46337
Wiles on Miracles
- Modern Theologian
- Argued that any occasion where God intervened with
the natural order to help individuals or groups would
raise issues of consistency and fairness
- For Wiles, the goodness of God and the
existence of miracles were two incompatible
ideas
- God chooses to be biased;
ignoring those with the greatest
need
- God chooses to be biased;
ignoring those with the greatest
need
- Arbitrary
- An action based on
random choice
- Partisan
- A strong supporter of a certain
party or group, often in times of war
- A strong supporter of a certain
party or group, often in times of war
- For Wiles, the goodness of God and the
existence of miracles were two incompatible
ideas
- Argued that any occasion where God intervened with
the natural order to help individuals or groups would
raise issues of consistency and fairness
- God is the creator and
sustainer of the world
- There was in effect a single miracle of creation
- God's creation was good and did not
require intervention in the form of
specific matters
- 'The world as a whole is a single act of God'
- Wiles, The
Remaking of
Christian Doctrine
- Some critics of Wile's
view have said this is a
form of Deism not theism
- The belief that God creates the world but is
then separate and uninvolved in its continuing
affairs
- The belief that God creates the world but is
then separate and uninvolved in its continuing
affairs
- Wiles, The
Remaking of
Christian Doctrine
- God's creation was good and did not
require intervention in the form of
specific matters
- There was in effect a single miracle of creation
- God put in place
certain natural laws
- given these natural laws,
miraculous events would be
very rare by definition
- Used examples of how God never intervened in
Auschwitz or Hiroshima
- Uses example of how Jesus turns water into wine; it seems a
bizarre arbitrary whim of God
- Used examples of how God never intervened in
Auschwitz or Hiroshima
- given these natural laws,
miraculous events would be
very rare by definition
- Strengths
- Wile's view may appeal to educated
believers as it allows them to believe
in God and uphold scientific laws
- It may be seen as solving the problem of evil
- God does not intervene either
because he cannot or because he
is willingly bound by the laws of
nature
- Allows believers to
reinterpret the idea of
prayer
- It is not about presenting wish lists to God that make God act
- It is rather about allowing
an individual to connect
to God's will
- It is rather about allowing
an individual to connect
to God's will
- It is not about presenting wish lists to God that make God act
- God does not intervene either
because he cannot or because he
is willingly bound by the laws of
nature
- It may be seen as solving the problem of evil
- Wile's view may appeal to educated
believers as it allows them to believe
in God and uphold scientific laws
- Weaknesses
- What Wiles is suggesting does not accord with
traditional religious teaching about God
- It requires the claim that believers have completely
misunderstood the notion of miracles for almost 2000 years
- To suggest that miracle stories show God's love and power
and loses impact if God is not able to intervene in the world
- It is not appropriate to make God conform
to human rationality
- God may act in ways that are beyond our human reasoning
- God may act in ways that are beyond our human reasoning
- It is not appropriate to make God conform
to human rationality
- It requires the claim that believers have completely
misunderstood the notion of miracles for almost 2000 years
- What Wiles is suggesting does not accord with
traditional religious teaching about God
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