“Whatever experiences we have we shall not regard them as miraculous if we

already hold a philosophy, which excludes the supernatural. Any event which is

claimed, as a miracle is, in last resort, an experience received from the senses;

and the senses are not infallible. We can always say we have been victims of an

illusion; if we disbelieve in the supernatural this is what we always shall say.

Hence, whether miracles have really ceased or not, they would certainly appear

to cease in Western Europe as materialism (naturalism) became the popular

creed.” - C.S. Lewis