What are your thoughts on the origin of ghosts?

Discuss the October 2016 Book of the Month, Unspeakable Acts by Janet Leigh Green.
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What are your thoughts on the origin of ghosts?

Post by Wasif Ahmed »

If you believe in ghosts, which many people do, then what do you think they are? Are they some kind of energy? Or the souls of sin full dead people?
For me my religion (Islam) gives a reason for paranormal activity. What are your thoughts on this topic? Please do share.

Thanks!!! :)
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Post by Ashley 1820 »

I believe in jin.But I don't believe in ghosts at all....for me,they exists only in fascinating imaginations.
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Post by srm628 »

I think ghosts are energy. Maybe this belief comes from watching too much Ghost Adventures (way too much), but I kind of understand Zak's viewpoint of the energies just staying in a certain area. Every moving thing has energy and the idea that it would stick around. Energy can't be destroyed as proven by the first law of Thermodynamics. It would either have to be transferred or converted into something else. It would make sense that the indestructible energy would simply linger.
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Post by Muhammad Nadeem »

I don't believe in the existence of ghosts, these are only superstitions. Ghosts are nothing more than a scaring thought and human mind creation. Many writers use this thought for horror stories and films just to entertain his audience.
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Post by gali »

I don't believe in ghosts, paranormal activity, or anything of the kind. I think it is just superstitions.
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Post by Wasif Ahmed »

Gali, not believing in paranormal activities is fine but then how do you explain the ghostly encounters which many people have experienced? Read the 'Do you believe in ghosts?' forum on this topic, the weird encounters written about in that forum can only be explained through something ghostly. :)
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Post by DK4me »

I believe ghosts are the spirits of dead people, good or evil.
Not sure if every spirit can manifest to people who are still alive or what the purpose of those manifestations are.
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Post by gali »

wasif_ahmed wrote:Gali, not believing in paranormal activities is fine but then how do you explain the ghostly encounters which many people have experienced? Read the 'Do you believe in ghosts?' forum on this topic, the weird encounters written about in that forum can only be explained through something ghostly. :)
I never encountered one myself... :wink:

I posted on that thread as well. Anyway, I don't believe in ghosts/ghostly encounters , and I think they are just a trick of the mind based on all the stories we heard about them.
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Post by Heidi M Simone »

gali wrote:
wasif_ahmed wrote:Gali, not believing in paranormal activities is fine but then how do you explain the ghostly encounters which many people have experienced? Read the 'Do you believe in ghosts?' forum on this topic, the weird encounters written about in that forum can only be explained through something ghostly. :)
I never encountered one myself... :wink:

I posted on that thread as well. Anyway, I don't believe in ghosts/ghostly encounters , and I think they are just a trick of the mind based on all the stories we heard about them.
I have to agree with gali here. I've never experienced it myself, and I also think it's a trick of the mind. Not trying to disrespect those who believe, but just like them, I'm expressing my thoughts. :)

As a Catholic, I believe those who have passed (their souls) are resting until the Lord comes and rises those who are worthy for Heaven while others are left in a state of slumber, of sorts.

Even if I don't believe, I do find the thoughts of others interesting. This is a very interesting question! Thank you for sharing. :tiphat:
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Post by DATo »

gali wrote:I don't believe in ghosts, paranormal activity, or anything of the kind. I think it is just superstitions.

I totally agree with @gali. I think the origin of ghosts came about in prehistoric times when people dreamed of clan members who had died. We all know how vivid dreams can be but today we understand that they are not an aspect of reality. Prehistoric man had no such understanding. I can imagine someone from that period of history waking up after having a dream of someone who died and thinking that person was still living in some other plane of reality which intersects our own and is trying to communicate through him to the tribe.

Extending this idea I also believe that this was probably the origin of religion as well. Ugg dreams of someone who has died. He tell the others about it. They conclude that Grog was trying to communicate with the tribe from the place he now exists in death. Since he came to Ugg they decide that Ugg has special powers to communicate with the dead and elevate him to the status of shaman, the precursor of "priest". Ugg invents rituals and attempts to communicate with Grog publicly (prayer). Ugg has "impressions" that Grog is telling him where the clan will find water, or shelter, or animals to hunt. If the tribe finds what Grog tells them they will find their beliefs are reinforced, if not, it is because Grog is angry with them because the clan is doing something he does not approve of. In either case the shaman is validated. Future generations learn of Grog and in time his memory is elevated to the status of a god. QED.
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Post by gali »

DATo wrote:
gali wrote:I don't believe in ghosts, paranormal activity, or anything of the kind. I think it is just superstitions.

I totally agree with @gali. I think the origin of ghosts came about in prehistoric times when people dreamed of clan members who had died. We all know how vivid dreams can be but today we understand that they are not an aspect of reality. Prehistoric man had no such understanding. I can imagine someone from that period of history waking up after having a dream of someone who died and thinking that person was still living in some other plane of reality which intersects our own and is trying to communicate through him to the tribe.

Extending this idea I also believe that this was probably the origin of religion as well. Ugg dreams of someone who has died. He tell the others about it. They conclude that Grog was trying to communicate with the tribe from the place he now exists in death. Since he came to Ugg they decide that Ugg has special powers to communicate with the dead and elevate him to the status of shaman, the precursor of "priest". Ugg invents rituals and attempts to communicate with Grog publicly (prayer). Ugg has "impressions" that Grog is telling him where the clan will find water, or shelter, or animals to hunt. If the tribe finds what Grog tells them they will find their beliefs are reinforced, if not, it is because Grog is angry with them because the clan is doing something he does not approve of. In either case the shaman is validated. Future generations learn of Grog and in time his memory is elevated to the status of a god. QED.
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Post by zero_macabre »

I have also been wondering about this question for quite a while now! To me, ghosts probably don't exist, or maybe they do, I just haven't met one... In my opinion, ghosts are probably restless souls of dead people just wandering around, perhaps to haunt someone. Now, I'm starting to wonder whether all dead people become ghosts.. Hmm...
Ghosts could just be superstitions, like gali mentioned, or fictional 'characters' that really don't exist. Well, about the ghostly encounters that others have had, it could just be their own mind scaring them. They could just be scaring themselves.
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Post by DK4me »

My wife claims to have seen "ghosts" a couple of different times throughout her life. Only one these "sightings" occurred while she was in bed and possibly in a dream state or semi-awake. Oddly enough, this is the one she has doubts about because she is not sure she was fully awake at the time.
None of the "ghosts"(or what I believe were spirits of people who are no longer "living" in the same plane or time for that matter) seemed to be able to communicate verbally with her.
At least one of these "ghosts" was former family pet. I personally believe animals as well as humans have souls that existed before they inhabited a physical body(conception or birth) and continue to exist after they leave that physical body(death).
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Post by Scott »

I feel the same as @gali on this matter.

I respect those who do believe in ghosts, especially those who have their own personal anecdotal experience to go on which I don't share.

It's completely normal and reasonable for two different reasonable people to have different beliefs on a question such as this. That's especially the case considering each person has different personal experiences using as evidence. Different evidence easily and very reasonably leads to different conclusions.
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Post by Sarah_Khan »

It probably started as a legend or maybe people started believing in ghosts to help them cope with the loss of their loved ones. There are a lot of things in this world that we can't explain, and as human beings we're always searching for an answer, which sometimes leads us to make up things. :P
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