The Cusp: Miracles and direct intervention

As we work our way through the book of John - we arrive at John 11:44 where Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. Now things get tough on this blog...
Of course, you could say, "hey, Jesus performed miracles before this -- why stop here?"
Good question, this issue has surfaced multiple times in our readings and each time we discussed it and either agreed that we were not ready for the issue or stated that certain things require faith. But the issue keeps coming up in my mind - this time we chose not to gloss over it.
So, how do tackle such a major issue as to whether God would directly intervene in his/her creation?
In general, I tend to look for logical tools, judgement criteria and reason to analyze decisions.
Three logical tools seem to be exceptionally useful are:
1. Proof by contradiction. This is also known as reduction to absurdity. The idea is that you walk along logical causes and effects to a point where a contradiction occurs. Once you reach a contradiction, you can assert that the oppositte of the original hypothesis is true.
Here is a simple example from Wikipedia (linked to above):
The following dialogue is an example of reductio ad absurdum:
Mother - I don't want you getting a tattoo.
Son - Why not?
Mother - Because tattoos were used in the holocaust.
Son - Okay, I'll never ride a train again, or take a shower, be naked, or speak German.

2. Occam's Razor. A technique that states that the simpler of two hypothesis is usually the correct one. This boils down to a simplicity bias; however, we should keep in mind Einstein's corollary to this where he stated (paraphrase) "it should be as simple as possible, but no simpler".

3. Necessity. Necessity is a powerful judgement criteria on existence in relation to the principle that "nature abhors a vacuum." This also falls in line with necessity being the "mother of invention."

Given these three tools - how do we proceed. I have thought about this and at present only have a weak attempt using these three tools. Since it is better than nothing, here it is:

Question: Is physical intercession by God necessary? (use of Tool #3)
Hypothesis: Physical intercession, though rare, is necessary to be possible.

Attempt at a Proof by contradiction:
If physical intercession is not necessary then
mankind does not need physical intercession (aka miracles).
If mankind does not need external intercession then
mankind can only rely upon its own devices and knowledge, accrued by repeatable experience.
If mankind can only rely upon repeatable experience then
unpredictable things are bad and should be avoided.
If unpredictable things should be avoided then
innovation and serendipity, which are unpredictable, should be avoided. --> THIS IS ABSURD.

I admit that the above logical chain is far from perfect and I need to get better at determining the strength of an individual logical statement. Admitting that weakness, let's go forward with the opposite hypothesis since we proved it by contradiction.

If humans, at times, should be unpredictable then
a person should not attempt to predict everything.
If you cannot and should not predict everything then
you must hope the things you cannot predict turn out for the best.
In order to hope the unpredictable turns out for the best,
you trust in external forces outside yourself like goodwill, progress, innovation, etc.
Thus, taken to its logical (extrapolated) conclusion,
trust in external forces requires the possibility of physical intercession.
This affords us the most logical way to have hope that unpredictable things will turn out for the best.

However, using OCCAM'S RAZOR, we must be open to the possibility that there may be a simpler system of thought or belief that protects hope and unpredictability without resorting to supernatual intercession. In that, I believe we will be delving into the heart of physical and spiritual transcendence.

As of today, I believe the crux of transcendence and objective truth lie outside of what we normally consider "natural". Therefore, in the absence of a simpler explanation, I believe that miracles could be possible when necessary.

Comments are very welcome,

- Mike