The Rationality of MiraclesCan a Scientist Believe in Miracles? A MIT Professor Answers Questions on God and Science, IanHutchinson, IVP, 2018 (ISBN 978‐0‐8308‐4547‐7), viii + 288 pp., pb $20Medjugorje and the Supernatural: Science, Mysticism, and Extraordinary Religious Experience, Daniel MariaKlimek, Oxford University Press, 2018 (ISBN 978‐0‐19‐067920‐0), xiv + 378 pp., hb £64

Abstract

AbstractThe term ‘miracle’ comes from the Latin ‘miror’, that is ‘to be amazed at’. So a miracle indicates something going much beyond the ordinary course of nature and violating natural laws. The idea of miracles as rational events emerges from the contents of those books. Although the authors delve into that intriguing subject from different perspectives, they ground their views upon a common epistemological approach including historical witnesses, Christian revelation, and the limits of the scientific discourse. Miracles form part of the ongoing discussion on the science–faith relationship, and opinions about mystical experiences cannot exclude an exact definition of science and faith. Our society is dominated by science and technology, and the widely held negative perception of miracles is deeply influenced by a naturalistic mentality. A clear‐cut distinction between the rationality of natural research and the uncertainty of religion proves unsuccessful to account for events which science cannot explain.