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miracle: [noun] an extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs.
Feb 6, 2004 · Miracle: Directed by Gavin O'Connor. With Kurt Russell, Patricia Clarkson, Noah Emmerich, Sean McCann. The true story of Herb Brooks, the player-turned-coach who led the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team to victory over the seemingly invincible Soviet squad.
- (57K)
- Biography, Drama, History
- Gavin O'Connor
- 2004-02-06
- Overview
- Nature and significance
- Types and functions of miracles
- Revelation and signification
- Authentication
miracle, extraordinary and astonishing happening that is attributed to the presence and action of an ultimate or divine power.
A miracle is generally defined, according to the etymology of the word—it comes from the Greek thaumasion and the Latin miraculum—as that which causes wonder and astonishment, being extraordinary in itself and amazing or inexplicable by normal standards. Because that which is normal and usual is also considered as natural, miracles have occasionally been defined as supernatural events, but this definition presupposes a very specific conception of nature and natural laws and cannot, therefore, be generally applied. The significance of a miraculous event is frequently held to reside not in the event as such but in the reality to which it points (e.g., the presence or activity of a divine power); thus, a miracle is also called a sign—from the Greek sēmeion (biblical Hebrew ot)—signifying and indicating something beyond itself. Extraordinary and astonishing occurrences become specifically religious phenomena when they express, reveal, or signify a religious reality, however defined.
Belief in miraculous happenings is a feature of practically all religions, and the incidence of miracles (i.e., of belief in and reports regarding miracles) is universal, though their functions, nature, purpose, and explanations vary with the social and cultural—including theological and philosophical—context in which they appear. However inexplicable, all miracles have an explanation in the sense that they are accounted for in terms of the religious and cultural system that supports them and that, in turn, they are meant to support. Without such an accompanying—explicit or implicit—theory (e.g., the presence, activity, and intervention of such realities as gods, spirits, or magical powers), there would be no miracles in the aforementioned sense but only unexplained phenomena.
There is no general rule determining the types of occurrences that can be classified as miracles; they vary according to the cultural matrix of beliefs and assumptions. The mythological accounts of the origins of the gods and their activities in the primeval past, as well as accounts of the activities of other primeval beings, such as first ancesto...
The purpose of a miracle may be in the direct and immediate result of the event—e.g., deliverance from imminent danger (thus, the passage of the children of Israel through the Red Sea in the Hebrew Bible [Old Testament] book of Exodus), cure of illness, or provision of plenty to the needy. Nevertheless, the ultimate purpose frequently is the demons...
In practice, it is difficult to distinguish the revelatory or signifying miracles from miracles of authentication—i.e., miraculous happenings that serve (1) as credentials for claimants to religious authority in the form of leadership (e.g., in Exodus 4, in which Moses convinces the Israelites of the authenticity of his mission by miraculous performances) or prophecy (e.g., in Deuteronomy 18, where it is written that a prophet is disqualified if the sign that he has predicted does not come to pass), (2) as the demonstration of the superior power of a particular god (e.g., in Exodus 7, which recounts Aaron’s staff swallowing up the staffs of the Egyptian magicians, thus demonstrating the superiority of the God of the Israelites), (3) as proof of the sanctity of a holy person, a holy site, or a holy object, or (4) more generally as evidence of the truth of a particular religion.
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A miracle is an event that is inexplicable by natural or scientific laws and accordingly gets attributed to some supernatural or praeternatural cause. Various religions often attribute a phenomenon characterized as miraculous to the actions of a supernatural being, (especially) a deity , a miracle worker , a saint , or a religious leader .
Miracle definition: an effect or extraordinary event in the physical world that surpasses all known human or natural powers and is ascribed to a supernatural cause..
MIRACLE definition: 1. an unusual and mysterious event that is thought to have been caused by a god because it does not…. Learn more.
Miracle- was only the second player to win a TI and 2 Valve Majors as he won The Frankfurt and Manila Majors with OG and The International 2017 with Team Liquid. At the time, s4 was the only other player who had achieved this feat. It has since been achieved by Puppey, N0tail, JerAx and ana. On May 11th, 2016, he became the first player in Dota ...
