Ghost stories

[Nathon Detroit]

from wikipedia....

A ghost is said to be the apparition of a deceased person, frequently similar in appearance to that person, and usually encountered in places she or he frequented, or in association with the person's former belongings. The word "ghost" may also refer to the spirit or soul of a deceased person, or to any spirit or demon. Ghosts are often associated with hauntings, which is, according to the Parapsychological Association, "the more or less regular occurrence of paranormal phenomena associated with a particular locality (especially a building) and usually attributed to the activities of a discarnate entity; the phenomena may include apparitions, poltergeist disturbances, cold drafts, sounds of footsteps and voices, and various odours."​

I am curious.... how many of you TOLers believe in ghosts?

And if so... do you have any good ghost stories, how about pictures? If you have pictures of what you believe are ghosts please share them with us.

As for me.... the only ghost I believe in is the Holy Ghost, so for sake of this discussion lets not consider a belief in the Holy Ghost to be an affirmation in believing in ghosts. The ghosts I would like to discuss are the type described above in the wiki article I referenced.

 

[drbrumley]

No, I don't believe in ghosts. But I have known people who swear up and down that they have seen them in some fashion. But I never have. Kinda like UFO's. I have never seen one of those either.

 

[drbrumley]

Wait, I have seen a ghost. His name was Casper. :rotfl:

 

[Lighthouse]

Well, if belief in the HS don't count, then angels and demons don't either, correct? So I voted no. But I do have some stories that people woulc consider ghost stories.

One time, at a late night job, where I worked by myself, though there were other people in the building, just not in my department, there was a knock on the door. And I was very close to the door, so I opened it. No one was there, or even down the hall, in either direction. There was a door to another department close by, but it wasn't swinging or shutting.:idunno:

There's also a story that I don't remember, when I was quite young. I was with my dad at the house of a friend of his, and I went upstairs to use the rest room. When I came back down, apparently, I asked my dad why he didn't tell me the house was haunted.:idunno:

I've also heard footsteps on stairs, and hard floors, in places I've lived. Oddly enough, I don't recall hearing any of those things in anyone else's house.:idunno:

 

[Psalmist]

:think:. . .:noid:

No, I don't believe in ghosts.

Wait . . .

• Apparitions, no. I did have an appearance of somebody unexpected bringing me money.
• Poltergeist disturbances, no. But I did have a vase fall over because I slammed the door.
• Cold drafts, beer? Really only when I leave the door open. (I'm a teetotaler)
• Sounds of footsteps and voices, yes. Especially when I tell somebody, "Follow me."
• Various odours, yes. The specific odor depends on the room of the house I am in.

Knight, great question, I hope this doesn't get derailed. This is all I can contribute, did this gave you a laugh :crackup:​

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That's​

- 30 -​

:scripto:. . Psalmist

 

[Granite]

I believe some people leave behind some manner of residue or negative energy in certain situations. I've seen and felt at least one apparition that I cannot conventionally or rationally explain.

 

[Lighthouse]

It's not a public poll?! Unfair!

 

[FellowServant]

I do not believe in ghosts.

 

[drbrumley]

33% believe in ghosts.

 

[eveningsky339]

I do believe in ghosts. I've volunteered with "paranormal societies" online that consider sightings and respond to the most serious. In the serious cases, one of three things could be happening:

1. The victim is a pathological liar or has a problem of a similar kind. No sane person would sit around concocting such stories and reporting them.

2. The victim has a pretty severe mental illness.

3. The victim is being haunted by a spirit with malevolent intent.


It is important to consider the first two before concluding that the third is possible, and while there have been some messed up people reporting sightings, many of them could not be explained by the first two.


I've also had a few experiences similar to kt's. I was alone at home one day watching television in my room. There were three knocks on my door, so I assumed that my mom or my brothers had come home. When I opened the door, however, the house was still completely empty.

I've had another instance where I was laying in bed trying to fall asleep at about midnight. The hall light was on and I was considering going out and turning it off until my door simply swung open and closed with no one on the other side.


But, nothing weird has happened with my psychotic door for a pretty long time. One day I heard a "phantom knock" and basically said, "If you're a ghost, buzz off."

Haven't had anything since. :rain:

 

[Psalmist]

I do believe in ghosts. I've volunteered with "paranormal societies" online that consider sightings and respond to the most serious. In the serious cases, one of three things could be happening:

1. The victim is a pathological liar or has a problem of a similar kind. No sane person would sit around concocting such stories and reporting them.

2. The victim has a pretty severe mental illness.

3. The victim is being haunted by a spirit with malevolent intent.

It is important to consider the first two before concluding that the third is possible, and while there have been some messed up people reporting sightings, many of them could not be explained by the first two.

I've also had a few experiences similar to kt's. I was alone at home one day watching television in my room. There were three knocks on my door, so I assumed that my mom or my brothers had come home. When I opened the door, however, the house was still completely empty.

I've had another instance where I was laying in bed trying to fall asleep at about midnight. The hall light was on and I was considering going out and turning it off until my door simply swung open and closed with no one on the other side.

But, nothing weird has happened with my psychotic door for a pretty long time. One day I heard a "phantom knock" and basically said, "If you're a ghost...
edit: by Delmar"
Haven't had anything since. :rain:

Is that really necessary?


Maybe the Woodshed?

That's​

- 30 -​

:scripto:. . Psalmist

 

[Ktoyou]

Ghosts are a manifestation of a wish that something beyond human understating can be explained without rational thought and evidence. We value fantasy as one well knows by the entertainment we may watch, or read about.

Stephen King is not popular because he explains why the fantastic is believable, rather because he takes it for granted

 

[Spitfire]

I believe in angels and demons but not ghosts in the traditional sense of dead people who haunt their former homes or the places of their death. Though, I suppose ghosts like the one in Hamlet are possible, theoretically (I still voted no.)

One of my favorite websites has a page with links to various well-known ghost stories, usually involving a photograph where something appeared that nobody was aware of while actually taking the picture.

http://www.anomalies-unlimited.com/Ghosts.html

 

[Hot Towers]

I voted no.

I absolutely do not believe in ghosts (based on Knight's definition of a ghost being the deceased spirit of a dead person). The Bible is clear when it states that a dead person goes either straight to heaven or straight to hell. There is no indication of a delay, or a time when the spirit gets to wander loose on earth.

Now as for hauntings, if they are in fact real, it's pretty clear that it must be demonic activity.

 

[DoogieTalons]

I don't believe in ghosts but a few days after my Grandpa's death I would have sworn I saw him sitting in his chair and he smiled at me. I think it's cos I was shocked by his death and missed him. This was about 20 years ago.

 

[Evoken]

I believe in angels and demons but not ghosts in the traditional sense of dead people who haunt their former homes or the places of their death.

Do you think it is possible that those in Purgatory may accomplish something related to their purification by visiting some place or appearing to someone on earth? Not in the sense of haunting places or making all the sort of mindless stuff we normally see reported, of course. After all, if they do so it would be only because God allows it.


Evo

 

[death2impiety]

I had a pretty messed up experience once that I still can't explain to this day.

I remember the whole thing with an odd amount of clarity.
When I was about 11 I was sleeping over at a friends house playing war (The card game).
I had brought over the deck of cards because my friend wasn't allowed to play with cards so he didn't have any (I know, I'm a rebel). I remember we both threw Kings which of course meant war. I remember it was a King because the night before I was mad at my dad because he made me help him weed outside that afternoon which caused me to miss ducktales :madmad: so later that night out of anger I decided to draw horns and a mustache on the King of hearts card of my dads new deck of bicycle cards. Why I thought that was good retribution I don't know, but I proudly slapped it down on his lap with a "ha! There!" look on my face. Shortly after that, he proudly gave my bum a good slapping!

ANYWAY...(sorry, I always tell long stories...) there was the King with the horns and mustache and it was time for war. We both threw 3 more cards face down (as you do in war) and threw the 4th face up. It was another King on my side and he threw a 2. He reached over and pushed me and said "CHEATER!" I banged my head on the wall behind me and sneezed at the same time hurling a huge booger right onto my own leg! I was so embarrassed and grossed out I almost started crying. I ran to the nearest bathroom to cover up my tears and clean myself up. The door was locked so I had to run up the stairs. When I got to the top a HUGE and I mean HUGE chill ran up my spine. It was night so it was dark and I saw a really bright light shoot down the middle of the hall and into one of the bedrooms. I just stopped dead in my tracks to try to figure out what it was. After a moment I convinced myself it was probably just headlights from a car or something reflecting into the house. I was still pretty freaked out but the embarrassment of the snot on my leg and the tears rolling down my face from the throbbing pain on the back of my skull motivated me to move toward the bathroom to get cleaned up.

The light was off when I walked in the bathroom. I couldn't see the switch so I left the door open to let the moonlight in from the skylight in the hallway. I soon located the light switch and flipped it on. The very moment the light turned on, the door behind me slammed shut. And I mean SLAMMED! It rattled the bathroom and it scared the pasta outta me. I instinctually turned around to open the door and was pretty much sure that my friend was just messing with me. I opened the door a few inches, just enough to look out and cry "stop it Gregory!" but he wasn't there. And the moment I realized that, the cold chill returned 200% and the door slammed shut again. I felt this strong pressure there by the door that I can't explain in any other words. I ran to the other end of the bathroom and covered myself in dirty towels that were laying there on the floor. I was screaming and crying at the top of my lungs like a crazy person and just then to make matters worse, the light in the bathroom burnt out and it was completely dark. There were three loud bangs on the door and then a really bright light shone underneath it like someone was there with a super powered flashlight or something. I was so relieved because I figured it was Gregory or his parents with a flashlight trying to get in because maybe the power had gone out in the whole house or something. I felt comforted for a sec ya know?

Just as I stood up to run to the door, the lights turned back on. I tore the door open, RAN out and back down the stairs as Gregory's mom was walking up to see what all the screaming was about. I told her what had happened with the light in the hall and the door slamming, she didn't believe me. She had found Gregory with my cards, gave me a spanking and drove me home. I'd never been so happy to be punished!

 

[eveningsky339]

Is that really necessary?


Maybe the Woodshed?

That's​

- 30 -​

:scripto:. . Psalmist

I'm sorry if I offended you. :idunno:


Do "non-believers" think that the millions of reports of ghosts over the centuries are caused by some mass delusion? :think:

 

[Layla]

I don't believe in ghosts, no.

 

[Aimey]

I do not believe in the conventional definition of ghosts.

however, since I was very young I have been bothered by an extremely high sensitivity to spiritual things. I believed the Bible the first time I heard it and I always knew I was not alone, even when I was fearful of who might be there.

sometimes I was afraid to get out of my bed, you know like the monsters under the bed and closet stuff except to a terrifying degree.

I believe that demons do have some influence on the minds of men. By that I mean that people , espeacially those who are fearful, can be influenced through the imagination and by a limited degree of external physical phenomena, to allow thier minds to become a harbor for demons. This is why I do not discount all ghost stories, nor do I think that all people are making it up. I just don't believe that the spirit causing the trouble is of human origin.