The Bible ---Miracles and Blessings
- Thread starter unsafe
- Start date
Welcome to Wondercafe2!
A community where we discuss, share, and have some fun together. Join today and become a part of it!
Mendalla
Happy headbanging ape!!
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
Miracles are actual events that seem to defy normal logic somehow. An incurable disease cured or disability healed without obvious medical intervention would be a couple examples.
Blessings would be more along the lines of positive things in our lives. Being healthy (and therefore not needing miracles), having a loving family, and so on.
I suppose a miracle is a blessing in a way, just taken to an extreme.
Both are important in their way. Blessings are what keep us going day-to-day, miracles deal with the moments of pain, suffering, and trauma (or prevent them, if you consider something like missing a flight that later crashes to be a "miracle").
Perhaps it is no surprise that I really don't believe in the former. For instance, if healing the "incurable" is a miracle then medicine is a miracle since cures and healings that would have been considered "miraculous" generations ago (e.g. replacing a failing heart valve to save someone's life) are now routine medical procedures. IOW, what is "impossible" or "only possible for God" is a sliding scale that changes with advances in our knowledge and technology so what is a miracle today might be a visit to the doctor tomorrow, making the whole question of what is "miraculous" a bit hazy. Perhaps the "incurable" condition was misdiagnosed or the person had a genetic factor that helped save them or whatever, making the "miracle" explainable now.
Blessings, I get. I'm not sure they come from "God" so much as a mix of living right and good fortune, but I certainly use the term for the positive things in my life.
Blessings would be more along the lines of positive things in our lives. Being healthy (and therefore not needing miracles), having a loving family, and so on.
I suppose a miracle is a blessing in a way, just taken to an extreme.
Both are important in their way. Blessings are what keep us going day-to-day, miracles deal with the moments of pain, suffering, and trauma (or prevent them, if you consider something like missing a flight that later crashes to be a "miracle").
Perhaps it is no surprise that I really don't believe in the former. For instance, if healing the "incurable" is a miracle then medicine is a miracle since cures and healings that would have been considered "miraculous" generations ago (e.g. replacing a failing heart valve to save someone's life) are now routine medical procedures. IOW, what is "impossible" or "only possible for God" is a sliding scale that changes with advances in our knowledge and technology so what is a miracle today might be a visit to the doctor tomorrow, making the whole question of what is "miraculous" a bit hazy. Perhaps the "incurable" condition was misdiagnosed or the person had a genetic factor that helped save them or whatever, making the "miracle" explainable now.
Blessings, I get. I'm not sure they come from "God" so much as a mix of living right and good fortune, but I certainly use the term for the positive things in my life.
Last edited:
I usually think of a miracle as being a special kind of blessing. I see miracles as being events in which God supernaturally cuts into our everyday, natural existence.
Some definitions...
Miracle: http://www.dictionary.com/browse/miracle?s=t
Blessing: http://www.dictionary.com/browse/blessing?s=t
Some definitions...
Miracle: http://www.dictionary.com/browse/miracle?s=t
Blessing: http://www.dictionary.com/browse/blessing?s=t
paradox3
Peanuts Fan
- Pronouns
- She/Her/Her
Would a statistical explanation make us more or less grateful for the "blessings" we receive in life, I wonder?
chansen
Had a point all along
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
I think it would make is smarter and more aware[FONT=Open Sans, sans-serif] if everyone had a basic understanding of statistics. Lotteries and gambling revenue would take a dive, but if people just had a better sense of expected outcomes, they wouldn't be so impressed with some things (like religious claims and scams).
Eventually, people have to be less easy to impress. I think it benefits Christianity and other religions when people don't understand how the world works. Statistics is just one small thing that most people don't understand at all, that would help. I'm guessing the U.S. won't be seeing more of it under new Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.[/FONT]
Eventually, people have to be less easy to impress. I think it benefits Christianity and other religions when people don't understand how the world works. Statistics is just one small thing that most people don't understand at all, that would help. I'm guessing the U.S. won't be seeing more of it under new Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.[/FONT]
chansen
Had a point all along
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
For those drawn (liked, perhaps somnolently lyxn'd) to such a comment ... I refer to the following quote from GOOGLE on Indigo Child and Barnum Effect ... suggesting real world may be something else without that outside abstract perspective that may require a person dive into the metaphor:
From concerns of indigo domains --- "In 2011, the study was repeated with the statements altered so that they applied to organisations rather than individuals. The results were similar, suggesting that people anthropomorphize organisations and are gullible when interpreting their characters."
Causes us to entertain chansen's commentary about illiteracy rates and the forces attempting to cut the costs of education being fatal to the overall health of man's kind ... including physical, mental (ghosts), emotional (spirits) and demos ... the later bothering them of physical sentient nature ... i.e. attached, excessively to reality?
Is that fa-rout or pharos ... a fair power of thoughts on fallacy? Is this somewhat of etude on the Savannah Effect ... Savants as a metaphor of adept with alien angels? Abstracts domains ... purely being mental for those unthinking, or believing there desires are their thoughts ... when they may not be ... considering extensive exclusion nature ... ignorance? Can this be denied as unknown ideal ... or a superb double negative ... allowing a positive popping up out of know where? Mental activities are like that ... especially for Y's men hung reciprocal in the temple ... like padre!
Then there is the report of the senior theology professor who opened her classes on OT etudes ... by holding up and bible and stating it is just a story and throwing it at the rear wall ... just for rebound, reflection, canon and revisiting the abstract loss as now Luce ... by choice of elimination ... so I should get out of here before reality causes more destruction in absence of constructive careful erections ... where nothing is accomplished but relief from the ankh of life ...
In reality the subjective type believes growth of the capital marketplace is the solution even if bazaar-lye destroying mortal resources ... something worth probing or extenuating in rare circumstances ... much too complex for those tending to high handed brutality when using stories to support capital terrorism ... virtually abstract to the somnolent wanderer ... Borges augre 'n something they just comprehend? Ordinary people are like that ... there's even a classic movie about that thin film separating the factions .. pariahs to one an other? Tis all in the head ... parietal veil or vile thinking to the emotionally opposed in opinion? Give it a thought and it is off ... like me ...
In light of the most terrorizing stories ... will Canada become a sort of haven or heaven for terror and fear of a southern war monger becoming fright end-ly aggressive? The future as cloudy in the best view of those that can't see consequence of anything ... is it best to be insane, pathological, or just out of here to be stunned to the outcome of rising to arms ... would some sentient character be upstanding ... a hated watchman as Attica in the penetration of "Kluckers" ... when brutality is chic in our present state of artificial processing of things beyond grasp ... another's excessive desires to control ... avarice for short!
Should all breakdown's and fallacy be reached for ... if for nothing but understanding the presence of ignorance ... biblicly supported? This is privately organizing due imposition of terrorism!
I am awed by artificial stupidity ... the making of intelligence as sacred or a privatized matter so we don't know what brutus doing ... kind've an opposing power ... or negative to something or other ... immaterial, insubstantial or dark matter ... plainly abstract!
Mendalla
Happy headbanging ape!!
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
Unfortunately, the teaching of stats in even our high schools sucks. Your kids have a ways to go before they get there but mine is graduating this year. He took the Gr. 12 Data Management course last year and the teacher was so bad, the kids were correcting her at times (Little M in particular). Mrs. M teaches graduate level courses in stats and research methods and is appalled at how we teach math in general and the fact that most of the teachers teaching math are pretty much unqualified to do so. If we really want to give our kids a solid education in this stuff, we have to stop using artsies who teach rote from the curriculum they are handed and get some actual mathies who understand the stuff in the classroom. The problem being that someone who is that good at math generally isn't interested in teaching kids (there are some, but not many). Computer science and accounting are awfully big lures for starters. Little M, for instance, has his mother's intuitive grasp of mathematical concepts and is headed for either the computer industry or meteorology (his current obsession and one where his math and computer skills will be very appreciated given how much of weather forecasting is mathematical modelling and computer simulation).
unsafe
Well-Known Member
My view is that a Miracle and a Blessing are separate ------
A Miracle is solely God Based -----
A Blessing is bestowed on us by God through our personal relationship with God -----if we are not connected to God we come under the curse cause the law is still in affect for all who are not God's Children by and through adoption -----Jesus defeated the curse and brought in the Blessing
A Miracle happens in a crisis situation -----The Blessing prevents the crisis from happening in the first place ------
A Miracle will fix the crisis only temporally if we are not rooted and grounded in God ------
A Blessing will last longer because we are connected to God in order to get the Blessing in the first place ------God Blessed Abraham because of his Faith in Him -----Noah was blessed because of his Faith --- Job was restored to his blessed state because of his Faith ------ so how long the Blessing lasts depends on us --we have to give a curse cause to come into our life once we are God's Children Now ----- it is up to us to keep the Blessings working in our lives God has done His Part ------
I personally would rather be Blessed than have a Miracle happen -----it is easier to live a Blessed life than it is to be a seeker of Miracles ----
A Miracle is solely God Based -----
A Blessing is bestowed on us by God through our personal relationship with God -----if we are not connected to God we come under the curse cause the law is still in affect for all who are not God's Children by and through adoption -----Jesus defeated the curse and brought in the Blessing
A Miracle happens in a crisis situation -----The Blessing prevents the crisis from happening in the first place ------
A Miracle will fix the crisis only temporally if we are not rooted and grounded in God ------
A Blessing will last longer because we are connected to God in order to get the Blessing in the first place ------God Blessed Abraham because of his Faith in Him -----Noah was blessed because of his Faith --- Job was restored to his blessed state because of his Faith ------ so how long the Blessing lasts depends on us --we have to give a curse cause to come into our life once we are God's Children Now ----- it is up to us to keep the Blessings working in our lives God has done His Part ------
I personally would rather be Blessed than have a Miracle happen -----it is easier to live a Blessed life than it is to be a seeker of Miracles ----
God sends blessings both to those in relationship with him and those who are not. Witness how many who are not enjoy wealth and good health, while many who are in relationship with him suffer in various ways.
chansen
Had a point all along
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
I remember the bad math teachers who made people afraid of numbers. But there are some good ones out there. We need more people in STEM in general, but we also need some of those people to go into politics, and there's an overlap that's even more difficult to find.
Though, there is now a push to get science types into politics. We desperately need that to happen.
Mendalla
Happy headbanging ape!!
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
Yeah, I'm seeing the science bloggers/Youtubers I follow (Phil Plait (Bad Astromony), Emily Lakdawalla of the Planetary Society, Diana Cowan (Physics Girl)) being much more political these days and that's one of the things they are saying. In some ways, I wish they would take it on. All three are excellent communicators so they could easily run or help someone else run. I think science educators like them would actually make better candidates than scientists proper, who tend to be a bit out of touch with things outside their own research field. Science promoters/educators are used to distilling science for the masses (ie. for voters) and being advocates for science and scientific concepts to the general public. I guess Bill Nye (Emily's boss, by the way, since he's the current CEO of the society) would be the obvious option for a high profile science candidate to run for some public office or other. He has some political liabilities, though, esp. in parts of the country where the religious right (ie. creationists) are strong.
Such is allowed by denial of knowledge, intelligence and wisdom of ancient ladies ... who now recall what they lost in a flurry of God ... a mind loosing terror ... as projected by brutalism ... heavy stories? Psyche IHC as close to an outside ithchii ...