroyed. But behold, it is better that thy soul should be lost than that thou shouldst be the means of bringing many souls down to destruction, by thy lying and by thy flattering words; therefore if thou shalt deny again, behold God shall smite thee, that thou shalt become dumb, that thou shalt never open thy mouth any more, that thou shalt not deceive this people any more. Now Korihor said unto [Alma]: I do not deny the existence of a God, but I do not believe that there is a God; and I say also, that ye do not know that there is a God; and except ye show me a sign, I will not believe. Now Alma said unto him: This will I give unto thee for a sign, that thou shalt be struck dumb, according to my words; and I say, that in the name of God, ye shall be struck dumb, that ye shall no more have utterance. Now when Alma had said these words, Korihor was struck dumb, that he could not have utterance, according to the words of Alma. And now when the chief judge saw this, he put forth his hand and wrote unto Korihor, saying: Art thou convinced of the power of God? In whom did ye desire that Alma should show forth his sign? Would ye that he should afflict others, to show unto thee a sign? Behold, he has showed unto you a sign; and now will ye dispute more? And Korihor put forth his hand and wrote, saying: I know that I am dumb, for I cannot speak; and I know that nothing save it were the power of God could bring this upon me; yea, and I always knew that there was a God. But behold, the devil hath deceived me; for he appeared unto me in the form of an angel, and said unto me: Go and reclaim this people, for they have all gone astray after an unknown God. And he said unto me: There is no God; yea, and he taught me that which I should say. And I have taught his words; and I taught them because they were pleasing unto the carnal mind; and I taught them, even until I had much success, insomuch that I verily believed that they were true; and for this cause I withstood the truth, even until I have brought this great curse upon me. Now when he had said this, he besought that Alma should pray unto God, that the curse might be taken from him. But Alma said unto him: If this curse should be taken from thee thou wouldst again lead away the hearts of this people; therefore, it shall be unto thee even as the Lord will. And it came to pass that the curse was not taken off of Korihor; but he was cast out, and went about from house to house begging for his food.

(Alma 30: 43-56)

Now, most people aren't in the Korihor category, but the same principle applies: for those who refuse to believe, no sign will be enough. Korihor would have gone straight back to teaching that there is no God. Many people now who demand a miracle to believe would go straight back to shrugging it off as a coincidence. It's a large part of why God doesn't do massive signs very often, because being witness to one increases your knowledge, and therefore your responsibility is also increased. Which means if you turn away from that knowledge ... the consequences are all the more dire.

Personally, I believe science to be the "how" and religion to be the "why". But I also believe that there are laws to the universe that we can't even begin to comprehend, at least not yet. Like how Galileo Galilei wouldn't have been able to even imagine black holes and nebulas.

Didn't mean for this to go so long. 😅

I actually have a theory on why God "doesn't show up as much anymore."

The answer is: He does. He does just as much as He ever did.

Problem is, we now have significantly more vocal skeptics. Christianity is still strong as the world's most vast religion and people still happily live their lives in God's name, thanking Him for every miracle that blesses their day to day life.

What we have, though, is Social Media, YouTube, Twitch, and a lot of easy to brainwash people who think they're doing the world some kind of favor by acting like every sign of God's existence is just "retarded Christians thanking God for every coincidence."

We thank God when we have kids, we thank God when we eat a meal with our family, we thank God when we have a good day, we thank God when we see reason and logic coming back into the world.

God's everywhere!

He's still loving us, cherishing us, making the world a wonderful place, etc.

We just get tricked into believing He isn't here because there's a billion voices from faceless internet people telling us He isn't, when back in the early 90s and such we didn't have that and could just accept God's miracles at face value.

Really good theory! And i definitely agree! That’s in line with pretty much what I said as well too i believe. I think since his earthy ministry has finished that might be one reason miracles seem less prevalent or it seems like he is not showing up, but he is definitely always there and always working! We just live in a world that wants to explain it away and have invented a lot of excuses so that “god” is always the last answer when really he should be the first.

[danielhowell]

announcing our most important joint project ever! the phaby

[a-path-by-the-moon]

[spiritualseeker777]

[fuckyeahgoodomens]

Crowley: We need to make this the tiniest, most insubstantial, fractional half a miracle we have ever performed. No traces of anything miraculous left behind. No alarm bells ringing in Heaven.

Aziraphale: Right. Count of three.

Crowley: One, two, three, now.

*Crowley jumps on the chair and checks an orangey-flowy-something with a tip of his finger*

Crowley: I think it took. That was a class-A surreptitious half a miracle. No one will have noticed a thing.

*happy Aziraphale*

*unamused Michael sighs as alarms are blaring in Heaven*

[leonardospoetry]

One more day has passed and like all others, it just felt like a rehearsal of the past. It’s so easy to get used to this life and miss all the miracles right in front of our eyes. One more day has passed and like all others, it was the first, it was the last.

[illustratus]

Jesus and Peter on the Water by Gustave Brion

[nobeerreviews]

Art shows us the miracles of nature.

-- Ludwig Wittgenstein

[adventuresofalgy]

Algy had not needed the weather birds to tell him that a change in the weather was on its way, for a thick haze out to sea had become more and more dense as the week progressed, eventually blotting out the islands entirely, and on Saturday the sky clouded over completely and the spell of fine, dry weather was at an end. By the evening it was raining…

So when Sunday dawned cold, wet and windy, Algy was not even surprised by the ice that was mixed in with the squally showers of rain, for that was typical of mid-April in the wild west Highlands of Scotland; he confidently expected the rain to turn to sleet by nightfall.

At times, however, the sun managed to break through, and although the wind was icy and the the "feels like" temperature was near freezing, it was not too unpleasant if one kept close to the ground. So Algy found a spot where the wind was busy creating a temporary magical carpet while the bees still buzzed in the blossom overhead, and as the delicate white petals floated down around him, Algy opened his book of poetry and read:

Why, who makes much of a miracle? As to me I know of nothing else but miracles, Whether I walk the streets of Manhattan, Or dart my sight over the roofs of houses toward the sky, Or wade with naked feet along the beach just in the edge of the water, Or stand under trees in the woods, Or talk by day with any one I love, or sleep in the bed at night with any one I love, Or sit at table at dinner with the rest, Or look at strangers opposite me riding in the car, Or watch honey-bees busy around the hive of a summer forenoon, Or animals feeding in the fields, Or birds, or the wonderfulness of insects in the air, Or the wonderfulness of the sundown, or of stars shining so quiet and bright, Or the exquisite delicate thin curve of the new moon in spring; These with the rest, one and all, are to me miracles, The whole referring, yet each distinct and in its place. To me every hour of the light and dark is a miracle, Every cubic inch of space is a miracle, Every square yard of the surface of the earth is spread with the same, Every foot of the interior swarms with the same. To me the sea is a continual miracle, The fishes that swim—the rocks—the motion of the waves—the ships with men in them, What stranger miracles are there?

[Algy is reading the poem Miracles by the 19th century American poet Walt Whitman.]

[deepwaterwritingprompts]

Deep Water Prompt #3360

We’ve all heard the rumors, about a miracle buried somewhere near the river, in the woods. I start to have nightmares about bright lights and too many eyes. I think it wants me to find it. 

[philosophybits]

In the second half of his literary activity Dostoevsky no longer sought for the real fruits of life. There awoke in him the Russian, the elemental man, with a thirst for the miraculous. Compared with what he wanted, the fruits of European civilisation seemed to him trivial, flat, insipid. The age-long civilisation of his neighbours told him that there never had been a miracle, and never would be. But all his being, not yet broken-in by civilisation, craved for the stupendous unknown.

Lev Shestov, All Things Are Possible

[friend-crow]

Algae is kind of amazing. Like it just appears where there is water. It has found the isolated tub of water currently serving as a lotus pond. How did it get there?

[a-path-by-the-moon]

[spiritualseeker777]