Faith And Magical Thinking

I don’t need my faith to be magical, to be otherworldly, to break the rules of physics. It seems like some people use that as a measure of the strength or validity of their religion.

To me an important part of a religious system is that it supports and explains what we see in the world around us. The very definition of miracles is that they are events that are impossible according to the laws the universe functions in. These alleged events break the rules, are outside of how things all work.

I find that pretty much useless.

I don’t want miracles from my Gods and my religion. I think religions are stronger when they don’t sell magical thinking, when they operate within the bounds of nature. I’m not looking for a powerful being to change the course of nature for me. But it seems like that’s what a lot of religious figures are selling (within my own religion as well).

What do you think? Is part of the purpose of religion to claim that some beings can break the rules of physics, death, and the normal course of our lives?