Can someone that does not believe in miracle experience a miracle?
My take is that miracle manifest more in an atmosphere of believing in it.
Share your take.

What do you define as a "miracle"?

A miracle is defined as a situation where you go to bed a poor man having no money to solve your problems and waking up tomorrow morning with £20 million beside your bed.

Quit the sarcasm. My question was very simple; what is YOUR definition of the word. There is nothing dumbfounding about that. We all have our own little spin on the term.

femmy2010:

Imagine.
I am dumbfounded as i do not know how best to define the word Miracle.
Help me please.

femmy2010:

Putting my understanding of the word Miracle into words is a bit hard for me.

Ok maybe I can help you here.

Which of these or what combination of these definitions most closely matches your understanding of the word?

1. A wonderful event occurring in the physical world attributed to supernatural powers.

2. A fortunate outcome that prevails despite overwhelming odds against it

3. An awesome and exceptional example of something

from Wiktionary http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/miracle

Miracles might best be described or explained by someone who have experienced it. Personal experience do count

femmy2010:

TheHOMER -
2. A fortunate outcome that prevails despite overwhelming odds against it

Option 2 perfectly explain my idea of Miracles.

I think you should understand that that option simply means that a phenomenon of low probability has occurred. And this implies that while you may consider something like "curing" HIV by stem cell transplantation or the reactions of helium to form compounds a miracle, many others do not consider them miracles.
So with respect to your original post, from the examples given above, one does not need to believe it for it to occur. It will eventually occur if the conditions are right so I don't think there is any need for an "atmosphere of believing in it".

Miracle

A true miracle is an event in the external world brought about by the immediate agency or the simple volition of God, operating without the use of means capable of being discerned by the senses, and designed to authenticate the divine commission of a religious teacher and the truth of his message (John 2:18; Matt. 12:38).

It is an occurrence at once above nature and above man. It shows the intervention of a power that is not limited by the laws either of matter or of mind, a power interrupting the fixed laws which govern their movements, a supernatural power.

"The suspension or violation of the laws of nature involved in miracles is nothing more than is constantly taking place around us. One force counteracts another: vital force keeps the chemical laws of matter in abeyance; and muscular force can control the action of physical force. When a man raises a weight from the ground, the law of gravity is neither suspended nor violated, but counteracted by a stronger force. The same is true as to the walking of Christ on the water and the swimming of iron at the command of the prophet.

The simple and grand truth that the universe is not under the exclusive control of physical forces, but that everywhere and always there is above, separate from and superior to all else, an infinite personal will, not superceding, but directing and controlling all physical causes, acting with or without them."

God ordinarily effects his purpose through the agency of second causes; but he has the power also of effecting his purpose immediately and without the intervention of second causes, i.e., of invading the fixed order, and thus of working miracles. Thus we affirm the possibility of miracles, the possibility of a higher hand intervening to control or reverse nature's ordinary movements.

In the New Testament these four Greek words are principally used to designate miracles:

1. Semeion, a “sign”, i.e., an evidence of a divine commission; an attestation of a divine message (Matt. 12:38,39; 16:1, 4; Mark 8:11; Luke 11:16; 23:8; John 2:11, 18, 23; Acts 6:8, etc.); a token of the presence and working of God; the seal of a higher power.
2. Terata, “wonders;” wonder-causing events; portents; producing astonishment in the beholder (Acts 2:19).
3. Dunameis, “might works;” works of superhuman power (Acts 2:22; Rom. 15:19; 2 Thess. 2:9); of a new and higher power.
4. Erga, “works;” the works of Him who is “wonderful in working” (John 5:20, 36).

Miracles are seals of a divine mission. The sacred writers appealed to them as proofs that they were messengers of God. Our Lord also appealed to miracles as a conclusive proof of his divine mission (John 5:20, 36; 10:25, 38). Thus, being out of the common course of nature and beyond the power of man, they are fitted to convey the impression of the presence and power of God.

Hope this helps.

Isaiah 9:6 NLT
6 For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. And the government will rest on his shoulders. These will be his royal titles: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.


Isaiah 9:6 KJV
6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
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Isaiah 10:27 NLT
In that day the Lord will end the bondage of his people. He will break the yoke of slavery and lift it from their shoulders.

Isaiah 10:27 KJV
And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.
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Psalms 24 NLT
1 The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.
2 For he laid the earth's foundation on the seas and built it on the ocean depths.
3 Who may climb the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place?
4 Only those whose hands and hearts are pure, who do not worship idols and never tell lies.
5 They will receive the Lord's blessing and have right standing with God their savior.
6 They alone may enter God's presence and worship the God of Israel. Interlude
7 Open up, ancient gates! Open up, ancient doors, and let the King of glory enter.
8 Who is the King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, invincible in battle.
9 Open up, ancient gates! Open up, ancient doors, and let the King of glory enter.
10 Who is the King of glory? The Lord Almighty- he is the King of glory. Interlude

Psalms 24
1 The earth is the LORD's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.
2 For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods.
3 Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place?
4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.
5 He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
6 This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah.
7 Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.
8 Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.
10 Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.
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Roman 8:26-34 NLT

And the Holy Spirit helps us in our distress. For we don't even know what we should pray for, nor how we should pray. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.
27 And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God's own will.
28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn, with many brothers and sisters.
30 And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And he gave them right standing with himself, and he promised them his glory.
31 What can we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?
32 Since God did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won't God, who gave us Christ, also give us everything else?
33 Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? Will God? No! He is the one who has given us right standing with himself.
34 Who then will condemn us? Will Christ Jesus? No, for he is the one who died for us and was raised to life for us and is sitting at the place of highest honor next to God, pleading for us.

Roman 8:26-34 KJV

26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.
34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

I agree quite a lot with homer's definition, a remote possibility overcoming all odds but also ruling impossibilites. And as such, aletheia and her gang wuld rather refer d unknown to god.

Kay 17:

I agree quite a lot with homer's definition, a remote possibility overcoming all odds but also ruling impossibilites. And as such, aletheia and her gang wuld rather refer d unknown to god.

^There you go; jumping in with your preconceived notions without bothering to read. Where in my post did you see me equate the unknown with the miraculous? Miracles belong to the realm of the known.

being alive and healthy is a maracle

Pimpu:

being alive and healthy is a maracle

Oh? And what definition of the word "miracle" are you using? Since about 6 billion humans on earth are alive and relatively healthy.

femmy2010:

And billions of many others are dead.

If previous generations didn't die, we wouldn't be here.

There can be miracles if u believe

femmy2010:

Miracle might never be if one do not believe in it.
I believe Miracle does happen and i have been a beneficiary many a time and i can only but thank God for allowing me to know this.

What phenomena do you consider miracles?

femmy2010:

When what i hitherto thought was impossible does happen.(Positive happenings).

The fact that something you thought was impossible does happen does not mean it was actually impossible. e.g people survive lightning strikes and motor vehicle accidents.

femmy2010:

I guess for me i feel most comfortable associating such great occurrence to God and tagging it as Miracle.
For me it is miracle and it would always be Miracle.

Ok I guess that's fine since you feel better when you associate such occurrences with God.

femmy2010:

It is beyond associating it with GOD,I am sure it is God's hand at work.

I'm curious, what makes you sure that it's God's hand at work?

femmy2010:

I feel his presence and he promised great wonders in my life and the manifestation of these promised wonders are these Every day Miracles.

What organ do you feel his presence with?
Daily miracles implies miracles are common place. Do you consider something like the approximate 24 hour rotation of the earth on its axis causing day and night a miracle?
How about feeling the sun's rays on your skin do you consider that a miracle?