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Ghosts, spirits, or apparitions. Do you have any thoughts on the subject?

I have met some otherwise intelligent people who swear they have seen, felt or been visited by something they believe to be otherworldly.

Betty 8 Nov 10
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16 comments

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1

My grandpa was a committed Christian. My sister used say that the old house we lived in was haunted and we have relatives who are spiritualists. I went through a christian phase myself...

These things all seem connected me. They seem be all part of us humans trying make sense of the world.

1

What do you think about the theory ,that in religious times. Spiritual people see spirit s ,but now in Technology times ,many see Aliens??

2

Ok I used to dabble in the occult I won't say I saw or experienced a demon or angel however on multiple occasions I have had an experience that was beyond the English language to describe. I believe in another world but I would not even begin to say I know enough to know anything for certain

2

The whole concept makes no sense to me. However, I have impressed myself with making predictions based off dreams, which I guess isn't really the same thing.

3

I have had, 'visits', by people (close relatives, friends), wheather it's classed as ,"spiritual, otherworldly, apparitions or simply Ghosts".
I know they are real, because they showed me things that few people knew, and I know they did it for, me, to tell or show others. My native upbringing and cultural beliefs are a testiment to my parents staunch cultural upbringing.
We are taught and shown from a young age that, life is has many roads and that the choices we make determine our road. Wheather they be good or bad, we have to accept responsibility for those choices. That life is what we make it, because at the end of every road, there's Death..
We are taught from a young age, that isn't the end, mearly a transition to some thing else.
What that is ? is up for speculation.
We believe that some times the, dead stay to pass something on, or to check on those that are in trouble. What their true purpose is, unviels itself to those that are visited.
I, myself have had these visits, the information I passed on to those that needed it, brought peace and closure.
The question still remains, "Is it real" ?
For me, yes.
It all depends on one's cultural and family environment that dictates ones beliefs.

0

What makes it necessary for you to qualify them as 'otherwise intelligent' if they share their personal experiences with things or people not explainable to those who have never experienced them.

It would appear that it was a poor choice on my part. I didn't intend any harm. I apologize.

2

We are not supposed to know about other realties ,but I have glimpsed into them.
Can't prove what I see ,but often shows up in pictures.

I got smashed by a car once in Houston and the pain was so bad I just thought I'd leave for a little while until th ambulance arrived. I found myself surrounded by people from my past including the woman who led me home when I was about 3 when I fell face first on the sidewalk racing my brother to climb a pillar. It was warm without heat, light without a source of light and the warmest loving feeling I'd be ever felt in my life. I was jerked out of it when someone yelled I was going into shock.

3

I think it is very possible there may be some scientifically valid explanation for the "haunting" phenomena, perhaps several different causes lumped into the same category. Modern science and quantum physics is coming around to the multiple universe idea, and i have heard scientists mention that our perception of time might actually be an illusion. Multiple reports from visitors to the Gettysburg battlefield report similar stories of seeing civil war soldiers on the battlefield. What if the veil between universes or between the timelines was thin at that point, and the witnesses might actually have been seeing some of the events that were actually occurring during the battle? Speculation? yes. However, remember that any significantly advanced technology would seem like magic to a primitive people. And unusual "haunting-like" phenomena might seem like "spiritual" activity to someone without the scientific knowledge to explain why something is happening. I would not discount the stories of hauntings, just understand that we may not have the scientific knowledge to explain it yet.

There is still much to learn about our universe and what may lay beyond. Not likely to find out in my lifetime. The answer to the Gettysburg battlefield may be as simple as a trick of the light and an overactive imagination.

I saw black bodies watching the movies being shown at the Arlington hotel for the Documentary festival I excused myself when I thought I was going to sit on them but when I looked directly at the vision there was no one there. I've seen many more than just that but you can say I'm hallucinating, smoking wacky tobacky or whatever. That is your choice.

@Tigger, you're right, some of the "scientific" people (though with no science background) would tell you that you were hallucinating, your brain tricked you, you lack intelligence or critical thinking skills...They want to make you accept their "truth" as yours too. I think it's best to do your own research which, combined with your personal experiences, can help you reach a reasonable explanation/conclusion.

@Tigger I wouldn't be so disrespectful as to accuse you of anything. There may be a reasonable explanation for what you saw. I agree with Mantra, some research may help get you some answers.

4

I think that there is a rational explanation for the inexplicable. Just because there is no way to find the answer to the question doesn't mean we should rely on the supernatural for answers. Our brains are wired to be impulsive when trying to find the answer. Discipline is lacking. Even intelligence has its limits when drugs are involved, being superstitious, when a gas leak happens, poison, brainwashing, etc.

I get what you're saying and it explains most of it.

3

It's something I would like to believe in, but I don't know. There isn't really sufficient evidence to justify belief, but I'm not going to make the knowledge claim that they don't exist. Paranormal stuff is something that fascinates me as a hobby, even if I don't really believe in most of it.

What parts do you believe in?

I won't say I definitely believe in specific parts, but there are some things I'm open to the possibility of. like extraterrestrials, not that I necessarily think they're coming here and abducting people.

Well ask yourself is it worth believing? Does it uplift my world view or bring it crumbling around you? Does this belief advance the evolution and quest for truth humanity needs to be apart of to survive? So after you answer those questions if any are sour on your conscience then abandon it like cancer for it will only ruin all you desire

@wjwolfe NeotheistFool makes some very good points. I was thinking of a specific event that happened with a friend of mine. She is well educated and super-intelligent yet she claimed an angel visited her with a message from God. She followed the instructions in the message and things did not go well for her.

I think that when we are in distress our brains find ways to reduce it. I think culture, upbringing, and personal beliefs influence the way our minds interpret what we see, feel, and hear.

As for ET, the universe is vast and who knows what may be found out there in the future.

3

When my daughter died she visited me as a bright light. I knew it was her even though I didn't know she had been killed until the next day. I don't believe in ghosts, but I do believe our spirit or soul or whatever our life energy is called leaves the body and goes somewhere.

When my husband died I had a very vivid and lucid dream. All my senses were engaged and sixteen years later I still remember all the details of that dream, it's as clear to me now as it was then. Friends and family tried to tell me it was his spirit trying to comfort me. I believe the mind in times of great distress is the provider of comfort.

My mom back in the mid-seventies was in the kitchen when she sat down and started crying. She said my Nana came to her and she had passed. Later that evening my aunt called to inform us that Nana died earlier that afternoon. Science may someday have an explanation for this but for now, it is a mystery.

My brother was killed by a drunk driver in Albuquerque and he came to see me that night after I was in bed in the form of a presence I felt in the doorway more than saw. I got up and it led me to the dining room where I lit some candles and waited for morning. The candles went out as the sun rose. I just don't believe we can be destroyed by death. What we are is stardust maybe and until we solve the mysteries of the universe it will only be a theory.
I knew my brother was going to die before it happened when I looked at him and he was 'gone' black whatever even though I was standing right next to him. I left him off to hitchhike to Phoenix and drove over to a friend's house and told her I would never see him alive again and that I hoped it was me that would die. He was killed returning from Phoenix just about a week later.

4

I've seen ghosts, and have had several paranormal experiences. I have no doubts that there is more to corporeal existence than we can measure and fully understand yet.

Interesting...Would you be willing to elaborate?

It would take awhile to type up all the experiences. My current situation is living with ghost/presence in my apartment. When I brought the first boxes of stuff in, I immediately said to my friend helping me, "There's a ghost here. I can feel it." I tend to see her reflection on the glass of picture frames, and have very carefully examined light sources and such to rule out illusions created by light coming in from outside. I've seen her in dreams a few times. I can feel the presence standing over my shoulder as I sit and watch TV or read. The presence has been exceptionally strong on two occasions when I was very upset and crying. She actually appeared in full form once, and seemed like a solid person.
I had an uncanny experience with a psychic/spiritual reader once. I've had noises pestering me while I tried to sleep, have seen dark figures pass by doorways when nobody else was home.
A great uncle died when I was pretty young, maybe eight years old? I had no idea that he slit his throat in the basement workshop of his house until I was about 20. I remember the first time I went down there soon after the funeral, and running like hell back upstairs. My aunt asked me what was wrong, and I told her, "It was really sad and it was hard to breathe."
I get easily creeped out in places for no reason. I speculate that I'm somewhat sensitive to the energy.

I believe you see and feel everything you have described. Have you considered having your brain mapped through deep scans? There is still much of the brain and its functions that are not known. If you seek answers it may be worth the effort to find out.

It's not something that bothers me, or intrigues me, enough to blow a ton of money on investigating my brain. I just accept it for what it seems to be, and if there is an afterlife, I suppose I'll get all the answers there.

3

Reports of ghostly apparitions and visitations go back centuries. How could so many after such a long time have seen something that no one else has seen? One thing that might affect that is that if you see one and tell someone you're immediately doubted and asked for proof. You could think of it as like seeing an UFO. You see it and report the sighting and no one believes you. I think since new things are being discovered all the time and old things are finally discovered there is a probability that they exist. At least, I'm not going to be a doubter but be someone open to the possibility that something beyond the knowledge of the present exists and has existed for a long time.

SamL Level 7 Nov 10, 2017

Because of the sheer volume of these kinds of reports and the inability of substantiating them, industries have cropped up taking advantage of that fact for monetary gain. Tarot readers, spiritual guides, haunted houses, and UFO societies, etc. Many have been debunked yet the industries still thrive. Maybe there is something to it although getting through all the BS to something with potential would be a job in and of itself.

2

We don't have any evidence that can conclude that they exist. People can tell me as many stories as they want, but anecdotal evidence is one of the worse kinds of evidence that exist because people are terrible recording devices.

Science can explain mass hysteria, mob mentality, and how culture, upbringing, and personal belief systems can influence perception. I agree people are terrible recording devices.

2

I think my house is haunted but it is probably just really old. But sometimes...

Must be fun for Halloween.

4

There are still phenomena that we don't yet fully understand, and some people for want of understanding can call these ghosts etc, but that does not make them unintelligent.

Good point.

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