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I grew up Catholic but am non-practicing. I do not see the relationship between ghosts and the Holy Spirit as the Holy Spirit would be God and I am not sure if the Holy Spirit would be considered a ghost as I do not think it can even be seen. The Holy Spirit is supposed to be everywhere and within you.
Complete non comparison without even having to question belief systems which is what you were trying to accomplish but failed to do.
It's called sarcasm. Someone really needs to take a deep breath.
The problem with all these discussions for someone who holds to a non-secular interpretive framework is that failing to keep that framework to oneself is likely to result in criticism or even contempt from the secularists as well as those who are invested in a different non-secular framework. You see that in many threads here.
The non-secularists (and this is a generalization) want to shut down the secularists and the other non-secularists who don't agree with their interpretation of their experiences; and the secularists want to show all the "loons" for what they are: deluded, naive, foolish. What's common to all sides in these discussions is the fear that they might be proved wrong, that their framework for interpreting reality will be worthless and they'll be left floating in a kind of existential void.
We're built I think to see what Rudolph Otto called the "mysterium tremendum" in these experiences, as well as to explain them away within a secularist framework. Both are attempts to discover meaning in human experience (and both I think are valid), and I believe that's why these topics are compelling for both secularists and non-secularists -- and incidentally, why gothic fiction continues to draw readers:
My husband's nephew and his wife are ghost believers. They are both smart people, but they are always out of step with others in the way they perceive things.
He is on the outs with his parents and brothers because he always feels like people are trying to cheat him. In this way, he and his wife are on the weird side.
First," she said, "I don't talk to dead people. I don't see dead people. I hate that." It drives her nuts. "Spirits are energy—energy can't be destroyed, just read the quantum physicists. Max Planck. They're just on a higher vibrational frequency, and I have to tune in to that."
Just saying something does not make it so. It is a cop out. Prove it. Or at least give us some strong evidence. There is not strong evidence though, just lots of excuses, and bans, for lack of evidence.
And here we go. This is what it is all about. You are not normal, you are special. I have no argument that this is what drives most of this.
I agree that certain people are not equipped to deal with certain things.
Nor does the fact that there is no evidence, no science backing it up or even well documented experiences mean that it does exist.
I can accept that there may be ghosts or aliens if I see valid evidence. It seems that some people cannot accept that there might not be.
So basically, you won't accept it until you see it.
Maybe someday you will... than you can be *special* too.
Until then, why are you dedicating so much effort here trying to shoot down everyone who won't simply throw away their own experiences/interpretations and be like you?
So we have a battle between the radical physicalism and reductionism faction and the New Age metaphysics faction, with both of them attacking the traditional religious faction. Sounds like a party to me.
So we have a battle between the radical physicalism and reductionism faction and the New Age metaphysics faction, with both of them attacking the traditional religious faction. Sounds like a party to me.
Materialists and mystics both tend to narrow-minded fundamentalism. For all his railing against religious fundamentalists, Richard Dawkins is one of the worst fundamentalists I have ever read --- just of a different tribe.
I've had some strange experiences that I can not explain, yet I don't dismiss the fact that I don't have the answers to everything in life. I personally don't believe in life after death but I don't deem people who do to be weird or unintelligent. There are people who are mentally ill that claim to experience outrageous things. I think the average person can tell the difference between people who need help and those who don't fit the mold of being mentally unstable. One size does not fit all and strange things happen to sane people as well. To place everyone in the one size fits all mentality is disrespectful and narrow minded.
Greenflute- the image of the text message you posted (which is NOT from the linked discussion for those who are wondering)...I don't know if it's just for 'demonstration' or is a supposed 'ghost' text....but having a text just like that is quite easy to accomplish.
Send a message to yourself....
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