Do you believe in ghosts

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You are surrounded by countless spiritual beings, of course. There are ghosts, demons, angels, many types of beings. Be aware and use spiritual protection. Why do you ask?
 
I’m a Doubting Thomas when it comes to ghosts. I’ve never seen one but people whom I know very well and trust claim to have seen them.

I have heard unexplained sounds that were “ghostly.” The day of my father’s funeral, I was down in his cellar poking around in the workroom where he kept all his tools. I heard someone walk down the last few wood steps from the first floor and shuffle around on the concrete at the foot of the stairs.

I wondered who it was, although I stayed in the workroom for a few moments longer. When I stepped out to see who was standing there, there was no one.

I went upstairs and asked the others who had just gone downstairs. No one had. It wasn’t as if I heard a sound and on the spot made up a story that it was my dad’s ghost. I heard the sounds and knew it was someone from upstairs. A ghostly presence never occurred to me until afterward.

🤷
 
Ghosts are the spirits of people who have died, right?

Unless you believe that existence ends with death, most people have some belief in ghosts, in one way or another.

My great-grandfather died. My great-grandmother was, like, suicidally sad and depressed. My great-grandfather was allowed to visit her for a few minutes. He wasn’t allowed to speak-- but she could see him, and he could hold her. Was it a ghost? Technically, maybe, but it was my great-grandfather. He did what he was supposed to do-- comfort my great-grandmother-- and then they both got on with life.

One night, I woke and saw a little boy standing in the doorway of my bedroom. I thought it was my 4yo. I asked him what he needed. He turned around and ran. I ran after him to try and catch him, because I didn’t want him falling down the stairs in the dark. When I got to his bedroom, my son was fast asleep, and obviously hadn’t moved for hours. And my infant was sound asleep in his crib in my room, and obviously wasn’t an age to go running around the house. To this day I have no clue who it was, or what it meant. But I never thought the word “ghost”, even after I realized he wasn’t my son-- I only thought “the little boy in the doorway”. I said a prayer for him and went back to sleep.
 
The ghosts of human beans?

Of course! I never see them, but I know they are there!
 
To begin with, the word “ghost” comes from geist, the German word for spirit.

So it really depends on what you mean by ghost. I mean, I recall there was a few writings from some famous Saints who apparently can talk with spirit from purgatory who seems to being their room, even if they are actually in Purgatory – so are they ghost in common folk sense or not?

I will say this much: If you feel you have hauntings, perhaps you should check your sins, as it’s likely demonic influences instead – my coworker who is baptized but no longer believe in God AND keep making jokes related to chasity and keep disparaging his wife who is a devoted Protestant, keep saying he felt haunted in a senior-case we occasionally service computers, where as I just feel fine (other than the usual IT OMGWTFBBQQ). There is a reason why the Church have exorcists.
 
No, but I believe in jinns. They’re sort of like ghosts because they are invisible and they have feelings, desires, names, likes and dislikes.
 
I’m not sure. I take the position one of my high school teachers introduced me to, that “ghosts” are actually demons. Another one I’ve heard (which I also think is probable) is that “ghosts” are the souls in purgatory, and God allows them to appear to the living in hopes of receiving prayers.
 
Holy Scripture speaks of ghosts…and I’m not speaking about The Holy Spirit here. If you are a Christian, it means you believe and put your trust in Holy Scripture, the very Word of God. In the Old Testament there are passages that speak of spirits of the dead appearing to people. In the New Testament, the apostles were to said to thought they were seeing a ghost two separate times, I believe. Once when Jesus was walking on water towards them when they went out on the boat ahead of Him. The other time when Jesus appeared to them after his resurrection.

Here are some specific passages in the New Testament where the term ghost is mentioned…

Luke 24:37
Matthew 14:26
Mark 6:49

(In and around those numbers, as some versions of Scripture are numbered slightly differently.)

Of course they didn’t say ghosts exist, but not even Jesus said or instructed at that time ghosts don’t exist. With Jesus being compassionate, helpful and instructive, I’d think he would’ve had a teaching moment to be transcribed in Scripture forever if the phenomena known as ghosts was just nothing. Think of it this way, even way back then, there was a concept of ghosts, which means people saw them even back then, and it was something people knew about. In all cultures, all religions, in all ages…ghosts have made their appearances.

St. Jerome said ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ. It pains me that there are those of you out there who have not studied your Bibles. If you claim to believe in The Holy Spirit, if you claim to be Catholic or Christian, the spirit world should be one of those things you understand exists. (Not saying we should understand it, but that it’s a REAL possibility). It’s not a question of, “Do ghosts exist?”, but more like “What are ghosts?..and what does the faith say about it?” , would be more in line with a believer. When the atheist majority asks you about ghosts, and you deny it for fear of being labeled mentally ill, what leg will you have to stand on when explaining your belief in The Holy Spirit? The Spirit world is either real or not. Mind you, thus doesn’t mean we understand it or go searching for spirits, just simply that it’s possible.
 
A friend who committed suicide came to me in my bedroom. She was frantic and said I had to help her. When I got to my bathroom my lips and face were all one color, the color of mayonnaise. I was scared and weak.

I started having Masses said for her regularly. I went to her grave multiple times and prayed rosaries and Divine Mercy chaplets and poured holy water on her name on her tombstone. I did things that hopefully gained a plenary indulgence for her. Thanks be to God she never came back.
 
I would like to add another biblical mention of ghosts which is very interesting.

In Acts 12 we read Peter escapes from prison with the help of an angel and goes to visit his friends:

13And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda.
14And when she knew Peter’s voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in, and told how Peter stood before the gate.
15And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they, It is his angel.
16But Peter continued knocking: and when they had opened the door, and saw him, they were astonished.

So when they see Peter standing at the gate, they think it’s impossible because he is in prison, and they assume that it’s his angel. This means that apparently there was a belief that everyone’s angel takes on the appearance of the person he guards.

I have seen episodes of the tv show ghost hunters (yes sometimes I’m a little bored) in which people claimed to see ghosts of people that were actually alive, they called it ‘dopfelgangers’ (look a likes). So apparently this case with Peter does not stand on it’s own.
Could it be that ghosts that people claim to see of their loved ones after they have died are actually the angels of those people as well?
 
Samwise21 said:
And I ain’t talking about the Holy Ghost.
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The apostles thought Jesus was a ghost when he first appeared to them after being crucified, so, they did have a word for this thing, they knew what a ‘ghost’ was.

I have seen one once, over 20yrs ago, not seen one before or since though. I did not have any positive or negative feelings related to the sighting, it was neutral in that regard, just floated around and then vanished, however it did cast a shadow, so it had mass, but it was also sort of transparent, so…?

I think ghosts are something we do not understand, I have a feeling they may be something totally different than the popular theories.
 
Whatever anyone thinks they see it is definitely not the soul of a person not passed over due to unfinished business. When we die we IMMEDIATELY go to Hell (if dying in a state of mortal sin) or to Purgatory or Heaven (if dying in a state of grace).
 
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