Analogy Quote by Craig S. Keener
““What the radical Enlightenment excluded as implausible based on the principle of analogy, much of today’s world can accept on the same principle of analogy. Hundreds of millions of people worldwide claim to have experienced or witnessed what they believe are miracles. Eyewitness claims to dramatic recoveries appear in a wide variety of cultures, among Christians often successfully emulating models of healings found in the Gospels and Acts. Granted, such healings do not occur on every occasion and are fairly unpredictable in their occurrence; yet they seem to appear with special frequency in cultures and circles that welcome them.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Miracle of the Gospels, Craig S. Keener, 2016
Analogy can make extraordinary claims plausible, leading many to report miracles, especially where cultural expectations support them.
In simple terms: People accept miracles when cultural analogies make them seem possible.
Key Takeaway
Recognize how cultural context shapes belief in extraordinary events.
Themes
belief
culture
miracles
analogy
Mood
skeptical
inquisitive
Type
analytical
philosophical
When to use this quote
- medical recovery narratives
- faith healing gatherings
- cross‑cultural belief studies
- media reports on miracles
Key Concepts
epistemology
social psychology
religious experience
Questions to Reflect On
- How does cultural expectation influence personal experience of miracles?
- What standards should we use to evaluate miraculous claims?
A Different Perspective
Such claims often lack empirical verification and can be influenced by suggestion.
![“[L]et any one transport himself to the time when living, present miracles were believed in; … when they lived only in the rapturous prospect and hope of heaven … (for whatever heaven may be for them, so long as they were on earth, it existed only in the imagination); … a principle to which men…” quote by Ludwig Feuerbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/5b2/ludwig-feuerbach-3406_a-part_l-et-any-one-transport-himself-to-the-ti_1428605.jpg)
![“If the early Christian accounts of dramatic signs make these works seem foreign and foreboding to segments of modern Western academia,[85] they are nevertheless welcome in many of the dynamic churches of Africa, Latin America, and Asia, which believe that they share their experiences.” quote by Craig S. Keener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/024/craig-s-keener-36678_christianity_if-the-early-christian-accounts-of-drama_2056435.jpg)
