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What is a miracle, and how does it differ from magic? Both “miracle” and “magic” are notoriously hard concepts to define, and differing religions demarcate their respective limits differently. The closest we get to a biblical answer is in Moses’ and Aaron’s encounter with “the wise men and the sorcerers” of Pharaoh (Exod. 7:8-13). At the Lord’s instruction, Aaron “cast down his rod before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent.” The “magicians of Egypt” then did likewise, but “by thei …

Often this slogan is wielded after a theist uses a cosmological argument. The skeptic points out that God is made an arbitrary exception to the causal principle. Surprisingly, both philosophically engaged atheists and popularizers have offered this slogan in one form or another. In his book Breaking the Spell, the atheist Daniel Dennett writes, “The Cosmological Argument . . . in its simplest form states that since everything must have a cause the universe must have a cause—namely, God.” From …

The conversations of Jesus are different from his parables. The parables tend to be more generic, more applicable to different persons and circumstances. They also are presented in figurative language. The conversations of Jesus, on the other hand, are more concrete and direct. They show Jesus engaged with real, historical individuals, and these encounters are not described in metaphors or figurative language. For this very reason, they can strike the reader more forcefully and immediately. The …

“Why should I be Catholic?” is a question we hear all the time at Catholic Answers. No doubt, people have asked you this very same question.But how should you answer?• “Because it’s the truth” is certainly a good answer.• So is “Because God wants you to be.”• Also, “Because it will help you get to heaven.”Although these answers are true, they’re not necessarily the most helpful for particular people.A sharp-witted inquirer could respond to each of them by saying, “But how do you know that?”At …

I was sitting on the couch with my arms crossed while the credits rolled, when one of my friends asked me, “What did you think of the movie?” “Aside from the subpar acting?” I replied. “I think it had a terrible message.” “What do you mean? It’s a movie about people becoming Christian. What’s so terrible about that?”“Nothing,” I said. “But the movie’s message was that if you accept Jesus as your savior, your car will start running again, your wife won’t be infertile anymore, and the footbal …