Do Christians believe in ghosts?

I don't have a clue what that 'image' was all about, nor does anybody else, but without evidence to the contrary, I have no reason to disbelieve the experts who have concluded that the photograph was not altered in any way.

So something was there. We will probably not know what in this lifetime. The story does illustrate, however, the unexplainable phenomenon that surrounds us all, and how little we fully understand.

As I have said previously, I have not had a personal remembered experience with the paranormal or supernatural so far as disembodied spirits go, whether those be angels, demons, spirits of the dead, or out of body experiences. But I think without persuasive evidence to the contrary, the truly enlightened do not arbitrarily close their minds to what others report of their experience, and do not discount possibilities for phenomenon and truths beyond their/our own experience and/or present ability to understand.

OmSigDAVID wrote:

Yes; the question resolves itself down to whether
consciousness depends for its existence upon matter or not.
All of the consciousness that we see around us
is manifested thru matter. Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.

It is true that all of the consciousness we see is manifested through matter.
And absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, but it is still absence of evidence.
Aside from there being a lack of evidence, there is also a lack of any need for alternative
explanations to dreaming, or hallucinations, or something of the sort.

Quote:

I'll look for the book, David.
I appreciate the recommendation.

I was surprized at how fast Amazon.com
got it to me; a day or 2.
This book arose from the experiences on-the-job of a very respected
pathologist with many years n decades of seniority as a coroner.
Over the years, some of the survivors of her cadavers approached her,
sua sponte with tales of which Rod Serling woud have had an interest.
Her book is a very fast read; she is a sparkling, delightful woman.
She gave us a lecture at the Mensa Annual Gathering in 2003 in St. Paul, Minn.

Quote:

I have read a number of testimonies from people who have died and been resuscitated
and also of Doctors, once skeptics, who have become believers that consciousness continues
after the physical death of the body.

Are you aware of this study?

No. I just read your post.
Thank u for it. Some of the medical doctors who will participate
in the convention are from England.

Quote:

Perhaps it will produce some hard evidence that our friend Echi
seems to think is necessary in order to even have this discussion:

Yes; we shall see what we shall see.
On Dec. 5th, 1982, I saw such a light as is described,
during a lecture. It lasted about 25 minutes.
It was a mindblowing experience, I gotta say.

I agree that "death is not a specific moment."
Arguably, it begins while heart n brain r still functioning;
e.g., I remember once being late for court in the Bronx.
As I approached the courthouse steps, I saw a dog lying
on the sidewalk, in a fairly lethargic condition.
I emerged about an hour later. He was still lying there.
I bought him a hot dog from a nearby vendor.
He was not interested; he sniffed it n ignored it.
(Is that cannibalism for him ?) It appeared that he was
shutting down his systems and losing interest in the Earth.

Quote:

Thursday, 18 September 2008 UK
Study into near-death experiences
By Jane Dreaper
Health correspondent, BBC News

Many people report seeing a bright light
A large study is to examine near-death experiences in cardiac arrest patients.

Doctors at 25 UK and US hospitals will study 1,500 survivors to see if people with no heartbeat or brain activity can have "out of body" experiences.

Some people report seeing a tunnel or bright light, others recall looking down from the ceiling at medical staff.

The study, due to take three years and co-ordinated by Southampton University, will include placing on shelves images that could only be seen from above.

This is a mystery that we can now subject to scientific study

Towards the light

To test this, the researchers have set up special shelving in resuscitation areas. The shelves hold pictures - but they're visible only from the ceiling.

Dr Sam Parnia, who is heading the study, said: "If you can demonstrate that consciousness continues after the brain switches off, it allows for the possibility that the consciousness is a separate entity.

"It is unlikely that we will find many cases where this happens, but we have to be open-minded.

"And if no one sees the pictures, it shows these experiences are illusions or false memories.

"This is a mystery that we can now subject to scientific study."

Dr Parnia works as an intensive care doctor, and felt from his daily duties that science had not properly explored the issue of near-death experiences.

Process of death

He said: "Contrary to popular perception, death is not a specific moment.

"It is a process that begins when the heart stops beating, the lungs stop working and the brain ceases functioning - a medical condition termed cardiac arrest.

"During a cardiac arrest, all three criteria of death are present. There then follows a period of time, which may last from a few seconds to an hour or more, in which emergency medical efforts may succeed in restarting the heart and reversing the dying process.

"What people experience during this period of cardiac arrest provides a unique window of understanding into what we are all likely to experience during the dying process."

Dr Parnia and medical colleagues will analyse the brain activity of 1,500 cardiac arrest survivors, and see whether they can recall the images in the pictures.

Hospitals involved include Addenbrookes in Cambridge, University Hospital in Birmingham and the Morriston in Swansea, as well as nine hospitals in the US.