So I have picked up my copy of Jesus the Christ by James E. Talmage again. Every once in awhile I pick it up and read consistently. Then I slack off. It is full of a lot of doctrine that can be slightly overwhelming. I read chapter 11 "From Judea to Galilee" and it has a section miracles within it. I want to share a few of my favorite lines from it.
"The spiritual effect of miracles would be unattained were the witness not caused to inwardly wonder, marvel, ponder and inquire; mere surprise or amazement may be produced by deception and artful trickery. Any miraculous manifestation of divine power would be futile as a means of spiritual effect were it unimpressive."
I liked this line because it states that miracles are only for the witnesses (or recipients) to use for pondering. Pondering what? I think it is for pondering the power of God, His ability to control things that we, as humans, may not be able to, and to help strengthen our faith and testimony in Him.
"Every miracle is a sign of God's power."
"Miracles cannot be in contravention" (contravention means violation, opposition, conflict) "of natural law, but are wrought through the operation of laws not universally or commonly recognized."
I have always thought this. Some people have tried to tell me that God is so powerful that he can override the laws of nature. I don't believe this is true. Power does not come through overstepping the bounds of a law. God is righteous and must obey the laws in place. We must obey as well, when we don't that's called sin... God doesn't sin. Therefore, he must operate in the laws that exist. As humans we just may not fully understand how the miracle occurred. That is the miracle of it. Elder Talmage gives an example of a natural law.
"Gravitation is everywhere operative, but the local and special application of other agencies may appear to nullify it--as by muscular effort or mechanical impulse a stone is lifted from the ground, poised aloft, or sent hurtling through space. At every stage of the process, however, gravity is in full play, though its effect is modified by that of other and locally superior energy."
"The human sense of the miraculous wanes as comprehension of the operative process increases."
"We arbitrarily classify as miracles only such phenomena as are unusual, special, transitory, and wrought by an agency beyond the power of man's control."
"To deny the actuality of miracles on the ground that, because we cannot comprehend the means, the reported results are fictitious, is to arrogate" (to claim unwarrantably or presumptuously; assume or appropriate to oneself without right) "to the human mind the attribute of omniscience, by implying that what man cannot comprehend cannot be, and that therefore he is able to comprehend all that is."
"To the believer in the divinity of Christ, the miracles are sufficiently attested; to the unbeliever they appear but as myths and fables."
What do you think? I really liked the quote second to last about how denying a miracle because of incomprehension that it implies the omniscience of the mind of man. How silly we are. We know we don't have omniscience. We just forget when we can't explain something. Instead of admitting that maybe the mind of man cannot comprehend something until a later date, we just assume that the miracle did not happen. Now I think that all "miracles" do not come from God. Just as the first quote states, miracles are for personal development. Amazement and surprise can be used for deception and trickery. Don't fall for tricks. People use tricks to con money out of you. So be smart.
