If you believe in God, as 80% of Americans do, you also believe in miracles, for that number is also in the range of 80%. The graphic to the right thus somewhat better explain the USA percentage in a poll about being certain about God's existence:
- Japan: 4.3%
- Sweden: 10.2%
- France: 15.5%
- Australia: 24.9%
- Russia: 30.5%
- Italy: 41.0%
- USA: 60.6%
- Israel: 65.5%
- Philippines: 83.6%
I would thus think that few Japanese believe in miracles. However, they are spiritual, for there are 180,000 GROUPS licensed as religious corporations. You need to be able to appreciate the difference between superstition and tradition to understand this complexity.
Let me take one more example. France. In 1986, more than 82% were Christian. Today, around half. In 1986 15.5% were not religious. Today, 39.6%
I was intrigued about the story of Michael O'Neill from the December 2018 issue of Stanford Magazine. He graduated as a mechanical engineer from Stanford twenty years ago. He started out in visual communications and by night became a Miracle Hunter. He now spends all his time searching down miracles. See him at MiracleHunter.com.
O'Neill only specializes in Christian miracles, and is not interested in last-gasp touchdown wins or billion-dollar start-ups. He has his own radio show and television series on Catholic networks.
In particular, he is known as Virgin Mary's Number Cruncher, for he has codified every known apparition of Mary back to AD 40, and there have been around 2000 of them, although only 28 are approved as somewhat plausible. Read his book, Exploring the Miraculous. As those numbers indicate, the Church is dubious of most supernatural claims. They typically investigate those claims with an eye toward ending the distraction.
National Geographic three years ago published an article by Maureen Orth:
Did you know the marigold flower (originally called Mary's Gold) was named after her, and there is, of course, that Hail Mary (a Catholic prayer asking for the intercession of St. Mary--Ave Maria is the Latin form) pass in football. That is Lourdes to the left, where her 1858 "miracle" is particularly venerated:
Lourdes is the Virgin’s miracle factory, with more than 7,000 miraculous cures claimed since the mid-1800s. Only 69 have been recognized by church authorities.
From that NG article is this quote:
“Miracles transcend physical nature and physical laws,” says Robert Spitzer, a Jesuit priest who heads the Magis Center in California, which according to its website is dedicated to explaining faith, physics, and philosophy. As Spitzer says, “Science looks for physical laws in nature, so you’re up against a paradox. Can you get a scientific test for miracles? No. Science will only test for physical laws or physical results.”
Our Lady of Fatima to the right above.
As many statues as there are of Mary, and there is one more than 100 feet tall in Venezuela, there are probably more of St. Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus, although most of them are rather small. I wonder how many St. Joseph Home Sale Kits have been sold? Has something to do with miracles and home sales. The most told story is that Mary was 12 or 13 and Joseph 90 when Jesus was born.
As many statues as there are of Mary, and there is one more than 100 feet tall in Venezuela, there are probably more of St. Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus, although most of them are rather small. I wonder how many St. Joseph Home Sale Kits have been sold? Has something to do with miracles and home sales. The most told story is that Mary was 12 or 13 and Joseph 90 when Jesus was born.
Radio: Relevant Radio (The Miracle Hunter, Sundays at noon, EST)
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