Can scientists believe in modern miracles?

[TruthSeek3r]

Can a scientist, as someone who follows the scientific method, believe in miracles?

Can a scientist believe that miracles still happen today?

Are there any examples of scientists who believe in modern miracles?

_____

As a reminder of the definition of Scientific Method:

From Scientific method - Wikipedia:

The scientific method is an empirical method of acquiring knowledge that has characterized the development of science since at least the 17th century (with notable practitioners in previous centuries). It involves careful observation, applying rigorous skepticism about what is observed, given that cognitive assumptions can distort how one interprets the observation. It involves formulating hypotheses, via induction, based on such observations; experimental and measurement-based testing of deductions drawn from the hypotheses; and refinement (or elimination) of the hypotheses based on the experimental findings. These are principles of the scientific method, as distinguished from a definitive series of steps applicable to all scientific enterprises.[1][2][3]

Although procedures vary from one field of inquiry to another, the underlying process is frequently the same from one field to another. The process in the scientific method involves making conjectures (hypothetical explanations), deriving predictions from the hypotheses as logical consequences, and then carrying out experiments or empirical observations based on those predictions.​

 

[Vap841]

Well your question is worded ambiguously. Of course a scientist can believe in miracles if he/she accepts additional phenomena in reality that falls outside the purview of the scientific method (and that’s why you can find hardcore scientifically minded people who believe in miracles).

But if you are asking in the strict sense that a scientist is only willing to accept miracles via the scientific method then absolutely not because it’s a contradiction of terms. The necessary assumptions built into the scientific method doesn’t allow for miracles. This is not some anti-religious bias, science would lose its effectiveness trying to account for instances where strict laws of nature may have been violated. That’s philosophy.

 

[SeventhFisherofMen]

Can a scientist, as someone who follows the scientific method, believe in miracles?

Can a scientist believe that miracles still happen today?

Are there any examples of scientists who believe in modern miracles?

_____

As a reminder of the definition of Scientific Method:

From Scientific method - Wikipedia:

The scientific method is an empirical method of acquiring knowledge that has characterized the development of science since at least the 17th century (with notable practitioners in previous centuries). It involves careful observation, applying rigorous skepticism about what is observed, given that cognitive assumptions can distort how one interprets the observation. It involves formulating hypotheses, via induction, based on such observations; experimental and measurement-based testing of deductions drawn from the hypotheses; and refinement (or elimination) of the hypotheses based on the experimental findings. These are principles of the scientific method, as distinguished from a definitive series of steps applicable to all scientific enterprises.[1][2][3]

Although procedures vary from one field of inquiry to another, the underlying process is frequently the same from one field to another. The process in the scientific method involves making conjectures (hypothetical explanations), deriving predictions from the hypotheses as logical consequences, and then carrying out experiments or empirical observations based on those predictions.​

There have been studies, like this one for example with patients admitted to the coronary care unit in the hospital. Here is a double blind study where there were two groups of random patients totaling 393 people, one group was prayed for by a group of intercessors and one group was not. Then a score was given based on different factors such as cardiac events, or if someone passed, each event contained a score and the more serious the event (according to my understanding the article was very detailed and I did my best to understand it all) the higher the score.

At the end of the study both groups were evaluated by 12 physicians and each patient was given a score. While both groups stayed in the hospital for about the same period of time for care the group that was prayed for demonstrated a 10% decrease in score which means they had less severe events take place as compared to the control group. The higher the score the more serious the health complications, and the prayer group had a 10% lower score.

So there is your study.

 

[tturt]

Scientists researched prayer. Christian Testimonies - The power of prayer

The research team leader was an atheist. They were studying the human brain and when a dying Christian woman prayed,, their instruments measured unexpected results.

 

[Aussie Pete]

Can a scientist, as someone who follows the scientific method, believe in miracles?

Can a scientist believe that miracles still happen today?

Are there any examples of scientists who believe in modern miracles?

_____

As a reminder of the definition of Scientific Method:

From Scientific method - Wikipedia:

The scientific method is an empirical method of acquiring knowledge that has characterized the development of science since at least the 17th century (with notable practitioners in previous centuries). It involves careful observation, applying rigorous skepticism about what is observed, given that cognitive assumptions can distort how one interprets the observation. It involves formulating hypotheses, via induction, based on such observations; experimental and measurement-based testing of deductions drawn from the hypotheses; and refinement (or elimination) of the hypotheses based on the experimental findings. These are principles of the scientific method, as distinguished from a definitive series of steps applicable to all scientific enterprises.[1][2][3]

Although procedures vary from one field of inquiry to another, the underlying process is frequently the same from one field to another. The process in the scientific method involves making conjectures (hypothetical explanations), deriving predictions from the hypotheses as logical consequences, and then carrying out experiments or empirical observations based on those predictions.​

Why not? Scientists are human beings. There are many Christians in the scientific community. Professor James Tour, for example. He rejects the concept of the spontaneous formation of life. He preaches in his local church. He has many youtube presentations on the Origin of Life research.

For all the brilliance of science, there are countless questions that they cannot answer. And they have to constantly revise their supposed facts. The latest dispute is over Einstein and Newton's theories. They've worked fine, but now there are phenomena that neither theories can explain.

I've testified to miracles that I've experienced myself. You can't measure that. I can't prove it scientifically. I was very ill. A friend prayed for me in the presence of the doctor, an unbeliever. The doctor told me that my friend's prayer was answered. That is observation. Would that suit science? No. It would have to be repeatable. I have no desire to suffer a life threatening illness to please doubting Thomas's. In my experience, they would still deny what happened.

 

[Homeowner]

There have been studies, like this one for example with patients admitted to the coronary care unit in the hospital. Here is a double blind study where there were two groups of random patients totaling 393 people, one group was prayed for by a group of intercessors and one group was not. Then a score was given based on different factors such as cardiac events, or if someone passed, each event contained a score and the more serious the event (according to my understanding the article was very detailed and I did my best to understand it all) the higher the score.

At the end of the study both groups were evaluated by 12 physicians and each patient was given a score. While both groups stayed in the hospital for about the same period of time for care the group that was prayed for demonstrated a 10% decrease in score which means they had less severe events take place as compared to the control group. The higher the score the more serious the health complications, and the prayer group had a 10% lower score.

So there is your study.

"Although there was a trend toward better outcomes in the prayer group using the Byrd score, the difference between groups was not statistically significant."

 

[Homeowner]

Scientists researched prayer. Christian Testimonies - The power of prayer

"This time we chose an almost insane man. After we had set our instruments again, we asked the nurse to irritate the patient in some way. The man reacted with insults and swearing. As if that did not suffice, he made ill use of the name of God in a blasphemous way."

Does that sound like a research to you ? What in earth is an "almost insane man" ?

"We stood waiting before our instruments in suspense. The indicator was on 'naught', and was able to move up to 500 degrees to the right in positive registration and up to 500 degrees to the left in negative registration. Not long before, we had measured, with the help of the same apparatus, the output of a broadcasting station which was broadcasting a program 50 kilowatts strong into the ether."

You can't make this stuff up.

 

[TruthSeek3r]

This article seems relevant: Can a Scientist Believe in Miracles? | ORBITER | Culture & Belief

Can you give an example of a miracle you’ve seen?

When I was living in England, my daughter had a friend who was about 7 years old. This girl contracted meningitis and fell into a coma, and the prognosis was very bad. The doctors thought that, if she survived, she’d likely have brain damage. Her parents were Christians, and they called together the elders of their church to pray for the girl. Within days, she was awake, and within a week or two, she was back on our street, playing with my daughter, with no apparent ill effects.

So, what are we to say about that? It’s perfectly reasonable for the doctors to express it cautiously and say, “Well, you know, there are things about meningitis that we don’t understand,” or “This is an unusual event, but sometimes people recover spontaneously.” It’s perfectly reasonable for a scientist to adopt that position. But it’s also perfectly reasonable for the girl’s parents to believe this was an extraordinary intervention of God. Science is actually very limited in the extent to which it can “prove” a miracle. In fact, I would say scientists and science as a whole cannot prove the presence of a miracle. It can investigate a miracle, and in some cases, find natural explanations for things that people might have thought had no natural explanation. But science is not in a position to be able to decide whether an extraordinary act of God happened.​

 

[Homeowner]

Science is actually very limited in the extent to which it can “prove” a miracle. In fact, I would say scientists and science as a whole cannot prove the presence of a miracle. It can investigate a miracle, and in some cases, find natural explanations for things that people might have thought had no natural explanation. But science is not in a position to be able to decide whether an extraordinary act of God happened.

Indeed science can not. The problem of course is that neither can anyone else. While unlikely or even extremely unlikely cases of healing occur what makes them a miracle ? The odds ?

Is every extremely unlikely event of death a Satan inspired event or just bad luck ?

It often seems to be selective bias that anything unlikely but good is act of God and everything unlikely but bad is just well.....tough luck.

 

[TruthSeek3r]

Indeed science can not. The problem of course is that neither can anyone else. While unlikely or even extremely unlikely cases of healing occur what makes them a miracle ? The odds ?

Is every extremely unlikely event of death a Satan inspired event or just bad luck ?

It often seems to be selective bias that anything unlikely but good is act of God and everything unlikely but bad is just well.....tough luck.

How did Christians distinguish between miracles and natural unlikely events in the 1st century?

 

[tturt]

Just because it was reported as "almost insane" doesn't mean that's the way Dr Jerone Stowell recorded it.

Amazing that some are so easily offended.

 

[Homeowner]

Just because it was reported as "almost insane" doesn't mean that's the way Dr Jerone Stowell recorded it.

Amazing that some are so easily offended.

Only thing offensive about the thing is how you somehow think it is scientific.

"Our thoughts raced. We had now, with the help of a technical survey, made a tremendous discovery: the brain of a dying woman who was in contact with God, developed a power which was 55 times stronger than the output of the world-wide broadcast message. "

"Through instrumental measurements we had established what occurs in the human brain while transgressing one of the ten commandments. We had succeeded in proving scientifically, without doubt, the positive power of God and the negative power of the evil one."

Don't you realize how insane this sounds for any actual scientist ? Or anybody out of elementary school ?

It is a parody that looks like some kindergarten kid wrote it.

 

[Halbhh]

Can a scientist, as someone who follows the scientific method, believe in miracles?

Yes.

Can a scientist believe that miracles still happen today?

Yes.

Now, faith is individual, and so only some will believe as we notice in the Old Testament and the New Testament (and also we notice Christ even said more in Matthew chapter 7, that only 'few' would take the hard path to the 'narrow' gate to heaven).

So, it's not about whether or not a person is a scientist really. Being very science minded in one's thinking -- such as holding ideas as only being theories, and seeking evidence and testing theories, and often using the scientific method as an everyday way of living -- that doesn't help nor does it hinder faith.

 

[WolfGate]

 

[bling]

Can a scientist, as someone who follows the scientific method, believe in miracles?

Can a scientist believe that miracles still happen today?

Are there any examples of scientists who believe in modern miracles?

_____

As a reminder of the definition of Scientific Method:

From Scientific method - Wikipedia:

The scientific method is an empirical method of acquiring knowledge that has characterized the development of science since at least the 17th century (with notable practitioners in previous centuries). It involves careful observation, applying rigorous skepticism about what is observed, given that cognitive assumptions can distort how one interprets the observation. It involves formulating hypotheses, via induction, based on such observations; experimental and measurement-based testing of deductions drawn from the hypotheses; and refinement (or elimination) of the hypotheses based on the experimental findings. These are principles of the scientific method, as distinguished from a definitive series of steps applicable to all scientific enterprises.[1][2][3]

Although procedures vary from one field of inquiry to another, the underlying process is frequently the same from one field to another. The process in the scientific method involves making conjectures (hypothetical explanations), deriving predictions from the hypotheses as logical consequences, and then carrying out experiments or empirical observations based on those predictions.​

"Science" would say: If it happened then it happened naturally.

 

[SeventhFisherofMen]

"Although there was a trend toward better outcomes in the prayer group using the Byrd score, the difference between groups was not statistically significant."

If you consider a 10% decrease in score insignificant then yes. But I would love to know that I had a 10% increase in possibility of a better hospital stay and overall recovery/experience.

 

[Homeowner]

If you consider a 10% decrease in score insignificant then yes. But I would love to know that I had a 10% increase in possibility of a better hospital stay and overall recovery/experience.

It was their own words. One group did slightly better but the difference was statistically insignificant.

If there was something divine going on you would really hope to get something better than "statistically insignificant" as a result.

 

[Homeowner]

How did Christians distinguish between miracles and natural unlikely events in the 1st century?

Probably not any better nor worse than these days.

'Holy Water' Seeping From Feet of Jesus Christ Statue in Mumbai; Some Residents Call It a 'Miracle'

"Edamaruku warned believers not to drink the water, which they believed could cure ailments. "This was sewage water seeping through a wall due to faulty plumbing," he said. "It posed a health risk to people who were fooled into believing it was a miracle."

His disclosure was met with death threats from religious zealots. He was then charged with blasphemy in the Mumbai high court, an offence that carries a three-year prison sentence.

The death threats eventually forced him to seek exile in Finland.

 

[SeventhFisherofMen]

It was their own words. One group did slightly better but the difference was statistically insignificant.

If there was something divine going on you would really hope to get something better than "statistically insignificant" as a result.

Whether it's their own words or someone else's, a 10% difference is a 10% difference whether someone calls it significant or not.

 

[SkyWriting]

Can a scientist, as someone who follows the scientific method, believe in miracles?

Can a scientist believe that miracles still happen today?

Are there any examples of scientists who believe in modern miracles?

Miracles do exist, but if they were evident to those without faith, insanity would result.
So God only provides miracles to the faithful.

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