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Customer Reviews of Miracles

Prepare Yourself for a Great Read
Anyone who thinks that C.S. Lewis only wrote children's stories, fantasy and science fiction tales probably wouldn't be reading this book anyway. But if they did, they would find a book written by one of the 20th century's great thinkers. "Miracles" begins with an early quote that sets the tone for the rest of the book: "What we learn from experience depends on the kind of philosophy we bring to experience." Two experiences or worldviews are contrasted - the Naturalists who believe that nothing exists except Nature, and the Supernaturalists who believe in something beyond Nature. Lewis spends quite a bit of time examining the two views. Readers may think that too much time is devoted to this subject before getting to a discussion of miracles themselves, but the time spent is a necessary foundation to everything that follows.

How exactly do you define a miracle? Lewis defines a miracle as "an interference with Nature by supernatural power." Lewis then presents many questions. Are miracles in contrast to the laws of Nature? What exactly ARE the laws of Nature? Are exceptions possible? How does probability fit into the discussion of miracles? Later in the book, Lewis focuses on three categories of miracles: The Grand Miracle (God becoming man in Jesus Christ), Miracles of the Old Creation (miracles of fertility, healing, destruction, etc.), and Miracles of the New Creation (miracles of reversal, glory, resurrection). This last portion of the book I found to be the most fascinating as Lewis examines several specific miracles from the Old and New Testaments.

"Miracles" is a relatively short book, but properly read will take a little time to read. Take time to absorb and contemplate each chapter. Lewis left us with a lot of things to think about here, regardless of your worldview. You may not agree with everything Lewis says, but it will cause you to think long after you've closed the book.

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A Brilliant Preliminary Examination of Miracles
The acclaimed logic of C.S. Lewis displayed in _Miracles: A Preliminary Study_ reveals much more than the author's genius. Intended to examine the great crux of Christianity, miracles, Lewis also contributes a relevant and thorough view of God and nature.

Lewis first proposes two basic attitudes towards the natural world: (1) Naturalism - a worldview that suggests a closed natural system. "Any reality beyond what can be perceived by the five senses lacks plausability" (Duriez, 2000). (2) Supernaturalism - a worldview that views the universe as a dependent creation of God. "Time, space, and geometry are all God's creation, and these only exist now because he chose to make them out of nothing" (Duriez, 2000).

Ultimately, Lewis concludes, "if naturalism is true, miracles are impossible. If supernaturalism is true, miracles are possible and, indeed, to be expected" (Duriez, 2000).

Much of Lewis' background in his study of miracles originated in the attention he gave to _Theism and Humanism_, the Gifford Lectures for 1914.

Readers should understand that Lewis wrote _Miracles_ as a preliminary examination based on his own incomplete research and thoughts on God and nature. Therefore, the book should never be criticized for its loose ends. It stands as one of the most thoughtful and thorough treatises of the concept.

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If you like C.S. Lewis . . .
. . . like I do, I strongly suggest We All Fall Down, by Brian Caldwell. Like Lewis, Caldwell takes an intellectual aproach to the concept of Christianity. His novel is very much in the vein of The Screwtape Letters and The Great divorce. I highly recomend it for discriminating Christian readers.