Your Ideas About Ghosts

[JPUSC]

I actually used to believe that - in a way. I no longer do.

Anyway, that’s neither here nor there, because I said that I was under the assumption. I’m no longer under that assumption.

However, that said, although souls from Purgatory have appeared to Saints in the past, I’m pretty sure we’re talking about ‘everyday’ type ghost occurances that you hear about all the time. I only think a small percentage of these are souls from purgatory, but of course that’s just speculation. The souls from Purgatory appeared to the Saints for a reason, so I’m assuming they would have a reason for appearing to people today as well. The average Joe who has seen a ghost, probably has no belief in Purgatory and therefore would not be able to grasp why that particular soul is appearing to him. There would be no point in such a soul appearing to someone unless they understood that the soul needs prayer. At least that’s how I see it.

I remember watching Ghost Hunters a few years ago when they went to that resort that inspired Stephen King to write “The Shining” (can’t remember the name, but it’s in Estes Park, Colorado). I was pretty freaked out by what was happening. I remember one of the crew saying that ‘spirits’ will sap the energy from a fresh battery in a matter of seconds. I remember hearing a woman laughing and talking to the men in the cellar by themselves - which was just creeped me out. I still get chills thinking about it. I also remember going to bed petrified and waking up the next morning. Something had happened to my digital wrist watch. The power completely went dead in the battery for a brief time during the night and when I woke up, the time was flashing on it like you would see on your home alarm clock when the power goes out and then comes back on. Whenever my watch battery starts to lose power, the display goes ‘wonky’ and then the watch just goes dead. This was different, the power just stopped and then came back on again. I had to re-set the time the next morning. That never happened to me previous to that or since then.

After that little incident, I vowed never to watch Ghost Hunters again. I believe it was a sign from God to stay away from that sort of stuff. They do try to encourage whatever spirits they are looking for to communicate with them, and that goes against Church teaching. I always assumed that watching the show was different than actually believing that stuff, but I now believe that even watching that stuff is bad for the soul, and is a definite occasion of sin.

LOL, Ghost Hunters is such a snoozefest. Paranormal State is a little better, but still not very scary. Ghost Adventures looks promising, except the main host goes too far in trying to incite the ghosts (if it’s not staged). His back was allegedly scratched by one of 'em.

I wish MTV would bring back Fear. Now that was a good show.

 

[deb1]

I used to strongly disbelive in ghost. Then I moved into a house that was over a hundred years old and experienced odd things.

Our ghost was not malevolent or helpful. It seemed like nothing at all except annoying.

For example, one day I heard children playing upstairs as I was looking out the window at my kids! I ran upstairs but no one was there. We could also hear the occasional sound of someone running upstairs.

It was odd but harmless. Nothing bad happened to us.

One sunny morning, I was laying on my side, half awake. It was a very sunner, summer morning. My bedroom was fully lit by sunshine. I felt a tug on my pillow. Thinking it was my daughter, I told her to go in the living room and I would be up in a minute. ANother harder tug. I again told her to go in the livingroom. another tug but so hard that the pillow only stayed under my head because I was holding onto it with one hand. I rolled over and…no one was there and my bedroom door was shut! I jumped out of the bed and ran upstairs. My kids were deeply asleep. I guess that the ghost thought I had slept long enough.

My concern came mainly from my faith at the time. I was fundamentalist and did not accept the existence of spirits. I assumed that everything had to be demonic and could only be caused to a Christian if he or she was doing something wrong. So, I was afraid to ask my church members for help because they would judge me as unChristian. The occurences unneccesarily frightened me.

Now, I would probably just ask a priest to bless my house and then accept any thing odd. I certainly wouldn’t be terrified of something that was not hurting me.

 

[deb1]

LOL, Ghost Hunters is such a snoozefest. Paranormal State is a little better, but still not very scary. Ghost Adventures looks promising, except the main host goes too far in trying to incite the ghosts (if it’s not staged). His back was allegedly scratched by one of 'em.

I wish MTV would bring back Fear. Now that was a good show.

You have to be very careful believing these shows. Not because the indivudals intentions are bad but because if you expect to see ghost then you will. Any show that has a psychic telling the camera that he or she feels a presence will make the other people on the show imagine that they too feel a presence.

There was a show once about a man who set up a studio house on a lot. He brought people in and told them that the house was haunted and had a long history. If I remember correctly all these poor people scared the heck out of themselves and thought that they were experiencing ghosts.

I do believe in ghosts but I don’t think that people should confuse their own fear and expectations(something psychics build upon) with such paranormal experiences

 

[JPUSC]

You have to be very careful believing these shows. Not because the indivudals intentions are bad but because if you expect to see ghost then you will. Any show that has a psychic telling the camera that he or she feels a presence will make the other people on the show imagine that they too feel a presence.

There was a show once about a man who set up a studio house on a lot. He brought people in and told them that the house was haunted and had a long history. If I remember correctly all these poor people scared the heck out of themselves and thought that they were experiencing ghosts.

I do believe in ghosts but I don’t think that people should confuse their own fear and expectations(something psychics build upon) with such paranormal experiences

I heard that for MTV’s Fear, the production staff make the contestants watch horror movies the day before they started filming. Unfortunately, I also heard that most of the locations were fake and the show had tricked the contestants into believing the ghost stories. I can’t confirm this though.

 

[deb1]

I heard that for MTV’s Fear, the production staff make the contestants watch horror movies the day before they started filming. Unfortunately, I also heard that most of the locations were fake and the show had tricked the contestants into believing the ghost stories. I can’t confirm this though.

It does seem to me that certain shows amp up the emotional reaction of the individuals on the show.

To me, the only way to look at any ghost story, including my own is with skepticism. There could be a logical explanation for what happened in my house. :shrug:But it is so easy to imagine things when we are afraid that we should always be a bit doubtful. That doesn’t mean that ghosts don’t exists just that we should be absolutely certain before we believe a paranomal experience.

 

[beckycmarie]

You believe Demons tell the truth?

They will if it suits their agenda, but generally they lie. In an exorcism, a demon may be compelled to tell the truth. If Fr. Amorth saw the testimony fit to print in his book, then I think those words may be worth noting.

 

[Noble]

Forgive me if im not posting this in the right place but i’ve always wondered about this.

Now i know that alot of ghost images and videos are hoaxes but i don’t think they all are, i always thought that maybe the spirit a person is seeing could be a demon in disguise or maybe God has allowed a soul from purgatory to reveal himself so we can pray for them…

I would love to hear all your thoughts on this matter, Thank you God Bless

Hi everyone,
From what I’ve read from the saints, heard from priests and especially the Bible and Church Teaching it can be a demon or a damned soul or both.
I remember a story out of Italy where a girl was possessed not only by demons but also damned souls.
The damned *have *to obey their leader.
Also remember that hell is also the state of their soul. So even if they are on earth, they still experience the torments of hell just as much as when they are in hell.

-Noble
Glory to the Eternal King, Jesus Christ.

 

[Sea_Bass]

I don’t believe in ghosts. There are some weird stuff that happens out there, but I think there is a logical reason for it. Anything from tricky imaginations to specks of dusts have been called “ghosts.” I just don’t buy into it, for several reasons:

1. Why does it have to be night for ghosts to come out to be seen?
2. Why are they wearing clothes?
3. Why do they care about the living?
4. Why are they so annoying?

I think that the idea of ghosts comes around for the need for humans to believe there is something after death. You could argue the same for the concept of Heaven, I guess. It just boils down to whether you believe or not. And I don’t believe in ghosts.

That doesn’t mean that I don’t believe in demons. I believe demons exist and are more common than we like to think. That doesn’t meant that they possess people, but I do think they push society into ways that are against the Church and stuff like that. I never want to meet one, personally, and if I do, I will be thankful that God is on my side. I do think fake possessions occur more than actual possessions do. And mostly in kids starving for attention.

That being said, I love watching Ghost Hunters. I liked it better when they didn’t try to contact the ghosts, but I do like their methods. They don’t rely on psychics the way other shows do. If they catch something on camera or video, then they comment on it. If they don’t, they don’t make up stuff. It’s entertaining to me, and I don’t see anything wrong with watching shows like that.

What kills me is that in almost every show about demonic possessions, they end up calling in the Church to “take care” of business. I saw one where they called in some folks that did an Indian (Native American) exorcism, and the demon was back in a month or two. I don’t know about other denominations, but it seems that if I knew someone that was possessed and I wasn’t Catholic, I would still call a priest over anyone else…

 

[jmcrae]

I don’t believe in ghosts. There are some weird stuff that happens out there, but I think there is a logical reason for it. Anything from tricky imaginations to specks of dusts have been called “ghosts.” I just don’t buy into it, for several reasons:

1. Why does it have to be night for ghosts to come out to be seen?

Actually, I have also seen and heard ghosts in the day time, too. But I think in order to notice them, it has to be quiet - if there is a lot of noise and running around, they can slip by unnoticed.

1. Why are they wearing clothes?

Probably just out of habit - they were taught to wear clothes when they were alive, so they just continue to do so. (That’s just what I think. I really don’t know.)

1. Why do they care about the living?

None of the ghosts I’ve ever seen seemed all that interested in anything except whatever they were doing.

1. Why are they so annoying?

Why do you find them annoying? It can be a bit scary when you first encounter them, not knowing what they are, and thinking they’re a burglar or something, but once you realize it’s a ghost, it’s just like, “Oh, okay. Carry on, then.”

 

[rwoehmke]

There are many many stories of people who feel the presence of a deceased loved one from time to time. I personally experienced the presence of my dead parents at my son’s wedding. The died well past the age of seventy, but when I saw them there in church, up on a balcony that did not exist in this world, they were young and dark haired like maybe 35 or so years old in appearance and they were happy. I have never seen them since or previous to that occasion since they died.

 

[Nicollle]

There are many many stories of people who feel the presence of a deceased loved one from time to time. I personally experienced the presence of my dead parents at my son’s wedding. The died well past the age of seventy, but when I saw them there in church, up on a balcony that did not exist in this world, they were young and dark haired like maybe 35 or so years old in appearance and they were happy. I have never seen them since or previous to that occasion since they died.

They obviously were from Heaven. Souls stuck in between look the same age they were when they died.

 

[deb1]

There are many many stories of people who feel the presence of a deceased loved one from time to time. I personally experienced the presence of my dead parents at my son’s wedding. The died well past the age of seventy, but when I saw them there in church, up on a balcony that did not exist in this world, they were young and dark haired like maybe 35 or so years old in appearance and they were happy. I have never seen them since or previous to that occasion since they died.

 

[Xochitl_Guzman]

I believe in ghost ever since this happened…

When we were living in this home, my mom would tells us scarey stories about ghost. We always laughed because we didnt believe in them. During the 3 years living there, we had experienced the unforgettable. Everynight i’d wake up so a ‘basketball bouncing’ sound. I always looked outside but never saw anything. My oldest sister began seeing a little girl in her room. Our first reaction was that she was nuts. So as these visions of this little girl kept appearing my parents considered taking my sister to a mental hospital. The appearance of the little girl wasnt the only ghostly thing going on in the home. So as soon as the news got to my aunt, she suggested we brought a priest to our home for a blessing. It took my parents a while to agree with having a priest over to do an exorcism on the house. During that time, my sister , dad, and I were in Hollywood. My mom and younger sisters were out shopping. When she came home my sisters room had been on fire. The fire was already out when the firefighters got there. And they asked my mom “How did you take that fire out, it was a huge fire” my mom responded “I got here around the same time you arrived” No one knew how the fire went out and the firefighters also couldnt come up with an explanation as to how the fire started. The next morning we arrived and we went into the room with a priest (my mom decided to call a priest). We discovered that EVERYTHING WAS DESTROYED, and the only thing that the fire did not touch was A CANDLE IN A FORM OF A CROSS. Everything around the candle was destroyed by the fire. HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN THAT? He ended up doing an exorcism in the house. We ask about the history of the home and found out that the little was murdered and burried underneath the house. Her room was my sisters room…

We immediatly moved out.

Funny part is, once they rebuild my sister old room, people moved in. My sister told the new girl at school they she once lived there but didnt dare to tell her what she experienced. Soon, the girl who moved in there asked my sister if she ever seen or heard noises. My sis just laughed.

( Sorry this is soo long)

 

[rick43235]

Who ya gonna call???

 

[catlvoer1982]

Please tell me if we are crazy or maybe it’s a haunting:

Me and my husband moved into this wonderful duplex in October of last year. We were on the way to my father-in-law’s with our dog when we got a call from our neighbors saying that our fire alarm was going off, our kitchen light was on and our dog was barking. I know we had turned off the lights and our dog was definately with us. Thank God there was no fire, just the feeling of panic.

In the month that followed, my husband would hear a female voice calling his name. He would also wake up in the middle of the night with someone or something staring at him. Also, I was watching my best friend’s little girl. She’s 5. She made the comment to my husband, "isn’t weird how they walk in the hall way?” He asked her “who”, she said “Elle.” He then asked who that was and she said “ walking in the hall” She then changed her story out of embarrassment it seemed.

In the past 2 months, I have had 3 accidents-1 involving a bed frame that smashed my thumb and 2 involving me pulling my back out over stupid things like turning at the stove to pickup something. I promise I am not accident prone. Also, we both get feelings of fainting and terrible, violent headaches. Just a few weeks ago, he told me that he was taking a shower and it felt like someone pushed him down.

This past Saturday, we were confirmed(we’re so happy about that). We got home late and I said the comment out loud “Robin(that’s what we named it jokingly), we’re Catholic now.” Let me just say, we have joked about our house being haunted and never took it too serious. We could somehow explain the “weird” things but not this. The next morning, I woke up and went outside to talk to the neighbors. I came back in and went into the bedroom to find our dresser drawers open and the clothes pulled out. Also, his belt was on the floor. I would say it was either our dog or two cats but the dog gets crated every night and the cats are tiny and definitely not strong enough.

My husband just told me tonight that he has seen a dark shadow standing over our bed before. Then this morning, he left for work (he leaves at 5AM and I’m always asleep), locked the door and shut it. He said it sounded as though something shut it for him i.e. slamming it shut.

I am definitely calling our priest tomorrow. I would have called today but it’s the Monday after Easter and I think he deserves a little rest plus the office is closed. We have crosses over our back door and front door. We also have a rosary by each door. Also, we have the Profession of Faith and the Lord’s Prayer framed on top of the entertainment center.

Are we crazy or is it a haunting?

 

[JPUSC]

I believe in ghost ever since this happened…

When we were living in this home, my mom would tells us scarey stories about ghost. We always laughed because we didnt believe in them. During the 3 years living there, we had experienced the unforgettable. Everynight i’d wake up so a ‘basketball bouncing’ sound. I always looked outside but never saw anything. My oldest sister began seeing a little girl in her room. Our first reaction was that she was nuts. So as these visions of this little girl kept appearing my parents considered taking my sister to a mental hospital. The appearance of the little girl wasnt the only ghostly thing going on in the home. So as soon as the news got to my aunt, she suggested we brought a priest to our home for a blessing. It took my parents a while to agree with having a priest over to do an exorcism on the house. During that time, my sister , dad, and I were in Hollywood. My mom and younger sisters were out shopping. When she came home my sisters room had been on fire. The fire was already out when the firefighters got there. And they asked my mom “How did you take that fire out, it was a huge fire” my mom responded “I got here around the same time you arrived” No one knew how the fire went out and the firefighters also couldnt come up with an explanation as to how the fire started. The next morning we arrived and we went into the room with a priest (my mom decided to call a priest). We discovered that EVERYTHING WAS DESTROYED, and the only thing that the fire did not touch was A CANDLE IN A FORM OF A CROSS. Everything around the candle was destroyed by the fire. HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN THAT? He ended up doing an exorcism in the house. We ask about the history of the home and found out that the little was murdered and burried underneath the house. Her room was my sisters room…

We immediatly moved out.

Funny part is, once they rebuild my sister old room, people moved in. My sister told the new girl at school they she once lived there but didnt dare to tell her what she experienced. Soon, the girl who moved in there asked my sister if she ever seen or heard noises. My sis just laughed.

( Sorry this is soo long)

Cool!

Haha, your sister should’ve told the new girl about the house. The poor girl…

 

[John89]

Thank you to everyone for posting!

One thing im still confused about, is when people speak of the spirits that roam the earth, why would they be stuck here? would God allow them to remain here? would’nt a soul either be in hell, purgatory, or heaven?

 

[vz71]

Thank you to everyone for posting!

One thing im still confused about, is when people speak of the spirits that roam the earth, why would they be stuck here? would God allow them to remain here? would’nt a soul either be in hell, purgatory, or heaven?

You are making two assumptions here that you may want to think about first.

1. who says these spirits were human at any time?
2. If they were human, who is to say this is not how their purgatory is spent?

 

[ChadS]

Thank you to everyone for posting!

One thing im still confused about, is when people speak of the spirits that roam the earth, why would they be stuck here? would God allow them to remain here? would’nt a soul either be in hell, purgatory, or heaven?

This article was linked to earlier in the thread but it would seem to answer your question: saint-mike.org/spcdc/library/7ghosts.asp

The author theorizes that since we don’t know the exact nature of purgatory and that it is a spiritual state and not a physical place purgation can take on many forms. Perhaps the person needs to learn a lesson while in purgatory or perhaps the person hasn’t been able to completely let go of physical things and is in some sense “still present on earth.”

The other option, and much more frigtening, is that some of these spirits that people encounter are demonic or evil in origin and are here on earth to torment, deceive and mislead humans.

I’d suggest reading the article if you haven’t yet.

ChadS

 

[jmcrae]

Are we crazy or is it a haunting?

Someone is definitely living in your house with you, without your knowledge - whether it’s a ghost or a living person, is hard to say. If it were me, I’d start laying traps.

Ask that kid to tell you again what she heard in the hallway. Tell her you believe she really did hear something, and you want to know what it was.