Miracles: Wonder and Meaning in World Religions

by David L. Weddle

Overview

Despite the dominance of scientific explanation in the modern world, at the beginning of the twenty-first century faith in miracles remains strong, particularly in resurgent forms of traditional religion. In Miracles, David L. Weddle examines how five religious traditions—Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam—understand miracles, considering how they express popular enthusiasm for wondrous tales, how they provoke official regulation because of their potential to disrupt authority, and how they are denied by critics within each tradition who regard belief in miracles as an illusory distraction from moral responsibility.
In dynamic and accessible prose, Weddle shows us what miracles are, what they mean, and why, despite overwhelming scientific evidence, they are still significant today: belief in miracles sustains the hope that, if there is a reality that surpasses our ordinary lives, it is capable of exercising—from time to time—creative, liberating, enlightening, and healing power in our world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780814794838
Publisher:	New York University Press
Publication date:	07/01/2010
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	280
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

David L. Weddle is Professor Emeritus of Religion at Colorado College, where he taught courses in philosophy of religion, ethics, comparative religious studies, and American religions. He is the author of Miracles:Wonder and Meaning in World Religions (NYU Press, 2010) and holds lifetime honorary membership in the American Academy of Religion.

Table of Contents

Preface  1 Preliminary Considerations  2 Hinduism: Signs of Spiritual Liberation  3 Judaism: Signs of Covenant  4 Buddhism: Signs of Transcendent Wisdom  5 Christianity: Signs of Divine Presence  6 Islam: Signs of Divine Authority  Afterword  Notes  Bibliography  Index  About the Author

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

In dynamic and accessible prose, Weddle shows us what miracles are, what they mean, and why, despite overwhelming scientific evidence, they are still significant today: belief in miracles sustains hope that, if there is a reality that surpasses our ordinary lives, it is capable of exercising-from time to time-creative, liberating, enlightening, and healing power in our world."-INTERACTION,

“In a pluralistic world, Weddle presents an engaging study of what millions of religious people in the world believe about miracles even while others do not. This comprehensive history of miracles for both believers and skeptics should appeal not only to academics but also to anyone interested in the enigmas of faith.”
-Publishers Weekly

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“Combines extensive comparative knowledge and understanding of major religious traditions with solid grounding in diverse modern philosophical understandings. Weddle argues that miracles do not go away under challenges from modern rational skepticism. Rather, they persist vigorously across the landscape of human experience and belief as ‘occasions of wonder.’”
-Frederick M. Denny,Professor Emeritus of Islamic Studies and History of Religions, University of Colorado at Boulder

“Provides a rich discussion of divine intervention as recounted in the traditions of the major world religions, East and West. A perfect text for a World Religions course, each chapter presents well chosen representative miracle narratives together with their interpretations in relation to the major thrust of the religion's teachings. This careful contextualization serves as a foundational text by supplying a fascinating lens through which to view the major theological tenets and sensibilities of each religious tradition.”
-Wendy Cotter,author of The Miracles of Greco-Roman Antiquity: A Sourcebook

“In Miracles: Wonder and Meaning in World Religions, David L. Weddle examines miracle stories from Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam, explaining their significance in the context of those faith traditions and why they play such a pervasive role in religious belief.”
-Kacie Glenn,Chronicle Review

Editorial Reviews

A professor at Colorado College, Weddle (The Law as Gospel) examines the stories of miracles among the gurus, rebbes, bodhisattvas, saints, and imams of Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam through the centuries. Finding a common ground in the definition that "a miracle is an event of transcendent power that arouses wonder and carries religious significance for those who witness it or hear or read about it," he examines each tradition through the same lens. The author explores the mysterious healings in the waters at Lourdes and those effected by evangelists Aimee Semple McPherson and Oral Roberts, and explains why Sunnis, Shiites, and Sufis disagree about the nature of miracles in Islam. This far-ranging book is also well-organized, with summaries at the end of each chapter. In a pluralistic world, Weddle presents an engaging study of what millions of religious people in the world believe about miracles even while others do not. This comprehensive history of miracles for both believers and skeptics should appeal not only to academics but also to anyone interested in the enigmas of faith. (July)

Publishers Weekly

"In Miracles: Wonder and Meaning in World Religions, David L. Weddle examines miracle stories from Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam, explaining their significance in the context of those faith traditions and why they play such a pervasive role in religious belief."

Chronicle Review - Kacie Glenn

"Provides a rich discussion of divine intervention as recounted in the traditions of the major world religions, East and West. A perfect text for a World Religions course, each chapter presents well chosen representative miracle narratives together with their interpretations in relation to the major thrust of the religion's teachings. This careful contextualization serves as a foundational text by supplying a fascinating lens through which to view the major theological tenets and sensibilities of each religious tradition."

Wendy Cotter

"Combines extensive comparative knowledge and understanding of major religious traditions with solid grounding in diverse modern philosophical understandings. Weddle argues that miracles do not go away under challenges from modern rational skepticism. Rather, they persist vigorously across the landscape of human experience and belief as & occasions of wonder."

Frederick M. Denny

In Miracles: Wonder and Meaning in World Religions, David L. Weddle examines miracle stories from Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam, explaining their significance in the context of those faith traditions and why they play such a pervasive role in religious belief.”
-Kacie Glenn, Chronicle Review

“Provides a rich discussion of divine intervention as recounted in the traditions of the major world religions, East and West. A perfect text for a World Religions course, each chapter presents well chosen representative miracle narratives together with their interpretations in relation to the major thrust of the religion's teachings. This careful contextualization serves as a foundational text by supplying a fascinating lens through which to view the major theological tenets and sensibilities of each religious tradition.”
-Wendy Cotter,author of The Miracles of Greco-Roman Antiquity: A Sourcebook

From the Publisher