Ahem..................Will I hold the jackets?
People STILL believe in Demons and Ghosts on this site...bloody 16th Century rubbish!
by Witness 007 74 Replies latest jw experiences
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truthseeker
Daniel-p and HintOfLime,
The problem is that most people who experience supernatural phenomena are unable to replicate what they have experienced to observers. They either have no control over what happens or what they experienced is a once in a lifetime event.
I'm not referring to persons who dabble in the occult, just ordinary people going about their business.
I know a couple of people who played the Ouija board and in each case, they experienced negative results.
From what I have heard over the years, whether true or untrue, most phenomena generally occurs while the person is alone, or somewhat infrequently, in small groups.
Even those who come prepared to take photos and video recordings often find their equipment either damaged or did not work for the duration of the phenomena.
So if I hear a story, I neither deny nor confirm what they say, it's their personal experience.
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loosie
I won't bother to go into detail, since I don't want to get flamed about his "lucky guesses" or "spying and research". It's just something that is beyond rational explanation for me.
Billy I won't flame you for telling your experience. you can PM me if you want.
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Narkissos
Warlock,
As far as the Bible is concerned, I suppose a "Yes or no" answer would have to be "yes" because some parts of the Bible do mention angels, demons or ghosts but that "yes" would not adequately represent the parts which don't -- even though they don't deny them either.
Off-topic illustration of the unfairness of a "yes or no" question/answer: does the Bible prescribe death penalty by stoning? Definitely yes. Does it ever condemn it? No. Do the above answers, although factually accurate, provide a fair picture of "the Bible"? I doubt it.
Now take "demons" or "evil spirits" as an example (sticking to the Protestant canon of the Bible for the sake of discussion); aside from a few possible examples in descriptions of "haunted" ruins in the OT, they are found mostly in the Synoptic gospels and Acts, with an entirely different role (as causes of sickness); they are conspicuously absent from the Fourth Gospel (except in the crowd's claim that Jesus "has a demon" = is insane). They are not found in the epistles either (the "powers, authorities" ruling the world are not exactly demons, at least they play a still different role).
The scriptural evidence for "ghosts" is even rarer: it is implied by the (generally condemned) practice of necromancy in the OT. In the NT it is only found as a "wrong interpretation" of Jesus walking on the sea (Mark 6:49//) or post-resurrection appearance (Luke 24:37ff).
The inescapable conclusion imo is that the Bible texts reflect both an evolution of beliefs in time (which can be better explained if extra-canonical literature is taken into account) and a diversity of beliefs at the same time (cf. the well-known difference between Pharisees and Sadducees and those and similar topics, Acts 23:8).
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ziddina
What BluesBrothers said! "Just because you have never seen one , does not prove that they do not exist.. Are you as sure about all other unproven phenomena?"
Yeah, I used to - USED to - be one of those unconvinced sceptics. I'd seen too many JW 'scare' sessions, heard too many 'demon' stories that were a buncha hoooey, and so on. Used to laugh myself silly at ANYONE who even HINTED that there were unexplainable phenomena out there...
And then I saw something I couldn't explain - ever, not even in a MILLION years... And let me tell you, WHILE IT WAS HAPPENING I was aggressively seeking a physical, natural explanation...
Boy, what a letdown - errr, eye-opener.
There's SOMEthing to the ghost stories; I've got to admit. Trouble is, it's mighty difficult to get a ghost under a cover slide....
Zid
