Do you believe in ghosts?

[Cognitive Gear]

I believe in ghosts to the same degree that I believe that water can be turned into wine: it may have happened once by God's will, but it doesn't mean that it happens today, or really at any other point in time, nor that it can happen outside of God actively causing it.

[akorecki1]

I am new and I saw your post I would have to say yes and no the reason is because I believe in spirits you may be wondering whats the difference well the difference is spirits are angel's or demons you should be able to tell witch goes to God and witch goes to Saten. Anyways to get to my point they are real but if you have faith in God he will protect you from the demons and angels are there to help. I once asked the same question at church I got a response some what like this. I hope this answered your question.

[mkalv]

Naw, I don't really believe in ghosts.

To anyone who is scared of ghosts, I just always tell them that they should probably be more scared of people who are actually alive.

[ashfire]

I know a guy who goes to areas where people believe ghost are believe to be. He uses a camera to catch images of them.
He has told me where he has had his hat knock off his head and heard a child laugh at him in a children ward in a abandoned hospital building.
There are a few historical building said to have ghost in our area.
I have even heard the White House has ghost.

[Solid Ronin]

I believe in the existence of spirits doomed to haunt the Earth to their eternal dismay. Every time a ghost is harming someone, its actually just trying to reach out, to ease its loneliness.

I should note I believe in this solely on the principle that it is totally metal.

[Mouse2010]

I'm not sure if I think ghosts or the "paranormal" are as common as people seem to think they are. They might actually exist, but a lot of "strange phenomena" can be explained by science, atmospheric conditions, and by the nature of the human eyes/brain.

Ditto. I absolutely believe that some people experience hauntings. But that's different from assuming that the hauntings necessarily have a supernatural explanation. There might be a natural explanation for many hauntings.

That said, it would be fair to say that I believe in ghosts in theory. I like a good ghost story. I've even done a historical ghost tour. But if confronted with a specific alleged haunting, I tend to be skeptical and think of other explanations, too. But honestly, if you can believe in angels and demons, how much of a stretch is it to believe in ghosts, too? I would think that Christians would have LESS reason to be skeptical of ghosts than would agnostics. In my case, certainly, I don't see any reason why ghosts couldn't exist, given that I do believe in a supernatural world. (But, again, to say they could exist is not to say that they DO exist.)

[Warrior 4 Jesus]

I believe ghosts can be a number of things:
1. the result of an overactive imagination
2. a hoax/lie
3. something brought about by taking too many drugs and/or alcohol
4. in some cases demons in the guise of loved ones/people to deceive and have them looking to something other than God

[ShiroiHikari]

Let me just say that I do think ghosts and hauntings can make for some pretty good stories. I like a good ghost story every once in a while.

[Bobtheduck]

As there is once instance of them in the Bible, I believe they exist. I don't think they wander the earth, but I think they can be called back temporarily, and of course that's something we should not ever do.

[TheMewster]

I believe ghosts can be a number of things:
1. the result of an overactive imagination
2. a hoax/lie
3. something brought about by taking too many drugs and/or alcohol
4. in some cases demons in the guise of loved ones/people to deceive and have them looking to something other than God

This exactly. Oh and nice signature Bobtheduck.

[Bobtheduck]

Oh and nice signature Bobtheduck.

I didn't even notice this before I changed it. I still believe it's true, but maybe a bit too harsh and not worth making my signature. This one was made for me on another forum, and I like showing it off. I could have done the main picture part, it's just the fonts I can't do.

[Sapphire225]

In a sense but not quite, I do believe in ghosts, but not in the sense that they are everywhere as the media likes to try to make a place seem haunted but in truth, it probably not (For instance, Michael Jackson's ghost...pshaw! He'd better be singing Thriller) In my opinion, I think a poltergiest/demons is more plausible to find than an actual ghost of an individual.

Unless you mean the Biblical ghosts called up by God himself or the Holy Ghost, then no, I don't believe in the traditionally believed ghosts.

[Lynna]

I'm not sure what to believe.

First Off, it could just be demons pretending to be loved ones/ random people. Why? Well, to make them afraid, for one thing. I believe Fear is a powerful weapon of Satan. Also, as I think someone mentioned, it leads people away from God. For example, I once knew a Girl who said she could talk to Ghosts, and that she enjoyed doing so. What's the likelihood of her ever seeking after God?

But, then again, they could be real. But still, there's Heaven and there's Hell, how could they just decide not to go anywhere?

At any rate, there's certainly a lot we wont know until we die, or Jesus returns.

[Atria35]

But, then again, they could be real. But still, there's Heaven and there's Hell, how could they just decide not to go anywhere?

Well, if they're afraid to go to Hell, or afraid to face God because they feel they've sinned in this life, why wouldn't they just decide to not go anywhere? They know this place and the people on it, which can be far more comforting than going off into the unknown.

[DaughterOfZion]

Just thought I'd throw this in here. Another cause of some alleged "hauntings" can be carbon monoxide poisoning. Of course this only apply's to some cases. Here's an older documented case: http://www.ghostvillage.com/resources/2004/resources_10312004.shtml

[Lynna]

Well, if they're afraid to go to Hell, or afraid to face God because they feel they've sinned in this life, why wouldn't they just decide to not go anywhere? They know this place and the people on it, which can be far more comforting than going off into the unknown.

That's true, but I'm questioning weather or not they have the ability to make that decision. Of course, no one can really prove it right or wrong. However, I can't help thinking that if this were the case, there would be a lot more ghost sightings, because I don't think anyone wants to go to Hell, and a bunch of people probably don't want to risk going to see God because they're afraid of getting sent to Hell anyways. Same for if there actually isn't hell and ghosts are people who don't go to heaven or something.

[Mouse2010]

One thing to keep in mind is that many reported ghosts don't really interact with the people around them. They just do the same things over and over again, like walking down a hallway. Some people say that MOST hauntings fall into this category (if you want more information on this, look up "residual hauntings").

It's been suggested that these "pattern" ghosts (assuming they are not just hallucinations) might not actually be the spirits of the dead. They might be some kind of psychic residue left behind. In some ways, these are the easiest kinds of ghosts to explain from a Christian perspective: you don't have to explain what the souls of long-dead people are doing there on earth, because they're not there. It's just some afterimage, like a photograph or a shadow, that they left behind for some reason.

But, of course, there is no scientific evidence that this can happen!

[Atria35]

But, of course, there is no scientific evidence that this can happen!

Of course, the caveat is that there also wasn't any scientific evidence for the tectonic plates moving until the 50's, so it's entirely possible that we just don't have the evidence yet.

[mechana2015]

I actually sort of sit on the afterimage theory, for the most part. I think that there may be some way to actually live an impression behind over time or strong emotion. Not sure exactly how it works, but I had a thought about electromagnetics or something having to do with it.

[Warrior 4 Jesus]

Mechana, it's interesting you should say that. Whilst watching LOST I always presumed the ghosts lingered on the Island because of the electromagnetic properties. Maybe electromagnetic energy is a scientific understanding of the properties of the spiritual realm. Probably not but it's interesting to think about.

[Davidizer13]

Of course, the caveat is that there also wasn't any scientific evidence for the tectonic plates moving until the 50's, so it's entirely possible that we just don't have the evidence yet.

<offtopic>

Funny you should mention tectonic plates, because a while back, I was reading a geology book from the '40s, before plate tectonics became a viable theory. They were trying to explain why folds and faults were bunching up around subduction zones (where one plate, usually an oceanic plate, goes beneath another) on the subducting plate, but eventually couldn't come up with a viable answer; it was like they were shooting around a bullseye, but never hitting it. But yeah, you're right, it took magnetic and radiometric dating surveys of the ocean floor to finally show plate tectonics was valid.

</offtopic>

I don't know anything about ghosts, and I can't say I've ever run into one, but if they really were something like souls wandering the earth, I doubt you could detect them with electromagnetic techniques. More likely, that's something professional "ghost hunters" took up to make their work look a little more scientific than running around, listening for weird noises or looking for video distortions.

[DrWhoof]

Totally. I've seen them many times throughout my life.

[mechana2015]

Mechana, it's interesting you should say that. Whilst watching LOST I always presumed the ghosts lingered on the Island because of the electromagnetic properties. Maybe electromagnetic energy is a scientific understanding of the properties of the spiritual realm. Probably not but it's interesting to think about.

I don't really think it's spiritual at all. A lot of our understanding of physics comes down to electron interaction (before we get to the strong and weak force, and subatomic physics with string theory and all that) and one of the most recent recording devices we used was electromagnetic tape. I just wonder if its possible for people to leave an impression of some sort on everyday materials with the electric activity of the human body/nervous system, rather than dealing with some sort of spiritual deal.

[Diamond Dragon]

I believe ghosts can be a number of things:
1. the result of an overactive imagination
2. a hoax/lie
3. something brought about by taking too many drugs and/or alcohol
4. in some cases demons in the guise of loved ones/people to deceive and have them looking to something other than God

This.

[seaglass27]

This thread came as kind of a surprise to me. I had always assumed that all or nearly all Christians did not believe in ghosts. I have always been taught that souls go straight to heaven or hell after death and stay there for eternity. We all have different beliefs I guess.

[Dante]

On a related note, I don't think ghosts can actually hurt you too bad (or they are limited to where they can go ect.). Something has to be holding them back - otherwise, ghosts = ultimate assassin. Think about it, a ghost would make an AWESOME assassin. To illustrate, I'm going FULL GODWIN BABY!

Hitler goes off and starts killing people and is laughing to himself in his evil manor... then the door opens up. And NOBODY IS THERE. Several minutes later, Hitler gets punched in the gut from one direction, his prized bowling ball side-swipes him in the face and the hot poker from the fire stabs in the rump. The guards run in and see the image of a couple of Jewish guys kicking his rear and immediately open fire... only their ethereal and the bullets go straight through them and they end up killing Hitler. As they leave they shake their heads, "Gah, ghosts again! I kept telling him he shouldn't kill people - but does he listen? No, this happens every-time some homological maniac rolls through town. Wanna go out for a beer?" As they turn the corner, they hand the ghosts some money to spend for their families and thank them for killing off a horrible villain - they were in on it the whole time.

9/11? We wouldn't have to launch a war, we could just wait for the 3k+ ghosts to show up at Osama's house and open up a can of whoop-rump! Just think about it, invincible (they're already dead) assassins that can walk trough walls, guards and they don't need to sleep. You can't even see or hear them if they don't want you too. It would really make an awesome science fiction novel in fact, the US Army goes and develops spirit technology and produces an army of ghosts - it would make a great summer blockbuster too! Anyone at Hollywood listening? Great, you can send Mith 10% of the revenues and thank me later .

[Atria35]

Mechana, it's interesting you should say that. Whilst watching LOST I always presumed the ghosts lingered on the Island because of the electromagnetic properties. Maybe electromagnetic energy is a scientific understanding of the properties of the spiritual realm. Probably not but it's interesting to think about.

Well, it's been proven that high electromagnetic fields affect people in really funky ways- paranoia, nausea, skin irritation- so it's possible that those have something to do with it, since those are usually associated with hauntings.

*remembers the billion and one times I've seen those detectors show someone has something improperly insulated*

[mechana2015]

The shows where they look for 'impressions' with cameras or audio recorders are what really led me to that thought, since those are all electronic monitoring devices, but the whole thing of how an unprotected field can mess with a person is a good thought too.

[Dante]

The shows where they look for 'impressions' with cameras or audio recorders are what really led me to that thought, since those are all electronic monitoring devices, but the whole thing of how an unprotected field can mess with a person is a good thought too.

Yes - but these are the same people that read numbers off volt meters and aren't intelligent enough to read off the units. Imagine if it switches from volts to milivolts? (OMG It just hit 233! It went from 0.2 to 233! We have a SERIOUS entity here people!) EVPs are even worse - want to see how easily you can tag voices into random background noise? Turn on your fan while you're going to sleep and focus on the sound. Over time, you'll here entire conversations going on in the thing - you won't be able to make anything out, but it will sound like a party is practically going on in the other room. XD

Could be fake, but the best I've seen is on Destination Truth, at the very least it typically entertains.

[Atria35]

Detination Truth is the most awesome show ever! xDD I love how a solid half of it is them goofing around and showing off the local scene. I watch it purely for that!

(my favorite episode has to be when he mistook ear drops for eye drops. I felt so bad for thinking it was hilarious, but it's still the funniest thing I've ever seen!)