Do You Believe In Ghosts?

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My life isn't written very well.
This topic was touched upon in another thread about religion, but I figured you don't necessarily need to be religious in order to experience the phenomenon.

I personally have experienced them, in fact I had my first experience when I was 8. Most recently I lived in a house where I believed the spirit of the landlords mother remained. I would be studying in dim light and suddenly the lights would get brighter ( they were on a dimmer switch), or I would be downstairs and my room mate would come home; I could hear his footsteps above me, walking into his bedroom then into the kitchen and back to the bedroom. I would go upstairs to say hi, but no one was there.
And other things would happen too. Books would not be where I left them. I'd search and search for something but it would never show up. Eventually I'd find it in the exact same place I left it to begin with!!

It always surprises me when religious people are skeptics in regards to ghosts. Especially those that follow the Bible, because the Bible is filled with stories of people rising from the dead, angels visiting disciples and so on.

Do any of you believe in ghosts, had an experience with one?
Do they have anything to do with religion, in your mind?
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ghosts. in my opinion i believe that to be such a broad word, but in that sense i have experianced such paranormal things.

This summer when i went up noth (northern Canada, middle of no where ) we stayed in a cabin which was in a dense pine forest only accesable by canoe. This area was as i said only accessible by canoe, and the closest community was more than 6 hrs away( by canoe)
That night we unpacked and got setteld in for a weeks stay. The first and second night passed with nothing unusual happend but the third was enough to scare anybody. I slept with a friend in the same room, however there were no beds so we slept in sleeping bags( on the floor). That night about 1 am i woke to find my arm bleeding, it had been sliced from my wrist to my elbow about 4mm's deep.naturally i woke everyone, so i could get it fixed and bandaged up. then back to sleep every one went not thinking much of it. about 2:30 i awoke again this time by being extremely cold( there was no power in our cabin so we had to use flashlights and lanterns.) so i turned on the lantern and was about to stand up to go to the bathroom , but realised again my arm was cut in the same way it had been before only on the other side, and the bandage was torn and laying at the other side of the room on the floor. again i awoke everyone. we descided it would be best to stay awake for the rest of the night and to leave the next morining. after arriving back home my friends and i were all trying ot figure out how it could have happend. since i wasnt sleeping with a pocket full of knives, scratching myself because i have no nails we descided that is must have been some sort of freak thing.
since this summer i have experianced a few more similar instances where i woke up severe bruises, deep cuts, slices and gouges out of my arms, neck and rib cage'ish area.



I would like to use these quotes from another thread.

Originally posted by r3port3r66
How will you know when you're dead?

I believe in ghosts. I know that sounds kind of dramatic, but we've all seen them, felt them. I bet none of you out there can say you have never experienced a paranormal event. Perhaps you shrugged it off as a mere figment of your imagination, but still you wonder…right?

The fact is, wether ghosts are residual energy left over from the living (Perhaps Yoda can explain this better), or lost souls confused about where to go next, they are a part of this reality. You can't explain them because if you try, you acknowledge they exist in some way or another. It may not prove "life" after death, but it sure makes me wonder what they are, and why so many people, like myself, have seen them. Right….?
Originally posted by r3port3r66
Caitlyn, you have aroused my curiosity. If ghosts are not residual energy, and not all of them are lost, then, based on your experience, what's left.....?

Originally posted by Caitlyn
From my own personal experience, I believe that some ghosts are in fact family members or friends who watch over us so I can’t really classify them as “lost souls” ….
A good reply Caitlyn it appears when it comes to these things we share the same views but I would like to make an emphases on the some ghosts are because I believe that some are guiding spirits (as Wiccan’s call them) which are not necessarily family or friends but any good soul which may try and stop us from harm and want to guide us to our full potential and safety, but not all are sugar and spice as I’ve found out, I shall tell you a story in which only my dearest know one night I was night walking alone (I do this time to time) and I came to a stump which is now affectionaily called ‘stump lady’ because at a distance the stump takes the shape of a lady moving and praying and sometimes it feels like she is looking straight at you, but that wasn’t the freaky part, I do not fear her but I do fear what I saw next, as I felt an intense fear and pain like I’ve never felt before (and trust me I thought I knew pain) I turned to the direction I felt it coming from (don’t ask me how I knew what direction an emotion was coming from because to this day I don’t know) and I saw the darkness man, he looks EXACTLY like death does in the movie, like the dark riders in LOTR’s but no feet, I just watched him for as long as I could and than after five mins (its because it took this time I know I wasn’t hallucinating) and when I finally drew my knife (an Athame to be precise a wiccan tool blessed with the power to protect) and when I took one step forward I felt rather than heard the thing say “our time will come” and than it rode the wind much faster than I could ever run. Needless to say for the first time I was in tears because of the fear and now I’m ready when it wants me, it can try. I’m always asked how can I be sure it was evil, because that’s exactly the feeling it sent to me. Now I'm not expecting you all to believe it, at times I've found it hard to believe but I’ve had many more experiences, but the most common is “green sleeves” the song keeps playing on random nights at around 2:30am and it is IMPOSSIBLE to follow, trust me, Ive tried ever explanation and every means of following it but its impossible.

To answer the question yes I believe in ghosts, spirits but im selective to what stories I believe and what are just plain BS. As for telling ALL my experiences, you would only get bored.



My life isn't written very well.
Naisy, that is a powerful account. I noticed in your reply that you said you felt "pain". Forgive me for not understanding wether you meant physical pain or mental pain--like emotional pain--but what exactly did you feel?

I know some people don't believe in ghosts, but once you experience one it changes you. You know what you saw, but in that second your experiencing it, you think no one will believe you, so you sort of question yourself.

By the way Naisy, what did this "darkness man" want from you, your life?



Originally posted by r3port3r66
Naisy, that is a powerful account. I noticed in your reply that you said you felt "pain". Forgive me for not understanding wether you meant physical pain or mental pain--like emotional pain--but what exactly did you feel?


A reasonable question, basically the pain i felt was a combination, a feeling of evil and dread so overwhelming i was doubled over in physical pain

By the way Naisy, what did this "darkness man" want from you, your life?
To this day i still dont know but im sure it wasnt wanting me to bake a cake. Im prepared though as best as i can be for its return, but i have a feeling if he really wanted me dead he could of done it, with the pain he was sending and there was no hint of real effort on his part, he could of killed me from a heart attack. Ive got banishing spells of the wiccan kind and prayers of Christian and some buddist lines to ward off the evil, i think maybe he feared my Athame though.



I believe in ghosts. I used to live in an old house with my parents. We had a rocking chair, and one night it kept rocking on its own. Imagine my surprise when I went over to check it out and saw my cat playing with the chair, making it rock. I couldn't see that low from my previous position. You mean it wasn't a ghost??

So I lied. I don't believe in ghosts. If something weird happens, I try to figure out what caused it. On the VERY rare occasion that I can't, I assume I missed the answer somehow and not that the answer has to be a supernatural one. Obviously, my cat could have easily walked away before I saw her.
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My life isn't written very well.
Firegod, do you believe people when they say they've seen a ghost, or do you just presume they've missed something.



Originally posted by r3port3r66
Firegod, do you believe people when they say they've seen a ghost, or do you just presume they've missed something.
I usually assume they've missed something. However, sometimes (like with Naisy's story) it seems like them simply missing something can't be the answer.



So I lied. I don't believe in ghosts. If something weird happens, I try to figure out what caused it. On the VERY rare occasion that I can't, I assume I missed the answer somehow and not that the answer has to be a supernatural one. Obviously, my cat could have easily walked away before I saw her.
well thats good enough, dont get me wrong i do ALWAYS search for a logical explanation but im open minded enough to know that there isnt always something science can anwser.



My life isn't written very well.
Also, some people are just more sensitive to these sorts of things.



Originally posted by Naisy
...but im open minded enough to know that there isnt always something science can anwser.
What, are you saying you're better than me?

I do not believe in ghosts. I do, however, believe in Succubi (because they're sexy!).
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Originally posted by r3port3r66
Also, some people are just more sensitive to these sorts of things.
True, true although i would prefer if i wasnt so sensitive to it.

Originally posted by LordSlaytan

What, are you saying you're better than me?

I do not believe in ghosts. I do, however, believe in Succubi (because they're sexy!).
Oh im not saying im better than you Slay, geez you should know by now without me telling you.



My life isn't written very well.
LordSlayton, why don't you believe in them? I mean is it just because you have never seen one, or simply because you choose not to believe in them.



Originally posted by Naisy

A good reply Caitlyn it appears when it comes to these things we share the same views but I would like to make an emphases on the some ghosts are because I believe that some are guiding spirits (as Wiccan’s call them) which are not necessarily family or friends but any good soul which may try and stop us from harm and want to guide us to our full potential and safety
Thanks Naisy… I think you and I do share the same view on this and I should have clarified a little more what I meant by friend because any soul kind enough to guide me away from harm would be consider a friend in my book… … That was a very strange experience you had and one I don’t think I would care to repeat anytime soon had it happened to me… So far the only experience I have had with something like that is still a little puzzling to me… several years ago I couldn’t sleep and decided to find something to read. I was going down the hall when I felt a presence and then heard something breathing… I never actually saw a thing but I had the most overwhelming feeling of evil surround me all of a sudden that I doubled over in pain and I could feel it’s breath on my face and smell one of the worst odors I have ever smelled… I was so scared I froze and couldn’t say a thing but I started screaming in my mind for it to leave me alone and get away from me and as suddenly as it appeared it was gone. The whole thing was over in a matter of minutes but it seemed like hours…

Another experience I had was when I was involved in a car wreck several years ago and while I was in the hospital I woke up to find my grandmother standing by my bed… I thought I was either dead or dreaming at first because my grandmother had been dead for several years… when I started to say something to her she held her hand up to stop me and told me that I was going to be okay but that I needed to take my mom to the Dr…. the door opened and two nurses came in and one of them started informing her that she wasn’t supposed to be in there but she just smiled at me and disappeared… needless to say both of the nurses freaked but at least both of them saw her. The next morning when my mom came she said I smelled like the perfume my grandmother always wore… and I did make her go to the Dr. She had diabetes and her sugar was way out of control…


Turkeybird099... That's some weird stuff... Have you seen a doctor about any of the things that are going on with you?
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Originally posted by r3port3r66
LordSlayton, why don't you believe in them? I mean is it just because you have never seen one, or simply because you choose not to believe in them.
You make it sound like I'm in denial, r3port3r66. I'm a realist. I don't believe in Heaven or Hell, Yahweh or Lucifer, Ghosts or Spirits. I don't believe in Ghouls or Goblins, Yetis or Sasquatches, Werewolves or Vampires. I do believe in Evolution, Big Bang, and Relativity.

I feel like I just stacked a bunch of firewood under my ass and gave you guys a match. What am I supposed to say to someone like Naisy or Caitlyn, both of whom I like very much? That they're full of crap, crazy, or just old fashioned liars? I don't want to say any of those things, partly because I don't want to hurt people I like, and partly because they obviously believe in what they saw, and who am I to doubt their word.

I don't want any attempts of conversion, or to be shown the light, or to be debated with on how my beliefs are short-sighted or narrow-minded. Believe what you want to, and so will I.



Originally posted by Lord Slaytan

I feel like I just stacked a bunch of firewood under my ass and gave you guys a match. What am I supposed to say to someone like Naisy or Caitlyn, both of whom I like very much?
Thanks… and since the feeling is mutual… I’ll keep a water hose handy just in case…



My life isn't written very well.
I feel like I'm being judged by my low post number


Seriously, LordSlayton, I'm probably the most passive member on this site, and I would never try to invoke an argument about religion, or my beliefs against yours. I honestly have no agenda here.

I just wanted to knowwhy you don't believe in ghosts. I mean, unless there is some sort of ghost conspiracy where people are fulfilling some wide-spread hoax (which I'm not a part of) then there is something to be said of the phenomena.

I've always felt if scientists would explore this field more instead of just excusing it, we might be able to understand why people, like myself experience such things.

So I guess my question is; why do scientists, or people that persue scientific answers, simply excuse the exsistence of ghosts. What are their reasons? I've never heard a skeptic say, 'Ghosts can't possibly exsist because...so and so...' even though thousands of people who have never met report seeing them and give similar accounts of their experiences.

I guess I'm looking for answers myself because I don't understand what I've seen.



Originally posted by LordSlaytan

You make it sound like I'm in denial, r3port3r66. I'm a realist. I don't believe in Heaven or Hell, Yahweh or Lucifer, Ghosts or Spirits. I don't believe in Ghouls or Goblins, Yetis or Sasquatches, Werewolves or Vampires. I do believe in Evolution, Big Bang, and Relativity.

I feel like I just stacked a bunch of firewood under my ass and gave you guys a match. What am I supposed to say to someone like Naisy or Caitlyn, both of whom I like very much? That they're full of crap, crazy, or just old fashioned liars? I don't want to say any of those things, partly because I don't want to hurt people I like, and partly because they obviously believe in what they saw, and who am I to doubt their word.

I don't want any attempts of conversion, or to be shown the light, or to be debated with on how my beliefs are short-sighted or narrow-minded. Believe what you want to, and so will I.
Hey LordSlaytan, I dont think your in denial at all, your way of thinking is logical and is a popular train of thought in todays day and age and is completely understandable. You can tell me what you want here, its not like im going to take it personally I dont think your narrow-minded, i think your the model scientist and its not always a bad thing. I welcome it actually, I would loved to be proven scientifically wrong, it would be conforting. So as Chris and Myself have a silent agreement on, he believes in what he does and i believe in what i do and thats that, that same agreement extends to you as well.

Although im not sure your a realist rather than a scientist. A logical explanation for everything

Originally posted by r3port3r66
I feel like I'm being judged by my low post number

Seriously, LordSlayton, I just wanted to knowwhy you don't believe in ghosts. I mean, unless there is some sort of ghost conspiracy where people are fulfilling some wide-spread hoax (which I'm not a part of) then there is something to be said of the phenomena.
So I guess my question is; why do scientists, or people that persue scientific answers, simply excuse the exsistence of ghosts. What are their reasons? I've never heard a skeptic say, 'Ghosts can't possibly exsist because...so and so...' even though thousands of people who have never met report seeing them and give similar accounts of their experiences.

I guess I'm looking for answers myself because I don't understand what I've seen.
What anwsers to what questions are you looking for? You should feel judged post number is everything here I wouldnt say your the most passive member on this site, Kogh gets that award because he doesnt agrue or debate anything (yeah thats right lurker im talking about you ) As for why LordSlaytan doesnt believe in Ghosts is obvious, because there is no scientific evidence of their exsistance and most sightings or phenomena can be put down to an unrecorded earthquake, a bad dream, a hallucination.

Also mate there are scientists working in this field but they recieve little funding and little or no support and with widespread non-believers they cop a lot of flak. As for the widespread hoax the same could be said for U.F.o's there is no evidence yet they are there or they might not be. It comes down to personal experience and personal belief's and who am i to try and change that? im not trying to change that i was just giving an experience I had, its up to you to believe it or not.