updated: 5/02/04
 
 

MIRACLES

What is a miracle? By definition, a miracle is something which can not happen. A miracle (as described by the religious) is an act or happening which takes place all the time. It is assumed to bypass all cause and effect. A miracle is a presumed supernatural intervention into the natural order of the world or universe. It is supposed to override, nullify and steal some effect and chain of effects from the natural workings and causes of Nature.

This supernatural intervention claims to turn water into wine. It is said to multiply fish and bread until thousands of people are fed from one small boy's lunch. This supernatural intervention is reported to cause a man to walk on water as though it were dry land. This intervention is claimed to have made the earth stand still at the command of a Jewish war lord (actually described as the sun standing still). This supernatural intervention into the laws of nature is reputed to cause the long dead saints to come back to life and walk the streets of Jerusalem. (Funny, these fantastic events never made the headlines or history books in Rome, Athens or Jerusalem.) This is not to mention other examples from the Jewish and Christian Bibles like instantaneous travel over long distances, an iron ax head floating, donkeys and snakes talking, using words to control weather and many more unbelievable and unverifiable wonders.

The believers claim a miracle takes place every time someone asks God in prayer to let it rain - and it rains. A miracle takes place when the minister asks God to heal someone's sickness or disease - and they recover. According to the believer, at man's request, God gets rid of bugs which are eating the crops. He sends food to those who ask for it. He helps people find their way when they are lost. God stills the storm so the one who begs can return home safely. There is no limit to the claims. Of course, people get well, bugs die, help arrives and storms clear up.

According to the Catholic histories, during the early Dark Ages, or Medieval days, there were literally thousands upon thousands of miracles claimed. People who had their heads chopped off, picked them up, put them back on and walked off. People flew around in the air, voluntarily and involuntarily. People turned stones into bread, rode flying sticks or horses, turned lead into gold. You name it and it was claimed by many witnesses to have happened.

The biggest miracle of all occurred daily. That is, literally thousands of people talked daily to God, and more miraculous yet, God talked back to them. God ordered the deaths of thousands upon thousands during these talks with his people. He told the Catholic believers, with whom he who talked, exactly who were the heretics and who were not (according to the believers). Through this miracle of divine speaking, God ordered wars, crusades, burnings, torture, beheadings, confiscation of wealth and he even ordered ignorance. (Those were BAD miracles.)

At one time in the past, according to the priests and the Pope, God outlawed reading and writing for all except the highest clerics in the church and those who were found doctrinally sound enough to be trained as scribes. The secular and religious historians who covered the period between the fourth and twelfth century, recorded the Catholic Church's claim that God went so far as to order the destruction of past knowledge. That is, God outlawed science, medicine, history, mechanics and all scholarship except that which agreed with the doctrines of the church. Little knowledge did! Did your God really do that? Or, did someone lie about that, or several someones?

These people who heard God's voice sworn, they had affidavits, they had eye witnesses, they had ear witnesses, all of whom swore God ordered these horrible things when he spoke to those favored men and women. They all swore they heard God order these marvelous and wonderful murders and tortures. This is the cloth from which all miracles are cut. How then shall we view these claims?

The gist of the matter, as Clear Thinkers see it, is some men lie. The more ignorant a person is, the more unreasonable the lies he will tell - or believe. It was therefore, necessary to keep the people as ignorant as possible. And the church did just that! Remember Adam and Eve? Well, God doesn't give up so easily. He kept right on instructing his followers to glorify ignorance and to brand knowledge and thinking as "the deceiver of mankind". It does help the lie if you hide the truth and describe ignorance as - "innocence".

Even in those days, when most people would believe anything and did, there were a few voices raised in defense of truth. Most of them paid with their lives, but some of their writings have been saved. Some of these writers were at the miracle site during the time of the alleged miracle. They vehemently denied a miracle took place. Some claimed to know the person to whom the miracle was said to have happened. These writers swore that even the person to whom it was reported to have happened, denied the miracle took place.

In studying the etymology of words, one can sometimes come upon the truth when they have been blinded to it by the changed usage of that word. Etymology is the study of the derivations and beginnings of a word as it was originally used in a particular language. The English language is a very rich language. It takes many of its roots for modern words from other old small words in the earlier languages and puts them together to make a bigger word, and therefore, a better symbol or concept for communication. One of the best sources for the average scholar is the Oxford English Dictionary. The thirteen volumes take up a whole shelf in the library.

Take a word like awful. When that word was first coined, it literally meant "full of awe" and meant something good and grand. Today, most people understand "awful" to mean something very bad. By misuse, people gradually changed the usage and meaning of the word.

Now look at the word believer. When this word was first used in the English language, it was made up out of three older small words and it meant to "be a lie lover". Belie was the first usage of the word.

According to Webster's International and the Oxford English dictionaries, the root words which make up the word believer and belief still retain their true meaning. The two root words make up the word belie, and that word still means to misrepresent. Add the "f" to belie and you have belief which meant, to accept the lie or misrepresentation as though it were the truth. Originally, the "f" was written to designate the word "for" and meant "to be for the lie, to accept, or to agree with the lie". So the word was first written as belief 'r. Later this was shortened to belief ' then, to just belief as we have it now, and literally still means, to "be for the lie", or to "be in favor of the lie."

Today, the religious tell us the word BELIEVER is a good word. The Clear Thinkers say the word still means EXACTLY what it did when it was first made up out of three old commonly used early English words, namely, one who will still "be a lie lover ".

As a Clear Thinker, I can comprehend and accept the different and even the weird. But I can not accept a miracle which simply can not happen. I can not accept something which is against all the laws of matter and against all the laws of common sense, and in some cases, against all the laws of wholesome morality. I can not accept that God does something against all of the good moral and ethical behavior held in common by all mankind. I can not conceive that God aids and abets slavery or rape. I can, however, very easily accept the fact, some men lie ABOUT God to gain power, lie to gain the upper hand against their enemies, lie to gain wealth, lie to gain fame, and lie to gain the prestige of having been favored by God in some special way.

Examine the miracle of an ass or donkey talking. First, was it a type of ventriloquism? If a ventriloquist spoke so it SEEMED to come from the donkey, this could be considered a great skill, but it could not be considered a miracle. If ventriloquism was used, there was no miracle and the ass did not talk. Also, there is no mention of a third party who could have done it.

Second, for a donkey to actually talk, he would need a soft palate and a hinged tongue. Third, he would need split vocal cords and a human shaped esophagus. Fourth, the cells of tissue would have to disassemble themselves then reassemble to conform to the configuration necessary to produce human sounds. Fifth, the bones of the head, neck and jaws would have to reform themselves into the proper configuration. Sixth, he would need a rational brain capable of handling human concepts and language. Seventh, he would need lots and lots of practice. Eighth, even with all this, he would still need a very gullible listener. Finally, all the process would have to be reversed so this very unusual, smart beast could be turned back into an ass.

The Clear Thinker doubts any God, or Devil, would go to so much trouble just to impress a rebellious holy man with his instructions and power. It makes one wonder just who was the ass, and which ass was it that spoke. It is really a shame for the Christian and Jewish religions that the holy man was not riding a parrot. I honestly doubt this story can be true.

So again, what is a miracle? The dictionaries describe this word as an event which is ascribed to a supernatural agency. There are many events in this world and solar system which we do not understand. That is not to mention the many events of the universe. Now answer this question. Is an event a miracle just because we do not understand all of the natural causes in the universe? The correct answer is, "NO!"

To the natives of New Guinea, the airplane of World War II was a miracle. They even worshipped it and set up a new religion called "Cargo Worship." The priests and prophets of this Cargo religion are still active and daily gain new converts to their concept. They have an exceptionally well thought out theology which was established by a graduate of theirs from Harvard Divinity School and another who graduated from Oxford University in England. They have one of the few religions which has almost no internal conflicts and contradictions, such as plagues Christianity, Islam and Judaism. You should read about it. As a religion, it is a pretty good one.

The radio was a "miracle" to those who were not familiar with it. So too are television, lasers and modern medicine. But the question is this. Are these events really "miracles"? Again, we must answer, no. They are all the working out of sound scientific principles. They are all the results of cause and effect. Except computers and the internet, I think they are miraculous.

One purpose of science is to learn and understand about the way nature works. Then taking that understanding, scientists and engineers in all areas develop equipment, devices and methods which to the uninitiated appear to be miracles. This includes the sciences of the mind - the healing sciences.

The whole concept and structure of science is based upon the fact,

THERE IS NO SUPERNATURAL INTERVENTION
BETWEEN THE CAUSE AND THE EFFECT.

While we are on the subject of science, let us look at what is called "the laws of physics", or "the laws of nature". The term "law or laws" is an unusual use of the term. Take the law of gravity. Gravity is one of the most widely known and least understood aspect of the natural workings of nature. The understanding which we do have enables science to place satellites in orbit around the earth. It enables us to calculate the size speed and weight of suns, planets and other bodies in space. It enables us to send men to the moon, and more importantly, bring them back.

But, what we are talking about is not a law that God or man passed. What we are simply saying is, by observation, thinking and testing, we have discovered some FACTS about the nature of gravity and that knowledge enables us to predict what will happen if we do this or that. By observing, experimenting and thinking hard about the subject, it has been determined, given a specific set of circumstances, the same thing will always happen. No amount of prayer can change it. No supernatural intervention has ever occurred, nor ever can.

Scientists have cataloged these observations. That catalog of facts about how matter acts and reacts, has been called the "laws of physics". By no means has science made all the observations it can or will. So these "laws" are being amended daily by our scientists. New truths are being discovered ever day. All of the observations which science has made, always turn out the same, given the same circumstances. Some men have seen fit to call these observations and facts, "laws".

Using these observations, science has also developed methods to overcome gravity. Therefore, we have airplanes, bridges, tall buildings, gliders, kites, rockets and a multitude of other useful items. But so far, there has been no break through in understanding gravity. Many are working, or have worked on the subject, trying to understand enough to either produce artificial gravity, or to produce antigravity. So far, there has been little to no announced progress. There are presently strong rumors, however.

With these things in mind, what if you go to the lake one Sunday and see a man walking on the water. What will you think? Will you suspect a miracle in which the observations (laws) of gravity, nature and physics have suddenly been suspended or stolen by the intrusion of some supernatural power? Or, will you suspect some sort of trick or science at work? Would you think about glass pontoons, wires or stumps, or that some other scientific device has been employed? Most people will suspect a trick or science at work. Why? Because water just does not become solid like that and you know it. This is not to say walking on the water is impossible, but some sort of antigravity device, or scientific molecular freezing affect would be necessary.

If Jesus possessed an antigravity device, then he might be considered a super scientist, but this knowledge would not qualify him for Godhood. There are those in California who claim Jesus WAS an astronaut. That is in keeping with the observations of science. If you have "proof" of such a claim, I am willing to listen to your proof. If you claim Jesus was a God and he walked on the water as though it were dry land without any science involved, and without getting wet, I will listen to your "proof". But please, do not expect me to "be a lie lover."

Every effect must have a cause. Every cause must have another cause and another, forming a chain of events reaching back and back. We can add our cause at the present moving end of this chain of events, but we can not go back and break in between the past cause and present effects. We can only add our cause at the end of the chain of events. Sometimes we are able to correct the effect of some cause by injecting our cause. Thus, we are able to fight the effect (cancer) by using laser radiation (our cause). But we can not go back in time and stop the formation of the cancer. It is highly possible that one's own mind may have the ability to cause the cancer to dissolve. But again, that would be a fact of the science of the mind and body.

Nothing happens without natural cause and effect. Nothing!

All religions, about which I have read or studied, are based upon miracles, (miracle births, miracle lives, miracle healings, miracle deaths and miracle resurrections). In other words, every religion is based upon these supposed events which no Clear Thinking person would believe was a supernatural intervention if they were eye witnesses to those same events. A big part of the problem is, all these events were told to us in holy books by unidentifiable persons who do not even claim to be eye witnesses.

People writing many, many years after the so called events, describe the events in great detail as though they had been there. Some writers even claim they received the information in dreams or visions (a revelation). Some claim these things came to them by "inspiration". That is, they saw it all "in their heads". Or, to be more concise, they BELIEVED they were inspired.

One must be careful when thinking about miracles. A civilization which is thousands or millions of scientific years ahead of us, may understand Nature in such a way so as to manipulate the forces of Nature in the same way we manipulate radio waves. Some things which we call miracles may be just the knowledge and use of advanced science by aliens present with us. However, nothing can happen unless the knowledge and forces of Nature are used to accomplish it. Some may understand the body and mind well enough to cause healing without touching the body. Even we MIGHT can do it, if and when we have learned, or been taught HOW. It is called science of the mind.

What does a Clear Thinker have to say about miracles and this chain of events? First, there has not been a single miracle observed or certified in anyway by members of the scientific community. This includes the shroud of Christ, the so called miracle cures of the sick, the UFO at Lourdes, or any other kind of so called miracle. It may be weird, but it is natural.

Second, by the very definition of a miracle, one could not happen without understanding and using the laws and powers of nature. A miracle is an event which sets aside natural cause and effect and interrupts all the natural functions of matter. This has never happened and never will happen. However, many unusual events have been caused to happen.

Third, a miracle, since it can not be proven, is a matter of faith or belief. If it could be proven or duplicated, it would no longer be thought of as a miracle, but would be an occurrence of nature and a fact of science. One can only believe or doubt a miracle claim.

Fourth, people are generally very gullible. Some will believe anything, even with specific proof to the contrary. Those who believe, will repeat the story and even enlarge upon the details. This is the stuff from which miracles are made. That is, dreams and visions out of people's heads, tricks, restoration to health misunderstood, stories told and enlarged upon and sometimes just outright lies and deceptions.

Which brings us to a fifth reason. In any scientific study, the simplest and most believable explanation is always preferred over the more complicated and unbelievable explanation. This means, if there is a simple scientifically probable or provable explanation for an event, that simple, easily provable explanation is much preferred to the more highly complex explanation without proof.

The situation with miracles is like that. The complex and impossible explanation is that the natural laws of matter ceased to function for a brief period in one place at one time. Since no scientific observation of such a single miracle has ever been noted, that unbelievable explanation is rejected in favor of two explanations which can be proven, or which are highly plausible.

The first provable explanation is, "MEN LIE." We have great evidence of this in our society. In every area (EXCEPT RELIGION ) we seek to protect ourselves from the lies of men. Laws, contracts, juries, judges, lawyers, book keeping, accounting, oaths and many other attempts are made to defend ourselves against liars who are prevalent in our society. Another equally provable explanation is, men seek to deceive others and do it for both the delight of it, and the profit of it.

The gist of the matter is, it is very easy to understand and to accept that men lie. The harder it is to check up on a lie, the easier it is to let one's imagination run off on a wild and fanciful "goose chase". It is impossible to check and see if God spoke to someone. The people who tell these stories about miracles would make good story writers. They would not make good science fiction writers. They possess little knowledge of science.

The second provable explanation is that one's own mind is capable of much control over his own body. Under hypnosis one can become capable of doing things which he never imagined he could do. The science of the mind is in its infancy and we all wait to find out what is next in this most interesting branch of our science. Some day, some events classified as miracles in the past may suddenly become common placed when we find out HOW to do these things. Sometimes our mind does some spectacular things which appear to be miracles, but they are not. They are natural causes and (consciously or subconsciously) learned abilities.

Before concluding this section, a word needs to be said about medical "miracles". There has never been a medical case in which a miracle has been demonstrated or observed. No new body parts have grown back after being removed such as, legs, arms, feet, hands or toes. Even now, some regrowth has been achieved by our scientists using animals and by manipulating genes. The more we understand, the more we can accomplish in the field of health.

The human body has so developed, it will basically heal itself if given a chance, if it is not interfered with by harmful actions, stress or guilt. Many seemingly physical problems are proven to actually be psychosomatic. That is, the problem lies in the mind. Many so called faith cures or miracles actually happen. The cancer or disease goes away and sometimes very rapidly. But what happens is, the guilt or mental stress in the believer's mind is released. This in turn, relieves the body from its depression and allows the natural cure or restoration of health to begin. Such, so called, cures may include paralysis, speech problems, even cancer and other diseases. A healthy mind goes a long way toward producing a healthy body.

Sometimes a religion can undo a portion of the damage which it has caused in a believer's mind by taking away some of the guilt and stress it has placed there. By taking away some of the guilt, the stress of the body is relieved enough to allow the body to heal itself.

So here is one more reason why Clear Thinkers can not accept miracles. Believing in miracles produces mental problems. Those who believe God can cure them of a disease, will also believe God can give or allow them to get a disease. The guilt which the religions can place in a person will cause that person to believe he is surely bad enough for God to give him a disease as punishment for some supposed wrong doing. Belief, as we have seen, is a destructive and negative force in the life of a person. Belief probably sends more people to hospitals and mental institutions than any other one thing.

Knowledge and truth does not send people to hospitals and mental institutions. Knowledge keeps people in a positive frame of mind. Honest Doubt and knowledge produces stability. Belief and faith produces instability, not only mentally and emotionally, but physically as well. So the Clear Thinker's advice is, for good physical and mental health, doubt all miracles. They are not and could not be supernatural interventions into the affairs of the world, or the affairs of man. God does not "monkey" with man!

Finally, the last reason Clear Thinkers reject miracles is, there is no proof of such a supernatural religious God to begin with.

Think for a moment! If there were a religious God, what would be the purpose of a miracle? The only reasons I can think of would be:

                    To attract attention,
                    To add authority to what is being said or done, or
                    To correct some former mistake which the God had made.

If there were a religious God, like the Bible says, then there is also a Devil, like the Bible says. The Bible says the Devil can do miracles as well as God. Indeed, the Devil is called the ruler of this world in the Bible. If one observes a miracle, who did it? God or the Devil? The Devil can lie and deceive, so how could one possibly know if the Devil was the author, or if God was the author of the miracle? Who is attracting one's attention? Wouldn't the Devil declare himself to be the good God? Hasn't he already done so? How could we tell? By his teachings! Check and see who ordered murders, genocide, stoning of kids, or hatred and hostility against knowledge and other beliefs and races. Maybe this Bible God is really the bad guy and the Bible Devil is really the good guy. How can we tell?  By their fruits shall you know them!

Second, how could a miracle add authority to anything even if there were miracles? If you saw the so called miracle, you would most likely not believe it to be supernatural. Would any thinking person to whom you told it, believe it to be a miracle? I doubt it. Only the gullible and credulous would believe it. Doesn't God know this fact?

The gullible (religious) do not need a real miracle to connivance them. All one has to do is just tell a little lie and they will believe it. Clear Thinkers can not accept any claimed miracle as a supernatural intervention.

Does God waste his time like this? Would God seek to use a method which would detract from his authority, with thinking people, instead of enhancing it? That is not good advertising anywhere or anytime. If you actually witnessed a miracle and told other thinking people about it, they would think something had happened to your mind. Why would we think any less about God's mind if HE decided to work miracles on the earth at the expense of his wisdom, justice and veracity (truthfulness)?

Finally, if a miracle were needed to correct some mistake which God had formally made, or let happen, would he wish to make a big deal out of it in front of witnesses? Wouldn't he rather just take care of it on the quiet and not draw attention to his former mistake? He could make it look natural and take care of the problem over a little time and no one would be the wiser. Would any God (or Devil) advertise his mistakes?

Who wants to admit God makes mistakes and has to use miracles to correct them? Religion goes blindly on in it's self-deception, never stopping to think about what great and dreadful harm it is doing to mankind. To lie to mankind is one thing. To scare men into believing, or at least into living the lie, is the worst sort of slavery. If there is a God, he doesn't make mistakes which would require miracles to correct them.

There is one other point to list under miracles. Every single religion has enormously long list of miracles. All, of course, were written long after the supposed events. Thus, each religion seeks to show divine approval and verify its teachings by claiming a vast array of these divine miracles.

There has never been a religion (be it modern or ancient, western or eastern, pagan or Christian) which has not claimed innumerable miracles. If miracles were a sign of divine approval, then all religions would have an equal claim to the backing of God. Yet, each religion disclaims ALL miracles EXCEPT the ones belonging to THEM. Since it is just as easy to disclaim a Christian miracle as it is an Hindu one, then God picked a very poor and dubious method to try to certify his favorite religion.

In the final analysis, all miracles are either started by the ignorant (who misunderstood) or by liars. That is, by people who knew the miracle did not occur. There is no greater proof that our religions are false and full of falsehoods than the reliance upon miracles to prove divine favor. If there were a God and he wanted to separate his favorite religion from all the false religions, he certainly would not use the same identical method which all the false religions use to prove that their religion is from God. God would use some other method to prove the validity of his religion.

A just and wise God MIGHT use Honest Clear Thinking as HIS stamp of approval. God MIGHT approve of Atheism. God MIGHT approve of us using our minds to arrive at HONEST conclusions. Think about that! All of the religions are exactly alike, false, futile and dishonest in all of their claims. Honest Clear Thinking is the opposite of religion.

If we read the New Testament leaving out the miracles, what do we have left? Next to nothing. If we leave out the miracles, what then do we know about the man, Jesus. Nothing, absolutely nothing! So, we are forced to draw some conclusions. The New Testament is not about the MAN, Jesus. Rather, the New Testament is about the GOD called Christ. The New Testament is not a book about a man called Jesus. It is rather, about a GOD called Christ, who worked miracles without using the laws of nature.

The stories about this God (Christ) were told or written FIRST. I doubt if any Jew would forsake his religion for a MAN. For a God, some could. This New Testament Christ was first declared to be the Gnostic spiritual Christ preached by the Escenes. It was only in the second through the fourth centuries AD when the stories were rewritten to make this God (Christ) into a human man. It was only when they wanted to appeal to the Greeks and Romans. It was only THEN that this God (Christ) became the man Jesus and was given a human history. They also gave this newly created human man a mama and two daddies.

It was done to make the Spiritual God called, Christ by the Gnostic Jews, seem like the other God Men of history. These earlier God Men also did all the things which the Bible Jesus God (or Christ) did. This new history was written so that the new Holy Catholic Church could appeal to the ignorant and gullible people. And it worked! Then the church spent hundreds of years destroying the evidence which proved what they had done. But they didn't quite complete the job. Thank goodness!

So the miracles of pregnancy, birth, the shepherds, the star, the wise men, healing the sick, walking on the water, feeding a multitude from a small boys lunch, raising the dead, cursing the fig tree, cleansing the temple, sweating great drop like blood, death on a tree, burial in a tomb, the resurrection, the ascension and all the rest belong to the Christ (the GOD). And all of these miracles were claimed for ALL THE REST of the God Men who preceded Jesus in history. Were these miracles real for the rest of the Christ Gods? I honestly doubt it, and I'll bet you doubt it too. Therefore, are the miracles of the Jesus God, (Christ) not made from the same stuff as these miracles of the other Christ Gods? Because of my research into the histories, I must conclude, that is the case.

Look how indefensible is the story of the Devil taking Jesus (the God Man) to the top of the Temple to show him the kingdoms of the earth. Did the Devil grab Jesus and force him to fly up in the sky with him? Did Jesus volunteer to go with the Devil? Why? Did they have a nice conversation? How did the religious reporter find out what the Devil said to Jesus, and how did he find out what Jesus said to the Devil? If you were on the ground, could you have seen them flying through the air? Did Jesus hold on to the Devil so he would not fall? The top of the Temple was a very small rounded place. Could two people even stand on the pinnacle together without scaffolding? Could the people below see them? Why didn't the Devil take Jesus to a mountain instead of the temple which is not very high? Could they see ALL the kingdoms of the earth, as the Bible says? Even China?

Some holy men say, "Well, it didn't happen, actually. It is an allegory (a story)! It only happened in Christ's mind when the Devil entered the mind of Christ to tempt him." OH! The Devil entered the mind of Christ (THE GOD)? How odd. So Jesus didn't actually see the Devil. They didn't actually talk. So the New Testament is in error when it says that they did actually fly up to the top of the temple. Then, the dialog is also fabricated. Did I get that right?

Why is this nonsense in the Bible? I will tell you why. It is because ALL the other Gods had this very same type of temptation with the Evil God (or Devil). Why is the story of the crucifixion and resurrection in the Bible? I will tell you the answer to that, also. Because, ALL the other Gods did this very same thing in one form or another. If you are going to make a God then you must follow the God blueprint. Your God has to do all of those things which Gods do. Otherwise, your God would NOT qualify for Godhood.

One type of miracle which pervades the whole of the Old Testament and the whole of the New Testament has to do with the quotes of Jesus and God. The religious reporters who wrote these quotes were not present, and in most places God or Jesus were BY THEMSELVES. How do they DO that?

Mt.26:39, Mk.14:36 and Lk.22:42, all quote Jesus' prayer which he made in the garden while his followers were asleep. (Lk.22:42. Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.) Immediately thereafter, Jesus is captured and held away from his followers until he was (supposedly) killed on a pole (cross). I have read of no theologians or Free Thinkers who have asked this question. How could anyone know what prayer Jesus prayed, or what God or Jesus said while they were by themselves, or what they thought? Of course, in the earlier copies of the Gospels, the quotes were not the same. However, they now match the quotes of Mithra and some of the other Christs. Is this a miracle?

If the miracles are left out of the New Testament you have nothing left. There is no man, Jesus, no God (Christ), no religion, no Paul, no Peter, no James and John, no gospel. And that is the problem with Christianity.

There are NO secular or civil records which point to the truth of ANY of the miracles and happenings of the New Testament. Think about, NONE !!!

The historians (Greek, Roman and Jewish) during those early times knew absolutely nothing about the world being turned upside down by the apostles, or by Paul. They knew nothing about a Jewish Christ God called Jesus. And believe me, the Romans were as bad as we are in recording everything which happened. They recorded minute details of trivial things, yet, there is no mention, not even a hint, of ANY of the religious things written in the New Testament about Jesus or the early church. Only John the Baptist and Appolonious (Pol of Tyana) are mentioned by these civil historians. Why? I'll tell you why. Because Eusebius and Constantine had not yet created the NEW Holy Catholic Church and the NEW Holy Bible.

Maybe you should stop right here and think about these things for a bit.

Almost without question, miracles are tied closely with prayer. This means, the greatest deception (miracles) is tied directly with the most belittling and insulting practice one could render to the Deity (that is, prayer). The reason for this is, in spite of man's absurd claims, he has not yet claimed he himself can perform these miracles. Instead, man claims the Supernatural performs these miracles at man's own prayer and selfish request. That is, some holy man begs and the Deity is honor bound to perform some minor miracle upon hearing certain magic words spoken or written on paper. Some believe the Deity will heal the misinformed believer while the beggars pray and place their hands upon the sick. Clear Thinkers (who know how men have developed modern medicine and medical treatment) feel pain for the ignorance of both the layers and the layees.

One of the worst evils practiced upon the believers by the religions is the claim, that if after prayer and a visit to some holy person or healing place, the victim is not healed, it is because that person didn't have enough faith, or had an impure heart. The holy men are then absolved from failure, plus they have tightened their grip upon the unfortunate gullible person. The unfortunate faithful believer now feels obligated to get closer to his religion and his God. He is more burdened with guilt than ever. "What terrible sin have I committed to deserve this rejection from God and his Church?" This is one of the most cruel and inhumane types of crime and chaos which organized religion pulls on its faithful. Is it any wonder Clear Thinkers seek to expose these so called healers and the chaos they create?

There is an old story which has many versions. It goes something like this. Once a wise and holy man told a king and his court (for a price) how to make gold from lead. The only two problems were, the process would not work if the mind was not pure, or if one thought of a purple and yellow spotted demon while using the magic formula. He even drew them a colored picture of this demon and placed it on the same paper with the formula. Needless to say, no gold was ever made. Finally, in frustration, the king assembled several young innocent and pure girls. They were not told about the purple and yellow demon. When they went through the procedure nothing happened.

Several holy men in the king's court demanded the young girls be examined by torture to find out what their impurities were. One of the girls, being the king's own innocent and pure daughter, the king forbade it. And then the king THOUGHT . Where upon he made a proclamation.

"From hence forth, be it known and practiced in all the kingdom, that no magic or miracle may be sold in the kingdom for money or service. Any and all magic and miracles shall be free. Anyone proven to have charged for, accepted contributions, or service, for the performance of magic or miracle, shall be beheaded before all the people."

There being no profit in magic and miracles, they disappeared from the kingdom. In their place, honesty and education flourished and soon a time of peace and prosperity, unknown until that time, was experienced throughout that kingdom. It lasted many, many years until the death of the wise king.

The new king was only a young man and did not remember when magic and miracles were allowed to bleed the people of their money, their minds and their thinking. So once again miracles and magic entered the land and the kingdom fell into times of crime, poverty, chaos and trouble. Ignorance and dishonesty returned and the revenues of the kingdom shrank. One day a wise and holy man appeared before the new king and offered to show the king how to turn lead into gold for a certain price. The king . . . .

How much better it would be in our time if people did not expect, hope and wish for something for nothing. How much richer and wiser the people would be if they did not give so much time and money to superstitions which destroy their ability to think and act wisely. How much better would mankind be if he stopped believing in miracles, revelations, prayers, divine intervention into the affers of man and started using Honest Doubt and Honest Logical Thought?

THERE ARE NO SUPERNATURAL MIRACLES!

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copyright July 1999 Thomas E. Blaylock jr