This is probably going to be my last post on the subject. I just feel like moving on to something else, but I wanted to address this nonetheless. Earlier we talked about whether or not the existence of ghosts were possible according to Scripture (and also what Christianity should be required to believe), what happens when you die, what a ghost is made of if anything, what could possibly be the purpose of a ghost, and now I want to share something... a little different. See, I've done a little research here and there and when I research something, I always look at both sides (in this case there are only two) and go into the issue as if I believe both sides are wrong. When looking for facts, it's a great way to separate fact from fiction. You have to look at everything; take all that people say at face value and try to prove it wrong. As long as you know how to do proper research and cross-reference known facts, nine times out of ten you'll find something of value. A lot of the time most people stay with the like-mindedness of their peers. They tend to stick to a policy that only looks at the side they agree with. I, however, had to find websites that claim to have information that proves ghosts exist and also websites that believe they have proof that ghosts don't exist at the same time. Keep in mind, it's nearly impossible to prove a negative claim. this is why the justice system is set up the way it is. You can't prove you didn't do something, it's the State's job to prove you did do something. How can you prove you didn't steal a candy bar from the store?
Anyway, I went through some different websites that made positive claims of ghosts' existence (and luckily for them, they're going to get some free plugs) and I wanted to share some things with you, the reader. First off here's a website called Zerotime Paranormal about the supposed myths associated with ghosts. On the home page, there are listed several myths with a "reality" explination of why that myth isn't true. Here we have positive claims all over the place and we're going to look at some of the points I'm quoting from the page:
- Reality to myth #1: Ghosts are not here to put on a show for the living.
Question: Where did they come up with this information? If they were here to put on a show, who would sell the tickets? I can't remember a ghost community ever coming forward about how they're being exploited by people and being expected to perform. If that were the case, there should be a ghost union; but how on Earth would they pay union fees?
- Reality to myth #1: Real ghost hunting requires patience and
diligence.
Question: How would anyone know what's required to "hunt" ghosts? I could tell you what all is required to hunt Snipes, but you're going to come up with the same results.
- Reality to myth #7: It is extremely unlikely that a ghost hunter carrying a cell phone or
EMF detector is causing harm to a ghost let alone the argument that the
living can even harm a ghost. If an
electrical trap is built to capture and restrain a ghost, then that
could be considered harming a ghost.
Question: How do you know ghosts have nerve endings? How do you know what would or wouldn't harm something you can't even tell is there? For that matter, why would anyone carry an EMF detector to find a ghost. They say in the exact same paragraph, Haunted houses are full of electrical wiring and countless
electrical devices... You're looking for an electrical field around countless electrical outlets?! Good luck with that. You don't even know that these supposed ghosts emit an electro-magnetic field, let alone whether or not it would harm one. Let me get this straight; you use a device that detects electro-magnetic fields (because you think a ghost gives off or is made of those fields for some reason), in a house with "countless" electrical devices and outlets, and you think an "electrical trap" would hurt one? So now we know that electricity can harm electricity. Who'da thunk?
- Reality to myth #8: No one can be absolutely sure what a ghost is let alone whether or not it can be destroyed.
Comment: Here's a true statement. No one knows what a ghost is. How does this website have all of these facts associated with ghosts when they don't even know what one is? Just back there they said an "electrical trap" could be considered hurting a ghost, yet they don't know if given enough harm could destroy one.
Here's another web page entitled Common Ghost Facts. I saw some contradiction almost immediately, but what caught my eye was the title of the page in the first place. Not only do we have solid facts about ghosts we can use to research with, the ones affiliated with this website are considered common. I will list the facts I have comments on in the order they're shown on the page.
- Ectoplasm is a substance that is left behind by a
ghost. It can vary in color, size, and texture. It is
usually a liquid and has a distinct smell.
Question: How do you know this is a fact? I don't know of any substance that can vary in color, texture, and is usually a liquid. What is it when it's not a liquid? Not only that, it's a liquid that can vary in size?! Maybe ghosts are made of invisible jello residue. Please show me some of this stuff in a jar so we can run experiments on it.
- Southall has identified four reasons that a ghost stays in
our world. They are:
The ghost doesn’t realize that it is dead.
The ghost has unfinished business in this world.
The ghost feels it needs to say goodbye.
The ghost wants to offer guidance to a loved one.
Question: So you're telling me "someone" that doesn't know he/she is dead, feels the need to say goodbye? For what reason? They don't know they're dead; where do they think they're going? The same logic applies with the unfinished business part. Also, Is there some kind of intelligent guidance that a person completely ignorant of the fact they're dead can give to someone? I mean, seriously... When you're oblivious to basic required knowledge, like the fact that you're not alive anymore, there isn't much wisdom that's going to come out of you, is there?
- When a ghost is present, there is usually a cold spot or a
shift in the magnetic field.
Question, the website above says you don't know what a ghost is, yet you claim after you die, you can change temperature and manipulate electricity?
- Ghosts are rarely seen in person. The most common sighting
of a ghost is one that is captured on film.
Comment: This is obviously coming from someone that doesn't know how cameras work. Cameras work just like your eyes do. if you can see it with a camera, you can see it with your eyes. If you can't see something and you take a picture that shows additional "footage", it's not really there. You should use multiple cameras taking a picture in the same place at the same time if you really wanted to know for sure.
- Ghosts tend to drain the batteries of any equipment being
used on a ghost hunt.
Comment: Once again people that don't know what ghosts are stating "facts" about what they can do, purposefully or accidentally.
- An orb is a ball of light that is considered the essence of
a ghost. Orbs are rarely seen in person, but show up
frequently on pictures. It is often hard to distinguish orbs
from light reflections and dust particles.
Question: How do you know every single "orb" isn't a dust particle, light reflections, or something else for that matter? You don't know what a ghost is or what it's made of; what are you trying to separate from dust and light? Also, why is it that people talk about seeing ghosts AND "orbs" and no one that believes in ghosts raises an eyebrow? The essence of a ghost? How would you know that? I don't ever have my essence floating around with dust particles. Are these supposed to be different species of ghosts? Are some of them shedding? Do they have floating ecto-boogers?
- Ghosts have been portrayed as being friendly and kind.
However, ghosts can be very violent.
Anytime an individual approaches a known dangerous ghost,
the individual should use extreme caution. In some cases
ghosts have actually been known to cause deaths.
Question: A known ghost? Is there a logged ghost database somewhere that I haven't seen yet? Where has there been an open-and-shut case where a ghost was found as the murderer? If that's the case, let's put 'em on trial. Why are we letting this thing get off Scott free? If there are ghosts committing crimes, we should have the law hunting them as well. No one is safe when a mostly invisible, orb shedding, usually liquid, camera hogging, electro-magnet is on the loose!
All joking aside, this is everything from that page perpetuated as "common facts". I try my best to take every piece of information seriously, but there are just some people that make fact finding a ridiculous endeavor and waste a lot of my time. One thing a lot of people that believe in ghosts do is get frustrated at others because they hold the burden of proof. They can't really provide real evidence, possibly because there isn't any. Look at this hypothetically for a minute. Let's say I told you I believed there was a blade of blue grass in my yard. My yard is the size of the world (given that ghosts are seen all over the planet). Now what if I had no idea what a blade of grass looked like or what it was made of. There are no scientific facts concerning a blade of grass in this scenario; I don't even know what the color blue is. How much of a chance do you think I have of providing evidence for my claim. Most people would say I'm crazy or an idiot because I have no logical basis for even believing that blade of grass exists. My mind has been conditioned to believe certain things all my life and there are many others that also believe in that blade of grass too. There's nothing to test, nothing to analyze, nothing to dissect, nothing to hold, nothing to deduce, but there is a slew of faked evidence floating around. Why? Because no one can find anything of any worth and still be honest. I hope you can see the point I'm trying to make.
All in all, it was an adventure to me just to be able to take the time to write about something I feel others should consider all points on. I've only covered the little things I thought were important, but there are so many avenues yet to be discovered concerning this subject and I hope I've inspired at least one of you to learn how to think for yourself by using reason, logic, experimentation, and real fact-finding. Don't forget to check back every once in a while. There's a place you can subscribe to me on the side bar; you can also find this page on facebook so you'll be the first to see my posts right after I finish writing them.
