Community and Miracles?

So I read the blog "On Community" and it got me thinking. First as a math teacher I was glad to see so many Venn diagrams and them being explained correctly. But mostly I was really thinking about community and what it means. I used to think that community in courses would really have to have some face to face time. But I realize that isn't what community is about at all. So I looked up the definition of community and found some interesting things.

Community has many definitions. Typically the first definition defines it as people in the same locality. But as I read the different definitions i found community to be just a group of people. Maybe sharing beliefs or working together. So I suppose community can truly be created even if the people never see one another. One example given was the "gay community". I could easily classify them as a community with similar beliefs or agenda, but they definitely haven't all met. Teachers likewise could be a community. I had to give up the notion that online courses isolate people and keep community from forming.

On to miracles. Yes, miracles. Well, I was trying to compare online communities to something and ended up thinking about God. I thought about miracles. Yes, I believe in miracles including several in my own life. But anyway, I thought about miracles and communities. You can hear about a miracle, read about a miracle, see it's evidence, watch a TV report on it, and even talk to those that experienced them. BUT, that is very different then experiencing a miracle personally. I think the online educational community is like that. You can learn and absorb just as much as a community that is classroom based. Still, something is different for those that get to be in the class. There IS a difference in how you can relate to the teacher and students. I still don't think I will ever be convinced that an online relationship is the same as a relationship that is face to face.