essay about miracle of life

Why life should be viewed as a miracle

The little book by Wendell Berry that reshaped my vision of Christian ethics

Editor’s Note: This article is part of our primer series on Christians ethics where a respected leader and thinker recommends and gives a summary overview of a book that helps orient readers to a certain aspect of ethics and philosophy. This series is designed to equip the local church to engage foundational texts of Christian ethics. Find the entire series here .

Over the years, I’ve been surprised by how often my life has been upended by little books. Augustine’s City of God influenced me, but the much smaller Confessions changed me. Carl Henry wrote six volumes of God, Revelation, and Authority —and I have referenced it often—but what altered my life was his tiny manifesto, The Uneasy Conscience of Modern Fundamentalism. In the same way, though I am grateful for massive works on Christian ethics, few of them have made as much difference as a slim little essay, with hummingbirds on the cover.

The book is Life Is a Miracle, and were it not for the author, I never would have read it. First of all, the title would not have caught my attention on a bookstore shelf. It sounds like a New Age-y self-help book along the lines of Eat, Pray, Love. And, even if I had glanced at it closer, I probably would have passed since it purports to be a treatment of scientific rationalism of the sort found in the so-called “New Atheism.” And I must admit I find myself bored both by the arguments of these “New Atheists” and by the huffing of those who hate-read them in order to point out how wrong they are. I suppose that is because while I can identify with the struggles of a person who can’t make sense of evil or absurdity, I have never been tempted by the idea that the universe is merely random atoms bouncing about.

But I was certain to read this book, despite all of that, because of the author. The old Kentucky agrarian was one of those writers whose insights were so consistently valuable that I would read everything he wrote—novels, short stories, poems, essays, and articles. This book was no exception, and I found that as I read it and, over the years, re-read it, it reshaped my vision of Christian ethics in a disenchanted age.

The book expertly examines and dismantles the inconsistencies of the reductionist view of the world and humanity as merely material. Berry concludes that this sort of materialism is not the triumph of reason over superstition—as it purports to be—but is instead just another kind of superstition—a superstition with disastrous consequences for the way we see the natural “environment” (a word he hates) and the way we see the answer to the question of (as he puts it elsewhere) “What are people for?” The book is worth reading for all of that, but what are most important, in my view, are two points embedded in the argument—one to do with mystery and the other to do with metaphor.

The meaning of mystery

By “mystery” I do not mean the idea that the universe is unknowable. For Berry, mystery instead refers to the way that creation cannot be boiled down to its “parts” or mapped out in its abstractions. Berry quotes Edgar from Shakespeare’s King Lear : “Thy life’s a miracle. Speak yet again.” Berry examines the arguments of scientific materialists such as E.O. Wilson, that there is no evidence for the intangible, such as what one would find in religion, “but of course religious faith begins with the discovery that there is no ‘evidence.’ There is no argument or trail of evidence or course of experimentation that can connect unbelief and belief.”

To rightly understand the universe, Berry argues, one must begin and end not with abstractions, but with affection. This is no mere assertion for Berry, but instead the obvious shared reality of all persons. “The giveaway is that even scientists do not speak of their loved ones in categorical terms as ‘a woman,’ ‘a man,’ ‘a child,’ or ‘a case.’ Affection requires us to break out of the abstractions, the categories, and confront the creature itself in its life in its place.” Here Berry echoes Augustine—on the ordered and disordered “loves” that characterize the City of God over against the City of Man. But Berry appeals not to Augustine for his authority in his conversation with mere secularism but instead to our shared experience of what happens when abstraction replaces affection.

“We know enough of our own history by now to be aware that people exploit what they have merely concluded to be of value, but they defend what they love. To defend what we love we need a particularizing language, for we love what we particularly know.” Ever since I read that passage I have hated the modern jargon of “values,” regardless of to what these “values” are applied.

This also helped make sense, for me, of why the Christian ethics of Scripture—both Old and New Testaments—sounds so different from the virtue abstractions of the scholastics, whether pagan or Christian. The Torah tells us to “love the stranger”—not because of the “value” of abstract human nature—but because “you were a stranger in Egypt.” Jesus confronts the abstractions of the lawyer’s formulation of “Love God and love your neighbor as yourself”—which were rooted in the storyline of covenant Israel, not in general theories or precepts—not with his own abstractions but with a story—of a man beaten by the side of the road—that required the affection of narratively-experienced mercy to understand.

This helped me realize why I found suspicious those—including those that I trusted for truth—who seemed more systematic in their theological formulations than the Bible itself. I heard one scholar, who defended (rightly) the authority and inerrancy of Scripture, speak of the superiority of Pauline systematic logic over Jesus’ use of parables. Parables, he argued, were temporary and context-specific, but the fullness of time would bring the more abstract logic of Paul. And yet, Paul did no such thing.

Paul spoke and wrote always within the framework of the story of Israel (Acts 13:13-47; 1 Cor. 10:1-22; 2 Cor. 3:7-17; Gal. 3-4; Phil. 2:5-11). The Bible does not start with an abstract category of “humanity,” but with “Adam;” not with the abstract category of “covenant” but with “Abraham;” not with the abstract category of “redemption,” but with the cross of Golgotha. The categories and abstractions are important, but only when they start with the particular—the reality that “God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself” (2 Cor. 5:19).

Thus, in a Christian view of reality, the knowledge of God is not human experimentation upon a concept. We truly know God—but not the way we “know” mathematical equations we use to harness the forces of nature, but because of the God whose “love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Rom. 5:5).

Now, none of these biblical or gospel applications are offered by Berry. But the book—in argument against those who would claim to know everything by reason—prompted other questions, about why the Christian revelation is the way that it is. And isn’t that the most we can ever ask from a book that claims to be raising questions about answers that prove to be—no matter how scientifically rigorous—too simple to explain such things as love and meaning, too simple to explain things that are not, in fact, “things” at all?

In that sense, this book led me not to the climax of seeing naturalistic atheists as more stupid or evil than we are, but instead to a sense of awe at the wild and mysterious integrity of the universe as creation.

The metaphor of machine

The second aspect of this book most helpful to Christian ethics is Berry’s repeated deconstruction of one particular metaphor. He takes apart this metaphor in the opening pages and every time one might conclude he has moved on, he returns to take it apart again. And then he ends the book with a series of recommendations—perhaps most pointed of which is his recommendation to stop using this wrongheaded metaphor. The metaphor is that of the creation—or of creatures—as machine. This is not just a shortcut of language, for Berry, but undergirds an entire vision that has gone wrong.

“The most radical influence of reductive science has been the virtually universal adoption of the idea that the world, its creatures, and all the parts of its creatures are machines—that is, that there is no difference between creature and artifice, birth and manufacture, thought and computation,” he writes. “Our language, wherever it is used, is now almost invariably conditioned by the assumption that fleshly bodies are machines full of mechanisms, fully compatible with the mechanisms of medicine, industry, and commerce; and that minds are computers fully compatible with electronic technology.”

We speak of how people are “wired,” and of what “makes us tick.” Berry does not entirely dismiss the usefulness of any use of the metaphor of machine, but asserts that “the legitimacy of a metaphor depends upon our understanding of its limits.”

“When a metaphor is construed as an equation, it is out of control; when it is construed as an identity, it is preposterous,” he writes. “If we are to assume that our language means anything at all, then the world is not a machine, and neither is an organism. A machine, to state only the greatest and mot obvious difference, is a human artifact, and a world or an organism is not.” Thus, he concludes, “We should banish from our speech and writing any use of the word ‘machine’ as an explanation or definition of anything that is not a machine.”

For Berry, the question of the age is whether we will see people as creatures or as machines. If creatures, then we embrace the goodness of limits and the mystery of reality that can’t be reduced to biology or physics. I think he is right. This understanding of the world and of persons helps us to maintain both the dignity and the limits of humanity. If we see life as a miracle, not a machine, we understand that human beings are not reduced to their “usefulness” to others. And if see the world as a mystery—and not just another human artifact to be manipulated—we can see that just because we can do something is no necessary sign that we should. That has implications for the way that we see questions ranging from sexuality to family to abortion to cloning to environmental protection to artificial intelligence.

But, more than providing talking points about specific points of ethics, Life Is a Miracle helps us to rethink our starting place. The world is not an accident. Human beings are not things. Wisdom requires affection, not just information. Life is a miracle. In that sense, this little book—like the hummingbirds on its cover—is far more important than its size.

Russell Moore

Russell Moore is a former President of the ERLC. He holds a Ph.D. in systematic theology from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. His latest book is The Courage to Stand: Facing Your Fear Without Losing Your Soul. His book, The Storm-Tossed Family: How the Cross Reshapes the Home, was named Christianity Today’s 2019 Book of the … Read More

Related Resources

When scripture seems silent.

By ERLC Staff

The Ethics of Abortion

By Jason Thacker

I Will Die in a Foreign Land

By Palmer Williams

After Acts

By Kadin Christian

Helping single moms choose life and education

Receive your practical guide to answering gender confusion today in your inbox, sign up for your free reminder for bringing hope to an election year, article 12: the future of ai.

We affirm that AI will continue to be developed in ways that we cannot currently imagine or understand, including AI that will far surpass many human abilities. God alone has the power to create life, and no future advancements in AI will usurp Him as the Creator of life. The church has a unique role in proclaiming human dignity for all and calling for the humane use of AI in all aspects of society.

We deny that AI will make us more or less human, or that AI will ever obtain a coequal level of worth, dignity, or value to image-bearers. Future advancements in AI will not ultimately fulfill our longings for a perfect world. While we are not able to comprehend or know the future, we do not fear what is to come because we know that God is omniscient and that nothing we create will be able to thwart His redemptive plan for creation or to supplant humanity as His image-bearers.

Genesis 1; Isaiah 42:8; Romans 1:20-21; 5:2; Ephesians 1:4-6; 2 Timothy 1:7-9; Revelation 5:9-10

Article 11: Public Policy

We affirm that the fundamental purposes of government are to protect human beings from harm, punish those who do evil, uphold civil liberties, and to commend those who do good. The public has a role in shaping and crafting policies concerning the use of AI in society, and these decisions should not be left to those who develop these technologies or to governments to set norms.

We deny that AI should be used by governments, corporations, or any entity to infringe upon God-given human rights. AI, even in a highly advanced state, should never be delegated the governing authority that has been granted by an all-sovereign God to human beings alone.

Romans 13:1-7; Acts 10:35; 1 Peter 2:13-14

Article 10: War

We affirm that the use of AI in warfare should be governed by love of neighbor and the principles of just war. The use of AI may mitigate the loss of human life, provide greater protection of non-combatants, and inform better policymaking. Any lethal action conducted or substantially enabled by AI must employ 5 human oversight or review. All defense-related AI applications, such as underlying data and decision-making processes, must be subject to continual review by legitimate authorities. When these systems are deployed, human agents bear full moral responsibility for any actions taken by the system.

We deny that human agency or moral culpability in war can be delegated to AI. No nation or group has the right to use AI to carry out genocide, terrorism, torture, or other war crimes.

Genesis 4:10; Isaiah 1:16-17; Psalm 37:28; Matthew 5:44; 22:37-39; Romans 13:4

Article 9: Security

We affirm that AI has legitimate applications in policing, intelligence, surveillance, investigation, and other uses supporting the government’s responsibility to respect human rights, to protect and preserve human life, and to pursue justice in a flourishing society.

We deny that AI should be employed for safety and security applications in ways that seek to dehumanize, depersonalize, or harm our fellow human beings. We condemn the use of AI to suppress free expression or other basic human rights granted by God to all human beings.

Romans 13:1-7; 1 Peter 2:13-14

Article 8: Data & Privacy

We affirm that privacy and personal property are intertwined individual rights and choices that should not be violated by governments, corporations, nation-states, and other groups, even in the pursuit of the common good. While God knows all things, it is neither wise nor obligatory to have every detail of one’s life open to society.

We deny the manipulative and coercive uses of data and AI in ways that are inconsistent with the love of God and love of neighbor. Data collection practices should conform to ethical guidelines that uphold the dignity of all people. We further deny that consent, even informed consent, although requisite, is the only necessary ethical standard for the collection, manipulation, or exploitation of personal data—individually or in the aggregate. AI should not be employed in ways that distort truth through the use of generative applications. Data should not be mishandled, misused, or abused for sinful purposes to reinforce bias, strengthen the powerful, or demean the weak.

Exodus 20:15, Psalm 147:5; Isaiah 40:13-14; Matthew 10:16 Galatians 6:2; Hebrews 4:12-13; 1 John 1:7

Article 7: Work

We affirm that work is part of God’s plan for human beings participating in the cultivation and stewardship of creation. The divine pattern is one of labor and rest in healthy proportion to each other. Our view of work should not be confined to commercial activity; it must also include the many ways that human beings serve each other through their efforts. AI can be used in ways that aid our work or allow us to make fuller use of our gifts. The church has a Spirit-empowered responsibility to help care for those who lose jobs and to encourage individuals, communities, employers, and governments to find ways to invest in the development of human beings and continue making vocational contributions to our lives together.

We deny that human worth and dignity is reducible to an individual’s economic contributions to society alone. Humanity should not use AI and other technological innovations as a reason to move toward lives of pure leisure even if greater social wealth creates such possibilities.

Genesis 1:27; 2:5; 2:15; Isaiah 65:21-24; Romans 12:6-8; Ephesians 4:11-16

Article 6: Sexuality

We affirm the goodness of God’s design for human sexuality which prescribes the sexual union to be an exclusive relationship between a man and a woman in the lifelong covenant of marriage.

We deny that the pursuit of sexual pleasure is a justification for the development or use of AI, and we condemn the objectification of humans that results from employing AI for sexual purposes. AI should not intrude upon or substitute for the biblical expression of sexuality between a husband and wife according to God’s design for human marriage.

Genesis 1:26-29; 2:18-25; Matthew 5:27-30; 1 Thess 4:3-4

Article 5: Bias

We affirm that, as a tool created by humans, AI will be inherently subject to bias and that these biases must be accounted for, minimized, or removed through continual human oversight and discretion. AI should be designed and used in such ways that treat all human beings as having equal worth and dignity. AI should be utilized as a tool to identify and eliminate bias inherent in human decision-making.

We deny that AI should be designed or used in ways that violate the fundamental principle of human dignity for all people. Neither should AI be used in ways that reinforce or further any ideology or agenda, seeking to subjugate human autonomy under the power of the state.

Micah 6:8; John 13:34; Galatians 3:28-29; 5:13-14; Philippians 2:3-4; Romans 12:10

Article 4: Medicine

We affirm that AI-related advances in medical technologies are expressions of God’s common grace through and for people created in His image and that these advances will increase our capacity to provide enhanced medical diagnostics and therapeutic interventions as we seek to care for all people. These advances should be guided by basic principles of medical ethics, including beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy, and justice, which are all consistent with the biblical principle of loving our neighbor.

We deny that death and disease—effects of the Fall—can ultimately be eradicated apart from Jesus Christ. Utilitarian applications regarding healthcare distribution should not override the dignity of human life. Fur- 3 thermore, we reject the materialist and consequentialist worldview that understands medical applications of AI as a means of improving, changing, or completing human beings.

Matthew 5:45; John 11:25-26; 1 Corinthians 15:55-57; Galatians 6:2; Philippians 2:4

Article 3: Relationship of AI & Humanity

We affirm the use of AI to inform and aid human reasoning and moral decision-making because it is a tool that excels at processing data and making determinations, which often mimics or exceeds human ability. While AI excels in data-based computation, technology is incapable of possessing the capacity for moral agency or responsibility.

We deny that humans can or should cede our moral accountability or responsibilities to any form of AI that will ever be created. Only humanity will be judged by God on the basis of our actions and that of the tools we create. While technology can be created with a moral use in view, it is not a moral agent. Humans alone bear the responsibility for moral decision making.

Romans 2:6-8; Galatians 5:19-21; 2 Peter 1:5-8; 1 John 2:1

Article 2: AI as Technology

We affirm that the development of AI is a demonstration of the unique creative abilities of human beings. When AI is employed in accordance with God’s moral will, it is an example of man’s obedience to the divine command to steward creation and to honor Him. We believe in innovation for the glory of God, the sake of human flourishing, and the love of neighbor. While we acknowledge the reality of the Fall and its consequences on human nature and human innovation, technology can be used in society to uphold human dignity. As a part of our God-given creative nature, human beings should develop and harness technology in ways that lead to greater flourishing and the alleviation of human suffering.

We deny that the use of AI is morally neutral. It is not worthy of man’s hope, worship, or love. Since the Lord Jesus alone can atone for sin and reconcile humanity to its Creator, technology such as AI cannot fulfill humanity’s ultimate needs. We further deny the goodness and benefit of any application of AI that devalues or degrades the dignity and worth of another human being.

Genesis 2:25; Exodus 20:3; 31:1-11; Proverbs 16:4; Matthew 22:37-40; Romans 3:23

Article 1: Image of God

We affirm that God created each human being in His image with intrinsic and equal worth, dignity, and moral agency, distinct from all creation, and that humanity’s creativity is intended to reflect God’s creative pattern.

We deny that any part of creation, including any form of technology, should ever be used to usurp or subvert the dominion and stewardship which has been entrusted solely to humanity by God; nor should technology be assigned a level of human identity, worth, dignity, or moral agency.

Genesis 1:26-28; 5:1-2; Isaiah 43:6-7; Jeremiah 1:5; John 13:34; Colossians 1:16; 3:10; Ephesians 4:24

Life's Greatest Miracle (2001), by Julia Cort and NOVA

The Public Broadcasting Station (PBS) documentary Life’s Greatest Miracle (abbreviated Miracle , available at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/miracle/program.html ), is arguably one of the most vivid illustrations of the making of new human life. Presented as part of the PBS television series NOVA, Miracle is a little less than an hour long and was first aired 20 November 2001. The program was written and produced by Julia Cort and features images by renowned Swedish photographer Lennart Nilsson. It comes as a sequel to the award-winning 1983 NOVA production, The Miracle of Life , which exhibits Nilsson’s photography as well. The program showcases a combination of graphic animation, endoscopic and microscopic footage, as well as the story of a couple who are expecting a child. It features a number of new technological and scientific developments not present in its prequel, providing additional relevant information. By depicting human development in a clear and fresh manner, Miracle helps shed light on this indispensible aspect of life. Following is a description of the documentary, highlighting the key points of the film and explaining images featured in it.

Miracle is divided into eight sections. Section one, titled “Passing on Your DNA,” opens with a discussion of the prodigious natural drive to reproduce. This universal drive is recognized as a unifying theme for life on earth, and DNA is identified as the four-billion-year-old mastermind behind the entire operation. Sexual reproduction, unlike asexual reproduction (cloning), practiced by most bacteria, results in gene shuffling and produces crucial variation. The discussion of the biological benefits of sexual reproduction is accompanied by the depiction of various organisms going about their reproductive processes. Recognizing the complexity of such processes, the film poses the question of what happens, and how? How, from such humble beginnings, do such complex and functional living systems arise? A closer look at the human testis begins to answer this question; detailed photographs reveal the tiny, coiled tubes that make up the male organ. These tubes produce about a thousand new, genetically unique sperm every second through meiosis, which is digitally animated in Miracle and explained in the context of its significance to sexual reproduction.

After discussing the process of gamete production and the importance of sexual reproduction, Miracle takes a closer look at mating and the female reproductive system in section two, “The Egg’s Journey.” This section opens with Melinda Tate Iruegas and Sergio Iruegas, a couple expecting their first child. Intermittently throughout the film, the couple discuss their experiences, hopes, and feelings during the various stages of Melinda’s pregnancy. Miracle then explains the significant differences between male and female reproductive systems. While Sergio, like all other healthy males, has been producing sperm continuously since puberty, Melinda’s eggs all formed when she was a fetus. A woman Melinda’s age (early thirties) has a few thousand left of her original millions of eggs, but normally only one is capable of fertilization each month. Vivid video illustrates how a single egg is selected, pampered by support cells in the ovary, and ushered into the fallopian tube where it awaits fertilization by sperm. Before any male may mate with a female and fertilize her egg, however, he must earn mating rights. Here, Miracle depicts the struggle between males as they vie for the chance to mate with a female, essentially competing for a chance to pass on their genetic material. The film explains that when a male succeeds in wooing a female and proceeds to mate with her, a series of chemical changes take place, culminating in the ejaculation of sperm, which allows for fertilization of the egg. The course of the sperm’s voyage is covered in the following segment.

Section three, “The Sperm’s Journey,” describes just that. Though the sperm encounter a number of obstacles on their adventure, their ultimate success is largely dependent on the woman’s body. Once ejaculated into the vagina, the sperm strive to escape the acidic environment; about 40% of the sperm of a healthy male will be able to propel themselves toward the cervix using their flexible, whip-like tails. Around the time of ovulation each month, the protective mucus cap of the cervix liquefies, creating channels that allow any present and able sperm to enter. In addition, the uterine muscles contract in a wave-like fashion to help the sperm progress into the fallopian tube. If the female has ovulated and an egg is present, the sperm that have traveled thus far will attempt to fertilize it. As the film points out, however, the sperm that fertilizes the egg is usually not the first sperm there, but rather one of those that were caught in the fallopian cilia, modified, and gradually released. Once these sperm reach the egg, they must get past the helper cells and penetrate the thick protein coating of the egg, called the zona pellucida. Through animation, Miracle explains that entry into the egg requires chemical forces as well as mechanical ones; that is, the proteins on the surface of the sperm’s cap must match up with the proteins of the zona pellucida. Once this match occurs, the cap disintegrates and the membranes of the two gametes fuse, introducing the sperm’s genetic content into the egg itself.

After capturing fertilization in words and images, Miracle continues with section four, “The First Two Weeks.” Despite successful fertilization, a majority of fertilized eggs still fail to become viable offspring, since a number of additional obstacles lie ahead. During the next five days, the fertilized egg, still locked in the zona pellucida, makes its way to the uterus, undergoing repeated cellular division along the way. Once in the uterus, the mass of cells now known as the blastocyst secretes enzymes that break open the zona pellucida and is seen escaping onto the uterine lining. Here, it negotiates with the mother’s immune system, convincing it that it is not a harmful foreign body. After suppressing the maternal immune system response, the blastocyst implants in the rich uterine lining, from which it receives nourishment. Some, like Melinda Iruegas, report experiencing morning sickness and nausea at this stage, as the baby makes a more significant impact on their body. Sergio experiences similar symptoms, even though he has neither uterus nor a baby inside him.

Once implantation has occurred, the blastocyst undergoes a number of transformations through the process of gastrulation; this is the beginning of section five, “The Embryo Takes Shape.” While Miracle is able to depict frog gastrulation since it occurs in a transparent egg, human gastrulation remains invisible and is explained through animation. The formation of the three germ layers and an explanation of their future structures serve as a prelude to a more in-depth examination of differentiation. In utero photos of a three-week-old embryo show the beginnings of the neural tube, and subsequent photos of a four-and-a-half-week old embryo show early development of the brain. Other developments around this time, such as the formation of blood vessels, a beating heart, the primitive backbone, and appendage buds, are also depicted. Recognizing the incredible complexity of such a cascade of events, Miracle once again turns to the micro–the DNA–to explain the macro–the formation of a complex organism. The film explains that various cells in the body are different because different genes turn on; the turning on of genes by certain proteins is animated for clarification. It is thought that once a basic body plan has formed, the cells develop in accordance with their location in this layout. The cells communicate with each other using chemical signals, and the resultant gene expression allows for the production of different proteins that serve various functions in the body; an explanation of some of these proteins is also provided.

The next section, “Messages in the Genes,” highlights the importance of the genes to the development of various features of the embryo, including its sex. An ultrasound of the Iruegas’ fetus shows it moving around and its heart beating, while the couple discusses their decision not to find out the sex of their child. At this early stage of development, males and females are anatomically identical. In fact, before the formation of distinct sex organs, the only way to tell is by looking at the twenty-third pair of chromosomes: if both are X chromosomes, it’s a girl; if an X and a Y, it’s a boy. Miracle demonstrates how the SRY gene, which is found on the Y-chromosome and is only active for a couple days during the sixth week of development, initiates a cascade of reactions that produce a male child. If the Y chromosome–and thus the SRY gene–is not present, the embryo will develop into a female. Other genes, such as those directing growth or cell death, are also described. By the end of section six, two months have passed since fertilization and the embryo is now considered a fetus. It has taken shape, but still needs to grow and develop into a full-fledged baby.

As the fetus continues to mature, section seven, “Feeding the Growing Fetus,” discusses the nutrition of both the mother and the fetus. Melinda describes her need to smell and approve of any food before she consumes it, making it somewhat difficult to make dinner plans. Meanwhile, the fetus gets all of its nutrients and oxygen from its mother’s blood, via the placenta and umbilical cord. Images of the placenta’s villi, which absorb materials from pools of enriched maternal blood, help explain how the fetus is fed without contact between its own blood and the mother’s.

Bone replaces some of the fetus’s cartilage during the fourth month of development, and the fetus also begins to hear sounds. Melinda and Sergio Iruegas therefore take pleasure in playing different types of music and sounds to their child and gauging its reactions. The final part of this section consists of a succession of photos of the developmental process, documenting various features from different angles. This timeline intricately illustrates the unfolding human form and emphasizes the details of each stage.

The final section, “The Third Trimester,” details the progression of events leading up to birth, and the “miracle” of birth itself. By the third trimester, the fetus has formed all of its organ systems and is primarily growing in size. In preparation for birth, fat reserves are established throughout the fetus’s body, and myelination (deposition of myelin on the axons of the nerve cells) begins. Myelination greatly increases the speed and efficiency of brain and nerve impulses. Miracle points out that as the third trimester nears its end, the baby’s hunger for fat becomes so great that the supply coming through the placenta becomes inadequate. It is at this point that the baby needs to leave the womb–in other words, to be born. The film shows the birth of Melinda’s baby and explains the process. It also states that since human births are extremely dangerous due to the size of the baby’s skull and the narrowness of the birth canal, humans are the only mammal that regularly gives birth in the company of others. In showing the birth, Miracle involves the viewer in the emotion and joy felt by the family upon the arrival of their child.

Life’s Greatest Miracle is available on the PBS website, along with a number of other related resources. These include “Windows on the Womb,” a discussion of the various modern screening techniques used by medical professionals to assess the progress of the baby while in the uterus; a discussion of the stem cell debate; an explanation of how cells divide and how sex is determined; and a journal by a woman describing the various aspects of her pregnancy. The companion website to the film also provides other resources for curious minds.

Miracle ’s prestige comes not only from its content, but also from its being a NOVA production. It has earned countless awards, among them numerous Peabody and Emmy awards. Julia Cort, the writer and producer of the documentary, won the 2001 Science in Society Journalism Award for her work on it. Since it follows the entire process of human procreation, Life’s Greatest Miracle is a useful resource, providing the public with accurate information about what goes on in the world of the embryo and fetus.

“2001 Science in Society Journalism Awards: Television.” The National Association of Science Writers. http://www.nasw.org/awards/2001/01NOVAbios.htm (Accessed March 18, 2010).
Cort, Julia. “Transcripts: Life's Greatest Miracle.” September, 2006. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/transcripts/2816miracle.html (Accessed March 17, 2010).
NOVA. “Life’s Greatest Miracle.” NOVA companion website, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/miracle/ (Accessed March 17, 2010).
NOVA. “Behind The Lens: An Interview with Lennart Nilsson.” NOVA website, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/odyssey/nilsson.html (Accessed March 17, 2010).
NOVA Science Now. “Biographies: Julia Cort.” Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sciencenow/3302/bios.html (Accessed March 18, 2010).

How to cite

Articles rights and graphics.

Copyright Arizona Board of Regents Licensed as Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0)

Last modified

Share this page.

Free Samples
Premium Essays
Editing Services Editing Proofreading Rewriting
Extra Tools Essay Topic Generator Thesis Generator Citation Generator GPA Calculator Study Guides Donate Paper
Essay Writing Help
About Us About Us Testimonials FAQ
Studentshare
Miscellaneous
The Miracle of Life

The Miracle of Life - Essay Example

Subject: Miscellaneous
Type: Essay
Level: College
Pages: 2 (500 words)
Downloads: 19
Author: krisnico

Extract of sample "The Miracle of Life"

s The Miracle of Life Long gone are the days when the marvels of human conception and foetal development were hidden from view. In Life's Greatest Miracle, PBS's Nova employs microphotography to bring the basics of reproduction to TV. Narrated by John Lithgow, the film shows the production of sperm cells at an average rate of 100 million a day (each constituting a unique genetic package), then contrasts quantity with quality--viewers learn that a woman is born with all the eggs she will ever have.

But the primary focus is fertilization of the egg and foetal development, culminating in birth. Full of fascinating information made completely accessible to non-scientists, Life's Greatest Miracle shows the viewer the first cell divisions occurring within 24 hours of fertilization, the beginnings of the nervous system and brain at three weeks, the eyes developing at five weeks when the embryo is a mere one-fifth of an inch long, and more. Life's Greatest Miracle takes the mystery out of reproduction, but leaves plenty of awe in its place.

This film is an appropriate scientific adjunct for birds-and-bees discussions with children and teenagers. However, parents may want to preview the birth scene which, although sensitively filmed, may be too intense for younger viewers.The Miracle of Life records human conception for the first time on film, and much more. Living, functioning reproductive systems are laid bare to the camera, and there is so much to explore and absorb that Nova's expert guidance is much needed and appreciated. The viewer is also able to follow an egg from its follicular development in an ovary, through the delicate, flowery fallopian tube for fertilization, and on to the uterus for development and eventual birth.

Likewise, the audience follows the shorter journey of millions of sperm as they develop and strive mightily to reach the egg.Among the stunning sequences shot by the photographer is the incredible voyage of the sperm toward the egg. Other events captured in Life's Greatest Miracle include the journey of the fertilized ovum down the fallopian tube, the hatching of the embryo from its confining shell on day six, and the miraculous transformation of an embryo from a ball of cells into three layers from which all the body's organs will emerge.

Human society needs documentary's like this as it helps to educate our world about the realities of human reproduction. If there were more programs such as this one, perhaps there wouldn't be as many teenage pregnancies. Maybe then, the world would realise that the process of reproduction is a very complex and intense situation and certainly not something to be taken for granted.REFERENCESNova: Life's Greatest Miracle (2002). PBS / Warner Home Video, July 16, 2002.

miracle of life reaction paper
Cited: 3 times
Copy Citation Citation is copied Copy Citation Citation is copied Copy Citation Citation is copied

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF The Miracle of Life

The nature of human soul, the absorbent mind by maria montessori, theology of death, healthy digestion: a lesson plan, when comedy blends with agony - life is beautiful, the life of pi and the faith of pi, lifes graetest miracle, stages of pregnancy.

TERMS & CONDITIONS
PRIVACY POLICY
COOKIES POLICY

Featured Essay The Love of God An essay by Sam Storms Read Now
Faithfulness of God
Saving Grace
Adoption by God

U.S. Edition

Arts & Culture
Bible & Theology
Christian Living
Current Events
Faith & Work
As In Heaven
Gospelbound
Post-Christianity?
TGC Podcast
You're Not Crazy
Churches Planting Churches
Help Me Teach The Bible
Word Of The Week
Upcoming Events
Past Conference Media
Foundation Documents
Church Directory
Global Resourcing
Donate to TGC

To All The World

The world is a confusing place right now. We believe that faithful proclamation of the gospel is what our hostile and disoriented world needs. Do you believe that too? Help TGC bring biblical wisdom to the confusing issues across the world by making a gift to our international work.

The Miracles of Christ

Other essays.

The miracles of Christ are expressions of God’s power in the divinity of Christ, testified authoritatively to in the Bible, which signified the coming of that salvation that was associated with the kingdom of God.

Modern, Western society often assumes that the reality of miracles is in tension with the methods of modern science. However, this is a function of modern, naturalistic presuppositions, not necessarily with science itself. The miracles of Christ are exercises of the power of God, which Christ wielded fully in his incarnation as the divine Son. The Bible testifies to these miracles, and the fact that the Bible is historically accurate and divinely authoritative should give us pause before rejecting miracles because they are in tension with current, naturalistic presuppositions. These miracles were apart of God’s larger plan of salvation and testified that the kingdom of God, where God would bring about the climactic and definitive salvation of his people, had come in the person of Jesus, who was both divine Son and promised Messiah.

Did Christ actually work the miracles that the Gospels record? And what do we learn from them? What is their significance?

The Reality of the Miracles

Let us first consider the question of whether the miracles recorded in the four Gospels actually took place. A great deal of skepticism about biblical miracles has arisen in the Western world. Skepticism exists in scholarly circles, in elite culture, and also in the broader culture at large. But the skepticism is largely a Western phenomenon. People in some other cultures find little problem, because they already believe in a spirit world.

Cultural Narrowness of Skepticism

This cultural narrowness of skepticism shows that one topic to consider has to be what it is about the leading edges of Western culture that creates the difficulty. At least part of the problem is the influence of a materialistic or naturalistic worldview. This worldview says that the universe is an impersonal system, whose basic character is matter and energy in motion. There is no room for a personal God. There is no room either for finite spirits, such as angels, demons, or departed spirits. As a consequence, there is no room for miracles. There is no room for God, as a personal God, to act in a personal way that deviates from the normal patterns in which he rules the world. There is no room either for finite spirits who would interrupt the normal course of nature. “Nature” is conceived of as impersonal, and there can be no exceptions.

This worldview wields powerful influence because it is so widespread, yet people seldom analyze whether it actually has support beyond the level of being a cultural prejudice. It is widely assumed that the successes of natural science support a materialistic worldview. And yet those successes originally arose within the context of early modern Europe, which still had a more-or-less Christian worldview. In the early days, science itself was conceived as an investigation of the wisdom of God in the ways that he ruled the world. It focused on the regularities, what we call “scientific law.” It is only by a philosophical commitment, a kind of atheistic faith, that people could conclude that there must be no exceptions, no miracles.

God’s Power

One aspect in treating the miracles of Christ is to refuse merely to accept the modern, Western materialistic point of view. Instead, we have to deal positively with what kind of world we live in. The world we experience is actually a world created and maintained by God. The regularities are the regularities of his faithful rule over the world. But he can also act exceptionally, and that is what we call “miracle.”

The Divinity of Christ

Next, we have to reckon with who Christ is. According to the Bible, he is the eternal Son of God (John 1:1), who took on human nature and came to earth to save us. If he really is the divine Son of God, and not merely an especially religious human being, it makes all the difference. If God is who he is, and the divine Son is who he is, we should be surprised if there were no miracles accompanying the decisive acts that brought about the salvation of the world. People are prejudiced against the reality of the miracles because they are also prejudiced against who Christ actually is.

Evidence for Historical Reliability of the Bible

We can also appeal to the historical reliability of the Bible. Several scholars have written books indicating how many times the historical reliability of the Bible can be confirmed in places where it is possible to cross-check from other ancient records.

Divine Authority of the Written Text of the Bible

In support of miracles, we can appeal to the divine authority of the Bible. The New Testament is not merely a work of various human authors who might be trying to be reliable and yet might sometimes fail. It is also a divinely authored work, commissioned by Jesus Christ. Christ sends his Spirit to his apostles and to others (like Mark and Luke) who faithfully give us his word by the power of the Spirit (2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:21).

Miracles Outside the Bible

Finally, we can inspect reports of miracles outside the Bible. These, of course, do not have the infallibility of the divine authority of the Bible itself. But they can further testify to the fact that we live in a personal world governed by God, a world that also has angelic and demonic spirits.

The Significance of the Miracles of Christ

What now is the meaning and significance of the miracles of Christ? This question is actually deeper and more multifaceted than the question of whether they happened. Why did they happen? What was God doing?

The Larger Plan of God for History

The miracles occur within the overall unfolding plan of God for all of history, and especially for the history in which he works out the redemption of the world. Christ and his coming are at the center of that redemption. The works he accomplished—above all his suffering, his death, and his resurrection—are the all-important foundation for the entire plan of God for redemption. The Old Testament anticipated the coming of Christ and the coming of the kingdom of God. In the Gospels we see that coming actually taking place. In the rest of the New Testament we see the outflowing consequences, both in the historical events in Acts and in the explanations and exhortations and warnings in the New Testament letters. The letters show the New Testament people of God the meaning of Christ’s salvation and the way in which it comes to bear on their lives.

Jesus as Messiah

The miracles of Christ demonstrate and confirm some truths about Christ himself. They show that he is the fulfillment of Old Testament promises that predict the coming of the Messiah, the great king in the line of David, the one who will rule forever (Isa. 9:6–7).

Jesus as Divine Son of God

The miracles show Christ’s divine power. It is true that some of the prophets in the Old Testament, like Moses and Elijah, worked miracles. But it is clear from the contexts that these prophets did not work miracles by their own power and might. They were merely servants of God. By contrast, Jesus’ religious opponents were offended by him because he behaved as someone who was more than just a prophet. He had innate authority. In connection with healing the paralytic, he claims authority to forgive sins, which belongs only to God (Matt. 9:1–8). After the stilling of the storm, the disciples ask each other, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?” (Matt. 8:27). After the incident when he walks on water, “[T]hose in the boat worshiped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God’” (Matt. 14:33).

The miracles of Jesus display divine power. God is present in them. God shows that his kingdom is arriving. God the Father is doing his works in the Son: “the Father who dwells in me does his works” (John 14:10).

Miracles as Signs of Redemption

The arrival of the kingdom has another side to it. God is not merely present to display who he is. He is present to work out the accomplishment of the salvation that he promised all the way through the Old Testament.

The expression “the kingdom of God” in the Gospels does not focus on the fact, true though it is, that God rules all the world and all of history (Ps. 103:19). It focuses on the new exercise of his divine power in the course of bringing about climactic and definitive salvation. Jesus, in whom God the Father dwells, is the Savior. The miracles are miracles of the kingdom. Therefore, they are also miracles of salvation . That does not mean that every person whom Jesus healed was eternally saved. Saving faith came to some but not necessarily to all those who were physically healed. The physical healing was a good thing. But in itself it was not ultimate. The people who were healed would eventually die a physical death.

So the cases of healing in Jesus’s ministry pointed to something more. They were signs that pointed beyond themselves. (The Gospel of John characteristically uses the word “sign” to describe Jesus’ miracles, thereby pointing to their deeper meaning.) The miracles dealt with people being saved from physical ills. Or they depicted being delivered from demonic power. Both of these deliverances were real in themselves. But they also signified the whole structure of salvation as a whole . Jesus came not simply to accomplish something temporary in the lives of various individuals, but to bring lasting and permanent salvation. This salvation includes, centrally, deliverance from spiritual death—deliverance from sin, from guilt, from the power of the kingdom of Satan. These deliverances Jesus brought about climactically through his suffering, his death, and his resurrection. His resurrection means for us permanent deliverance from sin and condemnation. It also guarantees the resurrection of our bodies. We will in the future be perfectly delivered from every bodily sickness and ailment, and even from death itself. The miracles that Jesus worked were foretastes of this two-stage deliverance, in his resurrection from the dead, and then, finally, in our resurrection of the body, in union with and by the power of his resurrection.

Let us consider, as an example, the healing of the centurion’s servant, recorded in Matt. 8:5–13. Jesus healed the servant from being paralyzed and from “suffering terribly” (8:5). The release from the bodily disability of paralysis foreshadows the final release from every bodily disability, which will come with bodily resurrection. Physical paralysis is also a suitable analog for the spiritual “paralysis” of sin, which keeps us from carrying out the will of God. Jesus in his death takes our sin on himself, and in his resurrection he enters new life that gives us the power to be free from sin and its guilt (Rom. 4:25). Instead of suffering in the body, in the resurrection of the body we enter a life entirely free from suffering (Rev. 21:4). Instead of spiritual suffering from sin, we enter the freedom of the glory of the children of God (Rom. 8:21, 23).

In like manner, many of the miracles of Jesus during his earthly life are small-scale pictures, anticipations, or foreshadowings of the two stages of his definitive accomplishment: first his death and resurrection; and then his coming again, including the establishment of a new heaven and a new earth (Rev. 21:1).

The Miracle of Life: A Photo Essay

December 28, 2011

What inspires you?

As young people trying to make it in this world, we often get caught up in the hustle and bustle of everyday life, trying to make it. But for a second, stop, take a deep breath and look around. Take a look around and think. Take in everything you see, capture life’s own beauty and let it spur you on. When you find your inspiration only then can you be human.

If you end up in a boring, miserable life because you listened to your parents, your priest or some guy on the TV telling you how to live your life, then you only have yourself to blame. Find your passion, follow your heart, its your life, explore it, live it, love it. Don’t take life too seriously, you don’t get out alive anyway. Below is some of my work as a photographer, hope something triggers you to follow your dreams!

On a university trip to London, walking down the road after leaving the Tate Modern (pile of rubbish by the way). From the corner of my eye I notice this modern image leading to the old. I feel it showed the harmony between the ages, and the two compliment each other. It also shows you don't need a sunny day for a nice photo.

St. Paul's, London. Again this time at night. I got this shot by pure accident. I was resting my camera on a wall and clicking shoot and the shutter remained open gathering the light it needed due to the time of day. During this time a boat had past (that's how long it took), which is the stream of light you see travelling across the picture.

A railway bridge in London. I love the colours and the use of slow shutter speed to make the train look like its travelling at light speed into the distance.

Lake Como, Italy on our way back from the F1 GP in Monza. Such an amazing day and experience capped off with this beautiful sunset behind the Italian mountains.

My fiancee, Sophia, comes from a little village called Bury in West Sussex, which is set in the stunning natural beauty of the South Downs. In a field down the road from her house is this tree. Just one, old, weathered tree all on its own. That day the valley was covered in fog and I was originally taking photos of that, but I walked down to the tree and captured this picture. Hitting it off with the B&W effect to give it some mood, it's one of my favourites and still can't believe that I took it.

A tree in my future parents-in-laws back garden. I was laying in the garden just relaxing as it was such a peaceful day. I try to take my camera everywhere so I don't miss a moment, and luckily I had it with me. Looking up I see the sun behind the petals of this tree and just snapped away. This is the result and my mother-in-law has the picture hanging in her living room.

A rose after a downpour of rain. Another good thing about the country side is that when it rains, it makes for a beautiful walk afterwards.

Saving the best for last. On our trip to Italy we visited a cathedral in the town of Como. Inside you were allowed to light a candle for a loved one who had past away. I lit two, one for my Nan who passed away when I was 8 and meant a great deal to me, the other for my Grandmother, who passed away January of that year. I stood in thought for ages to watching the flame flicker. I felt both my grandparents there with me, standing on each side watching with me. I could really feel their presence; I took the photo so that that feeling was always with me.

Home / Essay Samples / Religion / Miracle / The Miracle That Happened In My Life

The Miracle That Happened In My Life

Category: Religion
Topic: Miracle

Pages: 2 (797 words)

Downloads: -->

--> ⚠️ Remember: This essay was written and uploaded by an--> click here.

Found a great essay sample but want a unique one?

are ready to help you with your essay

You won’t be charged yet!

Karma Essays

Religious Tolerance Essays

Church Essays

Problem of Evil Essays

Related Essays

We are glad that you like it, but you cannot copy from our website. Just insert your email and this sample will be sent to you.

By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails.

Your essay sample has been sent.

In fact, there is a way to get an original essay! Turn to our writers and order a plagiarism-free paper.

samplius.com uses cookies to offer you the best service possible.By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .--> -->