ABSTRACT

Signs of God reveals why discussion of the nature of miracles is of central rather than marginal importance where belief in God is concerned. Miracles cannot be shunted to one side as an embarrassing hangover from a 'pre-scientific age'. Miracles have played an important role in the history of all the major world religions, and many religious believers claim that they continue to do so. Yet they have also been criticized from a philosophical viewpoint as incompatible with a belief in laws of nature, and those who seek to have their religious beliefs properly attuned to the modern world often prefer to do without them. This accessible book examines the nature of miracles both in philosophical and historical terms, and concludes that, whether or not miracles happen, it is difficult to see how religious belief could survive without them.

part I|67 pages

Miracles in Philosophical Perspective

chapter 1|13 pages

What is a Miracle?

chapter 2|13 pages

Hume and Miracles

chapter 3|9 pages

Miracles and Acts of God

chapter 4|12 pages

Miracles and Modern Science

chapter 5|15 pages

Miracles and the Problem of Evil

part II|93 pages

Miracles in Historical Perspective

chapter 6|21 pages

The Miracles of Jesus

chapter 7|15 pages

Miracles after Jesus

chapter 8|17 pages

Miracles after the Reformation

chapter 10|17 pages

Jesus' Resurrection and the Nature of God

part III|43 pages

Miracles in a Non-Christian and Contemporary Perspective

chapter 11|14 pages

Miracles in Non-Christian Religions

chapter 12|17 pages

Miracles in the Modern World

chapter 13|9 pages

Summary and Conclusions