Is paranormal investigation sinful?

[Ana_v]

I wasn’t sure of what forum category, my question correctly falls under, so if this is the wrong one and someone has a better suggestion, please let me know.

I was watching some rerun episodes of the Disovery Channel program “A Haunting”, that my mother had DVR’d.

Some of the stories feature a situation in which the family (that is experiencing the inexplicable) seeks out paranormal investigators.

After watching these shows, two questions crossed my mind.

1. Is it permissible for a Catholic person to hire a paranormal investigator, in the event that this Catholic person experiences phenomenon in his/her household that fit the concept of “paranormal”, (e.g. apparitions, unwelcome footstep noises, disembodied voices, unplugged lamp turning on, etc)?

By paranormal investigator, I’m referring to a person who provides technological equipment to systematically track the strange occurences taking place inside the home, and thereby provides a way for these occurences to be analyzed more closely.

2. What about a medium? Please note that in this post, by “medium” I am NOT referring to a person who pracitices divination, psychic readings, seeks to consult with the dead or the spirit realm to retreive information, or practices incantations.

By medium, I mean (as the word is also used this way) a person who claims to have sensitivity to the spirit world, that they “sense” adjectival and non-physical presences that the average person does not detect. Assuming – just for the sake of this post – that some people do indeed have this sensitivity, and that at least for some, it is NOT something they sought to have, (i.e. not something they can control, just something that they are aware they have), would it be a sin for a Catholic to invite such a person to his/her house so that the person could share what he/she feels within that atmosphere?

The **Catechism ** (paragraph 2116) says the following:

All forms of divination are to be rejected: recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead or other practices falsely supposed to “unveil” the future. Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers. They contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone.

Intuitively, I think the answers to my questions are “yes”, but moreso out of, just to be on the safe side. Because I don’t think the answers are obvious, just by looking at the Catechism, since I don’t think what I described falls under the descriptions listed in paragraph cited above.

At first I thought my second question would fall under “clairvoyance”, but since my description of a medium is someone with a perception ability that he/she did not choose to have and furthermore, does not use this unordinary perception for purposes of divination, whilst the Cathechism is clearly addressing the deliberate attempts to interact with dark forces (particularly for self-advantage), I became unsure.

 

[Cecilianus]

I think the answer in both cases is yes, it is sinful, for the following reasons.

1. If something unnatural or preternatural is going on, you’re not going to need that level of scientific monitoring to tell that - and if so, you’re dealing with something way out of the league of “paranormal investigators”. You need a priest; all he may need to do is come give your house a blessing, something routinely done in many Catholic cultures anytime someone moves into a new home. It’s not all that weird to ask a priest to bless a home because of paranormal concerns; we did it.
2. Such gifts, even if the medium means well, are dangerous and should not be toyed with. (Something like clairvoyance runs in my family; we stay away from it.) The theological explanation given by the Church Fathers is that before the Fall, man was natural in the company of and in communion with angels. After the Fall due to sin, man’s natural habitat so to speak became that of the demons, and so to protect man God closed off the human soul from its spiritual gifts by which intercourse with the spiritual world took place. Some of these still remain, in the form of gifts like clairvoyance etc., and these spiritual channels should not be opened except by divine grace (in which point they stop being called preternatural and start being called charisms, or gifts of the Holy Spirit, like the saints have). We are still sinners, and though the world is redeemed, until the Second Coming it is still in a way fallen.

Hope this makes sense to you.

Peace and God bless,

C.

 

[Aelred_Minor]

I would be extremely cautious about getting involved with these sorts of secular paranormal investigators. First of all there is the danger that the person is just a quack, either an honest one or a fraud. Second, and more serious, is the danger that they are themselves under some kind of demonic influence, in which case you do not want to invite them into your home. Third, and most serious of all, there is the danger of gradually getting pulled into further superstition or magic, especially if they “find” things that seem to demand some kind of response.

If you have real reasons to believe your house has a demonic infestation or something like that, I would suggest asking a solid priest about it and seeing if it would be possible and advisable to get a house exorcism performed, or short of that at least a house blessing.

 

[Church_Militant]

The staff apologists have this to say about ghosts and paranormal stuff. This is posted in the Ask an Apologist forum.

• ** Do ghosts exist? **
• Should I give my kids tickets to tour a haunted building?

 

[didymus]

I would tell my kids & others (in fact have) that “paranormal investigations” are sins against reason and science (see the Randi Institute).
Lots of folks are attracted to the “spiritual” and reject organised religion. Better to show them they are being duped than warn them with Bible verses.

 

[Dakota_Roberts]

If there is “paranormal” stuff going on in your house have it blessed, if that doesn’t work contact an exorcist.

 

[1ke]

Catholics involved in “paranormal” phenomenon are indeed trespassing against the Commandments. You answered your own question.

 

[Cecilianus]

If there is “paranormal” stuff going on in your house have it blessed, if that doesn’t work contact an exorcist.

Or have the exorcist bless it, like we did. Exorcists are pretty sober-minded people. They don’t get over-excited every time something unexplained goes bump, like “paranormal investigators” do.

 

[Dakota_Roberts]

Or have the exorcist bless it, like we did. Exorcists are pretty sober-minded people. They don’t get over-excited every time something unexplained goes bump, like “paranormal investigators” do.

I meant contact as in figure out what you should do.

 

[Ana_v]

Thank you for the answers.

My questions were out of curiosity, (I myself am not experiencing paranormal-like things at home). Though if I were, and even I hadn’t had my questions answered, my Catholic instinct would take me directly to a priest, rather than to secular ghost hunters.

 

[Lui]

I’m just watching the show The Haunting from Discovery Channel which is really creepy and the show Ghost Hunters which is based on real Ghost Hunters who try to debunk the claims that something is haunted.

In the show The Haunting they often have a priest come by who tries to get rid of the ghosts with prayer, holy water, exorcism etc. Oddly they sometimes use holy water AND ancient Native American rituals at the same time. They also use mediums who use tarot cards. Each show is different.
In Ghost Hunters they basically just try to investigate if the haunting is real without using paranormal methods. They use electronic devices. I don’t think hiring these ghost hunters would be a sin but I’m not sure.
I personally just watch these shows for entertainment but I’m not really sure if I believe in ghosts but who knows:shrug:

 

[Cecilianus]

I personally just watch these shows for entertainment but I’m not really sure if I believe in ghosts but who knows:shrug:

Whatever a “ghost” phenomenon is, it is either on Earth (i.e., fraud or natural phenomenon mistaken for a dead person), Purgatory, Hell, or Heaven (in which case they wouldn’t be or act like ghosts).