Do you believe in ghosts? If so, how do you explain what they are from a theological point of view? II Corinthians 5:6-8 says that to be absent from the body is to be with the Lord. But, the NET Bible version for 5:8 says "5:8 Thus we are full of courage and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.", which leads me to believe that the verse may mean something different.
I believe in ghosts, as there is just simply way too much anecdotal evidence for them. I find the ghost phenomenon incredibly interesting, and plan to go "ghost hunting" (where you basically just chill at a "haunted" location with some people, waiting for something paranormal to occur) sometime to learn more about it.
As far as ghostly phenomenon goes, there are many different kinds of phenomena. If we are to explain ghostly phenoma theologically, we'll need to explain each category individually, as each category is very different. I'll list a few...
-"Playback" - this is when it seems as if events from the past are replaying themselves. Sometimes there is a full blown ghostly apparition that can be seen, but it can't be interacted with at all. Some people in Gettysburg claim to have seen Civil War soldiers marching, only to suddenly disappear. This would be an example of this category - it's like a rip in time/space or something.
-Poltergeist activity - this includes all the small and odd things that happen. From unexplained noises, to objects mysteriously disappearing or being moved by themselves (some people claim to have seen items being physically floating in the air when being moved), to lights turning on and off by themselves or doors opening and closing by themselves.
-Full blown ghost - this one is the rarest and perhaps most frightening. This is when we actually see a ghost that responds to what we say or do. Sometimes the ghosts look like normal humans, but other times there is something horribly wrong about them (like a head that moves unnaturally on the neck, or a mouth full of bloody razor sharp teeth). If any category could be explained by demons, it would probably be this one, especially considering the horrific forms many of them take that would suggest that they are not, and never were, human.
-Shadow people - this can be another very frightening phenomenon. It is similar to the category above, but the form that is taken is like shadow. Witnesses claim that the shadow people are blacker than the darkest black, almost as if the shadow people are made of pure nothingness. Sometimes witnesses report that the shadow people have eyes, but there are never any other features about them. Most people with shadow people experiences claim that they got a vibe of pure evil and pure dread when they directly looked at the shadow people, like they were looking at something that wasn't supposed to exist. Most of the time, people with shadow people experiences just claim that they saw one out of the corner of their eye, but when they looked, nothing was there. This category could also be explained by demons, easily.
In all of the categories except the first one (though the first one may be affected too, I am not sure about that though) it seems as if telling whoever or whatever it is to leave in the name of Jesus Christ actually works. It's as if these "spirits" (or whatever they are) are frightened at the name of Jesus. I think this is pretty cool, as even non believers who are ghost enthusiasts accept this fact.
I believe in ghosts, as there is just simply way too much anecdotal evidence for them. I find the ghost phenomenon incredibly interesting, and plan to go "ghost hunting" (where you basically just chill at a "haunted" location with some people, waiting for something paranormal to occur) sometime to learn more about it.
As far as ghostly phenomenon goes, there are many different kinds of phenomena. If we are to explain ghostly phenoma theologically, we'll need to explain each category individually, as each category is very different. I'll list a few...
-"Playback" - this is when it seems as if events from the past are replaying themselves. Sometimes there is a full blown ghostly apparition that can be seen, but it can't be interacted with at all. Some people in Gettysburg claim to have seen Civil War soldiers marching, only to suddenly disappear. This would be an example of this category - it's like a rip in time/space or something.
-Poltergeist activity - this includes all the small and odd things that happen. From unexplained noises, to objects mysteriously disappearing or being moved by themselves (some people claim to have seen items being physically floating in the air when being moved), to lights turning on and off by themselves or doors opening and closing by themselves.
-Full blown ghost - this one is the rarest and perhaps most frightening. This is when we actually see a ghost that responds to what we say or do. Sometimes the ghosts look like normal humans, but other times there is something horribly wrong about them (like a head that moves unnaturally on the neck, or a mouth full of bloody razor sharp teeth). If any category could be explained by demons, it would probably be this one, especially considering the horrific forms many of them take that would suggest that they are not, and never were, human.
-Shadow people - this can be another very frightening phenomenon. It is similar to the category above, but the form that is taken is like shadow. Witnesses claim that the shadow people are blacker than the darkest black, almost as if the shadow people are made of pure nothingness. Sometimes witnesses report that the shadow people have eyes, but there are never any other features about them. Most people with shadow people experiences claim that they got a vibe of pure evil and pure dread when they directly looked at the shadow people, like they were looking at something that wasn't supposed to exist. Most of the time, people with shadow people experiences just claim that they saw one out of the corner of their eye, but when they looked, nothing was there. This category could also be explained by demons, easily.
In all of the categories except the first one (though the first one may be affected too, I am not sure about that though) it seems as if telling whoever or whatever it is to leave in the name of Jesus Christ actually works. It's as if these "spirits" (or whatever they are) are frightened at the name of Jesus. I think this is pretty cool, as even non believers who are ghost enthusiasts accept this fact.
Shadow people do exist-in fiction.
