Miracles: a mystery or a myth

Do you believe in miracles?

It is a well known fact that people who have some kind of belief system live longer and have happier lives.  That said, the belief system need not be a traditionally religious one, but one that moves the individual outside themselves and into a larger universe of infinite possibility.  

One of these possibilities is the idea of a miracle.  For our purposes, a miracle is defined as an incredible event that cannot be scienfically explained.  In a recent study of 1300 people age 45 and over,  it was found that 80 percent believe in them.  41% say they happen every day and 37% say they have actually witnessed them. 

Who's most likely to believe in miracles? 

71% of respondents with a college degree or more expressed belief in miracles as compared to 85% of  those with high-school educations.  And it seems that the less money you make, the more likely you belive in miracles.  78% of those making 75K or more belive in miracles, while 86% of those who make under 25K believe in them.  Why is this?  Well, according to the Rev. Forrest Church of the Unitarian Church of All Souls in New York City, the rich and highly schooled feel they are "masters of the universe".  He adds, "they don't need anybody".  And so it seems that people who need miracles believe in them more than people who believe they are doing fine. 

Women are particularly sensitive to the idea of miracles: 85% of women believe in them as opposed to 73% of men.  And it appears that the older you are the less inclined you are to believe in them: 85% of people aged 45-54 believe in them as opposed to 75% of people aged 65 and up.  A possible explanation according to Rev. Church is that older people become more honest with themselves that nothing will save them from death.  They are tempered by their own mortality.

There are various interpretations of the meaning of a miracle.  Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, one of India's leading spiritual figures describes a miracle as a part of nature and nature has many instances of unpredictable events.  "It is the small mind connecting with the larger mind.  Some call it God: I call it universal energy."  Some scientists call the notion of miracles inevitable.  Why, because in a universe of nearly infinite possibilities, unexpected things have to happen at least occasionally.  Michael Shermer, author of Why People Believe Weird Things,  notes that events with a million-to-one odds happen 295 times a day in America.  And of course it is the purvue of believers to explain why miracles occur by putting them in context of their belief systems. 

Where does this leave us?  Well regardless of belief systems, the idea of a miracle makes one consider where they stand in the universe.  What does it mean if I or someone I know is the recipient of a miracle and what does it mean if we are not? Are we deserving or less deserving?  Does it matter?

 I like Rev. Church's statement:  "Life is a miraculous gift.  We tend to take life for granted, seeing it as normative rather than as miraculous.  And then someting magnificent happens and we credit it to a miracle.  The truth is, we don't need to expect a miracle to experience the miraculous."

Based on my experience in health care, I see each day as a gift, especially for those over 40.  With the new year approaching, my wish is that you experience the miraculous daily.

Tell me what you think.  Are you among those who have witnessed a miracle?  Do you believe they exist or are they superstition?  I'd love to hear your views.