Extraordinary ClaimsAnswer
What does research say about people who report memories of past lives?
What past-life memory research investigates, what reported matches can show, and why case studies do not by themselves establish reincarnation.
THE QUESTION LIBRARY EXTRAORDINARY CLAIMS
What is a miracle, and could science ever confirm one?
THE SHORT ANSWER
Science can test what happened and compare explanations. An event without a known medical explanation does not, by itself, establish a divine cause.
WHERE THE EVIDENCE STANDS
How sure are we?
- An unexplained recovery by itself proves divine action.
- Lourdes distinguishes medical review from a bishop’s miracle declaration.
- STEP showed fewer 30-day complications from study prayer.
A miracle, in a religious sense, is an extraordinary event attributed to divine action. Science can investigate the event; deciding whether its cause was divine requires a further argument.
THE LONG ANSWER
THE LONG ANSWER · ABOUT 2 MINUTES
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Keep asking
How can you tell good science from bad science?
Good science makes a clear, testable claim; shows how evidence was gathered and analyzed; reports uncertainty; and lets others check the work.
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God Plays Dice answers big questions in plain words, with sources and one of six honest labels.
Sources & further reading
(4)
- Miracles ↗McGrew and Larmer, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (2024 revision)
- Recognition of a miracle ↗Sanctuary of Our Lady of LourdesOfficial process description.
- Study of the Therapeutic Effects of Intercessory Prayer (STEP) ↗Benson and colleagues, American Heart Journal 151:934–942 (2006)Primary journal abstract.
- Evolution Resources ↗National Academy of Sciences
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