Do Christians believe in ghosts?

I think BBB's comment makes some sense: if you believe in souls why not in ghosts. How do souls and ghosts differ? It would seem they are both supernatural non-entitites identified with a human being, alive or dead?

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Read some place that about 30% of the Brits believe in ghosts and 60% in God.
30% of the Danes also believe in ghosts. I would think the same amount of Danes believe in God.
Why can´t people believe in ghosts and still be Christians? People have many other beliefs which cannot be explained - like reading a horoscope.
I would go so far as to say it is even better for a person to believe in a God, saints, ghosts, parapsychology and other supernatural things than not to do so.
I think it broadens our inner life, it speaks to our fantasy and does not make us to onesided intelectuals and maybe even less materialistic. Psychologically it is also an interesting part of our mind.

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@saab,

Though anecdotal evidence, it has been my experience that all those who have experienced a phenomenon that they interpreted to be a ghost then do believe in ghosts. Some of these were believers before the experience; some were not.

As I have not personally experienced a phenomenon that I interpreted to be a ghost, I don't know whether I believe in ghosts. But I do believe those who believe via experience did in fact experience something quite out of the ordinary and most likely paranormal so far as we know. I do believe in a spiritual presence and believe it is all around us. Perhaps it is necessary to define what we mean by "ghost" before drawing a final conclusion?

I am open to the possibility.

And I am Christian.

1 Reply

@Foxfyre,

"Foxfyre wrote:

Quote:

Though anecdotal evidence, it has been my experience that all those who have experienced a phenomenon
that they interpreted to be a ghost then do believe in ghosts.
Some of these were believers before the experience; some were not.

As I have not personally experienced
a phenomenon that I interpreted to be a ghost,
I don't know whether I believe in ghosts.

Is it POSSIBLE
to believe in ANYTHING without knowing that u so believe ?

Quote:

But I do believe those who believe via experience
did in fact experience something quite out of the ordinary
and most likely paranormal so far as we know. I do believe in a
spiritual presence and believe it is all around us. Perhaps it is
necessary to define what we mean by "ghost" before drawing a final conclusion?

I am open to the possibility.

And I am Christian.

Does it COUNT,
if I myself was the ghost, looking at my human body at work on-the-job?
instead of my being a human being looking at a ghost ?

There is a lot of that.

David

1 Reply

@OmSigDAVID,

Quote:

Is it POSSIBLE
to believe in ANYTHING without knowing that u so believe ?

Provocative question. One that made me really stop and think.

I think my comment is that I do believe that the witnesses I mentioned believe that they witnessed a paranormal phenomenon that is what is generally described as 'ghost' or 'ghosts'. But if our definition of 'ghost' is a disembodied spirit of one who previously was a mortal human being, then I am not certain that I believe that is what they saw. So do I believe people who reported ghost sightings saw something they likened to a ghost? I believe many did. Were those 'ghosts' spiritual evidence of people who previously lived? While my instincts suggest such a possibility, I am not emotionally or intellectually ready to say that I believe that.

Does that make sense?

And yet I have had dreams where I saw myself looking at my self. Some say I was having that out-of-body experience, but the self I was looking at was my living self. So does there have to be a physical death in order to have a ghostly experience? I have long believed that I have a spiritual self in addition to my physical self. Possible to separate the two without the physical self dying? I don't know but I am open to that possibility. And if my spiritual self can leave my still living body, would that make it a ghost? I don't look at it that way.

Sigh.

We probably do need to agree on a definition of 'ghost'.

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@Foxfyre,

I prefer my belief as below...
So do I believe people who report god sightings saw something they likened to a god? I believe many believe that they did. Were that 'god' spiritual evidence of god who previously lived? While my instincts says their is no such a possibility, I am intellectually sure there wasn't

1 Reply

@Foxfyre,

A definition of a... 'ghost' a 'god' and a 'spirit'... a figment of each persons mind.

A definition of a Christian... a mind that doesn't believe there is no god.

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@tenderfoot,

tenderfoot wrote:

I prefer my belief as below...
So do I believe people who report god sightings saw something they likened to a god? I believe many believe that they did. Were that 'god' spiritual evidence of god who previously lived? While my instincts says their is no such a possibility, I am intellectually sure there wasn't

I am intellectually certain that certainty without rational logic or evidence for same is something some would call blind faith. Smile

1 Reply

@tenderfoot,

Quote:

a figment of each persons mind.

In materialist philosophy there are no figments.

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@tenderfoot,

tenderfoot wrote:

A definition of a... 'ghost' a 'god' and a 'spirit'... a figment of each persons mind.
A definition of a Christian... a mind that doesn't believe there is no god.

None of the witnesses that I've read or hard defined what they saw as 'god' nor did that apparently cross any of their thoughts. A 'spirit' perhaps but of what sort? A disembodied personality who does or has lived? Or something else? Your definition feels incomplete and does not answer my question.

Your definition of Christian would make Christians no different from Druids, Hindus, Muslims, Jews, Taoists, Deists, or any number of other specific faiths. As I know Christianity to be quite different from other faiths, I will have to declare your definition of "Christian" as incorrect or at least so incomplete as to essentially be incorrect.

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@chemist,

"Do Christians believe in ghosts?"
Church goers do- for they have been taught the Lie of Satan (to Eve):
you SURELY will NOT die!

Christians don't- for they (we) KNOW the dead are actually (GASP!) DEAD!
That there will be a day of Resurrection & Judgement!

1 Reply

@theMadOne,

theMadOne wrote:

Quote:

"Do Christians believe in ghosts?"
Church goers do- for they have been taught the Lie of Satan (to Eve):
you SURELY will NOT die!

Christians don't- for they (we) KNOW the dead are actually (GASP!) DEAD!
That there will be a day of Resurrection & Judgement!

If u r a "Student of Science & religion" who questions EVERYTHING! then I suggest that u question death.

U confuse a man s body, his outer covering, with the man himself or herself.

Some of us have been out of our bodies and observed them from a distance.
It is not uncommon for people to be revived from death in hospitals.
Some of them remember only awakening
and others observed events during their deaths
and accurately described them. This has happened so many times
that it is not much in the way of news any more. www.IANDS.org

David

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@OmSigDAVID,

OmSigDAVID wrote:

. . . Some of us have been out of our bodies and observed them from a distance.
It is not uncommon for people to be revived from death in hospitals.
Some of them remember only awakening
and others observed events during their deaths
and accurately described them. This has happened so many times
that it is not much in the way of news any more. . .

Endorphins are amazing things, eh?

Anybody do this after, lets say, 2 weeks?

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@neologist,

I have heard enough completely ordinary, rational people describe such phenomenon that I think an open mind to such a possibility is a rational thing. To the best of my knowledge I have not experienced it myself EXCEPT as previously described in memories of observing my own sleeping (or possibly unconscious) body which I presumed to be a kind of recurring dream. I have been told, by some, that what I was experiencing was an out-of-body experience. I have no way of knowing whether the experience was that or just a recurring dream but again I keep an open mind about such things.

But then what are dreams anyway?

I don't recall any of those events being of a long duration, however--most probably at most a few minutes if that.

So I don't know. I do believe that we humans are aware of only a tiny fraction of that contained within our subconscious and that we have discovered only a tiny fraction of all there is to know.

I choose not to disbelieve what I cannot yet know or understand, however, or that I simply don't want to believe it. To me a world confined to my puny intellect and knowledge would be a very limited existence. I think the body of knowledge that we have has been advanced by those willing to consider that there was and is something beyond their own existence and understanding.

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My problem with ghosts is that they are always moving heavy furniture in mansions meaningfully and they never think of washing up or changing the oil in the car.

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@spendius,

Yeah they move furniture around, but they don't ever vacuum.

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@Foxfyre,

Foxfyre wrote:

Quote:

Yeah they move furniture around, but they don't ever vacuum.

I had a girlfriend who used to throw it.
I still have a dent in one of my ceilings.

David

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@neologist,

"neologist"

OmSigDAVID wrote:

. . . Some of us have been out of our bodies and observed them from a distance.
It is not uncommon for people to be revived from death in hospitals.
Some of them remember only awakening
and others observed events during their deaths
and accurately described them. This has happened so many times
that it is not much in the way of news any more. . .

Quote:

Endorphins are amazing things, eh?

I am not an expert on the effects nor the origins of endorphins,
but I am under the impression that thay result from muscular exertion or emotional tension.
When I had those oobes, I was at (relative) rest & in tranquil states-of-mind.

Quote:

Anybody do this after, lets say, 2 weeks?

I don 't understand the question.

David

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@OmSigDAVID,

"U confuse a man s body, his outer covering, with the man himself or herself.

Some of us have been out of our bodies and observed them from a distance.
It is not uncommon for people to be revived from death in hospitals.
Some of them remember only awakening
and others observed events during their deaths
and accurately described them. This has happened so many times
that it is not much in the way of news any more. "

Mad: I DO question everything, and those 'experiences' mean little, since they
appear to be dreams.
Have you found the EVIDENCE the Bible is from God?
IT says we die, and will be resurrected at the appointed time; it's RELIGION
(and Satan) that claims otherwise....

1 Reply

@gungasnake,

No other assumption allows our lives to make any sense or have any meaning
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have to laugh at the idea that the universe need to have a meaning in human terms. So what if there is no meaning the universe is still a wonderful and awesome place. In fact far far more awesome then the Christian idea of heaven and after life with a three in one god waiting to pass judgment on us.

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Do Christians believe in ghosts?

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