miracle, do you believe in them  

May I chime in?

A "miracle" is an excuse to label a mundane event (that the 'labeler' usually doesn't realize is mundane) as being divine intervention (ignoring the fact that the existence of miracles directly contradicts the idea that humans have free will, another big 'talking point' of Christians).
>>When it's simple to point out that over 200,000 "miracles" are being born every day, all I can say is that miracle vs. mundane is in the eye of the beholder, and atheists tend to be harder to impress (not jabbing at you; if anything, that could make me the butt of a joke). But whether or not anything in the Bible is for real, Christians do say that, when you accept Christ into your life, you are asking Him to take control. They call this "turning it over to God."

Miracles used to be awesome things. People wouldn't call seeing Jesus in an oil stain a miracle. No, the stories of old contain events that would deserve to be called "miracles"--the parting of a sea, feeding thousands of people with a few loaves of bread and a couple of fish, walking on water, etc. Of course, those are merely old legends, and it's likely none of those things ever happened.
>>While some might call these "magic tricks," it's true that these are generally referred to as miracles. And of course I doubt myself that these events ever took place, so I have no real disagreement with you here.

Winning the lottery is more unlikely than some of the things Christians call "miracles" these days.
>>You're right, but how about the same person winning the lottery twice or thrice? While I admit that my initial coming into faith was pretty much entirely related to the "argument of incredulity," and while I admit also that a lot of believers will eat up whatever their pastors tell them (I've even been to a service at a friend's church where his pastor actually told the congregation that you should never question your pastor. Yikes!!!) and walk in blind faith all their lives, the truth is that these "mundane" coincidences begin to increase in frequency as one's faith grows stronger.

Plenty of people have plenty of stories to tell, plenty of which are just that...stories. But some are not (see my second comment under response #22): http://www.mylot.com/w/di... Since this post, I've been noticing that I make decisions/preparations just in the nick of time, which often brings up the question, "Did you read my mind?" I get the feeling that my friend with the last name of Winchester will send me an e-mail for the first time in a couple of months. As soon as I open Thunderbird, I see the short message, "r u thier?" (English was never his strongest subject). The thought crosses my mind one day that it would be nice if the replacement I bought from TigerDirect for my desktop unit's failing hard drive would arrive two days early. An hour or so later, UPS rings the doorbell. I get the feeling when I turn on my computer in the afternoon on May 15 that my TechSupportAlert newsletter is about due. I open Thunderbird, and there it is!

Perhaps there will someday be a scientific explanation for my seeming ability to see into the future. Perhaps it's mere coincidence that I keep getting into situations where I am able to help someone right after they "stick it to me." Perhaps it's mere coincidence that my friend's life in NY undergoes a complete metamorphosis, a week-and-a-half after I start interceding. Or perhaps I truly can control my friend and four strangers from 3,000 miles away, without even knowing it. Perhaps I'm just another liar, or simply cracked like an egg (I highly doubt the latter).

To me, it's really a sign that the 'suspension of disbelief' is fading away. People are waking up, slowly but steadily. This old mysticism is gradually leaving, and the fact that people are realizing little by little that "miracle" is just a cop-out substituted for "I don't get it".
>>Maybe. And maybe one day, science will be able to explain the origin of life, as well as seemingly "supernatural" phenomena such as karma, out-of-body experiences, prevision, and various psychic abilities people claim to have. Perhaps it won't, and mankind will never be fully above the "folly" of mysticism. But at least be aware that there are indeed sound-minded individuals who have done their homework, yet still don't seem to "get it" like you do. But this is not stupidity, nor ignorance; this is difference of opinion. Hope this helps!

-santuccie

P.S.: Laughing at dumb jokes is still good for your health!!!