What is the “The supernatural”? It means from the Latin: super- “above” nature pertains to entities, forces or phenomena which are regarded by some as beyond nature, in that they cannot be explained from the notions and laws of the everyday world.
Supernatural themes are often WRONGLY associated with magical and occult ideas and are also a classification for explanations which invoke explanatory constructs that in principle are beyond human conception, understanding or verification. A majority of super-naturalists of any given religion only believe in a very narrow subset of all supernatural explanations of reality when all the supernatural beliefs of all religions, past and present, are taken together.
Instances of super naturalization; In the Hebrew Bible, plagues and other misfortunes are described as signs of God’s anger or vengeance. All too often in theological discussions, I hear the term supernatural bandied about, and most people on both sides of the argument tend to accept the nebulous term as a sensible concept (whether or not they agree that supernatural events do exist).
Miracles such as walking on water are first deemed impossible by the non-believer because they violate the laws of physics; then the believer defends the claim by labeling the event supernatural as if this magically transforms into proof for unbeliever, From there the discussion turns to whether or not this supernatural event actually happened.
What does someone mean when they call something super-natural. What this means is that any event that can happen is natural; in fact, such things can be said to simply fall in the category of the earlier meaning of supernatural given above.
The only thing left for supernatural events to be are things which could never be observed, could never in any way affect us. We can present countless, indeed infinite, possible supernatural things (for example, that our universe exists as the super-fast blink of a subatomic particle in some other unreachable meta-universe we can never interact with; or that each subatomic particle in our universe composes an entirely separate universe itself), but we have no reason to believe any of them is true, and such views are not in any way verifiable, and so they are meaningless.
Creation is in itself a miracle of planing and intervention of God. The only possibility I see left is that there are certain absolute natural physical laws to our universe (whether or not we know of them for sure right now), and supernatural events are events that do in fact happen (hypothetically observable to us) but which contradict these absolute laws.
Which means all evidence in favor of a supernatural event is always circumstantial. And in my view, circumstantial evidence is never adequate to validate supernatural events. I do concede that there must be some point where a body of circumstantial evidence could be so great, that perhaps accepting that a supernatural event happened might be reasonable.
Are supernatural events commonplace. John Wesley: An innately honest man, retained a child-like openness to all forms of natural and supernatural possibility. Human Curiosities, Natural Curiosities, Natural Events, Supernatural Events, Human Curiosities.
It was inevitable that one who traveled as extensively as Wesley would encounter unusual people, their achievements, and their eccentricities. (Journal, 1790) For Wesley, the natural and the supernatural were an extension of each other, and he never hesitated to ascribe to divinity events he knew were part of the natural order as well. (Journal, 1773) Some experiences were, of course, beyond scientific explanation.
WHAT DO WE DO ABOUT Haunted houses and places? What about Ghosts?
Conjuring and magic HAVE ALWAYS BEEN SEEN AS supernatural and a surviving form of magic, the truth is that conjuring and magic are using God created things called “WORDS” twisted as a curse. Words are the basic formula that God used to create the universe, words are the framework by which all things consist which is the REAL REASON SATAN twists and perverts the concepts of speech and what we hear in our daily lives!
Believers argue further that just as science has evolved from early, feeble attempts to explain natural events (such as spontaneous generation and the doctrine of humors) into a much more credible modern science, religion has evolved from early feeble attempts to explain supernatural events (such as animism) into the much more credible modern religions.
Believers note that the vast majority of humanity, of all races, religions, and ages, believe and have always believed in supernatural phenomena of one form or another.
Believers conclude that while some people have invented religions to help them cope with frightening and unexplainable phenomena, others have come to believe in supernatural phenomena through intellectually honest means, having been persuaded by reason, evidence, and experience that the universe cannot be explained by naturalistic explanations alone, but is best understood by acknowledging the Supernatural.
Believers also note that while some people have denied the existence of supernatural phenomena through intellectually honest means, having been persuaded by reason, evidence, and experience that the supernatural does not exist, others have denied the supernatural out of a deep fear that supernatural forces might actually exist and have a real and tangible impact on our lives, and a fear that the universe might be more complex than their theories allow.
By its own definition, science is incapable of examining or testing for the existence of the supernatural. Thus, believers in supernatural phenomenon hold that scientific methods would not detect them; therefore the lack of evidence does not matter.
Scientists counter that if this is so, then believers in super naturalism themselves would be incapable of witnessing any supernatural phenomenon, as human senses themselves operate within the laws of physics, and can only sense events occurring in the natural, physical world…But our senses were made to commune with a supernatural God so it is possible that we can witness as I have BOTH super and UN-natural events.
John Drane writes that “science is perpetuating “intellectual arrogance” when it does not accept the possibility of supernatural events and miracles”
But what about Ghosts and Haunted Houses?
A haunted house is a building that is a center for supernatural occurrences or paranormal phenomena, but why? Well, The bible talks of demonic strongholds BOTH in Places and People throughout it’s pages and their is NO mystery to why these places and people are “Haunted” with a presence from the past, if you know the whole story behind it!
The supernatural can refer to conscious magical witchcraft’s, religious perceptions or unknown forces (Familiar Spirits) that cannot ordinarily be perceived except through their effects in the natural realm.
Some examples of “supernatural phenomena” are miracles performed by God, ghosts which are merely Demons IMPERSONATING THE PERSONS THEY ONCE INHABITED IN LIFE in order to deceive mankind about life in the hereafter; psychic abilities like psychokinesis and telepathy are better classified as paranormal than supernatural because they deal with “the mental realm” BUT there are spiritual forces at work BEHIND THESE SO-CALLED ABILITIES. How do I know?
I spent 8 years involved in Wicca and then as a black witch practicing many evils upon those I hated and upon myself untold misery.
Because of this experience I now believe that Adam and Eve had certain mental and physical abilities FAR BEYOND those we have today but lost the ability to use them over time AFTER the fall. This does not mean that we are supposed to use them today, only that these abilities are under the surface waiting to be STIMULATED BY SPIRITUAL MANIPULATIONS FROM DEMONS IN ORDER TO DECEIVE AND MISLEAD US.
The term supernatural is contrasted with the term natural, which presumes that some events occur according to natural laws, and others do not, because they are caused by forces external to nature. But it must be understood that Satan and all demons are NO LONGER UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF THE SPIRITUAL REALM, THEY ARE “DEAD SPIRITS” unable to draw from God’s powerful realm so they do what we do when we find ourselves in a position of lacking abilities…THEY LIE ABOUT THEIR REAL POWER WHICH IS SIMPLY “DECEPTION”. Demons simply use the “Natural Laws” of the Universe which Satan knows BETTER that any human scientist because he was there as God’s right hand angel at the creation.
The demonic realm bases it’s existence upon the natural laws of creation and “twists and shapes it to form whatever will deceive and manipulate human realities weather that is “Spiritual or Natural” in manifestation.
Other individuals assert that events that appear to us to be supernatural occur according to natural laws which we do not yet understand (This is just what I have just said, Satan will use NATURAL LAWS THAT SCIENCE HAS NOT YET FOUND OUT ABOUT TO DECEIVE THE WEAK MINDED TO BELIEVE AND PRACTICE FALSE WORSHIP.).
In contrast to super- naturalists, naturalists assert that all things operate according to a law of evolutionary nature not realizing that God created these laws to work with Spiritual laws of Faith. In contrast to atheists, super-naturalists assert that God, miracles, or other supernatural phenomena are real, verifiable, and part of the laws of nature that we do not yet understand, (this is true to a point because it would be silly for ANY SCIENTIST TO SAY THAT SCIENCE HAS ALL THE ANSWERS. After all, with sciences record of mishaps and down right stupid claims of the past how could they?
O.K. can the supernatural be seen merely as a human coping mechanism? Some believe that human beings ascribe supernatural attributes to purely natural events in an attempt to cope with fear and ignorance.
Since the belief in magic is very old and held a great power over the minds and imagination of earlier generations long before the concept of experimental science which you can only believe if you don’t see some evidence out there about forbidden scientific finds in the midst of so-called ignorant savages of the past. He BELIEVES the supernatural does not exist, when most people of most ethnic groups at most points in history have claimed otherwise, is merely to perpetuate the intellectual arrogance of previous generations of Western thinkers, and far from providing an answer to the questions raised by history it merely begs larger and more important questions about the nature of Western intellectual culture. Much of what we call science today was once believed to be supernatural.
The control of electricity, the manufacture of steel, radio waves, all were once thought to be beyond the bounds of nature, and therefore supernatural, by conventional scientists. As such, what is believed to be supernatural today may be completely explained tomorrow.
Many claimed supernatural events can be studied by the scientific method; however, once the physical laws by which an event occurs become known, the event is no longer classified as ‘supernatural’. Fundamental supernatural hypotheses are difficult to define, let alone test. Where science is able to address issues in dispute, to correct errors of fact, or to call into question claims of authority grounded in history, it has at times been able to soften antagonisms based on competing supernatural claims.
Otherwise, (for example) the politics and morality of a scientist are as subjective or as reliant upon assumptions about the supernatural as those of anyone else — and of course, individuals may decide to remain either passively agnostic about every issue that cannot be tested or actively hostile to claims of authority that cannot be scientifically justified.
There have been many attempts to verify claims of supernatural phenomena scientifically. Many events once accepted as supernatural are now understood as manifestations of a natural, explainable nature that were misinterpreted. People that believe in supernatural events accuse those who do not of naturalizing genuinely supernatural events; people that do not believe in supernatural events accuse who do of super-naturalizing genuinely natural events.
Believers can rightly respond to the many instances of super-naturalization by arguing that the fact that super-naturalization often occurs does not refute the existence of the supernatural any more than the fact that scientists often make errors refutes the existence of the natural universe.
The concept of the supernatural has intrigued people of all cultures for thousands of years. Most professors of the natural sciences such as biology, physics, or neuro-science would probably say, if asked, that there was no such thing as the supernatural. What is it about the natural sciences that leads people to deny the existence of the supernatural.
The axiom of modern science, by specifying that ALL behavior conforms to the laws of nature, completely rules out all possibility of a supernatural even to occurring in the natural world. And what would a supernatural being be if it existed but could DO absolutely nothing (I’ll tell you, it would be demonic, since they CAN DO NOTHING BUT DECEIVE).
Examples of the effect of science on mysticism and magic abound; eventually it is tempting to assume that ALL tales of the supernatural can be explained scientifically. Therefore, for lack of proof otherwise, we must allow the possibility that a supernatural event could take place. We might wonder what, if not the laws of nature, might cause a supernatural event to occur.
We might wonder whether a closed set of laws exists such that in supernatural events these laws are never violated. The problem with this idea is that, assuming such a set of “supernatural laws” exists, there is nothing that prevents the grouping together of the natural laws with the supposed supernatural laws to form a closed set of laws to which all behavior in the universe conforms. Otherwise stated, a set of “supernatural laws”, if it existed, would support the central axiom of science rather than contradict it. This does not, however, mean that supernatural events as observed in the material world cannot be caused.
The Bible teaches that God (who is of course a supernatural being) always keeps His promises, so many of the miraculous things He has done through Jesus Himself and through the saints may be said to conform to a pattern in that regard. However, that does not mean that every supernatural occurrence is an “act of God”, nor does it mean that every”act of God” is done according to a promise He has made.
There are seemingly never ending arguments among many theologians, mystics, parapsychologists, religious leaders and the faithful regarding Supernatural Manifestations, Psychic Powers, Prophecies, etc. For those who do not believe in supernatural events and for those who doubt the truth of the Scriptures.
Even if we would refuse to recognize the Sacred Scriptures as Divine Revelations on their own merits, then, through the very laws proposed by Parapsychology to explain away supernatural manifestations, the reality of the Sacred Scriptures would then be verified and confirmed.
Rational man is quick to discount any supernatural manifestation OF ANYTHING BECAUSE IF HE ADMITS THAT THE SUPERNATURAL EXISTS HE MUST ADMIT THAT GOD EXISTS AND HE CANNOT DO THAT, SO THE ONLY OUT IS A NATURAL EXPLANATION.
Let us explore what may be behind these denials of supernatural manifestations. If man cannot deal with supernatural manifestations, man will ignore them. So what lies behind the much talked about, and often denied, supernatural events of the evil nature.
To the open eye and observant mind it should be evident that there is a coherent relationship between the original teachings of the Sacred Scriptures and Miracles, which are the legitimate manifestations of the supernatural, to wit:The infinite power of God may be accessed by man, through faith and in accordance to the Will of God, to over come any perceived or real limitation in whatever circumstance he may find himself.
1: Why is there such an insistent move to secularize and/or deny miracles and other supernatural manifestations to the point of attempting to neutralize the Divinity
2: Do the enemies of the supernatural and,thus,of true mysticism have a vested interest in the worldwide consequences that their theories, philosophies, and theological teachings will have? Concepts in the supernatural domain are closely related to concepts in religious spirituality, metaphysics. The supernatural concept is generally identified with religion or other belief systems – though there is much debate as to whether a supernatural is necessary for religion, or that religion is necessary for holding a concept of the supernatural since religion is merely a man made reflection of what God intended and NOT the true reality of his presence.
Those denying the plausibility of the supernatural typically claim that the only events which cannot be studied scientifically are those which cannot be perceived by any means.
If an event claimed to be supernatural really has happened, it can therefore be studied scientifically and is not supernatural. Some examples of supernatural phenomena are miracles and ghosts. The Bible is full of descriptions of supernatural events and divine intervention in human affairs.
To a super-naturalist, the point is not whether miracles are supernatural or not, but whether they occur at all. It is important to note that no matter which philosophical assumption one chooses to interpret the observable scientific evidence, either naturalism or super-naturalism, are equally unscientific. But to the issue of whether science can allow for intelligent cause outside of nature itself rather than the blind process of naturalistic evolution, Can science explain phenomena with reference to intelligent agents. Can the supernatural can be observed or not.
Clearly, the Bible is full of accounts of supernatural events and experiences. That is not to say that all supernatural beings or events are observable. But it does mean that the fact that some supernatural events are observable gives us reason to believe that supernatural beings exist, and the fact that we can’t observe them is a consequence of our limitations, rather than any inadequacy on their part.
This is medically, scientifically documented in various studies and reports, and is an observable change brought on by belief (or appeal to) supernatural causes. Yet even this would suggest that, positive or negative, prayerful appeal to the supernatural, God or Satan has observable results. Life by way of the supernatural, or by way of a naturalistic mechanism for evolution, are both equally untestable, and unobservable.
Other Objections are that One supernatural explanation cannot be distinguished from another. This presupposes that all supernatural explanations are the same. It implies that invoking the supernatural is a blanket explanation (An excuse for common ignorance).
That supposition exposes another attribute of the objection itself: it is based on materialistic naturalism, which assumes a prior that no supernatural event can ever occur at all. While for a single event it may be impossible to distinguish between different supernatural explanations, the same thing is true of natural explanations. Distinguishing between different explanations, whether natural or supernatural, requires repeated events so that a pattern can be observed (Isn’t this the job of science?).
In this case there are different sightings that match each theory such as studying a ghost’s behavior so we distinguish between two different supernatural explanations for ghosts (An intelligent haunting or one that seems to match the living surroundings as if to interact with those who live there vs. a residual haunting or one that plays the same thing over and over as if reliving a life that has passed….Both can be explained by demonic activity).
There are difficulties in generalizing supernatural explanations but that does not mean that it is impossible. Difficulties in generalizing supernatural explanations can result from several causes: Rarity of a supernatural event is one such as the Reed sea parting for Moses.
Some supernatural events do not happen frequently enough (maybe only once) to make a generalization possible, but the same thing could occur with natural events, if similar events do not occur frequently enough to observe more than a few occurrences. If similar supernatural events are not adequately observed then generalizations may be impossible because of the lack of information. Many supernatural events clearly involve intelligent entities and the behavior of intelligent entities would be hard, but not necessarily impossible, to generalize, particularly when dealing with more than one non-human intelligent entity. Some events once thought to be supernatural are now known to be natural. Such events were deemed to be supernatural because nature was poorly understood by those who made such claims. However a scientific application of supernatural explanations concludes that natural process are inadequate, not because of lack of knowledge but because of the actual inability of chance and natural law to provide an adequate explanation such as the creation of the Universe vs. Evolution.
It is possible that a supernatural explanation could be replaced by a natural one if more data becomes available (i.e Proof of the opposite having occurred), but the reverse is also possible. Finding the natural causes of things, does not totally negate supernatural causes and purposes (For example God can and has USED the Natural to bring about his plans i.e.Jesus’ death on the cross to bring salvation to man). Some aspects of Quantum physics suggest that even natural causes have underlining supernatural causes.
A supernatural explanation can only be postulated by eliminating all possible natural explanations. This objection presupposes that supernatural explanations are magical as if simply invoking the supernatural is an explanation; this is not the case. A proper supernatural explanation would explain how the event happened, but simply not be limited to the natural laws of our physical universe. In other words creationists are quick to point out that the supernatural is the cause for the existence of life and natural laws to sustain it.
However simply because the supernatural has created life it doesn’t mean that it cannot supersede the natural laws governing creation. He might conclude, since this behavior violates natural law, that something from outside space time (supernatural by definition) is causing the space time bend.
If a supernatural event is studied long enough or multiple supernatural events were studied, some details about the supernatural cause might be deduced, just as is done with unseen natural objects like subatomic particles. This objection equates the supernatural to superstition, but the two are not equivalent. Numerous events in Earth’s history require a super-naturalistic belief system before they can be correctly interpreted or understood. There is nothing in the definition of science that precludes a supernatural hypothesis.
In fact, many of the scientific fathers who created the very science still in use today relied upon God or a supernatural divine force that created first and sustained that creation with natural laws of physics, chemistry and mathematics to govern it.
The denial of the supernatural that is part of naturalism is a purely philosophical and essentially atheistic position. By excluding supernatural hypotheses from consideration, materialists eliminate out of hand a large body of possible explanations for past, present and future phenomena. In origins and historical research, a total denial of the supernatural will cause grave error where supernatural events have indeed occurred; therefore supernatural explanations must be considered where appropriate.
Although it might seem obvious flood that such an event had taken place whether you believe in super-naturalism or not, it is important to recognize the depth and breadth of the strata covering the Earth before a person can understand the reliance of this interpretation upon one presupposition belief system or the other. Given the volumes of rock involved, it simply would not be possible for any land animal to survive a flood able to create the entire geologic column without supernatural intervention, and yet the world is filled with a plethora of fragile lifeforms. I believe that supernatural events are natural events that we are not advanced enough to explain in the sense that a supernatural God uses his advanced knowledge of natural law to do something in our realm that seems at the time to beyond nature but is really just ahead of our knowledge about these things.
If we were to go back 2,000 years ago and clone a sheep, it would be considered a supernatural event by many of the people from that time period would it not? We naturally survive death and the only supernatural thing about it is we don’t fully understand it yet but when we get there we will automatically know as we are known by God now. I think the skeptic calls them supernatural because it helps them to separate these things from the natural order of things and this protects their belief system, after all its all about what we work so hard to tell ourselves NOT THE FACTS IN FRONT OF US THAT MATTER…..RIGHT?. The only supernatural thing about psychic ability and life after death is that we don’t fully understand them. They aren’t being debated here and can’t be compared to supernatural events people claim to observe.
Basically: 1.) Supernatural events are excluded deliberately in science. Originally the principle may well have been adopted (in ancient Greece) because it was a much more fruitful way to understand the world than super-naturalism. This does not mean that supernatural events may not be investigated as science. “Supernatural” events can be either subsumed under those ultimate laws, or science cannot be fruitfully applied to them at all.
2.)Those asserting the occurrence of supernatural events and entities usually describe them as having been observed or experienced firsthand, a testimony being so unique that they cannot deny it took place as in my case having experienced events so profound in witchcraft that no one can convince me otherwise as opposed to the Atheists who have experienced NOTHING BUT DENY EVERYTHING.
Those denying the plausibility of supernatural events typically define them as events which cannot be perceived by natural or empirical senses, and whose understanding may be said to lie with religious, magical, or otherwise mysterious explanation-yet remains firmly outside of the realm of science. But we can only know that a supernatural event is impossible if we know in advance that materialism is the correct world-view which it is not. Its one thing to suggest that belief in the supernatural is unreasonable (as Hume said), but we must agree that it is possible. Once we accept that supernatural causation is logically possible, the question is whether we have evidence for the existence of the supernatural. The argument against the supernatural becomes inherently weak when a simple believer in the supernatural transforms into a living personal testimony to the supernatural upon witnessing something they truly know to be “supernatural”. The genuine witness to the supernatural will make his case by the detail in which he describes his account of that which he truly knows to be supernatural.
The problem of the situation becomes clear when we hear personal testimony of an account of an event which on its surface can only be classified as supernatural.This description of the supernatural suggests the following inquiry: if this is not supernatural what is it, natural? And if so….PROVE IT with the same fervor you say I must prove God to be real.Remember that all beliefs are open to objection UNTIL REAL EVIDENCE IS PUT FORTH, THEN IT’S “PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR MOUTH IS” TIME which is where all Atheists and Skeptics must PUT UP OR SHUT UP! It is a well known fact that beliefs PROVE NOTHING without Evidence to back them up and God has given so much Evidence to back up his claims that it is sheer folly to deny it’s plain existence before our eyes.
This is why I have put this Evidence on the Internet for all to read at http://ministerofblog.wordpress.com/ on this page you will be able as an Atheist or just plain skeptical mind to witness the “In your face” evidence of God’s intervention on your behalf in both written and Video format….proof that is unmistakable in it’s entirety and unflinching in it’s honesty about Unbeliever and Christian alike because I firmly believe that “RELIGION IN IT’S VILE PRESENTATION OF A FALSE CHRIST TO THE MASSES” has done more damage to God’s plan than all the anti-Christian text books ever written. The World is ready for the true gospel to be told, that’s what I plan to do through this page and articles to follow.The adherents of supernatural beliefs hold that such phenomena exist just as surely as does the natural world, whereas opponents, typically materialists and empiricists, argue that there are natural, physical explanations for all such phenomena which are only a bunch of words without real meaning until Evidence surfaces to prove it true….I present to you that real evidence at Open your Eyes Ministries.
With kindest regards Minister Clarence F. Sargent
11/12/2007
