Do you believe in Ghosts/Spirits

[Bodyflight.Net 0]

Watching a Ghost Hunters Marathon which inspired the question.

I certainly do! As in the living-on-the-same-plane-spiritual-energy-some-people-can-see-them-and-talk-to-them kinda ghosts.. the ones who haven't yet moved on to the "next" plane of existence..

[BillyVance 34]

I've only seen them on TV with the paranormal investigation programs.

I'd really like to see or feel something paranormal just to be sure. I wonder if a spirit can talk to me in my mind rather than through my ears? Or am I just schizophrenic?

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[mamajumps 0]

Yes I do.... and my theories behind it are quit whacked... so I wont share it... not in the mood to open any more worm cans....

[Bodyflight.Net 0]

I completely understand!

[ryoder 1,410]

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I wonder if a spirit can talk to me in my mind rather than through my ears?

Hearing voices in your head?
Don't worry, they can be very reassuring, once you get used to them.

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[shropshire 0]

Nope.... but I hear voices.....

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[Vallerina 2]

No. The ghosts/spirits that people see or hear can be explained by other physical factors.

There's a thin line between Saturday night and Sunday morning

[IanHarrop 37]

I don't believe in any kind of spirits other than the ones I can buy in a bottle.

"Where troubles melt like lemon drops, away above the chimney tops, that's where you'll find me" Dorothy

[Conundrum 1]

Yes, and I have personal experience.

[Conundrum 1]

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No. The ghosts/spirits that people see or hear can be explained by other physical factors.

How would you explain a 6 and a 12 year old seeing someone in the backyard they have never met, seen, or been told about, but could descirbe what he looked like and was buried wearing to a "t"?

Or, a 2-3 year old (not sure his age) talking to "himself" in his room regualrly and able to point out a picture of his dead uncle and say his name, when no one has told him about the uncle?

I'm honestly curious as to what other physical factors could explain it.

[sharimcm 0]

I used to not, but when I was 17, I had reasons to change my mind. So, yes... I do believe there are ghosts/spirits among us.

"I had a dude tip his black cowboy hat to me after I provided him with a condom outside my hotel room at 3-something in the morning." -myself

[MikeJD 0]

I think there's a lot going on around us (and in our heads) that we still know nothing about, but that doesn't make it supernatural. It's just natural stuff we don't understand yet.

I don't see any evidence that people continue to haunt this world after they're dead - and I'm not sure whether I find that idea creepy or comforting. But there are an awful lot of charlatans making an awful lot of money out of our fascination with this kind of thing.

[Bodyflight.Net 0]

there will ALWAYS be non-believers, and we have to respect their views if we ever hope to have them respect ours, no matter the topic.

[Conundrum 1]

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there will ALWAYS be non-believers, and we have to respect their views if we ever hope to have them respect ours, no matter the topic.

I respect a non-believer's views. I would just like to hear the explainations for which she discredits believers.

[BillyVance 34]

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there will ALWAYS be non-believers, and we have to respect their views if we ever hope to have them respect ours, no matter the topic.

I respect a non-believer's views. I would just like to hear the explainations for which she discredits believers.

I would too. Or spend a night at the Eastern State Penitentiary or Magnolia Lane Plantation, for example, and then tell us if there were anything that couldn't be explained.

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[Broke 0]

Why yes. I believe that Gary Gaygax has unfinished business, and will return to show us all the next RPG

Divot your source for all things Hillbilly.
Anvil Brother 84
SCR 14192

[MagicGuy 0]

Sure do. A couple of the guys on Ghost Hunters are friends of mine. I've heard some of their stories and they are just too weird to not believe.

Plus, I've had a couple really strange things happen around me.

[Vallerina 2]

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How would you explain a 6 and a 12 year old seeing someone in the backyard they have never met, seen, or been told about, but could descirbe what he looked like and was buried wearing to a "t"?

It's generally classified as "anecdotal evidence." Just because a person doesn't think a 6 year old didn't hear information about Aunt Mildred doesn't mean that they didn't pick up info about her from somewhere. Also, people tend to remember the hits and forget the misses. For every 6 year old that happens to get the color of dress right, there are 100 6 year olds that get it wrong.

Other explanations can be things like waking dreams (which I've had and are extremely vivid) or lying. Most other things people associate with spirits (voices, lights, sounds) can be associated with other physical factors.

If some sort of scientific evidence could be shown for ghosts/spirits, I would be open to the possibility. However, with nothing but anecdotal evidence to support it, it seems implausible.

There's a thin line between Saturday night and Sunday morning

[MikeJD 0]

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How would you explain a 6 and a 12 year old seeing someone in the backyard they have never met, seen, or been told about, but could descirbe what he looked like and was buried wearing to a "t"?

Or, a 2-3 year old (not sure his age) talking to "himself" in his room regualrly and able to point out a picture of his dead uncle and say his name, when no one has told him about the uncle?

I'm honestly curious as to what other physical factors could explain it.

Not sure about the first one, except that it is possible for something like that to be a coincidence - there could have been someone with a strong resemblance to the deceased, and dressed the same way. As unlikely as that may seem, is it really more likely that somebody would be hanging around the back yard after they're dead, and wearing the clothes they were buried in?

As for the second, that relies on the absolute certainty that nobody had ever mentioned the uncle. People have bad memories. And kids do talk to themselves all the time.

Not trying to be difficult - I just think that the desire to believe in ghosts is very strong for a lot of people, especially those who've lost loved ones, and we find it easy to persuade ourselves of things that support our desires. The more we tell the story, the more little details we subconsciously add to make it more compelling.

I'm also in a sceptical frame of mind because I just finished reading Derren Brown's book, 'Tricks of the Mind'. He presents some really good arguments about how it's in our nature to mislead ourselves, and how easily the way we see the world can be manipulated.

[Bodyflight.Net 0]

I think it's great that you would be open to the possibility.

We often find it difficult to prove things we don't understand or can't see, but so far, we have a good track record of developing technology that will enable us to do just that.
I site references such as microscopic bacteria & viruses all the way to galaxies & black holes and I expect aliens someday. Where there is a will, there seems to always be a way, given enough time (and often $$$)

[MikeJD 0]

Vallerina, you beat me to it. Maybe we've been reading the same book!

[iamsam 0]

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If some sort of scientific evidence could be shown for ghosts/spirits, I would be open to the possibility. However, with nothing but anecdotal evidence to support it, it seems implausible.

Slightly off topic (but not really, as everything is connected haha).

There is plenty more than anecdotal evidence for paranormal abilities. The military know this and have been studying it for years and healers have been shown to remotely alter matter (bacteria, beyond statistical significance).

Western dogma means the evidence generally gets ignored, (too much of a mind-fuck)If you wish to find it (evidence), a certain degree of being 'open' to it might be necessary first.

Hope this helps

but what do I know

[lilDevil 2]

and reencarnation ( I prolly spelled that wrong )

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" Cant keep a good woman down "
Angels have wings, but devils can fly !

[shropshire 0]

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and reencarnation ( I prolly spelled that wrong )

That could be Genetic memory..... except for the loonies that say that they "remember" previous deaths, because that's not logical. If memories are passed down the generations, they could only be passed at the time of conception (for fathers memories) and Birth (for mothers memories) so you could never remember a death.

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[Muenkel 0]

In my mind, I split ghosts and spirits into two compeletely different entities. I'm not sure how to define what a ghost is, ie. Being caught between 2 worlds. I think of spirits as anyone who has died and gone on to the other side. If I was to see my best friend, I would say I've seen his spirit.

With that said, I do believe in both from personal experience. That's where I'll end this as it could make the thread go in all sorts of directions.

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Chris