The topic of miracles in Class

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In my class (Religious Studies) we are currently on the topic of miracles, and last lesson we all got given the assignment of finding an example of the closest thing we can think of to a miracle, and then in class we will discuss which ones we came up with. I won’t have much trouble with this really, since many of the saints lives contain miracles and any of these would be suitable. However my dilemma is that I need to think of a good, fairly convincing miracle to use; the reason being is that the whole of my class are athiests except me. As well as this fact whenever the topic of miracles has come up in the past they are obviously very sceptical and tend to assume that all miracles are similiar to the ones produced by the big televangelists in America, which they tend to mock a little. I’m hoping to show them that there are more serious examples than that and that Christians aren’t just credulous people who will believe anything. The example that sprang to mind which fulfilled this criteria was Padre Pio and more particularly his Stigmata. Would you think this a good example to use? or would they not understand it, them not being Catholics? Any suggestions. Unfortunately they might just dismiss any example I use, so i’ve kind of anticipated that. (I don’t know if I posted this in the right section, sorry I didn’t know where else to put it :confused: ) :signofcross:
 
Check out the Eucharistic Miracle in Argentina which happened in 1996. The blood was analized and the reports are amazing.

The Miracle of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the painting.

Shroud of Turin.

All involved a scientific study so that will give your classmates something to chew on.
 
CatholicRoots said:
The example that sprang to mind which fulfilled this criteria was Padre Pio and more particularly his Stigmata. Would you think this a good example to use?
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A skeptic would dismiss a miracle if it happened to them personally, because they will not see. Padre Pio’s stigmata is a perfect example, which they will dismiss as hoax or hysterical. The first thing they do is explain away - instead of receive. Try this one:

bolstablog.wordpress.com/2008/11/10/rita-klaus/

They still won’t accept it, but it is at least contemporary, well-known and there’s a book. I wouldn’t argue or try to convince, the assignment was to bring in an example of a miracle.

There’s also a lot about the Fatima miracle of the sun online with old pictures from newspapers and reports and such. You can do a nice presentation with that material.

You know, deep down, everyone wants to believe in miracles. It’s why they argue so hard against them, they wish to be convinced. So don’t argue, just present and let them believe as they wish.
 
Thank you both for your responses 🙂 I will have a look at those miracles later, unfortunately I won’t have time before the class, so I feel safer going with a miracle that I already know about. I’m anticipating their responses and I’m not expecting anybody to believe. (Even Jesus said similiar things, saying his generation would not believe so he wouldn’t give them a miracle except the sign of Jonah.) The only thing I hope to achieve is to make them stop and think, even just for a minute, because though it might not produce anything immediately it may sow a little seed that with future circumstances and reflections could produce something in them. I also asked the question because I didn’t want to hold up something that will be mocked because then I would be allowing St. Padre Pio to suffer undue mockery, as if I’m setting his stigmata up as a show, which I’m not intending at all but I can’t think of any miracle that I could at least back up with evidence in the same way. I also anticipate that they might see our saints as hysterics etc… 😦 :signofcross: (Additionally - I don’t intend to argue the point with them, I will just state it as effectively as I can and let them think what they want, I’m only doing it because its what the assignment asked for.)
 
Don’t worry about Padre Pio being mocked. I’m sure he’s use to it. Do be prepared for criticism. Just remember the miracles that we’ve cited so they might check them out themselves.

The apparitions of the BVM in Egypt 1968 have photos and list miracles attributed to her visit.
 
I think the Miracle at Fatima would be a great choice for a number of reasons. For example, it is one of the only instances in history where the exact date and location of a miracle was announced in advance (and in this case, months in advance) and consequently it was witnessed by tens of thousands of people. Sure, there were many believers present, but there were also anti-Christian Communists, skeptics and unbiased media personnel (who were there simply to cover the story).

As a side note, I think it would be good to keep in mind that God desires us to love him through faith rather than cold rationality. Therefore, by and large, the purpose of miracles is not to prove the existence of God, but is rather an invitation to believe. An invitation to believe something as a matter of faith needs to also leave room for doubt. Like everyone, skeptics have freewill and imagination, and therefore they will always be able to give an alternative explanation for any given miracle. We see that this has happened in response to the Miracle at Fatima.

In light of this, here is something that I recommend to Christians who are addressing the subject of miracles with skeptics. Do allow the conversation to devolve into a debate over miracles being used as proof of God’s existence. I’m not suggesting that you are intending to try to use miracles to prove that God exists, and that you simply want to properly fulfill a class assignment. But it is very possible that some of the other students will think that this is being used to convince them to also believe in miracles, and they will consequently waste time throwing out other explanations to defend their skepticism.

Rather, I recommend that a Christian present the facts surrounding a miracle and conclude that it is reasonable for a Christian to believe that the event was supernatural. Therefore, it is not a direct challenge against what the skeptics believe, but rather an assertion as to what Christians believe. After all, there is a difference between saying (or implying), “You should believe in God because of the Miracle at Fatima” and “The Miracle at Fatima supports my belief in God.”

Of course, some skeptics will still challenge the notion that it is reasonable for a Christian to believe in God because of the evidence of miracles, but the work is cut out for them. If this happens, make sure they accurately define what is meant by the term “reasonable” and clearly explain why Christian belief contradicts it. They invariably mess up either the definition or the application of the term.
 
I think Fatima is your best choice. But don’t use the sun as “THE” miracle at Fatima.
Rather use the MUD.

I have heard of all sorts of natural explainations about the sun. Every Tom Dick and Harry has his own logical buzz saw for tearing that one up.

The Mud is the tough one. It rained all night long. Crowds were drenched. Thousands were standing in the ouzzing mud and water. Everything was soaked. When the miracle of the sun happened, the miracle of the mud happened. Within minutes everyone was dry, including the ground. Now unless everyone had their own little hair dryer with batteries, there is no way this could have naturally happened.

Just a thought.
 
Just a quick clarification, in Post #6 when I stated, “Do allow the conversation to devolve into a debate over miracles being used as proof of God’s existence”, I meant to say, “Do not allow…” Ah, the hazards of typing fast and not paying proper attention.
 
Another good one is the Miracle of Lanciano. Many tests have been done and have all proven that the miracle was real.
 
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