Do you believe in ghosts?

[Emerkaza]

Hi everyone this is my first thread. I hope you won't think I'm crazy. This thought came to mind after reading the request for our beliefs on the soul.

 

So, do you believe in ghosts? I have to say that I do. I think a "ghost" is the soul/spirit from a person who has died. For what ever reason, they haven't departed this world that we live in.

 

I also believe "ghosts" (I prefer the word "spirits") can have contact with the living. I have a reason for saying this. When I was 18 my beloved Aunt Marlene died from cancer. Her daughter, Bridgette had an extremely difficult time with her Mom's illness and death. Bridgette was only 21 and she was very close with her mother. The night of Aunt Mar's burial, I slept with my cousin in her room just so I could be there for her and comfort her. We both cried ourselves to sleep. Sometime in the night I heard my cousin talking to someone. I woke more fully and asked who she was talking to. Bridgette had the strangest, calmest look on her face and she told me that her Mom had been there. Aunt Mar had stood next to the bed and spoken with her daughter. Aunt Mar told Bridgette that she was happy and was not in any more pain. She also told Bridgette not to dwell on her death and to go on with her life. I didn't see or hear my Aunt Marlene, but I could definitely feel that she had been there. Bridgette and I talked about it for a while and then we drifted back to sleep, both comforted by the experience.

[studyguides123]

I also believe in ghosts and GOD . I have seen GOD according to bible.Bible told us what is god and how we can see it.If you want to see GOD and ghosts it is possible But you need a perfect master.

[creekland]

I believe there may be spirits - even the Bible talks about Saul contacting Samuel through a medium.

 

However, I don't believe there are nearly as many "ghosts" out there as TV would have us believe. We live very near the Gettysburg battlefield and kids at school sometimes talk about going out at night fooling the tourists. At least one of the adult volunteer helpers occasionally wanders around at night in uniform (civil war uniform) and wonder how many times he's been mistaken for ghosts too. He isn't doing it to fool tourists, but rather, to watch for vandals. With all the ghost tours and the money involved it wouldn't surprise me if there's more "ghosts" of similar types. ;)

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

Yes. We had one in our house growing up. I never saw it until I came home from college and was taking a nap in my mom's room. And, I never slept in there again. I ran like a bat out of h3ll when I figured out what it was. It wasn't a nice spirit. It scared us all. I have dozens of stories related to this spirit, but I don't usually tell anyone because they think I'm nuts. But, it's all true. Several babysitters called the police when they were watching us because they thought someone was in the house. It wasn't just our family who could hear or sense the spirit. He wasn't always visible, but according to my brother, whose room was right next to my mom's, the spirit liked to watch people sleep. My brother mostly slept on the couch in the living room because of this.

[NanceXToo]

No.

[Heidi]

Yes.

[Lady Florida.]

No.

[Oak Knoll Mom]

 

I also believe "ghosts" (I prefer the word "spirits") can have contact with the living. I have a reason for saying this. When I was 18 my beloved Aunt Marlene died from cancer. Her daughter, Bridgette had an extremely difficult time with her Mom's illness and death. Bridgette was only 21 and she was very close with her mother. The night of Aunt Mar's burial, I slept with my cousin in her room just so I could be there for her and comfort her. We both cried ourselves to sleep. Sometime in the night I heard my cousin talking to someone. I woke more fully and asked who she was talking to. Bridgette had the strangest, calmest look on her face and she told me that her Mom had been there. Aunt Mar had stood next to the bed and spoken with her daughter. Aunt Mar told Bridgette that she was happy and was not in any more pain. She also told Bridgette not to dwell on her death and to go on with her life. I didn't see or hear my Aunt Marlene, but I could definitely feel that she had been there. Bridgette and I talked about it for a while and then we drifted back to sleep, both comforted by the experience.

 

My cousin had a similar experience. She was nine when her mom died of an extended illness. The day of the funeral she was so calm. She told our grandma that her mom had come into her room the night before and talked to her.

[Remudamom]

Yes and no. 8)))

[J-rap]

No. However, I do believe in evil spirits, as talked about in the Bible.

[LidiyaDawn]

I don't know… that's the best way I can answer it.

[TravelingChris]

No

[Pretty in Pink]

Yes. We lived with one when I was 9 or 10 years old. Her name was Millie, and she was the ghost of the previous owner of the duplex that we rented; she had died in the house. She opened and closed doors and flipped light switches upon request. I am not kidding! I remember once climbing into bed without having turned off the light, so I just asked Ms. Millie to get it for me and she did. And if your hands were full and you couldn't open a door she would open it for you.

 

I know that sounds nuts...:tongue_smilie:

[SproutMamaK]

Yes.

[Chris in VA]

Sort of.

I believe there are some demons that will manifest as the ghosts of children. I do not believe children are ever "trapped" here on earth, b/c I believe God accepts them all. So, if I ever hear of a child ghost, I totally don't believe it.

I also believe Satan is deceptive, and wants to turn us from God. He'll use whatever means he has to to make us believe God is mean, or bad, or doesn't have our best interests at heart--to make us doubt God loves us and wants us. Ghosts could be part of that deception.

I also think God sometimes, very, very rarely, lets a person revisit earth to comfort someone, but mostly I think those comforting appearances (that do NOT continue) could be angels. I also think they can occasionally be demons, and the motivation for multiple appearances is to draw one's attention away from God as comforter.

 

Don't mean to hurt anyone's feelings about the matter.

[Impish]

Sort of.

I believe there are some demons that will manifest as the ghosts of children. I do not believe children are ever "trapped" here on earth, b/c I believe God accepts them all. So, if I ever hear of a child ghost, I totally don't believe it.

I also believe Satan is deceptive, and wants to turn us from God. He'll use whatever means he has to to make us believe God is mean, or bad, or doesn't have our best interests at heart--to make us doubt God loves us and wants us. Ghosts could be part of that deception.

I also think God sometimes, very, very rarely, lets a person revisit earth to comfort someone, but mostly I think those comforting appearances (that do NOT continue) could be angels. I also think they can occasionally be demons, and the motivation for multiple appearances is to draw one's attention away from God as comforter.

 

Don't mean to hurt anyone's feelings about the matter.

:iagree:

[lionfamily1999]

I'm up in the air.

 

When dh's grampa died we had a very difficult time. Neither of us were sleeping well and, well we were grieving. The night after he died we had a candle that would not go out. We blew it out and a minute or so later it lit again. This happened a few times that evening. Two nights after he died, while we were still bewildered, we were woken up by CNN on full blast. I rolled over and told dh (as I always did), "He's YOUR grampa, tell him to turn it down." See, this was fairly routine. Grampa would turn up CNN till he (and everyone in a mile radius) could hear it, we'd wake up and I'd send dh out to handle it. This night, dh got to the bedroom door and stopped. I realized what was going on and repeated, "He's your grampa, you deal with it." Yes, I am a very supportive wife. Dh went out and turned off the tv. Over the next week we smelled Grampa a lot. He used hair tonic and it had its own funky odor. We both smelled it all over the place.

 

I don't think it was Grampa himself. I think it was God, giving us comfort. It doesn't make sense to me that either Grampa was left here for awhile, or else he came back. When you die, you're either judged or else accepted into heaven. I don't believe you're left wandering until you want to be judged, and I don't believe that once you're in God's presence you'll ever want to leave.

 

All the same, God tells us not to contact the spirits of the dead, so I guess it's possible to do so.

 

IOW, I dunno ;)

[Parrothead]

I don't know if I'd call what I believe "ghosts." I do believe there can be an energy left behind. This energy can be positive or negative.

 

I do believe it is allowed for those who have died to make a very brief visit to loved ones before going on to fulfill their final destiny.

[Mosaicmind]

I do not believe that people's spirits are left behind because I know what happens as stated in the Bible when people die. I do believe in angels and demons (evil spirits) and I can see both. Ghosts are demons and you should not mess around with them at all.

[Onceuponatime]

I am a skeptic. However, two very sane and rational relatives (who are not related to each other and live in different parts of the US) have both had those "soon after death visitations" by parents who died. One was my SIL who saw her father in the back yard beckoning to her a few days after he died. She was 10. The other was my very practical Aunt who saw my grandmother smiling at her and telling her not to worry.

 

I do believe people with strong emotional ties are spiritually connected in life, maybe some of that lingers for a short while after death.

[mommaduck]

yes & no

[LisaKinVA]

Yes.

[SweetMissMagnolia]

yes.....spirits.....not sure so much the word "ghost" but spirits yes.....

[elegantlion]

Yes.

[plansrme]

If I had to pick a yes or no answer, I would say that yes, I probably do believe in ghosts, for these reasons:

 

1. The Bible talks about spirits, angels and demons, i.e., entities that are neither God nor human and that act as agents of either God or Satan. I see no basis for assuming that such things have disappeared in this day and age.

 

2. That I have never witnessed something, or that there is no physical proof of its existence, doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Many perfectly sane, rational people have reported seeing ghosts, so who am I say that they are all wrong?

 

On a similar topic, I just read The Rite, which was written by a journalist who followed a Catholic priest through his exorcism training. It was riveting, and I highly recommend it to anyone, including those who may doubt the existence of true demons.

 

Terri

[AnthemLights]

"ghosts" no

evil spirits and angels as taught in the Bible - most definitely

[DawnM]

I am so not following this. What do you mean?

 

Dawn

 

I also believe in ghosts and GOD . I have seen GOD according to bible.Bible told us what is god and how we can see it.If you want to see GOD and ghosts it is possible But you need a perfect master.

[blakereese]

Yes. Definitely Yes.

[kchara]

I do not believe that people's spirits are left behind because I know what happens as stated in the Bible when people die. I do believe in angels and demons (evil spirits) and I can see both. Ghosts are demons and you should not mess around with them at all.

 

:iagree: The Bible tells us the dead know nothing, and that we are strictly prohibited from trying to speak to the dead. So... it doesn't make sense then that God would allow ghosts or spirits of the dead back to earth, to do something he's prohibited to us. I believe the "ghosts" people see are demons Satan uses to try to confuse us, play on our emotions, and turn us from Scripture and therefore God.

[Mejane]

I've had some odd experiences, too, but my logical mind still says no.

[Home'scool]

nvm

Edited May 6, 2011 by Home'scool

[Donna]

I do not know what I believe regarding ghosts. I have never seen one that I know of so no personal experience. I was kind of creeped out when my middle ds was young. Before he turned 4yo there were numerous creepy experiences with him that I do not have an explanation for.

 

He used to tell us he had dreams of the woman who lived in the home we lived in prior to us. We did not have any information about the woman until after my ds's relating his dreams. She had fallen into the lake behind our house and later died in the home of pneumonia. He knew all this and also that she had a dog named Bobo and told him he could use Bobo's house. A few months later we were walking in the woods and came upon an old discarded dog house with the name Bobo painted on it. He was little (3yo) so hadn't been in the woods to see that prior.

 

One night after an older neighbor had basically verified all ds's stories, I heard him crying in his room and went in to get him. He was sitting in his bed, eyes open, asking me to tell the people to stop touching his things. When I asked what people, he said, "Right there, can't you see them playing with my toys." I couldn't see anything and maybe he was just dreaming but I got the chills and picked him up and took him into my bed.:001_smile:

 

All his stories and dreams stopped by the time he turned 4yo.

[Swirl]

I believe there are demons. But not in a ghost being a soul/spirit of a person who has died and that for some reason has not departed.

 

I think that the "ghosts" some people have seen and spoken with may actually be demons with the ability to look similar to a departed person and have knowledge of that person's life. Most people would not be comfortable talking with a demon, much less invite that demon to have a presence in their home. But if the demon at first made you believe he was your dear departed grandma, or a poor little child that died 100 years ago, you may be a little more comfortable with that. Once this comfort has been established, then it may be easier to influence you and possibly others around you. I don't think it is a coincidence that many of these sightings first begin at times when people are in need of comfort the most.

 

Just my take on it. I don't mean to offend anyone.

[lionfamily1999]

I believe there are demons. But not in a ghost being a soul/spirit of a person who has died and that for some reason has not departed.

 

I think that the "ghosts" some people have seen and spoken with may actually be demons with the ability to look similar to a departed person and have knowledge of that person's life. Most people would not be comfortable talking with a demon, much less invite that demon to have a presence in their home. But if the demon at first made you believe he was your dear departed grandma, or a poor little child that died 100 years ago, you may be a little more comfortable with that. Once this comfort has been established, then it may be easier to influence you and possibly others around you. I don't think it is a coincidence that many of these sightings first begin at times when people are in need of comfort the most.

 

Just my take on it. I don't mean to offend anyone.

I agree and I disagree. I think that the ghosts that most people think are ghosts are probably demons, but I think that often when there's comfort it's just as likely that it's an angel letting us know everything's alright. Satan would've won nothing comforting us after Grampa's death.

[Daisy]

I believe there are demons. But not in a ghost being a soul/spirit of a person who has died and that for some reason has not departed.

 

I think that the "ghosts" some people have seen and spoken with may actually be demons with the ability to look similar to a departed person and have knowledge of that person's life. Most people would not be comfortable talking with a demon, much less invite that demon to have a presence in their home. But if the demon at first made you believe he was your dear departed grandma, or a poor little child that died 100 years ago, you may be a little more comfortable with that. Once this comfort has been established, then it may be easier to influence you and possibly others around you. I don't think it is a coincidence that many of these sightings first begin at times when people are in need of comfort the most.

 

Just my take on it. I don't mean to offend anyone.

 

I completely agree with you.

[twoforjoy]

I'm kind of agnostic about ghosts. I lean toward being skeptical, but I know enough intelligent, reasonable people who truly believe that they've seen/experienced ghosts to totally write off the idea.

[Rosie_0801]

Yes. We lived with one when I was 9 or 10 years old. Her name was Millie, and she was the ghost of the previous owner of the duplex that we rented; she had died in the house. She opened and closed doors and flipped light switches upon request. I am not kidding! I remember once climbing into bed without having turned off the light, so I just asked Ms. Millie to get it for me and she did. And if your hands were full and you couldn't open a door she would open it for you.

 

I know that sounds nuts...:tongue_smilie:

 

That's fabulous. :lol:

 

 

 

I believe in ghosts because it seems dumb not to when I've met one. I'm not pleased about it though.

 

Rosie

[I.Dup.]

Ghosts are demons and you should not mess around with them at all.

 

I agree. I do believe in demons and angels, absolutely. I think demons can take many forms, even those that may seem "good" and I believe they want to converse with humans and enter their bodies. How's that for freaky?!?!

[DaffodilDreams]

Yes.

[Sahamamama]

Yes.

[Gracily]

Yes

[Spy Car]

No.

[MindyD]

No?? I don't believe the spirits of people are on earth after death, but that everyone is judged at death. I don't believe in an in-between state. BUT, I've had some personal experiences, and my parents have had innumerable experiences since they moved into the house they're in now. They are very rational, normal people who do not go looking for that. My dad is a Baptist minister even, but they've seen and heard some strange things. I'm not sure what to make of it.

Oh, and my BiL is a ghost hunter. He works with the guys on the show Ghost Hunters even. He's not on the show, but he does case files for them. He even teaches classes and wrote a book on how to disprove ghost experiences (since most of the stories can be explained logically, without ghosts if you look into it). It's interesting to think about, but I don't lose sleep over it. Unless I'm spending the night at my parents' house... :)

[Georgiana Daniels]

No, but I am a Ghost Adventures junkie :D

[Rich with Kids]

No. I believe in angels and demons. And demons suck.

[twoxcell]

I do not believe in ghosts in the sense that they are peoples spirits trapped on earth. I believe that all spirits when they die go to heaven or hell. Any so called ghost would actually be demons/spirits. I do believe that demons could impersonate a person.

[Oak Knoll Mom]

Oh, and my BiL is a ghost hunter. He works with the guys on the show Ghost Hunters even. He's not on the show, but he does case files for them. He even teaches classes and wrote a book on how to disprove ghost experiences (since most of the stories can be explained logically, without ghosts if you look into it). It's interesting to think about, but I don't lose sleep over it. Unless I'm spending the night at my parents' house... :)

 

My neighbor insists that he has a picture of a ghost. He sent his photo to Ghost Hunters hoping that they would investigate. I don't know what ever happened with it, and I don't want to ask (because I don't think it was a picture of a ghost and I don't feel like bringing the topic back up!:D)

[ocelotmom]

I'm kind of agnostic about ghosts. I lean toward being skeptical, but I know enough intelligent, reasonable people who truly believe that they've seen/experienced ghosts to totally write off the idea.

 

Same with me.

[sassyscrapperinid]

yes

[mytwomonkeys]

nope