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Most Christians I know attribute ghost stories either to natural phenomena or demonic activity. But are these the only two options?
The Church has never definitively settled this question—in fact, some of its greatest theologians have disagreed with one another. But the Church has affirmed numerous apparitions of deceased saints as well as the messages they bring. That gives us something to go on.
Ghost comes from an Old English word related to the German geist, meaning “spirit,” and Christians certainly believe in spirits: God, angels, and the souls of deceased humans all qualify. Many say that the souls of the dead shouldn’t be roaming around among the living, since upon death the immaterial soul separates from the material body until the resurrection (Rev. 20:5, 12-13). But is there good reason to believe that human spirits appear on Earth?
Continued below.
www.catholic.com
The testimony of Scripture and the Church's traditions give us something to go on.
Most Christians I know attribute ghost stories either to natural phenomena or demonic activity. But are these the only two options?
The Church has never definitively settled this question—in fact, some of its greatest theologians have disagreed with one another. But the Church has affirmed numerous apparitions of deceased saints as well as the messages they bring. That gives us something to go on.
Ghost comes from an Old English word related to the German geist, meaning “spirit,” and Christians certainly believe in spirits: God, angels, and the souls of deceased humans all qualify. Many say that the souls of the dead shouldn’t be roaming around among the living, since upon death the immaterial soul separates from the material body until the resurrection (Rev. 20:5, 12-13). But is there good reason to believe that human spirits appear on Earth?
Continued below.
What Are Ghosts?
For Catholics, ghosts are a bit of a mystery. But the testimony of Scripture and the Church's traditions give us something to go on.
