Do You believe In Ghosts/Spirits ?

[Apple Sky]

To this day I don't know. Given the time of year and history of the farm, I could spin a ghost story out of it, but what I observed is what I described above. "Ghost" never occurred to me both times I observed it. Instead, it was "What is that?" But someone primed to think "ghost" by such an explanation for it may well report that's what they saw. That's the interesting thing to me.

Maybe it was an angel.

 

[Lost4words]

I did see my great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great Grandad once. I thought i was seeing a ghost but it wasnt. His owners had him stuffed when he past away!!!!

 

[Apple Sky]

I did see my great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great Grandad once. I thought i was seeing a ghost but it wasnt. His owners had him stuffed when he past away!!!!

I love your posts, they do half brighten up my day

 

[Larniavc]

To this day I don't know. Given the time of year and history

By a metric of a places ‘history’ the entire Earth should be crawling with ghosts. But it’s not.

 

[Larniavc]

Maybe it was an angel.

It’s a poor look out for Christians everywhere if that was an angel.

 

[Tuur]

Apart from all the recorded evidence and well described mechanisms for and of their existence.

Yet there would be no evidence that I saw a shooting star. And keep in mind that into the 18th Century, the idea that rocks could fall out of the sky was generally dismissed, considered superstition.

 

[Tuur]

By a metric of a places ‘history’ the entire Earth should be crawling with ghosts. But it’s not.

There was a specific event in childhood, as we were turning onto a road with a church at an intersection. I happened to look out at the cemetery beside the church and was struck by the thought that there was likely no place where someone hasn't died. This was in regards to a creepiness some feel at sleeping at a place where someone died. If there was no place where someone hasn't died, then there was no reason to be creeped out about sleeping there. Basically the same thing.

OTOH, someone from the 18th Century may well have argued that if rocks fell from the sky, then, over time, the ground should be covered with then. Put up something to collect dust away from structures, then run a magnet over it, and what sticks to it may well be micro iron meteorites, so in a way that's true: the ground is covered with tiny stones that fell from the sky. Just not how we might think of it.

As to ghosts, though, that gets to the question of the initial post. Christian belief is that it's appointed to us once to die, then after that the judgement. Lazarus and the Rich Man describes two different places, neither of which seems to where they have lived and died.

 

[Tuur]

Maybe it was an angel.

Based on my observations, why should we think that?

 

[Apple Sky]

Based on my observations, why should we think that?

Just a thought.

 

[Larniavc]

Yet there would be no evidence that I saw a shooting star.

But we know exactly what a shooting star really is. You see them all the time and we know what they are.

 

[2PhiloVoid]

Of Saul ..........

The army of the Philistines approached and had threatened the covenant people, which disturbed the king (1 Samuel 28:4-5).

He was not able to consult the Lord through any of the legitimate ways, so in desperation he sought for the very people he banished.

He requested a medium and was sent to the home of a woman at En Dor (v. 7). Saul met the woman in a disguise and asked her to “bring up” Samuel the prophet.

The woman was aware of the law of the land and that Saul had banished her kind of people from practicing their sorcery. (vv. 8-9). After a promise from Saul that the Lord would not punish her, she attempted to bring up Samuel and to her own surprise, he actually came back to life! (vv. 10-12).

The exchange between Samuel and Saul at this point is reminiscent of prior conversations. Saul asked Samuel what to do about the Philistines, and Samuel responded by reminding Saul that YHWH had departed from him and gave the kingdom to David because of Saul’s disobedience.

Samuel then told Saul that he and his children would die in battle and be “with” Samuel (vv. 16-19).
And he did.

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So do you believe that ghosts do come back to visit us ?

There's two competing interpretations about this passage regarding Saul's consultation of the Witch of Endor. That's my 'soft' answer to your question here.

 

[Servus]

A the most a ghost is some apparition that's glimpsed, and sometimes goes bump in the night.

One time I was in an office building for the first time all alone at night. All of a sudden most of the lights went out, some doors slammed shut, and it sounded like people were running on the second floor.

Later on I came to know the lights were on a timer. The doors slammed because the HVAC system caused a change in air pressure. And the sounds I heard were air filters moving.

 

[Larniavc]

If there was no place where someone hasn't died, then there was no reason to be creeped out about sleeping there.

The thing about fear and being creeped out is that it can occur for multiple reasons. What you’re thinking about at the time, what memories a situation or thought can induce. We feel fear when we interpret something as a risk. If we are steeped in the the idea the cold spots mean paranormal activity that’s what we think if we encounter a cold spot.

We often go further and misinterpret our physical sensations as from an external force. This is a well known expression of human psychology.

When there are so many plausible explanations for phenomena it seems bizarre to posit implausible explanations that would contradiction what is well known about reality.

Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence and all that.

 

[Tuur]

A the most a ghost is some apparition that's glimpsed, and sometimes goes bump in the night.

One time I was in an office building for the first time all alone at night. All of a sudden most of the lights went out, some doors slammed shut, and it sounded like people were running on the second floor.

Later on I came to know the lights were on a timer. The doors slammed because the HVAC system caused a change in air pressure. And the sounds I heard were air filters moving.

OTOH, was working late alone back when dot matrix printers were a thing and DOS was the latest OS, on a old even then massive Tandy printer connected to the computer with a Centronix connector. Had a toggle switch on the side to put it online, if I remember (probably incorrectly). Had just tore off a printout, walked back over to the computer, and the printer did a form feed before I so much as reached for the keyboard. No explanation.

The idea that all things have a rational explanation is a comforting one, but doesn't always hold. OTOH, if someone accepted the existence ghosts, to that person claiming such and such was caused by a ghost would count as a rational explanation.

 

[Tuur]

Just a thought.

My only point is I had no indication what it was. I still don't. I only observed what I observed. I don't/didn't have enough information to even speculate. Whatever I'd choose to call it wouldn't have any sort of basis.

 

[Robban]

Of Saul ..........

The army of the Philistines approached and had threatened the covenant people, which disturbed the king (1 Samuel 28:4-5).

He was not able to consult the Lord through any of the legitimate ways, so in desperation he sought for the very people he banished.

He requested a medium and was sent to the home of a woman at En Dor (v. 7). Saul met the woman in a disguise and asked her to “bring up” Samuel the prophet.

The woman was aware of the law of the land and that Saul had banished her kind of people from practicing their sorcery. (vv. 8-9). After a promise from Saul that the Lord would not punish her, she attempted to bring up Samuel and to her own surprise, he actually came back to life! (vv. 10-12).

The exchange between Samuel and Saul at this point is reminiscent of prior conversations. Saul asked Samuel what to do about the Philistines, and Samuel responded by reminding Saul that YHWH had departed from him and gave the kingdom to David because of Saul’s disobedience.

Samuel then told Saul that he and his children would die in battle and be “with” Samuel (vv. 16-19).
And he did.

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So do you believe that ghosts do come back to visit us ?

The passage you have taken has hardly anything to do with what one would think a ghost story.

It is about necromancy.

Here is a commentary by Rashi on verse 14," What is his form?" (how does he look)

Three things were said concerning necromancy

1, The one who conjures him (the dead) up sees him, but does not hear his voice.

2, The one who inquires of him hears him, but does not see him, therefore , he asked "what is his form".

3, Others neither see nor hear him.

Though Saul had abolished the necromancers he told his servants to seek a necromanceress.