According to Maronite priest Father Louis Matar, “Miracles are on the rise in Lebanon.” Lebanon’s closest depiction to a Lebanon saint is St. Charbel, who might have a lot to do with the occurrence of these miraculous phenomenons. Before his death in 1898, he conducted as many of 26,000 miracles, but is now more active than ever as Lebanese citizens have been been seeing and experiencing more miracles during the past two years than what has occurred throughout the entire decade. Reports of miracles during Lebanon’s civil war from 1975-1990 and its war with Israel in 2006 were also not uncommon. Although polls show that religious faith is declining in Lebanon, many people still wear amulets to keep away evil spirits and visit faith-healers when they’re sick. Saints even receive special protection under the law, which only further proves that religion still remains an important factor in Lebanese culture. Studies also illustrate that people often turn to religion in the face of hardship. In fact, some Lebanese may be seeking help from St. Charbel to deal with economic crisis, increasing inequality, and the renewed threat of war with Israel. I don’t believe it is the best idea to solely rely on sectarian leaders to help cope with or solve humanitarian issues. If they fail to offer aid and problems ultimately occur, then it could lead to religion receiving a negative connotation, which could spark tension and possible violence. As Paul Tabar quotes, “people are at best totally dependent on their sectarian leaders and at worst left out in the cold.” According to Tabar, the Lebanese people view others as very “black and white”: They are either completely devoted to their faith or they are not, leaving them in the darkness with no guidance or security. Maybe the Lebanese aren’t fully abandoning their practice of religion because they fear that they will no longer have guidance or be protected from harm and suffering.
