Do you believe in ghosts and/or demons

[SaShman]

But to deny that they exist simply because it's better to think they simply don't, to feel safer, then that's pretty close minded, to say the least.

One could make a counter argument in saying that some people choose to believe in ghosts in order to avoid the possibility that there is no afterlife.

I don't believe in ghosts.
From reading this thread alone it seems like 80% of the people who've posted here have seen a ghost. Now if ghosts existed and ghost sightings were so common that I could look a thread on a random internet forum (amongst millions of others) and find that 80% of the people there had seen a ghost, don't you think that there would be some sort of irrefutable proof about the existence of ghosts by now?

The mind is capable of playing tricks and scaring the shit out of us. I don't believe in ghosts but I still get freaked out sometimes. A possible explanation is the fight or flight response which kicks in when people are panicked. This response makes people more attentive to the environment, for example: certain noises which would otherwise be unnoticed may be amplified during the fight or flight response.

The truth is that if you believe in ghosts you will probably have a higher chance of seeing one or having a paranormal experience because you will be more likely to interpret something that is slightly out of the ordinary as a spiritual phenomenon. Basically you see what your mind wants you to see.

 

[Donald Trump]

I believe in ghosts because I am one.
Some guy broke into my house and shot me. But I decided to continue, and I decided to help out this kid who saw dead people, then everyone discovered I was Bruce Willis.

I don't really believe in ghosts because I think it's a load of shit. Stuff happens and people blame it on beasties that they can't see, sometimes it just gets cold, or doors close because of the wind.
Also most people who believe in ghosts are hypocrites anyway, they say what they believe in is rational etc, but they don't give voodoo or any of that other shit the time of day.

 

[akfek]

Ghosts and demons have long been used as placeholders for the uncurious to be able to explain unknown phenomena. 1000 years ago, ghosts and demons were used to explain diseases. Now, they're used to explain illusions. We don't know what they are - it's quite a bit of a jump to assume that they're the leftover emotional power of a dead person. Further investigation is needed, but until then, it's safe to call them tricks of the light.

 

[Shu]

1) Ghosts I have never believed in at all. They are as believable as vampires.

2) Demons - This one is more of a spiritual thing really. I don't blame my problems or anything on what I would say Demons. Though sometimes things can not fully be explained. My thinking is pretty much always linear meaning when people get away with murder, you can pretty much pin it on a disorder or lust/money/drugs. Though when a person is a serial killer, sometimes you can't exactly just hand out the first psychological term one can think of. I think there is a little more behind it, then just passing it off as someone who has gone bat shiznit crazy. Psychology after all is a man made thing. As in I believe in most of it, but some of it is just not scientifically tested enough. So in this sense these folks that hide bodies in their basement or do something that can not be explained, have some sort of demonic side to them. This is the only demon I can associate with, nothing like the supernatural, though more spiritual though.

 

[M1ghty Mous3]

Its possible. Given i haven't had an experience with the subject i think it very much possible they exist. Weather they choose to show themselves to me is another matter and one i can deal with on either side of. Alot of wierd shit happens of earth, bermuda triangle is one example. Just because there is a small chance of them running into you does not mean they do not have existance. Some people get luckly and can say they've seen a ghost, or on rare occasion communicated with one. I cannot however.

The same goes for UFOs, we can't be the only intelligent speicies in the universe. And if we are, were more alone the nwe thought.

 

[van fanel]

i see them as well, it happens to me everyday. people who can see ghosts and demons have a special gift, and for the people who doesn't believe us can go fuck themself in the ass an die in a ditch masterbating.

Please clean up the language in serious threads like this one in the future.

Thank you.

 

[Warbsywoo]

i see them as well, it happens to me everyday. people who can see ghosts and demons have a special gift, and for the people who doesn't believe us can go fuck themself in the ass an die in a ditch masterbating.

The last part was uncalled for. There are people who genuinely don't believe in ghosts and that's no reason to curse them.
Please clean up the language in more serious threads like this next time.

As for me, I personally don't know what to believe until I actually see one for myself. Demons and ghosts could be real, or they could not, I don't know. The verdict is out for me for this topic, to be honest, although I think it's best that I don't find out in the near future.

 

[bearsfwd]

I believe ghosts exist. Not because I need explanations of some things or I fear there may be no afterlife. I just simply believe they exist. As far as I know, I'm not sensitive to them, but occasionally, when I know for a fact I'm alone, I get that feeling of being watched. Obviously, I don't know why I get that feeling. Is it a ghost or something? Maybe. I had a class in college called Haunted PA. We took a trip to an old penitentiary in Philadelphia (Eastern State Penitentiary), and I would tell my girlfriend to take pictures of completely random things. When we looked at them later, all the ones that I specifically told her to take had enormous amounts of 'orbs' in them. Maybe it was just dust (which is plausible seeing as it's an old building), but it was just odd that it was only the ones that I told her to take specifically that had the mass amount of 'orbs' (that, and her camera batteries were full, then were nearly dead in a very short period of time, definitely a lot quicker than normal battery life). Yes, I know 'orbs' aren't the end-all-be-all proof of ghosts. It was just really weird. I actually want to go to other places, namely Gettysburg, to see if it happens to me there too (I've been there many times before, but all prior to going to Eastern State Penitentiary. Maybe it'll be different this time...who knows.)

Demons, I'm not so sure about. I do believe that some ghosts may be "evil", but I don't know about the whole demon thing. I mean, I guess they could exist, but I haven't really figured out where I stand.

But hey, I also believe aliens are out there somewhere, and that bigfoot (and all his relatives...ya know, the Yeti and these things) is real. However, I don't particularly believe that the Loch Ness Monster is real, but if it is, then awesome! I guess, in the end, I'm the type to believe something until it's either proven false or they just don't seem plausible. But I'm also not one to believe every piece of evidence in favor of the things I believe exist.

And no, I'm not crazy!

And no, I've never been abducted by aliens...as far as I know...

 

[Dragon Mage]

An interesting topic.

I'm a little iffy about the existence of ghosts -- I've never seen one myself and videos are remarkably easy to fake. But I won't banish the possibility of them existing out of hand. My mother's best friend, a very smart woman that I highly respect, says she lives in a haunted house and she would not make such a claim if she didn't mean it. What ghosts are (if they do indeed exist) and what they're purpose is or caused by remains to be seen. I shall wait for technology to advance to suitably study such phenomena before making a solid judgment. I'll sit on the fence.

But I do believe in demons.

I would like to let the record show that I do not say this purely for religious reasons.

Yes, I am religious, and but I can count the number of times I've been to church on my fingers. This does not make my belief any less credible, however -- it just means I like to sleep in on the weekends.

In any case, if by 'demons' you mean a malevolent spirit, being, creature or entity that spreads misery, death, suffering, hatred and violence, then yes, demons are real. There are some things that go beyond the scope of human beings' capabilities, despite madness.

I remember quite vividly a news story about a woman that had killed her three children. She had done this by drowning them in a bathtub full of ice-cold water. The 12-year-old went first. Then the 9-year-old, in the same water. It took her a while to catch the 7-year-old because he ran around, hiding under furniture and the like, shouting "Don't kill me, mama, please don't kill me." She relayed this to the court. When her children were dead, she waited for her husband to come home.

Can you imagine that? Having the person you've known and trusted your whole life calmly drag you into the bathroom then thrust you under icy water. Flailing about as your mother holds you under. Imagine being the 9 or 7-year-old. Drowning in the shit and frigid water your brothers drowned in, being dragged past their cold, sodden bodies lying on the floor, knowing you'll be next to them soon.

There is simply no way a human mother would do such a thing to her children like that. It goes against everything, every instinct to reproduce, every iota of knowing what is right, for a mother to do that.

Yes, I do believe in demons.

Or how about the BTK killer, Dennis Rader, or Ted Bundy? The words to describe the acts the committed have yet to be made. Indeed, let's all hope there's never an occasion to make such words.

I do think these crimes were more than just broken minds. I think these are stamps of demons -- maybe a whisper here and a suggestion there. No big effort to move a thought in the mind. For me, demons are things that hang over your shoulder and encourage the worst. No demonic possession is needed. No upside-down crosses or hissing holy water or levitating beds. Just a demon with its hand on a person's shoulder. When people are capable of committing such inhumane crimes, it's clear -- they're off the map of human behavior. Things have gone into that blank zone where Monsters Be Here. The demons are there, you can't see them, but they Be Here all right. So, if you think likewise, throw a bit of salt over your shoulder now and then -- doesn't hurt to be careful.

 

[Gaige]

Personally, I don't exactly believe in ghosts. I believe in reincarnation, and I believe, for a time after death, the dead person/animal lingers around as a sort of "presence," so to speak. I feel that they stick around for a day or two, silly as it may sound. And I find it comforting.

As for more malevolent or earthbound presences, I've yet to see any, but I'm sure they exist somewhere. I don't think major problems just vanish with death. I think answers are necessary before someone can happily move on to their next stage of existence. However long or difficult that process may be, I feel it's necessary. And because of that, yes, I believe in "ghosts."

Demons I'm really not sure about. I have a basic knowledge of demons of myth, and yes, perhaps they do exist. But I really can't say much more than "it's possible." Sorry if that's unsatisfactory, but I can't really give a decent answer to the demon question.

 

[Sum1sgruj]

I don't believe in ghosts/demons by their universal definition. In other words, I do not think they are common and don't believe they are simply entities of the evil or deceased.
My thoughts are this: when a person dies, their 'spirit' is a repetitive motion that embedded itself in time. When you study ghosts, you will notice the constant in which they do the same thing over and over. Forever..
With demons, they are not embedded in time, but rather our minds. Our thoughts embed itself in the geometry of space, causing a rift of concentrated 'evil' from one person to the next. When that rift has nowhere to go, it roams freely in space.

Some people would look at that and be like wth, but I believe that there is a connection between science and theology. After all, if a greater entity made the universe, than he has a science behind it_

 

[aeris09]

Yes I do believe in ghosts, though I haven't seen one and I don't even want to. Obviously, I'm scared of them. It's childish, I know but, I think believing in them means respecting them. Because I think there are spirits who haven't found peace yet, so they linger here in our world. Some probably has great attachment to this world so they refuse to go on and sometimes causes trouble because they're trying to talk to us, the ones still living. My cousins and aunts has the ability to see them, so they tell us whenever we have 'companies'. But not to the little kids of course, or they'll freak out. I can sometimes feel their presence, but I always shrug it off, I don't wanna scare myself. With demons, yes, I believe them also. And I also believe in Angels. I'm a christian, I believe in heaven and hell.

 

[Demon]

We don't need belief in their existence, we need proof (and positive explanation) of their existence.

Like I might see something strange that one might classify as a ghost, but what tells me that a ghost is actually there? I'm afraid there are too many factors involved and too much nonscience.

 

[Phase Delta]

An interesting topic.

I'm a little iffy about the existence of ghosts -- I've never seen one myself and videos are remarkably easy to fake. But I won't banish the possibility of them existing out of hand. My mother's best friend, a very smart woman that I highly respect, says she lives in a haunted house and she would not make such a claim if she didn't mean it. What ghosts are (if they do indeed exist) and what they're purpose is or caused by remains to be seen. I shall wait for technology to advance to suitably study such phenomena before making a solid judgment. I'll sit on the fence.

But I do believe in demons.

I would like to let the record show that I do not say this purely for religious reasons.

Yes, I am religious, and but I can count the number of times I've been to church on my fingers. This does not make my belief any less credible, however -- it just means I like to sleep in on the weekends.

In any case, if by 'demons' you mean a malevolent spirit, being, creature or entity that spreads misery, death, suffering, hatred and violence, then yes, demons are real. There are some things that go beyond the scope of human beings' capabilities, despite madness.

I remember quite vividly a news story about a woman that had killed her three children. She had done this by drowning them in a bathtub full of ice-cold water. The 12-year-old went first. Then the 9-year-old, in the same water. It took her a while to catch the 7-year-old because he ran around, hiding under furniture and the like, shouting "Don't kill me, mama, please don't kill me." She relayed this to the court. When her children were dead, she waited for her husband to come home.

Can you imagine that? Having the person you've known and trusted your whole life calmly drag you into the bathroom then thrust you under icy water. Flailing about as your mother holds you under. Imagine being the 9 or 7-year-old. Drowning in the shit and frigid water your brothers drowned in, being dragged past their cold, sodden bodies lying on the floor, knowing you'll be next to them soon.

There is simply no way a human mother would do such a thing to her children like that. It goes against everything, every instinct to reproduce, every iota of knowing what is right, for a mother to do that.

Yes, I do believe in demons.

Or how about the BTK killer, Dennis Rader, or Ted Bundy? The words to describe the acts the committed have yet to be made. Indeed, let's all hope there's never an occasion to make such words.

I do think these crimes were more than just broken minds. I think these are stamps of demons -- maybe a whisper here and a suggestion there. No big effort to move a thought in the mind. For me, demons are things that hang over your shoulder and encourage the worst. No demonic possession is needed. No upside-down crosses or hissing holy water or levitating beds. Just a demon with its hand on a person's shoulder. When people are capable of committing such inhumane crimes, it's clear -- they're off the map of human behavior. Things have gone into that blank zone where Monsters Be Here. The demons are there, you can't see them, but they Be Here all right. So, if you think likewise, throw a bit of salt over your shoulder now and then -- doesn't hurt to be careful.

I personally agree (almost) completely with this poster, quite similar to my own beliefs.

MOD EDIT: Can you please put a little more effort into the posts? This is a post count area that deserves effort. I know you're agreeing with the post, just add some more to it. Thank you.

 

[Shubito]

I border more along the lines of, you can't prove that it does not exist, therefor that is not concrete evidence that it does, and at the same time makes it untouchable to disprove.

I believe ghosts are real, but the term ghost is so hollywood to me. A ghost to me is just the energy and emotions of a person who has died, basically recorded into a place, an object, or even a person. It's a transition of being trapped within a moment, or a memory, and also being dead. I'm not sure that ghosts even have a thought process, but it's hard to deny given how many people throughout thousands of years have been claiming they exist.

The same goes for Demons. Although I personally firmly believe in the presence of demons. (Not for any religious purposes, mind you.) Though it's probably not in the same way as most people who do as well.

A 'Demon' can be as small as a husband that goes mad and hurts his wife, to a sudden illness that takes a precious life. It can be a corrupt buisness man who cons you out of all your money and leaves a family to fend for itself penniless. To an actual creature not of this earth. Proving the existence is a completely different story of course, just my own personal interpretation, right or wrong on the matter.