The paranormal and your religion.

[Jocelyn.]

What are your beliefs regarding the paranormal (psychic mediums, spirits, apparitions, demons, becoming possessed, what have you...), and how do those beliefs relate to your religion?

To give the extremely condensed version... I consider myself agnostic. Although I personally don't think there is a higher power, I guess it could be possible. An afterlife, though? That's where I get confused.

I truly do believe in ghosts (for lack of a better term). I believe some can take on a shape and even interact with objects or people. I also believe some people have the gift of being able to communicate with the dead, as in psychic mediums.

I'm really at a loss as to how to comes to terms with the fact that I believe in lost spirits roaming the eath, seeing as I don't nessecarily believe people go anywhere when they die. I also hate calling them spirits as I don't really know what they are. I just strongly believe that whatever it is, its there.

[Kitty.]

I do not believe in ghosts.
I do not believe that psychic mediums talk to the dead.

When psychic mediums are "talking to the dead," I believe that they are actually talking to demons.
Any haunted house that is really haunted is haunted by demons in my opinion.

As for whether or not people can get possessed, I don't know. People got possessed back in the Bible days but other than that I don't know.

[LlamaLlamaDuck]

I'm not 100% sure what my religious beliefs are at the moment so I can't really comment based on that.
But personally I'm totally open to just about all of the paranormal stuff you can throw at me, however there are some exceptions.
I read about a 'Psychic Dentist' when I was 12 that just made fillings appear in peoples teeth, that was ridiculous.
I don't believe much in exorcisms because it's too religious with all the 'Get thee behind me, Satan. I cast you out in the name of Jesus Christ'
Aside from that I believe in pretty much everything I've read about it.
Oh, apart from Most Haunted, it's the most fake ghost hunting show I've ever seen.

[OMFG!You'reActuallySmart!]

I view ghosts, spirits, talking to spirits and the like as fairytales for children and good ways to get money from gullible people. I'm a strong atheist and although I am still looking through Satanism, I don't believe in their existence. Demonic possession I think is good for Hollywood movies, books and horror campnight stories. There isn't a way to verify someone is possessed and historical evidence lacked the current knowledge in psychology, biology and mind-altering drugs, so at face value, those historical accounts are worthless. Perhaps it was from eating certain molds that grew on crops producing psychosis, which is what helped fuel the Witch craze (i.e. witches flying) but we don't know. Other accounts are were people admitted they were possessed but again, we cant examine those accounts with modern science. It is possible the person had severe schizophrenia but it could've just as easily been from neurological disorders to, perhaps actual possession. Since it cant be known, I don't give any value to them. Modern-day psychics and such often have been reluctant to show their skills or state their psychic abilities only apply to very very specific things (i.e. cant tell the upcoming lottery number). Hence, it's great for Hollywood, ghost stories, or money-making from using gullible or delusional people.

[WhisperingSilence]

i believe in ghosts, spirits, anything paranormal i believe in, i have been to see a few spiritualist mediums, and i have also seen ghosts and residual energy recordings, i dont really have a religion but i used to go to the church of england, i dont anymore, i would love to go to a spiritualist church though!

[Double X]

I want to doubt mediums, but a medium recited a lyric from a song my dead best friend and I used to love. Creepy as hell. Not sure if I believe it, I think she could've dug for information previously.

Anyways, I don't believe in ghosts, paranormal. This is a good video I'd like to refer you people to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPqerbz8KDc

[Pelios]

I believe ghosts are souls from dead people.
People who claim to be talking to "death people" are really talking to demons pretending to be that person.
On exorcism I believe you can be possessed by a demon.

[~Mr. Self Destruct~]

I have no religion and I think everything relating to "paranormal" activities, demons and co. are all complete shit. Exorcisms also seem to be religions former answer to mental disorders, of which they believed were cases of demoic possession.
There is my answer.

[Megan1]

Originally Posted by Strawberries

I do not believe in ghosts.
I do not believe that psychic mediums talk to the dead.

When psychic mediums are "talking to the dead," I believe that they are actually talking to demons.
Any haunted house that is really haunted is haunted by demons in my opinion.

I agree.

[Just Peachy.]

I believe in all of the above.
I believe that Demons can, and will posses people.
I don't quite know if exorcisms will work.

My feelings on God, or religion, is such that I feel like it is manipulative, and easy to get sucked into.
Now, before I get bashed for this, just know that I respect everyone who is apart of religion. And I don't dislike anyone because of it.
I just have strong belief and knowledge on demons, angels, ghosts, etc.

Do I believe in the paranormal? I don't know. I need proof before I can say I do or don't for sure. If they do exist, I don't believe people can be possessed. I believe that people may have the ability to communicate telepathically with other living human minds, but I don't believe we can contact the dead at this time.

When I refer to a "spirit" or a "soul," I'm usually referring to the core of one's being, what makes her human (as in her mind). Or, if the person is deceased, I'm typically referring to the memories I have of her. In that sense, I believe in spirits. My definition of "spirit" differs from the religious definition significantly, just as my definition of "faith" does. I have faith, most definitely, but not in a god per se. I have faith in humanity and in nature.

I hope that answers some questions.

[Sythan]

Mine go hand in hand. There are Spirits that still walk the Earth for many reasons. Demonic possession maybe, Psychics are ok I guess, I know that some are real.

[John 6:29]

I believe in spirits/ghosts, etc. however, I don't believe they are departed souls, I believe they are demons.

In regards to an afterlife, even if you don't believe in one, we still continue to live. Just as fertilizer though. We never truly really "die" physically. Our bodies just decompose and we lose consciousness and I suppose our "soul" -- all of our organs, etc. shut down, but we still technically live even after death.

But a literal life after death? Why not? It's unfathomable to me of non-existence. We could say, "It's like sleeping without waking up." Yet it's not sleeping because if it was sleeping we could say that when you sleep you die for a few hours and raise back to life.

[Dark-and-Twisty]

I definitely do believe in ghosts; if you've ever seen the show "Ghost Whisperer," that's how feel it is. Ghosts are spirits trapped here on Earth because they feel they have unfinished business. Until their business is complete, they will wander the world trapped and possibly confused. Also mentioned on Ghost Whisperer, I believe young children can see ghosts. That's where imaginary friends come from. We don't remember ever seeing ghosts because as our minds have matured, we have shut it all out.

My mom swears when I was a little girl she walked in on me talking to my dad shortly after his death. I don't remember it at all, but she says I did.

I also believe that the crossed over can communicate with the living through dreams. I've had too many dreams that suggest that. My grandfather who died before I was even born 'visited' me. He spoke to me.

Also, I believe my father crossed over to the 'other side.' The last dream where my dad spoke to me I had when I was about six or seven. He told me that it was "his time to go." He hasn't spoken to me since, though I have seen him briefly in dreams.

I've experienced death a lot over my lifetime, and maybe that's why I have so much faith in the spiritual world.

The strangest story I can tell you was shortly after my step-grandfather died. I was nine. Shortly after his death, the television in the room he died in would turn on at random throughout the night. Ghosts can mess with the electrical circuits. There was an episode of Unsolved Mysteries that talked about the radio turning on at random during the night, too.

[MadPoet]

There has to be a place after death. I can't imagine just nothingness. Personally I believe that the ghosts are people stuck on earth who are in the process of crossing over. I think that they're either on earth because they haven't found "the light" yet, or because they have unfinished business and need to prove they are worthy to get to Heaven still.

I believe in demons too, but not in the devil. I think that demons are the really evil people, and that they're stuck on earth too but in a different "realm" than the ghosts. They either have failed at their second chance, or they weren't worthy enough for one and will perish when the world ends, if it ever does.

I believe ghosts can interact with some things, and can be seen, but not demons. Demons, like I said before, are in a different realm and can't interact with the world, although they are technically on the earth.

[dancinfool]

I'm atheist and don't believe in any of it.. never have done and most likely never will. Even if I myself had a 'paranormal experience' I'd be more likely to believe my very falliable (sp?) human mind had failed to give me an accurate representation of what had happened, rather than the (pretty unfalliable) laws of physics had suddenly failed :P

I'm also amazed at how many people believe in 'demons' but not in ghosts? I've met plenty of people who believe in ghosts but none who I can remember believing in demons.

[Lugez]

While I guess you could say I believe in the paranormal, I think it's only called that because we don't understand them. If we could understand paranormal events (ghosts, mediums, strange happenings etc.) then it wouldn't be so paranormal anymore. Just because it's paranormal doesn't mean there isn't any explanation for it.

As a strict Atheist (I don't believe in an all-powerful creator and God, but anything else is fair game), I do believe there are elements of our universe that we still have yet to understand (or only few of us have understood).

[batsmad]

I don't believe in ghosts in the typical "dead person" image as I believe in reincarnation, however I do believe that people can unintentionally leave some of their vibration behind causing minor disturbances. As far as psychics are concerned I believe their are some people who can truly connect with the astral planes and therefore see more than by just sight, however I also know that many people say they can to make money off people. I have had too many "coincidences" with divination methods such as tarot cards to believe their is no truth in them. Overall, if asked, I'd say I believed though.

[Isla]

I think people have the wrong idea about religion. I'm not saying that I understand it, but I feel that it's something we can't possibly fully comprehend. If we can't even fully understand the universe, how are we suppose to understand something bigger and more complex. Whose to say it does or does not connect to the paranormal? You could have and opinion about whether or not it is, but that's not necessarily the truth. If the paranormal does exist then we have a better chance of understanding that then our own faith and religion.