Richard Swinburne and John Mackie agree that a miracle should be defined as a contradiction of natural laws. Swinburne describes a miracle as 'a violation of a law of nature by a god and Mackie describes this as a 'violation of a law of nature' with 'divine or supernatural intervention'. These definitions seem to cover what a miracle is, something that would not usually happen but has happened due to an external influence. They also offer an explanation for biblical example as God – the external influence - has intervened to make miracles happen. However, this description asks too much for something to be accounted as a miracle. A miracle should be something that is a highly improbable event that occurs instead of something that is impossible without intervention. R.F. Holland uses an example where a child avoids being hit by a train and certain death because of extremely unlikely events – the driver fell ill whilst driving the train - which caused the train driver to hit the brakes. This should constitute as a miracle as it was so unlikely that the child would survive but he did. A biblical example that is described as a miracle is Moses parting the Red Sea. This event where Moses and the people needed to cross the sea and the sea parted would need a highly improbable series of events – a strong whirlwind in that place at that time to part the sea - to happen. Therefore, miracles should be described as a highly improbable event occurring. (Davies, 1993, pp.
Richard Swinburne and John Mackie agree that a miracle should be defined as a contradiction of natural laws. Swinburne describes a miracle as 'a violation of a law of nature by a god and Mackie describes this as a 'violation of a law of nature' with 'divine or supernatural intervention'. These definitions seem to cover what a miracle is, something that would not usually happen but has happened due to an external influence. They also offer an explanation for biblical example as God – the external influence - has intervened to make miracles happen. However, this description asks too much for something to be accounted as a miracle. A miracle should be something that is a highly improbable event that occurs instead of something that is impossible without intervention. R.F. Holland uses an example where a child avoids being hit by a train and certain death because of extremely unlikely events – the driver fell ill whilst driving the train - which caused the train driver to hit the brakes. This should constitute as a miracle as it was so unlikely that the child would survive but he did. A biblical example that is described as a miracle is Moses parting the Red Sea. This event where Moses and the people needed to cross the sea and the sea parted would need a highly improbable series of events – a strong whirlwind in that place at that time to part the sea - to happen. Therefore, miracles should be described as a highly improbable event occurring. (Davies, 1993, pp.