“Miracles”

1. “Miracles” By Emma Quémard and Jasmin Cheung

2. Different Types of Miracles

3. Conversion: This is when someone develops a new religious attitude to life, due to an event which the believer perceives to be a miracle. This refers to the confirmation or “regeneration” of belief in the divine. On a more personal note, a conversion is usually a greater understanding of one’s own faith. There are two types of conversion: • A conscious and voluntary experience (volitional type). • An involuntary and unconscious experience (self-surrender). A cross of light

4. Vision This is when a believer has a vivid mental image of a supernatural kind. This could be anything from visions of God to visions of something that is about to happen. Many of these experiences can lead to a conversion or an reinforcement in the faith they already have. A vision of Mary

5. Revelation This is when something of the divine is revealed to someone, it usually draws people into a deeper knowledge or awareness of God. Each experience is unique and genuine religious experiences are encouraging to the individual. “Allah Exists!”

6. Mystical Experience This is an event that happens that is unexplainable and may lead to a significant impact on the individuals or individuals effected. It may not have a religious significance but could be defined that way. One example of this is the case of the girl that cried crystal tears. The girl that cried crystal tears.

7. “Anyone For Milk?Yes, says Ganesha” How it all began. It all began on September 21st 1995 when an ordinary man in New Delhi dreamt that Lord Ganesha craved a little milk. Upon awakening, he rushed in the dark before dawn to the nearest temple, where a skeptical priest allowed him to offer a spoonful of milk to the small stone image. Both watched in astonishment as the milk disappeared as Ganesha “drank” it.

8. Evidence for: It was reported that this milk miracle was happening not only in India but also all over the world. A leading barrister in Malaysia was dumfounded when he watched a metal Ganesha attached to a car’s dashboard absorb six teaspoons of milk. Deities in Kenya took gallons of milk while sitting in shallow metal trays with no drains. It was also noted that deities other than Ganesha were accepting offerings of milk. Siva, Parvati, Nandi and the Naga, Siva's snake, took milk. Even statues of Ganesha that were made of metal absorbed the milk. Many of the statues absorbed gallons of milk without it reappearing i.e. it did not leak back out at a later date.

9. Evidence against: Scientists have proven that some stone can absorb liquid through capillary action, and the temperature of the stone can also affect the absorption of liquid in stone: some stone becomes more porous during intense heat, absorbing liquid, but as it cools the liquid then leaks back out of it. Also, some metals, particularly copper, when it becomes very hot, causes any liquid that touches it to evaporate very quickly, giving the impression that it is being ‘drunk’.

10. The Importance of This Miracle Many scientists were sceptical of this ‘miracle’, saying that it could be easily proven other wise. Some philosophers say that any miracles worth counting should be beneficial to humankind, and what did these milk drinking statues do except waste gallons of good milk? Many Hindus took this miracle as a sign of ‘a sense of Spirit on this Earth.’ It was regarded as highly religious, the most important event shared by Hindus this century, if not in the last millennium. It has brought about an instantaneous religious revival among nearly one billion people, and even earned some conversions to the Hindu faith by those who had experienced the miracle with their own eyes. This miracle may have done nothing except increase the faith of millions.

11. “There are two ways to live your life.One is as though nothing is a miracle.The other is as though everything is a miracle.”Albert Einstein (1879-1955)