Proof. EVP's. How do you explain asking a question in a haunted place and getting a definite, clear answer on a hand held recorded that picks up low frequnecy? It's done all the time.

I absolutely do believe in ghosts. I've experienced way too much crazy *kitten* not to. I grew up in a metaphysical home, so it was just par for the course, and for a lot of my youth I thought it was normal.

Unfortunately I don't have a lot of time to share any stories today, but I will some time, I promise.

I do. I even did a ghost hunt. I asked a question on a microphone in a cemetary. Something answered. I still have the recording saved. Effing CREEPY.

What did you ask and what did it say?

I LOVE the ghost hunters show. I think it's fascinating

I totally believe there are residual spirits. There aren't many logical explinations for a lot of things.

Ok just because this is debate and we're meant to do this sort of thing... I'm not trying to be a prick and rain on everyone's ghost parade!

Shows like Ghost Hunters are great proof that there's no such thing. Wouldn't you say that finding evidence of a ghost, since there's never been any reliable evidence of a ghost ever, would be a hard thing to find? Many of you said you've had experiences. Do you believe that anytime you went looking that experience could be repeated?

But every week these shows find evidence of ghosts..every single week. Yet none has been scientifically accepted.

Ghost hunter shows don't always find evidence- there are many investigations in which they disprove occurrences or find nothing at all to prove the haunting. Of course, there are a few teams on television that play up and sensationalize the already-shaky evidence they're finding, because it is, after all, a television show... but there are a couple of teams that I believe are pretty consistent and reliable with their investigations and data.

I also wonder about Christians who believe in ghosts. Wouldn't these ghosts be in heaven or hell?

When things happen that I don't understand I never jump to "Ghost" as the explanation. I know a lot of people who jump to "ghost" when something strange happens that they can't explain. My mind never goes there.

My great grandmother was a spiritualist minister from Norway. She talked to the dead. Ghosts supposedly hung around her. When I was about 4 my dad had a HUGE bonfire and burned all of her stuff. If I remember correctly that was about the same time they were going to church and the pastor visited the house with his kids. I would have liked to have looked at all of that stuff.

Anyone that immediately jumps to "ghost" without further investigating possible causes is setting themselves up for lots and lots of "haunted" homes, spooked out children, and probably spooked out selves. I know some people that think their home is haunted just because it's old and has creaky sounds.. that is not a haunting, that's wood fluctuating with temperature and humidity.

I do belive I do I do I do -
We lived in an OLD house in north carolina - cleaned the kitchen and went to bed. My husband came home from work and wanted to know why I left the hot chocolate stuff out and put the chairs on the table. I never did and the kids were to little. come to find out an older woman died in that home and she always picked the chairs up off the floor and mopped before she went to bed.
She also had hot chocolate every night.

Also when my nephew died just before my sister called to tell me a light that hadn't work in years (over my kitchen sink) came on. When talking to my parents and other siblings all of them had some type of "light" story to tell that happened just before receiving the news about our nephew. Coincidence? I think not

Those are incredible stories. And I don't think there is such thing as coincidence, I believe everything happens for a reason.

I don't believe in ghosts in terms of that the ghost is a 'person' or their soul. I think that IF spirits are real, it's simply a manifestation of energy.

I also wonder about Christians who believe in ghosts. Wouldn't these ghosts be in heaven or hell?

See my statement above

Short answer is yes.

I believe that some souls in purgatory appear to the pious. I also beliieve that demons do a damn good job of lying to those who are seeking "ghosts" for they have more knowledge than us. If you're interested in reading on the difference, check out the book Hungry Souls (it's a quick read and has some fascinating pictures). Also read up on Maria Simma...very insightful

haha you said "demons do a DAMN good job...." that makes me chuckle

I also wonder about Christians who believe in ghosts. Wouldn't these ghosts be in heaven or hell?

Don't forget about purgatory. It's possible that earth is purgatory for these spirits and that is why they are not in heaven or hell. I strongly believe in the supernatural (and I'm a Christian) mostly because I've had too many weird things happen to me.

I believe because I have experienced it on more than one occasion and from different sources. Can I prove any of them? I guess only one...but the proof healed later.

This one I am talking about me and two friends went to a place supposedly haunted..I was skeptical and being a smartass, I pounded on the doors saying stuff like, "you hoo...anyone here? Come prove yourself!" well we were walking a few minutes later, my two friends a few paces in front of me when suddenly I felt something slam into my back...hard...I flew past my two friends and ate dirt..my glasses got knocked right off my face and were a few feet away...I was walking, I did not trip...even if I did trip, not with such force as I was walking slowly. We immediately left and on the way home my whole side burned...we got to my friends house and I went into the bathroom to see what was wrong..I called both friends in to show them...I had distinct human fingernail scratches down my whole side..deep, they were bloody...it scared the crud outta me......so..I believe.

Also, this house we are in sometimes has strange stuff go on, not often..but every now and then....for example my daughter was out of her room talking to me..we heard a commotion in her room, sounded like stuff being thrown around and we go in and the room is a total mess, posters ripped off the wall, a very, very antique doll is sitting on her bed when it was on the bookshelf.......my mother also experienced this house...I walked by the bathroom and the faucet suddenly went on..I went in to shut it off and the mirror flew open almost hitting my face..it was actually kinda funny...my mom walked in and I told her and she rolled her eyes and said I imagined it and dared it to open the door...it didn't. Well, she went into her room (the one that was my daughters that got tossed) and her smoking materials were scatted everywhere (she uses a cigarette maker to make cigarettes) and the cigarettes she had just made a few minutes before were torn into itty bitty pieces. We still to this day have things happen every now and then.

I'm open to the possibility - I think there are a lot of things we don't understand about the world, and possibly never will. Some things can't be proved in a concrete way. It's like telepathic communication, for example - my mother/sister/grandmother and I always 'know' when one of the others is upset/hurt/very happy/needs a phone call, despite living in different continents and timezones. Nothing can be 'proved', but I believe it happens, because it has happened to me. I'm a fairly logical sort of person, but I'm happy to accept that some things don't fit neatly into a box. Keeps life interesting!

I'm a hardcore skeptic these days.

I never believed in ghosts as "spirits of the dead" or any of that religious bunk, but for a couple of decades I did believe that there were rare phenomenon, as yet unexplained by science, that folks could interpret as such. There was a point in my mid 20s where I was very active in it - I was a member of the Ghost Club and ASSAP for a while.

Then I moved to America and lost all belief in most people's capability for rational thought.

Now I'm more interested in the psychological aspects of paranormal experience... that's where the really fun stuff is.

Here's my question for those who believe in ghosts (and are parents).

What do you tell your children when they say they've seen a ghost? Or that there's a monster in the closet? Do you say "There's no such thing now go back to bed" or do you grab them, check into a motel and sell your home?

If my daughter tells me she's scared of something supernatural I tell her there's no such thing. So I figure if I'm going to say it I best believe it myself.

Both of my youngest have coming running into our room proclaiming monsters. Either my husband or myself would go back into their rooms with them and try to recreate the scenario that they think they saw or heard something scary. We've been able to point out shadows, catch the wind whistling, or whatever to show that it wasn't a monster or ghost. Sometimes it helped their fears, sometimes it didn't but we tried not to just blow off their fears with, "go back to bed, there's no monsters."

My oldest had an experience (I can't remember the details) that he described to me and then afterward told me he believed it was a ghost. He was the only one at home when it happened and there was no obvious alternative mundane explanation for what he experienced. I told him it could be a ghost, it could be something more rational. He chose to believe it was a ghost and I warned him that others may not share that opinion if he told that story to others.

I don't believe every weird thing I've experienced is because of a ghost and I have sought out rational explanations, not just jumping to that conclusion. And I am still open to the possibility that the weird things with no other seeming explanation may in fact not be a ghost. I try to teach my children the same, look for another answer first. If you can't find one, then maybe it could be something supernatural.

Your parenting style?