here's a excerpt on jesusreligion.com :

"Ghosts...Spirits Are In The Bible

I write this to show the religious that yes, the bible does contain ghosts, or "spirits." I feel it necessary to correct the mis-thinking that religion has created by stating, "ghosts are impossible...because when one dies, they are either in heaven or hell." This is incorrect. First of all, heaven is simply the realm of spirit; and hell is the state of a mind bound by fear created through mis-thinking. Religious doctrines create much of the fear that places people in a self-created hell or prison of the mind. Secondly, ghosts are possible because the spirit realm and physical realm co-exist; yet are on different planes. Thirdly, some ghosts may not be people on the other side; they could be residual energy or thoughts left over from traumatic or emotional past events. The bible is full of "paranormal" activity...why not ghosts?

Ghosts and spirits are one in the same - they are people on the other side of the grave...in the afterlife, if you will. They are common in scripture, if you look for them mentioned within the bible. One of the first verses that most are aware of is in I Samuel 28:15, where Saul has a medium, "call up" the prophet Samuel from the other side of the grave:

"And Samuel saith to Saul, Why hast thou troubled me, to bring me up?"

Most christians will bury their heads and come up with an excuse for this scripture that God allowed this for one occasion. Or they may say this wasn't a ghost but Samuel was resurrected back to life. Or they may even say that this wasn't Samuel at all, but a deception from the woman - a trick. Yet, the scripture is very clear that this was Samuel; and as Samuel had died and crossed over to the other side...that would make him a spirit or ghost.. This passage should also plainly show that mediums can have contact with people on the other side. This medium, whom Saul used, saw many people on the other side, when she was calling up Samuel. One should also note in this verse, that Samuel had maintained his form of an old man wearing a mantel, just like many documented ghost sightings of apparitions, report the ghost to be dressed in "period dress" from their own time era, here on earth.

Moving into the new testament, we see Jesus having "appeared" to many after his resurrection. To "appear" indicates the idea of manifesting from the invisible to the visible, just as a spirit or ghost might manifest, from the spirit to the physical realm. It is interesting to note that he "appeared" to Simon (Luke 24:34); and he "appeared" to Mary Magdalene (Mark 16:9). Jesus "appeared" to two of his followers in a different form that was not recognizable to them. What? I mean they had a conversation with him and still didn't recognize Jesus physically! Yes, the scripture says:

Mark 16:12, "...to two of them, as they are going into a field, walking, he was manifested in another form."

He also "appeared" to the eleven disciples and stood in the midst of them during their conversation (Luke 24:36). Can you imagine that? He manifested right before their eyes from the realm of spirit. But what is interesting to note is Jesus' statement concerning their fear of him "appearing" right before their eyes:

Luke 24:39 "...handle me and see, because a spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you see me having."

Well, at first blush, one might argue, hey, Jesus wasn't a spirit or ghost because he had flesh and bone. I would have to agree, but I might add that Jesus still was "appearing" like a ghost or spirit might do. Does flesh and bone "appear" out of thin air? However, the biggest point might be missed if one does not consider Jesus' statement further, about not being a spirit or ghost...he was in effect stating that spirits (ghosts) do exist, but that he was not like them!

This common belief in ghosts is found in another new testament passage, as well. You may remember Jesus walking on the water towards his disciples who were in a boat on the sea. The verse in Matthew 14:26 states:

"and the disciples having seen him walking upon the sea, were troubled saying, 'It is an apparition,' and from the fear they cried out."

Apparitions were obviously believed to exist and even by the followers of Jesus who were learning rapidly about the spirit realm from him. Other people obviously believed in ghosts during Jesus' time on earth, because they "appeared" in the city of Jerusalem after Jesus' resurrection:

Matthew 27:52-53, "and the tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who have fallen asleep, arose; and having come forth out of the tombs after Jesus' rising, they went into the holy city and appeared to many."

The writer of Hebrews, (probably the apostle Paul) mentions the fact of spirits being all around us, in Hebrews 12:1,

"Therefore, we also having so great a cloud of witnesses set around us."

This to me, is confirmation of the spirit and physical realms co-existing with one another, but on different planes. It is a spiritual truth, that what exists here on earth, must first exist in the spirit realm; for spirit is the life-giving force behind all. And that spirit is God. God is life. The bible proclaims in the Lord's prayer,

"On earth (physical realm), as it is (first) in heaven (the realm of spirit)."

But there is one last bible passage I wish to share that many overlook that proves the manifestation of spirits from the spirit realm into this physical world. That verse can be found in Mark 9:4, in the famous Mount of Transfiguration passage:

"and there appeared to them, Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus."

Wow! This passage not only proves that spirits can manifest here, but it shows a very important spiritual truth, as well. Jesus spoke with people on the other side of the grave. Therefore, those on the other side of the grave can speak to us! The religious will try and explain this passage away; but the fact remains, it is not only possible for ghosts to exist, but Jesus, who is to be our example, shows us some spirits communicate with us! Why did Jesus choose only to reveal this truth to James, John and Peter? To us, this truth has been spoken against by traditional christian doctrine for years. Yet, Jesus felt it important enough to reveal to these three disciples what was really going on "behind the scenes." Jesus seemed to understand quite a lot about what was going on "behind the veil" of this physical world. Perhaps, we should follow his example and not fear ghosts; but seek to understand the truth of the spirit realm."


any opinions?


-Justin
DGH Investigator

I would have to agree with you completely, I believe that being a christian should make you feel better about investigating, safer, having faith can do a lot for a person.

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Never saw the conflict myself coming up in my own church. Our sister Church was widely rumored to be haunted. Once when practicing a solo there with the organist I heard noises that sounded like footsteps walking up the aisle and then sounds like somebody was sitting in a pew. It was very distinct.

Talking to the organist as we were leaving (nobody else was there from this plane anyway) I remarked at how the old building made noises like footsteps. She smiled and said "That was Dr. Colvin, he visits all the time when I come to practice on the organ".

I remain unconvinced that I had witnessed paranormal activity, the building dates back to the civil war. Still it was an eye opener experiencing the organist's , then the priest's, and other members of the church expressing the belief that the place was haunted.

Some of my friends from other denominations of course thought any interest in the paranormal was satanic. I don't see how one who professes fundamentalism can ignore the scriptures talking about spirits.

Its a big conflict in most churches from what i've seen and heard. Catholicism is the most open to the paranormal from what i've read. I always get the same response from most Christians, thats its 'satanic'. In my personal opinion I believe we have a responsibility to assist those in need. The apostles didn't just ignore the demons/spirits, they cast them out. Do you think Jesus would leave these families to fend for themselves? We are here to assist the families/businesses in need to give them confirmation if there is something paranormal going on or not. A majority of the time its not even paranormal activity. There is always a family/business that will need a paranormal investigators assistance in resolving paranormal issues and we're here to fulfill that need, along with other paranormal investigators in the area. I don't want to get off track, but just wanted to say that true Christians wouldn't ignore the need to help others when it comes to paranormal activity. just my opinion.
-Justin
DGH Investigator
www.delawareghosthunters.com

Can I get an AMEN!
All joking aside, each one of you that has posted has valid points either referencing the Bible in regards to spirits, or just in personal experiences in their lifetime and what their belief system is according to how they are raised and in what faith they are raised. Which for obvious reasons is a huge factor. This will be a debate that will last forever between believers and non beleivers of ghosts.
Amelia

I am Catholic & have spoken to a priest about this before. He has said many times that the supernatural realm is more real then the physical, leading not only to the fact that when we die our souls/spirits move on to another realm (heaven, hell, limbo), but also that we coexist. In fact he has told me that where he lives he has heard footsteps and other things & knows that it is indeed a fellow priest who passed awhile back. Our body is only the vessel which carries our souls.......

Growing up Baptist (non-scary version at the time anyway and am no longer), I can say that Baptists tend to be completely against anything dealing with the paranormal - despite the fact that the Bible, as you have pointed out, clearly states there is a spiritual world around us. I never understood the conflict. It seems a lot has to do with the denomination and the individuals.

My personal beliefs are that the soul/spirit of the individual does not stay around but that what we deal with as the paranormal is either residual, angel or demon. That said, an incident did happen to me in Romania (yes, as in Dracula land) that tested my beliefs and I'm still not sure what to make of it.

The question prompted for this Forum "Do you believe you can be a Christian and still participate in paranormal investigations?"

About 5 years ago i would have said NO.. Like Traci's baptist background i came from a Pentecostal (bible thumping) background. i used believe that All things related to ghosts and such are of the devil. Now, i live with Grace and understanding . My thinking and interest in ghosts does not affect my relationship with my God. I now believe there is a Paranormal and not all Things 'unseen' are of the devil.. I'm sure there are malicous spirits/demons out there but i know who protects me.

I'm along the same lines as Traci as far as soul/spirit of the individual does not stay around but what we usually see is residual.. If it's intelligent it's difficult to say but i'm willing to investigate to find out..

wondering what happened in Romania to Traci???

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At first you don't succeed...Read the manual...
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