Poll: Ghosts - Do they exist?

[ThaBenMan]

This whole thread kinda ties together with another question people always wonder about.

What truely happens to a person when they die?

I don't think people give this sentence much thought now a days. Trying to come up with some scientific reason or just pushing it aside like its nothing. But honestly, right now as your reading these words. Haven't ever truely wondered what you will be staring at once you die? Will you be stuck in total darkness, or will you be in your personal dream land? Or perhaps you'll lose all your memories of who you were before and become reincarnated into a different person?

I personally hope its not reincarnation. This world just isn't that exciting for me anymore. ^^;

Well, anyway I believe that nothing is truely impossible, so yes. Ghosts most likely exists.

My mother's boyfriend just died suddenly a little over a month ago, so I have been thinking about that a lot more lately. I'm not really sure what to think. It'd be very nice if there really is a place like Heaven, and hopefully he's there now.

 

[Xhumed]

Xhumed -

That video is a hoax, isn't it? That's what all the comments under the video said. Tell me if I'm wrong.

SSSSHHH! Don't give it away!

By 'hoax', I mean, uhh... documentary. Sorry, I get hoax and documentary mixed up, they look kind of similar...

It's still worth watching. Even knowing about it before hand it still gives you goosebumps, and it was clearly very well researched.

 

[Blue Sonnet]

I'm a scientist (training at least) but used to do Ghost Tours for years with my dad. There might be something, and if so we haven't yet found a scientific explanation for it (adter all, magnetism used to be called witchcraft).

My own theory (which may be complete bollocks, but is supported by my own experience and something called the Wailing Wall) is that, if they exist, "ghosts" aren't sentient beings - people who have passed on have better things to do than hang around waiting to scare the crap out of people and talk to Derek Acorah (who wouldn't know a ghost if it hit him in the face, and I'd pay one to do it).

Almost all, if not all, ghost sightings are of one incident, replayed over and over again. There is always some traumatic event that happened to the people seen as apparitions, and this is usually what is replayed (even if it is just part, such as walking up to or away from the scene or incident). In the same way that images and sounds can be recorded onto tape, perhaps it is possible that, if the incident affects one or more people profoundly, it might be able to almost "record" itself onto the surrounding bricks and mortar.

Poltergeists tend to manifest when a child is reaching puberty (usually a female). This is an extremely turbulent and emotional time, so perhaps some excess energy/emotion/electricity/whatever might be thrown out into the surrounding area?

Again, these are all theories, as a rule I believe almost, if not all ghost sightings are either hallucinations or, more likely, suggestion. If ghosts do exist, there WILL be a scientific explanation, just one that we haven't discovered yet.

Oh, and all psychics are liars or seriously self-deluded. It's been tested hundreds and hundreds of times, with nothing supporting it. You can't tap into what isn't there.
Badpsychics.com is excellent for rooting these out.

 

[Xhumed]

I'm a scientist (training at least) but used to do Ghost Tours for years with my dad. There is something, but we haven't yet found a scientific explanation for it (magnetism used to be called witchcraft!)

My own theory (which may be complete bollocks, but is supported by my own experience and something called the Wailing Wall) is that "ghosts" aren't sentient beings - people who have passed on have better things to do than hang around waiting to scare the crap out of people and talk to Derek Acorah (who wouldn't know a ghost if it hit him in the face, and I'd pay one to do it).

Almost all, if not all, ghost sightings are of one incident, replayed over and over again. There is always some traumatic event that happened to the people seen as apparitions, and this is usually what is replayed (even if it is just part, such as walking up to or away from the scene or incident). In the same way that images and sounds can be recorded onto tape, perhaps it is possible that, if the incident affects one or more people profoundly, it might be able to almost "record" itself onto the surrounding bricks and mortar.

Poltergeists tend to manifest when a child is reaching puberty (usually a female). This is an extremely turbulent and emotional time, so perhaps some excess energy/emotion/electricity/whatever might be thrown out into the surrounding area?

Again, these are all theories, as a rule I believe almost all ghost sightings are either hallucinations or, more likely, suggestion. If ghosts do exist, there WILL be a scientific explanation, just one that we haven't discovered yet.

Oh, and all psychics are liars. It's been tested hundreds and hundreds of times, with nothing supporting it. You can't tap into what isn't there.
Badpsychics.com is excellent for rooting these out.

Ah Derek Acorah, the mad scouse git. Hilarious every time. Actually Most Haunted is a good example of what happens with many supposed ghost sightings- mass hysteria. What amuses me is the parapsychologist at the end of the show- the crew panic and think they've had a paranormal encounter, and at the end the parapyschologist simply says something like "no, that was the vibrations from traffic on the nearby road" effectively debunking it. I'm not saying all encounters are false, just that people can work themselves up into a lather.

 

[Rabid Toilet]

Let me start by saying that I do not believe in ghosts in any way, shape, or form. For those of you want wholeheartedly to believe, feel free to skip the rest of this post, as I will be trying my best to prove you wrong.

One of the biggest problems I've had with ghost stories is that the spirit never does anything conclusive. They almost always either a) make some weird noise, generally footsteps, b) appear just in the corner of your vision or in the distance, or c) make an object move of its own accord. Also, whenever a ghost is actually "seen", it always vanishes/walks away. If it knows you've seen it, why not stay for a chat?

For those of you thinking, "But Rabid! What if the ghost isn't physical, and can't communicate?!".

Bull. If it can pick up a lamp and throw it across the room, as some of these stories say, then it can damn well write a message in the dust on your table.

Another popular theory is that the ghosts can be seen and interact with things, but are not aware of the physical world.

If this is the case, it seems like it would be fairly easy to spot a ghost. If you, say, walked in on your grandmother's ghost, sitting in her rocking chair, you could just walk right up to her. She would have no reason to disappear or walk away, since she has no idea that you are there. If a ghost was following some sort of "daily routine" of walking up and down the stairs every day, then why do they only do it when no one is around? They don't realize that any observers might exist, so why wouldn't they walk down the stairs when you have ten people over for a party?

If I were a ghost, and could be seen by my family, I would make contact. I wouldn't appear at the foot of their bed, only to smile and walk away without saying a word. I wouldn't walk around in the corner of their vision, then fade out when they turn to get a good look at me. I wouldn't randomly knock over items near them, freaking them the hell out, and if I could actually make noise, I wouldn't waste it by walking on creaky floarboards or moaning on the other side of the house. I would walk straight up to them and let them know that I was there. They already mourned for my death, why I would I spend my time scaring them when I could see them again?

I won't go into all of the scientific evidence against ghosts, since I don't want to be here all day, but this is one of the major things that has always bothered me about them. They can either make contact with humans or they can't, and the ones who can are making quite the half-assed effort of it.

 

[Rshady]

I'd say no, because if you think about it logically, it makes very little sense. Proof is also amazingly hard to come by.

 

[KenzS]

can't say I'm a firm believer in the paranormal, but my friend lives in an 18th century house and its definetly haunted. Alot of weird stuff happens in there. One time while he was asleep late at night a cross flew across the room and hit him in the face. He sticks by his story.

Later his parents found out that the original owners of the house buried their daughter within the walls of the house. And get this, its a stone house, the wall where she was buried has been drywalled and painted, yet you can still see an outline of the stones she was buried behind on the drywall!

 

[ninja chicken]

ghosts exist, im one, fear me, boo

 

[poleboy]

Send me your credit card details and I will email you the answer. No need to include your email, I'm a clairvoyant. No, really.

 

[The Thief]

Undecided. I can't prove there is no such thing and I can't say there is, cause I've yet to witness one for myself.

My logical side says no, but my imaginative side would like to believe yes.

 

[Ultrajoe]

Just like anything, our inability to understand it does not make it wrong.

We, at one point, proved the kangaroo did not exist. My local golf course begs to differ (look it up, it was quite funny, not the golf course)

To me, "Science has proved the an impossibility" is more close minded than religion. I always think "The way we view the world currently says they are impossible"

I May never be proved right, but it's just a better world view to posses.

 

[X3heartless]

I think ghost don't exist,but its unexplained like a type of energy or something.I mean look in the olden days.They thought lighting was caused by god getting pissed,now we know almost every aspect of it.

 

[X3heartless]

Let me start by saying that I do not believe in ghosts in any way, shape, or form. For those of you want wholeheartedly to believe, feel free to skip the rest of this post, as I will be trying my best to prove you wrong.

One of the biggest problems I've had with ghost stories is that the spirit never does anything conclusive. They almost always either a) make some weird noise, generally footsteps, b) appear just in the corner of your vision or in the distance, or c) make an object move of its own accord. Also, whenever a ghost is actually "seen", it always vanishes/walks away. If it knows you've seen it, why not stay for a chat?

For those of you thinking, "But Rabid! What if the ghost isn't physical, and can't communicate?!".

Bull. If it can pick up a lamp and throw it across the room, as some of these stories say, then it can damn well write a message in the dust on your table.

Perhaps they are blind...lol

 

[TommyGun465]

Yes I do. I believe that when you die, before you reencarnate you turn into free roaming spirits. I also believe in elves... (spot the chad vader reference)

 

[ultra_v_89]

I don't believe in them but at night, when something goes bump, I'm less than steadfast in those beliefs.

 

[Reaperman Wompa]

Ghost Recon... though technically they do not exist...damn!

 

[Xvito]

I do not believe in ghost and I never did.
Ghosts are nonsense and I was surprised that so many people had answered yes.
Believing ghosts is like believing in God, it's totally without scientific proof, which I think is needed for something to be taken seriously.

 

[Lord_Ascendant]

There are stranger things on earth, I would not be surprised (says the person who is photo analyst for his local paranormal group)if a spirit came up to me and said hello. It's not creepy or scary, it just shocking. hats why I watch Ghost Hunters religiously.