A number of philosophers and scientists have rejected miracles, claiming that they ‘contradict the order of creation’ (Reimarus) or are impossible a priori (Monod) (Morrison 2001). Following David Hume’s (Hume 1748/2000) definition of a miracle as ‘a violation of the laws of nature,’ Stephen Hawking claims that the laws of nature ‘should hold everywhere and at all times; otherwise they wouldn’t be laws. There could be no exceptions or miracles’ (Hawking and Mlodinow 2010, pp. 29, 34, 171).
