Miracle-Workers
...are a dime a dozen in the history of religion. In almost every religion, there is a belief that certain people can overcome the laws of nature, either through God's direct influence or by deliberately developing abilities through spiritual practices. If one could count the number of alleged miracle-working religious founders, gurus, saints, shamans, and other holy men in all religions, the number would run into the thousands. You could spend a lifetime studying these stories and not know them all.
There are two ways to explain these stories as part of a religious worldview. The first is the ”Channel”-approach. A superhuman psychic power is understood as evidence of a connection to a higher power, or to God. People are believed to receive their psychic powers directly from God. God acts through certain people, such as the prophets of the Old Testament, endowing them with his gifts of divine inspiration. In the Abrahamic religions, a close connection to God or knowledge of him is accompanied by supernatural abilities. Religious saints are considered mediators between people and supernatural powers. Their ability to work miracles shows that he is connected to a higher power. As Jacobs puts it:
"As for how one determines if a prophet is authentic, the answer is consistently miracles. Miracles that accompany the prophetic voice constitute the “credentials” that verify the speaker speaks for God." Nathan Jacobs- The Revelation of God, East and West: Contrasting Special Revelation in Western Modernity with the Ancient Christian East, 2015, 566.
The Christian saint Fransiscus of Assisi was said to be able to communicate with animals, heal people, and experience stigmata. He appeared to his followers even after his death. Pentecostal evangelist Granville Oral Roberts could heal and raise the dead. The miracle attributed to Mother Teresa involved a woman who was said to have been cured of cancer after a medallion with a picture of Mother Teresa was applied to her tumor.
According to the Qur'an, Muhammad famously split the moon (Surah Al-Qamar verses 54:1–2). The Hadiths are oral traditions that refer to the words and deeds of the Prophet Muhammad. The hadiths contain many stories about the miracles of Muhammad. They tell of the multiplication of food, and the healing of burnt skin, a broken foot, and muteness.
In Shiite Islam, imams are often considered miracle-workers. Their abilities are believed to be based on their esoteric knowledge. They are said to be able to raise the dead, heal, and move with lightning speed. Many miracles are associated with the Twelve Shiite Imams. These imams were so powerful that even their burial places could heal.
Israel ben Eliezer was the 18th century founder of Hasidism, a Jewish mystical movement that emphasizes a direct connection to God through prayer and joyful experiences, such as participation in the arts. Eliezer became a “baal shem”, a healer who used medicinal herbs and ministered to Jews and Christians alike. He also began to perform ceremonies to cast out ghosts and demons. He was able to overcome evil forces, communicate with animals, read minds, foretell the future and raise the dead.
The second way to treat these superhuman powers is the ”Journey”-approach. In this approach, these powers are seen as the result of progress on the path of liberation from the cycle of reincarnation - in Buddhism, nirvana; in Hinduism, moksha; and in Daoism, becoming an Immortal. These powers develop as a necessary consequence of reincarnation and can be developed by a conscious effort through physical and spiritual practices, such as asceticism, yoga, and meditation.
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was a 16th century Indian ascetic and mystic and the founder of Gaudiya Vaishavism and the modern ISKCON-movement. He was believed to be the incarnation of Krishna and Radha. Supposedly, his power of compassion was such that he could make people chant the "Hare Krishna Mahamantra" with a compassionate look or a warm embrace. When he would hug people, they would be infused by Krishna-Consciousness. He is said to have converted two murderers and alcoholics miraculously. He also converted an entire village by hugging a man, who then hugged all the other people in the village. He healed a leper and converted him through hugs.
Mother Amma, the modern Hugging Guru, is a humanitarian and is revered by her devotees as a miracle-working goddess who is believed to be able to read minds, heal lepers, and materialize objects. These powers are derived from Shakti, the feminine divine energy. A modern yogi, Prahlad Jani (1929-2020), claimed to have survived without food.
Although it is believed that the highest level of consciousness cannot be achieved today, Jain ascetics are said to possess abilities such as mind-reading (manaÿ-paryâya) and clairvoyance (avadhi). Mahavira, the founder of the religion, the 24th Tirthankara, ford-maker, and spiritual savior, is himself said to have achieved the highest level in this process, kaivalya, omniscience. Jain renouncer Shanti Suri (1889-1943) was famous for his miraculous healing abilities as well as his ability to influence events to ensure the safety of his devotees.
In the 16th century, not long after the passing of Sikh Guru Nanak, his followers wrote short narratives about his birth and life in the Janamsakhi. One miracle story says that Nanak restored a wheat field eaten by cattle to its original state. One story tells of a cobra that slipped out of a nearby hole and spread its hood to shade Nanak’s face from the burning sun. On another occasion, the shadow in which Nanak slept during the day did not move over time.
According to his official biography, the Sikh guru Mahraz Darshan Das Jee possessed miraculous healing powers and initiated devotees who could also heal people. The followers of Sant Jaswant Singh believed that he was able to heal physically and mentally and to know things in advance.
The Buddha levitated while emitting streams of water and flame, illuminating the entire universe. He also projected several images of himself to fill the sky with them. According to legend, many of the 84 Buddhist Mahasiddhas were miracle workers. For example, Virūpa crossed over a river by flying from leaf to leaf and raised pigeons from the dead. Saraha was able to put his hand through boiling oil without harm. The Indian Jonah, Mīnapa, was swallowed by a fish but survived. The guru Tantipa was able to transform his old body into that of a 16-year old. Śāntideva is said to have fed a community with just one cup of rice.
In Daoism, there are legends of practitioners of magic (fangshi) and Immortals (xian) who claimed to transcend the world. They lived outside society and practiced physical and spiritual discipline. According to the "Liexian Zhuan", the Biographies of the Immortals, these people were said to be able to live for centuries, if not millennia, moving at will between this world and the transcendent reality and controlling natural phenomena. They were believed to be so light that they could fly. The Daoist Immortals are believed to have magical and shamanic powers. Healing, exorcism, multilocation, and invisibility, surviving with no food, suspending breathing, indulging in wine or sexual powers, engaging in magic and alchemy are all activities that are connected to them.
In Numbers 20, Moses strikes a rock twice with his staff, and water gushes out. The founder of the Shingon sect of Buddhism, Kobo Daish, is said to have done the same thing. He created a spring by striking the ground with his cane. Nakayama Miki, the founder of the Tenrikyo-religion, claimed to have healing powers after being possessed by the spirit Tenri-o-no-Mikoto.
The list could go on. One could easily spend the rest of one's life going through these stories and evaluating their historical reliability. Who knows, maybe there really was a guru or saint who performed the miracles attributed to him or her. The fact is that no-one has been able to demonstrate these abilities under controlled conditions - not even even for a million dollars.
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