A miracle is an event that cannot be explained by natural or scientific rules and is instead believed to be caused by something supernatural, such as a god, a holy person, or a spiritual force. Many religions describe certain events as miracles, saying they are done by a deity, a miracle worker, a saint, or a religious leader.

Sometimes, people use the word "miracle" to describe events that are very unlikely but still follow natural rules, such as surviving a serious accident or experiencing something wonderful like the birth of a baby. These events are not considered true miracles in a strict sense because they do not break the laws of nature.

Some writers believe that true miracles are impossible because they would require breaking known laws of physics, which scientists have not proven. Others say miracles are hard to confirm because there could always be a natural explanation that has not yet been discovered. For example, Thomas Jefferson and David Hume have written about these ideas. Many theologians believe that God or Allah usually works through nature but can also act in ways that go beyond or against it, depending on their will.

Definitions

The word miracle often refers to an event that seems impossible to explain with science or natural causes. In religious studies, there are more detailed explanations. Wayne Grudem describes a miracle as "a rare action by God that causes people to feel amazed and shows His presence." A deistic view of God's role in the world defines a miracle as God acting directly in the world.

Naturalistic explanations

A miracle may not be real but instead be false information or a made-up story. People who believe they have experienced a miracle might be mistaken because of thinking errors, such as overthinking or making quick wrong guesses, or mental errors, like seeing or hearing things that are not real. Some drugs, such as those that change how the brain works (like ecstasy), can create feelings similar to religious experiences.

Statistically unlikely events are sometimes called miracles. For example, if three former classmates meet by chance in another country many years after leaving school, they might think it is a miracle. However, many events happen all the time around the world, so even very rare things can occur. Events that seem impossible are not truly impossible—they are just very rare and depend on how many events happen. A British mathematician named J. E. Littlewood suggested that people might experience events that seem one in a million about once a month. According to this idea, events that seem miraculous are actually common. For example, in a volleyball game on April 27, 2026, the SFX team won against the Redhawks even though they were behind by five points in the third set when the Redhawks had 24 points.

Supernatural explanations

A miracle is an event that cannot be explained by the rules of nature we know. The way people decide if something is a miracle depends on their beliefs. Often, religious books like the Bible or Quran say a miracle happened, and people who follow those religions may believe it is true.

According to the ideas of Aristotle, God is the perfect being who only acts in ways that match his perfection. Jewish thinkers who followed Aristotle’s ideas, such as Maimonides, Samuel ben Judah ibn Tibbon, and Gersonides, still influence religious Jewish communities today. Their ideas are still widely accepted in many Jewish groups.

In his work Tractatus Theologico-Politicus, the philosopher Spinoza said that miracles are events that follow natural laws, but we do not yet understand their causes. He argued that we should not think of miracles as having no cause or as having a cause that is obvious. Instead, miracles help us deal with our lack of knowledge, similar to how a political plan might address a problem.

The philosopher David Hume defined a miracle as "a break in a natural law caused by God’s will or by an invisible being." He argued that no evidence can prove a miracle happened unless the evidence is so strong that it is more unlikely to be false than the miracle itself. By Hume’s view, miracles go against what we normally experience in the world. Since miracles are rare and only happen once, the evidence for them is always limited. Based on what we know, it is more likely that a miracle did not happen than that it did. Because it is logical to believe what is more likely, we should not accept miracle claims without strong proof.

The Christian theologian Friedrich Schleiermacher said that any event becomes a miracle if a religious perspective is the main way of understanding it.

The philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, influenced by Hume and another thinker named Johann Georg Hamann, agreed with Hume’s definition of a miracle as a break in natural laws. However, Kierkegaard, writing under the name Johannes Climacus, said that historical reports, including those about miracles, are never completely certain because all historical knowledge is always uncertain and open to interpretation.

James Keller argued that claiming God performed a miracle suggests God gave special benefits to some people that others did not receive, which implies God is unfair.

Philosopher Richard Swinburne used a method called Bayesian analysis to study whether historical evidence, such as reports of Jesus’s resurrection, could make it more likely a miracle happened than natural explanations.

Religious views

According to a 2011 poll by the Pew Research Center, more than 90% of evangelical Christians believe miracles still happen. Christians believe God sometimes helps with human events, while Muslims believe Allah causes everything that happens. "God's closeness makes it easy for Muslims to believe in miracles in the world."

The Haedong Kosung-jon of Korea (Biographies of High Monks) says King Beopheung of Silla wanted to make Buddhism the state religion. However, officials in his court disagreed. In the fourteenth year of his reign, Beopheung's "Grand Secretary," Ichadon, created a plan to overcome the opposition. Ichadon worked with the king to make a proclamation that gave Buddhism official approval using the royal seal. Ichadon told the king to deny making the proclamation when officials questioned him. Instead, Ichadon would admit the forgery and accept punishment, even death. Ichadon predicted that during his execution, a miracle would convince the officials of Buddhism's power. The plan worked, and the officials were tricked. According to legend, when Ichadon was executed on the 15th day of the 9th month in 527, his prediction came true: the earth shook, the sun darkened, flowers rained from the sky, his head flew to the Geumgang mountains, and milk instead of blood sprayed 100 feet from his body. The officials saw this as a sign of heaven's approval, and Buddhism became the state religion in 527 CE.

The Honchō Hokke Reigenki (c. 1040) of Japan includes stories about Buddhist miracles.

Miracles are important in honoring Buddhist relics in Southern Asia. For example, the Somawathie Stupa in Sri Lanka is a popular place for pilgrimages and tourists because of reports about light, visions, and modern stories that are often captured in photos and movies.

The gospels describe three types of miracles Jesus performed: exorcisms, healing, and natural wonders. In the Gospel of John, these miracles are called "signs," showing God's power in everyday ways. In the New Testament, the most important miracle is Jesus's resurrection, which is central to Christian belief.

Jesus explained in the New Testament that miracles happen through faith in God. "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'move from here to there,' and it will move." (Gospel of Matthew 17:20). After Jesus went to heaven, the Book of Acts says the disciples prayed to God to perform miracles in Jesus's name to prove he was alive. (Acts 4:29–31).

Other parts of the Bible mention false prophets who can do miracles to trick people, even "the elect of Christ" (Matthew 24:24). 2 Thessalonians 2:9 says, "Then the Wicked will be revealed, whom the Lord will destroy with the spirit of His mouth and with the brightness of His coming. He will come after the work of Satan, who will do powerful signs and lying wonders to deceive those who do not love the truth." Revelation 13:13,14 says, "He will do great wonders, making fire fall from heaven to the earth in front of people and deceiving those who live on earth by doing miracles. He will tell them to make an image to the beast, which had a wound from a sword and lived." Revelation 16:14 says, "These are the spirits of devils who do miracles and go to kings of the earth to gather them for the battle of the great day of God Almighty." Revelation 19:20 says, "The beast was captured, along with the false prophet who did miracles to deceive people who had the mark of the beast and worshipped its image. Both were thrown alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone." These passages show that miracles are not always done by God. Miracles not done by God are called false (pseudo) miracles, which can be misleading and different from true miracles done by God.

In early Christianity, miracles were often the reason people converted from paganism. Roman pagans believed in miracles, but Christian writings used them to prove the Christian God's authority: "Christian worship especially promoted its miracles by driving out spirits and laying hands on people." The Gospel of John is built around miraculous "signs." Church historian Eusebius of Caesarea said the success of the Apostles came from their miracles: "Though they spoke like ordinary people, they had divine, miraculous powers." The conversion of Constantine by a sign in the sky is a famous example from the fourth century.

Since the Age of Enlightenment, people have often tried to explain miracles with reason. Christians like C.S. Lewis, Norman Geisler, and William Lane Craig argued that miracles are reasonable. For example, Lewis said a miracle is something unexpected. If a woman could only become pregnant through a man for thousands of years, then becoming pregnant without a man would be a miracle. Others say Jesus's healing miracles helped people with mental or physical illnesses, like blindness or paralysis. In the Mediterranean, healing also meant helping someone regain their social status. Diseases like leprosy caused serious social problems.

Many Christian groups, such as Roman Catholics and Pentecostal or Charismatic churches, have reported miracles, including faith healing and exorcisms.

The Catholic Church believes miracles are God's work, either directly or through the prayers of saints. Miracles usually have a purpose, like helping someone convert to Catholicism or building a church God wants. The Church is careful to check if miracles are real. It has strict rules to prove a miracle's authenticity. This process is managed by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

The Catholic Church has approved several miracles, some from modern times. Before someone can be a saint, they must be proven to have done two miracles after death. In the beatification process of Pope John Paul II, who died in 2005, the Vatican said on January 14, 2011, that the recovery of Marie Simon-Pierre from Parkinson's disease was a miracle.

Some of the most famous miracles approved by the Church are Eucharistic miracles, where bread and wine change into flesh and blood. Examples include the Miracle of Lanciano and of Santarém.

According to 17th-century documents, a young Spanish man's leg was miraculously restored in 1640 after being amputated.

Criticism

Thomas Paine, one of the Founding Fathers of the American Revolution, wrote, "All the stories of miracles in the Old and New Testament are only suitable for frauds to preach and simple-minded people to believe."

Thomas Jefferson, the main writer of the Declaration of Independence of the United States, created a version of the Bible in which he removed parts of the New Testament that included supernatural events and ideas he believed were not originally in the writings of the four Gospel writers. Jefferson stated, "Restoring the honest and true character of this kind moral teacher and removing the false accusations of deception, which were created by human-made systems, such as the virgin birth of Jesus, his being called a god, his creation of the world, his magical powers, his resurrection and visible rising into the sky, his physical presence in the Eucharist, the Trinity, original sin, atonement, rebirth, chosen people, religious ranks, and other similar ideas—none of which were ever said by Jesus—is a very important goal. Priestley has successfully worked toward this goal using his knowledge and effort."

Ethan Allen, an American patriot during the Revolutionary War, wrote, "In places where knowledge and science are common, miracles no longer happen. However, in places where people are uneducated and lack knowledge, miracles are still believed to occur."

Robert Ingersoll wrote, "Only about 20 people were convinced by the miracles of Christ. Yet, people in the nineteenth century were asked to believe in miracles based on secondhand stories, even though those who supposedly saw the miracles did not believe them themselves."

Elbert Hubbard, an American writer, publisher, artist, and philosopher, wrote, "A miracle is an event described by people who heard about it from others who did not witness it."

Biologist Richard Dawkins has criticized the belief in miracles as a challenge to the principle of Occam's razor.

Mathematician Charles Hermite, in a discussion about the connection between mathematical truths and the physical world, said, "The combination of these two areas is shown in the remarkable connection between abstract mathematics and all areas of physics."

Baden Powell, an English mathematician and Church of England priest, stated that if God is the maker of laws, then a "miracle" would break the laws that were established at the beginning of creation. Therefore, believing in miracles would mean completely rejecting the idea of God.