Do you believe in Ghosts?
Replies
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I do not believe in anything supernatural.0
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I have a very scientific and quizzical mind and I believe there is more to life than heaven or earth. The existence of a God has never seemed plausible, but the existence of so-called Gods seems highly likely, although whether or not they possessed the paranormal powers bestowed on them or simply had access to technology ahead of their time is another question.
The mind/brain is also an amazing piece of kit; we often see things that aren't really there because our brains can trick us into thinking they ought to be there. In some instance I think that can lead people to believe they might have seen a ghost or spectre.
I have a very strong belief in fate, i.e. everything happens for a reason - we might not know why, but then again it might all be my logical mind trying to make sense out of seemingly random coincidences.
When I was a child, I used to hear noises at night that nobody else could hear. It took me nearly 25 years to realise I suffer from tinnitus and those noises I hear are very real, unfortunately they are just in my head and no audible to anyone else.
I cannot claim to have seen a ghost, but my husband can and in our own home no less. Just because I've never seen this ghost doesn't mean she doesn't exist; similarly, while I believe the much beloved believes he's seen this ghost on more than one occasion, that's not to say that what he believes he's seen was actually a spirit or merely a figment of his intoxicated imagination.
One very weird thing that has happened to me that doesn't seem to have any rational explanation, took place when I was at Uni. I had been out in my car running an errand and was returning to the campus when I was involved in an RTC; a van drove into me head on. Fortunately, I was not injured or killed, but I was extremely shaken. I was alone and I felt vulnerable and I kept thinking that I wanted to see Ste, who was my best friend at Uni.
I was sitting in the back of the police car giving my witness statement when suddenly he appeared outside.
I was so surprised and delighted to see him and stayed with me and made sure I got back home to the student accommodation block we lived in.
Afterwards, I asked him if he was just passing or had heard there's been an accident in front of the University and he told me that he was at home in the block when someone came up from the common room (this was in the days long before cell-phones) to say there was a phone call for him. A person whose voice he didn't recognise told him he needed to get over to the campus as I'd been in an accident and then hung up.
Now, I'd never asked anyone to call Ste, nor even mentioned to anyone that I wanted him to come and help me. None of our mutual friends had witnessed the accident or were around afterwards. It is to this day, something for which neither of us have any rational explanation.
Was it my guardian angle looking after me? Or some other supernatural occurrence? Who knows!0 -
Yes, I do believe in them, and not just because I've had an experiences, which I have.
I went to Catholic schools and in Grade 12, and elderly priest visited my Christian Ethics class. He was there to tell us of the many exorcisms he'd performed over the years; not just on people, but on places too. What he told sent chills through my spine. I don't think it likely that a priest would fabricate firsthand encounters with paranormal experiences, so I'm inclined to believe he was being truthful.
The last apartment I lived in had a bad, uneasy energy. Two things of note took place there: First, a strange, thick, grey film appeared on the mirror to my dresser, overnite. It never returned. As well, the one of the windows in my daughter's bedroom had a strangely-formed crack turn up on it, as well, seemingly overnite. We were up on the third floor. I'm not saying that there isn't rational explanations for these occurrences, but, that I know what the energy felt like in that area of the house, where the strange things happened, and it felt bad and uncomfortable. I only lasted a few months at this place, I never felt at home there.
As well, not long after moving in, I found my downstairs neighbour walking around burning sage. She was trying to cleanse the energy in her space too, as she had the exact same uneasy feeling that I (and my mom, for that matter) had.
I think it's naive to only believe in what we can prove. I'm highly intuitive (an empath) and often know things without being told. I just pick information up. I have no way of proving how I know what I know, but I haven't been wrong yet.
Many of us on MFP didn't have hard proof that once we made lifestyle changes, that we would feel better, look better, lose weight, etc., but many of us go on the belief that we WILL improve in these areas, if we change how we eat and add exercise to the mix. Sure, there are studies that say these things are good for you, but noone knows FOR SURE that his/her life will improve as a result. Sometimes we just have to have faith.
There are countless audio recordings of "ghosts" speaking and responding to questions when asked. There are just SO MANY people who've had encounters, to discount the possibility completely. We aren't just matter, we are souls and spirit lives in us, and lives beyond the physical.
Like I said, some things I just know, and I know this to be true.0 -
Yes, I do believe in them, and not just because I've had an experiences, which I have.
I went to Catholic schools and in Grade 12, and elderly priest visited my Christian Ethics class. He was there to tell us of the many exorcisms he'd performed over the years; not just on people, but on places too. What he told sent chills through my spine. I don't think it likely that a priest would fabricate firsthand encounters with paranormal experiences, so I'm inclined to believe he was being truthful.
The last apartment I lived in had a bad, uneasy energy. Two things of note took place there: First, a strange, thick, grey film appeared on the mirror to my dresser, overnite. It never returned. As well, the one of the windows in my daughter's bedroom had a strangely-formed crack turn up on it, as well, seemingly overnite. We were up on the third floor. I'm not saying that there isn't rational explanations for these occurrences, but, that I know what the energy felt like in that area of the house, where the strange things happened, and it felt bad and uncomfortable. I only lasted a few months at this place, I never felt at home there.
As well, not long after moving in, I found my downstairs neighbour walking around burning sage. She was trying to cleanse the energy in her space too, as she had the exact same uneasy feeling that I (and my mom, for that matter) had.
I think it's naive to only believe in what we can prove. I'm highly intuitive (an empath) and often know things without being told. I just pick information up. I have no way of proving how I know what I know, but I haven't been wrong yet.
Many of us on MFP didn't have hard proof that once we made lifestyle changes, that we would feel better, look better, lose weight, etc., but many of us go on the belief that we WILL improve in these areas, if we change how we eat and add exercise to the mix. Sure, there are studies that say these things are good for you, but noone knows FOR SURE that his/her life will improve as a result. Sometimes we just have to have faith.
There are countless audio recordings of "ghosts" speaking and responding to questions when asked. There are just SO MANY people who've had encounters, to discount the possibility completely. We aren't just matter, we are souls and spirit lives in us, and lives beyond the physical.
Like I said, some things I just know, and I know this to be true.
I know you are wrong. I just do.0 -
I know you are wrong. I just do.Yes, I do believe in them, and not just because I've had an experiences, which I have.
I went to Catholic schools and in Grade 12, and elderly priest visited my Christian Ethics class. He was there to tell us of the many exorcisms he'd performed over the years; not just on people, but on places too. What he told sent chills through my spine. I don't think it likely that a priest would fabricate firsthand encounters with paranormal experiences, so I'm inclined to believe he was being truthful.
The last apartment I lived in had a bad, uneasy energy. Two things of note took place there: First, a strange, thick, grey film appeared on the mirror to my dresser, overnite. It never returned. As well, the one of the windows in my daughter's bedroom had a strangely-formed crack turn up on it, as well, seemingly overnite. We were up on the third floor. I'm not saying that there isn't rational explanations for these occurrences, but, that I know what the energy felt like in that area of the house, where the strange things happened, and it felt bad and uncomfortable. I only lasted a few months at this place, I never felt at home there.
As well, not long after moving in, I found my downstairs neighbour walking around burning sage. She was trying to cleanse the energy in her space too, as she had the exact same uneasy feeling that I (and my mom, for that matter) had.
I think it's naive to only believe in what we can prove. I'm highly intuitive (an empath) and often know things without being told. I just pick information up. I have no way of proving how I know what I know, but I haven't been wrong yet.
Many of us on MFP didn't have hard proof that once we made lifestyle changes, that we would feel better, look better, lose weight, etc., but many of us go on the belief that we WILL improve in these areas, if we change how we eat and add exercise to the mix. Sure, there are studies that say these things are good for you, but noone knows FOR SURE that his/her life will improve as a result. Sometimes we just have to have faith.
There are countless audio recordings of "ghosts" speaking and responding to questions when asked. There are just SO MANY people who've had encounters, to discount the possibility completely. We aren't just matter, we are souls and spirit lives in us, and lives beyond the physical.
Like I said, some things I just know, and I know this to be true.
I know you are wrong. I just do.0 -
I also wonder about Christians who believe in ghosts. Wouldn't these ghosts be in heaven or hell?
Maybe neither. Maybe purgatory?0 -
Nope. Just psychological nonsense.
Can you really be so sure? I polled a few friends. Easter Bunny, Santa Claus. Tooth Fairy. The vote was 2 to 1 against the possibility. Just because common sense, science and rational reasoning don't support the boogie man or ghosts is no reason to rule it out.
I think that one can be quite rational thinker and still believe that there is possibility of something more than we can explain via science or "common" sense. Some things cannot be explained. And maybe never will be. But does that make them any less real?0 -
Nope. Just psychological nonsense.
Can you really be so sure? I polled a few friends. Easter Bunny, Santa Claus. Tooth Fairy. The vote was 2 to 1 against the possibility. Just because common sense, science and rational reasoning don't support the boogie man or ghosts is no reason to rule it out.
I think that one can be quite rational thinker and still believe that there is possibility of something more than we can explain via science or "common" sense. Some things cannot be explained. And maybe never will be. But does that make them any less real?
It really depends on how you define reality. It might sound a little Clinton-esque there, but it's true. Different philosophies define reality differently. Some people hold that their perceptions are absolute, and if something happens outside of those perceptions it isn't real (a al if a tree falls in the woods and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?)
So yes, not being able to perceive something may indeed make something not real for someone.0 -
Just because common sense, science and rational reasoning don't support the boogie man or ghosts is no reason to rule it out.
The earth is flat. Common sense, science, and rational reasoning say otherwise, but that doesn't mean they're right.
Capiche?
I don't buy that we exist beyond death. It makes no sense at all. There's never been a single shred of scientific evidence showing the existence of "ghosts" an afterlife or other such nonsense. It's in the heads of the people who "experience" it and nothing more. Belief in an afterlife is simply a longstanding coping mechanism to deal with death and finality. The notion of not existing beyond death is too much for most people to deal with, quite frankly.0 -
Just because common sense, science and rational reasoning don't support the boogie man or ghosts is no reason to rule it out.
The earth is flat. Common sense, science, and rational reasoning say otherwise, but that doesn't mean they're right.
Capiche?
I don't buy that we exist beyond death. It makes no sense at all. There's never been a single shred of scientific evidence showing the existence of "ghosts" an afterlife or other such nonsense. It's in the heads of the people who "experience" it and nothing more. Belief in an afterlife is simply a longstanding coping mechanism to deal with death and finality. The notion of not existing beyond death is too much for most people to deal with, quite frankly.
I don't think a lack of credible evidence--and credible might not be the same for everyone--automatically means that existence beyond death doesn't make sense. It seems like you're drawing a conclusion that we can't actually determine one way or another.
This may just be my interpretation, but I've always thought that all science is predicated on the idea that, "I might be wrong about this" and we should keep our minds open to possibilities that cannot be disproven--and sometimes even when they can.0 -
Just because common sense, science and rational reasoning don't support the boogie man or ghosts is no reason to rule it out.
The earth is flat. Common sense, science, and rational reasoning say otherwise, but that doesn't mean they're right.
Capiche?
I don't buy that we exist beyond death. It makes no sense at all. There's never been a single shred of scientific evidence showing the existence of "ghosts" an afterlife or other such nonsense. It's in the heads of the people who "experience" it and nothing more. Belief in an afterlife is simply a longstanding coping mechanism to deal with death and finality. The notion of not existing beyond death is too much for most people to deal with, quite frankly.
Yes but for a long time, common sense, rational thought and science thought the world WAS flat. So just because common thought or science proves something to be true, it doesn't make it necessarily truth either.
Just because you don't believe in the afterlife doesn't make it necessarily true that there isn't one. Actually, if I were a betting person, I would bet on there being one. After all, if one doesn't exist, it won't matter. But if one does exist, some of us better start behaving better.
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Nope. Just psychological nonsense.
Can you really be so sure? I polled a few friends. Easter Bunny, Santa Claus. Tooth Fairy. The vote was 2 to 1 against the possibility. Just because common sense, science and rational reasoning don't support the boogie man or ghosts is no reason to rule it out.
I think that one can be quite rational thinker and still believe that there is possibility of something more than we can explain via science or "common" sense. Some things cannot be explained. And maybe never will be. But does that make them any less real?
It really depends on how you define reality. It might sound a little Clinton-esque there, but it's true. Different philosophies define reality differently. Some people hold that their perceptions are absolute, and if something happens outside of those perceptions it isn't real (a al if a tree falls in the woods and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?)
So yes, not being able to perceive something may indeed make something not real for someone.
I don't necessarily buy into the whole relativism idea: what you believe is your truth and your reality and what I believe is truth is my reality. Mostly because it doesn't work well. For example, if in my version of reality I am Wonder Woman and I don my suit and jump into my invisible jet, I'm really not going anywhere fast. Because there is no invisible jet, no matter what I believe. hehe0 -
I don't necessarily buy into the whole relativism idea: what you believe is your truth and your reality and what I believe is truth is my reality. Mostly because it doesn't work well. For example, if in my version of reality I am Wonder Woman and I don my suit and jump into my invisible jet, I'm really not going anyway fast. Because there is no invisible jet, no matter what I believe. hehe
I'd guess that the part of the joy of solopsism is that it doesn't really matter if other people think you're right
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Just because common sense, science and rational reasoning don't support the boogie man or ghosts is no reason to rule it out.
The earth is flat. Common sense, science, and rational reasoning say otherwise, but that doesn't mean they're right.
Capiche?
I don't buy that we exist beyond death. It makes no sense at all. There's never been a single shred of scientific evidence showing the existence of "ghosts" an afterlife or other such nonsense. It's in the heads of the people who "experience" it and nothing more. Belief in an afterlife is simply a longstanding coping mechanism to deal with death and finality. The notion of not existing beyond death is too much for most people to deal with, quite frankly.
Yes but for a long time, common sense, rational thought and science thought the world WAS flat. So just because common thought or science proves something to be true, it doesn't make it necessarily truth either.
Just because you don't believe in the afterlife doesn't make it necessarily true that there isn't one. Actually, if I were a betting person, I would bet on there being one. After all, if one doesn't exist, it won't matter. But if one does exist, some of us better start behaving better.
Doesn't change the fact that there is no rational means to believe in an afterlife. All you have to go on is "faith" and intangible "feeling" which are insufficient.
Also, the "you better believe just in case" argument for God and an afterlife doesn't work on me. Why should I waste my life being "afraid" of what comes after when I have absolutely no reason to believe anything exists after death? Furthermore, even if there is an afterlife, the likelihood that it's anything like you believe is so remote as to not even be worthy of trying. Why? Because every single religion has it's own notion of what that afterlife is, and it varies on the individual level. Most of those beliefs exclude other groups with their own notions of who gets to have an afterlife. The likelihood that you're right is astronomically low. The simpler and thus far more likely explanation and more logical one is that when we die, we cease to exist just as we did not exist before conception.
P.S. You don't have to believe in God or an afterlife to be a decent quality human being.0 -
Just because common sense, science and rational reasoning don't support the boogie man or ghosts is no reason to rule it out.
The earth is flat. Common sense, science, and rational reasoning say otherwise, but that doesn't mean they're right.
Capiche?
I don't buy that we exist beyond death. It makes no sense at all. There's never been a single shred of scientific evidence showing the existence of "ghosts" an afterlife or other such nonsense. It's in the heads of the people who "experience" it and nothing more. Belief in an afterlife is simply a longstanding coping mechanism to deal with death and finality. The notion of not existing beyond death is too much for most people to deal with, quite frankly.
Yes but for a long time, common sense, rational thought and science thought the world WAS flat. So just because common thought or science proves something to be true, it doesn't make it necessarily truth either.
Just because you don't believe in the afterlife doesn't make it necessarily true that there isn't one. Actually, if I were a betting person, I would bet on there being one. After all, if one doesn't exist, it won't matter. But if one does exist, some of us better start behaving better.
Doesn't change the fact that there is no rational means to believe in an afterlife. All you have to go on is "faith" and intangible "feeling" which are insufficient.
Also, the "you better believe just in case" argument for God and an afterlife doesn't work on me. Why should I waste my life being "afraid" of what comes after when I have absolutely no reason to believe anything exists after death? Furthermore, even if there is an afterlife, the likelihood that it's anything like you believe is so remote as to not even be worthy of trying. Why? Because every single religion has it's own notion of what that afterlife is, and it varies on the individual level. Most of those beliefs exclude other groups with their own notions of who gets to have an afterlife. The likelihood that you're right is astronomically low.
P.S. You don't have to believe in God or an afterlife to be a decent quality human being.
Your PS is quite true.
But in the end, it doesn't really matter what you or I believe to be true about the afterlife. We all die. So we'll both find out. 0 -
I don't necessarily buy into the whole relativism idea: what you believe is your truth and your reality and what I believe is truth is my reality. Mostly because it doesn't work well. For example, if in my version of reality I am Wonder Woman and I don my suit and jump into my invisible jet, I'm really not going anyway fast. Because there is no invisible jet, no matter what I believe. hehe
I'd guess that the part of the joy of solopsism is that it doesn't really matter if other people think you're right
I had no idea that I dabbled in Solipsism!! LOL0 -
We can come up with a rational argument for an afterlife. It's not that difficult.
Let's assume a few things (feel free to argue with any of them, but they're the basis for my rationale):
1. Energy in the universe is neither gained nor lost.
2. Energy comes in different forms, some more complex than others.
3. We are not aware of all types of energy in the universe.
It is entirely possible that we can exist as a complex form of conscious energy after death. There really no way of telling how likely it is or isn't. To determine how probable it is, we'd have to have a lot more information than we do. As for simplicity. It's equally simple to say we continue on as energy compared to saying that the energy disperses.
All of that is completely rational and reasonable. It isn't supported by evidence to the satisfaction of current research, but that doesn't make it irrational or nonsense.0 -
I know you are wrong. I just do.Yes, I do believe in them, and not just because I've had an experiences, which I have.
I went to Catholic schools and in Grade 12, and elderly priest visited my Christian Ethics class. He was there to tell us of the many exorcisms he'd performed over the years; not just on people, but on places too. What he told sent chills through my spine. I don't think it likely that a priest would fabricate firsthand encounters with paranormal experiences, so I'm inclined to believe he was being truthful.
The last apartment I lived in had a bad, uneasy energy. Two things of note took place there: First, a strange, thick, grey film appeared on the mirror to my dresser, overnite. It never returned. As well, the one of the windows in my daughter's bedroom had a strangely-formed crack turn up on it, as well, seemingly overnite. We were up on the third floor. I'm not saying that there isn't rational explanations for these occurrences, but, that I know what the energy felt like in that area of the house, where the strange things happened, and it felt bad and uncomfortable. I only lasted a few months at this place, I never felt at home there.
As well, not long after moving in, I found my downstairs neighbour walking around burning sage. She was trying to cleanse the energy in her space too, as she had the exact same uneasy feeling that I (and my mom, for that matter) had.
I think it's naive to only believe in what we can prove. I'm highly intuitive (an empath) and often know things without being told. I just pick information up. I have no way of proving how I know what I know, but I haven't been wrong yet.
Many of us on MFP didn't have hard proof that once we made lifestyle changes, that we would feel better, look better, lose weight, etc., but many of us go on the belief that we WILL improve in these areas, if we change how we eat and add exercise to the mix. Sure, there are studies that say these things are good for you, but noone knows FOR SURE that his/her life will improve as a result. Sometimes we just have to have faith.
There are countless audio recordings of "ghosts" speaking and responding to questions when asked. There are just SO MANY people who've had encounters, to discount the possibility completely. We aren't just matter, we are souls and spirit lives in us, and lives beyond the physical.
Like I said, some things I just know, and I know this to be true.
I know you are wrong. I just do.
I know you are wrong. I just can't explain it. But I know it.0 -
We can come up with a rational argument for an afterlife. It's not that difficult.
Let's assume a few things (feel free to argue with any of them, but they're the basis for my rationale):
1. Energy in the universe is neither gained nor lost.
2. Energy comes in different forms, some more complex than others.
3. We are not aware of all types of energy in the universe.
It is entirely possible that we can exist as a complex form of conscious energy after death. There really no way of telling how likely it is or isn't. To determine how probable it is, we'd have to have a lot more information than we do. As for simplicity. It's equally simple to say we continue on as energy compared to saying that the energy disperses.
All of that is completely rational and reasonable. It isn't supported by evidence to the satisfaction of current research, but that doesn't make it irrational or nonsense.
You have made a rational argument for....energy. Brain controls function and personality. Energy supplies our function. Energy + brain equals concsiousness. Energy with no brain =s...energry.0
This discussion has been closed.