Do you believe in spirits ?

[menRsexii]

It doesn't have anything to do with mental illness or schizophrenia. Some people are more sensitive to the faint energies that make up the spirit world and the spirits know this. That's why they seek those more open, like me. I see them all the time and actually have one in my home that shows himself to me on occasion.

That's really interesting... I'd like you to elaborate on that as well

 

[AlmondMilk]

I believe spirits exist. Not everyone can sense them, but there are things that are unexplainable at the moment.

 

[Dolmance]

Depends on what you mean by "spirit." If you mean the state of metaphor and abstraction in which we all operate to some degree; the abstract anatomy we accrue, sculpt and develop throughout our conscious lives, then yes. If you mean some hairy fairy scrap of magic eternity at our cores, then no.

 

[Rand]

Would everyone that died become a spirit?
If not, why not.
If yes, then would there not be more things that are unexplained.

If only some "stick around", then the afterlife must really suck to find hanging around here to be a better alternative.

I'm like the first responder - - I like my spirits on ice, stirred, not shaken.

thanks,
Rand

 

[dt75006]

Quote:
Originally Posted by dt75006
It doesn't have anything to do with mental illness or schizophrenia. Some people are more sensitive to the faint energies that make up the spirit world and the spirits know this. That's why they seek those more open, like me. I see them all the time and actually have one in my home that shows himself to me on occasion.

That's really interesting... I'd like you to elaborate on that as well


The first time I saw him was several years ago. It was around dusk, the sun had already set but there was still a little bit of light coming in from the living room windows which is where I saw him. I came out of the bedroom door and into the living room where the living room windows would be directly straight ahead of me and there he was. He was full body and sort of hunched over as if he was trying to see something outside the window. He looked to be from the Civil War era, dark hair combed over to one side, big sideburns and a bushy mustache. He was wearing a long gray coat and gray pants with a stripe down the leg. I walked in on him and stared at him for about 5 seconds until he turned to look at me, looked as if he was trying to say something and then faded.

I told friends about it and they all said I was either hallucinating or I saw my own reflection in the window or someone was outside the window.

I can debunk all of those.

I don't use drugs or get drunk and I've never had a hallucination in my life.

It wasn't my reflection in the window as I don't have my hair combed over to one side, I don't have sideburns, I don't have a big bushy mustache. And I'm pretty sure a reflection of myself in the window isn't going to make my tshirt and boxers look like a Civil War uniform. Plus, I also don't think my reflection in the window would be moving while my physical body was standing still.

As for someone being outside the window, not going to happen since I live on the second floor and there is no ledge or balcony outside that window and it's not likely someone would be seen walking by in mid-air unless they were a spirit. Plus the blinds were down, they were open but they were down and the figure I saw blocked the blinds which isn't going to happen if the figure was on the outside of the window.

 

[Telstra]

Yeah right.

As if he know all that, but he just made up stuff.

 

[medic1]

As if he know all that, but he just made up stuff.

MikeyLove like million,s of other christian,s truly believe this and it is one of the
strongest tenents of their faith.
So to say he just made it up is being unfair and illogical as these belief,s have been one of the mainstays of christian belief,s for many centuries now.
Again you may not believe what MikeyLove posted but millions do.

 

[FirmaFan]

MikeyLove like million,s of other christian,s truly believe this and it is one of the
strongest tenents of their faith.
So to say he just made it up is being unfair and illogical as these belief,s have been one of the mainstays of christian belief,s for many centuries now.
Again you may not believe what MikeyLove posted but millions do.

Having millions believe it, or having those beliefs be the mainstay of christian belief, or having it be a strong tenant of personal belief, cherished by those who believe it does absolutely nothing to demonstrate if those beliefs are representative of reality. Until evidence can be presented to validate the truth of the claims made, it is neither unfair nor illogical to doubt the validity of the claim.

 

[Telstra]

As Pope John Paul II once said, "You still don't get it?"

About what? life?

 

[Jacquemar]

Having millions believe it, or having those beliefs be the mainstay of christian belief, or having it be a strong tenant of personal belief, cherished by those who believe it does absolutely nothing to demonstrate if those beliefs are representative of reality. Until evidence can be presented to validate the truth of the claims made, it is neither unfair nor illogical to doubt the validity of the claim.

I agree with you completely. Furthermore I believe that people who believe in such things ARE suffering from mental illness, just not a kind that requires hospitalization.

 

[medic1]

Having millions believe it, or having those beliefs be the mainstay of christian belief, or having it be a strong tenant of personal belief, cherished by those who believe it does absolutely nothing to demonstrate if those beliefs are representative of reality. Until evidence can be presented to validate the truth of the claims made, it is neither unfair nor illogical to doubt the validity of the claim.

I agree with you we are all entitled to our opinion,s but why try and be sarcastic or rude when it comes to what beliefs people hold regarding their faith whatever
that faith may be?
Even among differring group,s of people who profess the same faith you have countless opinions and many a heated discussion. :-

On a footnote i said it was unfair and illogical to say mikeylove made it up as i doubt he is over 2000yrs
old.

 

[FirmaFan]

As Pope John Paul II once said, "You still don't get it?"

"Get it" about what?

 

[FirmaFan]

I agree with you we are all entitled to our opinion,s

Yes, we are all entitled to our opinions, but that wasn't really what I was talking about. The claims being made are not expressions of opinions but are proposed descriptions about reality...such things are not opinions, they are either true or false, regardless of what an individual believes them to be. The method to identify true vs false is by presenting and understanding evidence.

but why try and be sarcastic or rude when it comes to what beliefs people hold regarding their faith whatever
that faith may be?

I think that whenever a discussion enters into the realm of religious belief, even the most respectful arguments may be felt as sarcastic, rude, or insulting, because of the value a person has placed upon their religious beliefs. As they have elevated those beliefs to one of the most important facets of their individual identity, criticisms or debunking of those beliefs is taken as a personal attack, even when not meant as one, because of the way a person identifies themselves through their religion. A criticism of the belief becomes, in their minds, a personal attack. It is a stigma of conversation that we, as a society, need to dig ourselves out from. Religious beliefs should be no more immune to criticism and scrutiny than any other topic. We tolerate heated debates when it's republican vs democrat, but bring religion into the conversation, and it becomes a kind of no-man's land, even though I would argue that religious beliefs informs people's actions far greater than any political affiliation ever would, and since that is the basis by which most of those in power in my country make decisions, religion is not only not immune to scrutiny, scrutiny is an absolute necessity.

Even among differring group,s of people who profess the same faith you have countless opinions and many a heated discussion. :-

You would think, that with so many variants, a person would want to do everything possible to verify that what they believe is accurate and correct, but that often doesn't seem to be the case.

On a footnote i said it was unfair and illogical to say mikeylove made it up as i doubt he is over 2000yrs
old.

Can we agree that, until some evidence is presented to validate the claims, it is fair to hold the position that, at some point in time, someone "made it up"?

 

[medic1]

^^^^^^^^^
An excellent post,but we are in danger of pulling this thread of topic`as it was about spirits. Like anything which people regard as sacrosant as you say there
will alway,s be the barrier,s where a person will defend their personal faith to the
best of their ability.
As the title say,s "A place for thoughtful discussions of weighty issues"
It would be so easy to play Devils Advocate here but that was not why i posted in the first place i just thought that it was unfair for the op to say that the guy was making it up,i believe that faith is a private matter between a person and their personal belief,s.
No more and no less.

 

[Telstra]

^^^^^^^^^
An excellent post,but we are in danger of pulling this thread of topic`as it was about spirits. Like anything which people regard as sacrosant as you say there
will alway,s be the barrier,s where a person will defend their personal faith to the
best of their ability.
As the title say,s "A place for thoughtful discussions of weighty issues"
It would be so easy to play Devils Advocate here but that was not why i posted in the first place i just thought that it was unfair for the op to say that the guy was making it up,i believe that faith is a private matter between a person and their personal belief,s.
No more and no less.

When religious leaders preach faith as facts it is not a private matter anymore.
It demands proof.

 

[medic1]

Telstra as i said in my last post in my opinion i believe that faith is a private
issue between a person and their belief,s. That is just my opinion though.

Considering your thread was about spirits and someone,s belief in them`You have changed it to be about what Religious Leaders say,

 

[kombatwombat]

I don't believe in spirits. Except in a metaphorical way

 

[Jacquemar]

I have experienced it, and that is proof enough for me. Case closed!

How do you know you aren't hallucinating? There are TONS of people who have hallucinations and can't distinguish it from reality. Personally, I'm a Skeptic.

 

[Telstra]

How do you know you aren't hallucinating? There are TONS of people who have hallucinations and can't distinguish it from reality. Personally, I'm a Skeptic.

"someone who has walked with god for over 50 years .... "
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKGtcVoBhBQ&feature=related[/ame]

 

[Jacquemar]

"someone who has walked with god for over 50 years .... "
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKGtcVoBhBQ&feature=related

BRAVO! Dawkins is 100% correct! This pathetic human being has built his life on an hallucination.