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Can Modern, Rational Adults Believe in Miracles?
By Mr. Mark Pierson
What happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas. One night, after finishing his popular stage show “Penn & Teller,” magician Penn Jillette had a memorable encounter with a fan—so memorable that he felt compelled to post a video about it on YouTube. “It was really wonderful,” Penn recalled thoughtfully. “He was really kind, and nice, and sane, and looked me in the eyes, and . . . . gave me this Bible.” Penn then proceeded to do something quite remarkable. He criticized believers who refuse to evangelize, and chastised those who think Christians should keep their mouths shut and never bother anyone. Why is this surprising? Because Penn is a stone-cold, outspoken atheist. It may be rare for an atheist to tell Christians they should convert others, but the reasons why Penn is an atheist are actually quite common. It’s not that atheism is a popular position—only about 2% of people are true atheists (that is, materialists). But skeptics who reject the Bible frequently do so because it contains accounts of miracles. Surely, no thinking adult who lives in our scientific age can believe in those, right? Wrong.
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People Are Entitled to Their Own Opinions, but not Their Own Facts “Jesus fooled thousands with smoke and mirrors, like a magic act in Vegas.”“Ancient people were gullible, and didn’t know the difference between facts and fairy tales.” “The supernatural stories of Scripture are myths. They might convey spiritual truths, but they can’t be taken literally.” Unbelievers who talk like this think they have an open-andshut case. No need for discussion. It’s decided: They’re smart, and we’re stupid. However, when we look at their reasoning, we find a few problems. Many who deny the possibility of miracles often assume that the laws of nature can never be altered. So whenever a miracle is said to have occurred, it automatically gets placed into the “myth” category. An investigation simply isn’t necessary. God or no God, everything has a natural explanation, and no amount of evidence can support the supernatural. Does this sound reasonable? On the contrary, it’s as closed-minded as it gets!
Imagine if this is how a court trial proceeded. The prosecutor presents piece after piece of incriminating evidence, showing beyond a reasonable doubt that the suspect is guilty. Even the defendant’s lawyer is persuaded, and chooses not to give his closing argument. Yet when the judge reads his verdict, everyone is shocked to hear the words “Not guilty.” After court is adjourned, the plaintiff asks the judge privately what he found unconvincing. “Nothing,” the judge replies. “I simply made up my mind beforehand that he was innocent, so I knew you had to be wrong.” As ridiculous as this may seem, it is precisely what happens when opinions triumph over facts. From Present to Past? Another widespread assumption of the anti-miracle crowd concerns the nature of history. It is presumed that the way the universe operates now is the same way it always has. In other words, what we observe in the present determines how we should understand the past. And since water is neither turned into wine nor walked on these days, surely Christians invented such tales.
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