About miracles

 I'm thinking about going from Christianity to Islam soon, and one of the differences I personally feel between Christianity and Islam is regarding miracles. Or rather, perhaps I should say the difference is in how miracles are treated in the Bible, Quran, and Hadith.

In conclusion, Christianity, or rather the Bible, has many descriptions of miracles, and I feel that they are used as a sign of proof of God's existence. On the other hand, Islam, or rather the Quran and Hadith, do not use miracles to strengthen faith. So, to me, Islam feels like an "evolved" religion.

What exactly is a "miracle"?

I acknowledge that everything is possible for God. If that's the case, then everything God does is simply what He had to do, and there's nothing that could be called a "miracle." Humans call something a "miracle" because the phenomenon is incomprehensible to them at the time; it's simply a reflection of human ignorance. In other words, miracles depend on the degree of human ignorance. What's the point of establishing faith based on something like that?

If we use miracles as a basis for faith, doesn't that mean we won't believe if miracles don't happen? If you say you believe in miracles, such as healing the incurable, flying, raising the dead, moving mountains, walking on water, and predicting the future, then wouldn't you also disbelieve if they couldn't heal the incurable, fly, raise the dead, or move mountains, or if their predictions failed?

Herein lies the danger, the side effects, of basing your faith on miracles.

I don't think Christ performed his miracles willingly. Didn't he criticize it, saying, "People these days demand signs?" But because we were so stubborn, he performed them, as if to say, "Just a little."  So, while I believe what the Bible says, Christ must have known the danger of associating miracles with religion.

Even today, there's the issue of Catholic canonization. To be recognized as a saint, such as Saint XX, it is a prerequisite that said saint has performed a miracle. But what exactly is a "miracle"? Is that okay? Are they still going to continue doing so? It seems that people who think this way are not only Easterners like me, but also people in Christian countries. An Italian film director apparently caused controversy when he made a film that questioned this.

But even Buddhism is full of miraculous examples in its scriptures. But that doesn't mean that all Buddhist scriptures are lies. Even though it's not Buddhist scripture, I believe in the story of Nichiren, who was miraculously saved by Buddha when he was almost slain on the beach in Kamakura. I have made it a rule to believe in what has been considered sacred texts up until now, whether it's Buddhism or Christianity. But when it comes to whether that's okay to continue like this in the future, or whether I should continue doing it this way, I've been thinking that it's about time I stopped basing my faith on miracles, that I wanted to move beyond that stage.

And then I encountered Islam.

Apparently Muhammad was unable to perform miracles. Christians pointed this out to him, saying,

"Your prophet can't perform miracles, can he?"

It seems Muhammad was also concerned about this, and he seemed to have wondered, "Why don't miracles happen to me?"

I think he responded with something like,

"The very existence of this world is a manifestation of God's miracles."

Exactly. I completely agree. I was determined to stop basing my faith on miracles. That's why Islam seems to me to be an "evolved" religion. Islam doesn't "saintize" religious leaders, either. Even Muhammad was merely a "mere human." From an Islamic perspective, Christ is also a "mere human," and that's where interpretations differ with Christianity.

So I think I'm going to stop sanctifying humans and worshiping them like gods or Buddhas. Islam is very strict about that. So Islam is definitely an "evolved" religion. This doesn't contradict the Buddhism I believe in. In my case, it's Shinran, but since Shinran called himself a "terrible villain," there's no way he could be made a saint. So, what about Buddha or Christ? They were Buddha or Son of God in their own right. If that's how it is, then I'll believe in them too.

It seems a bit contradictory, a bit haphazard. I think so too, but oh well (or is it not well at all?). But from now on, I don't want to link miracles with religion. And it was Islam that taught me that.

Following the guidance of love and mercy

←