Do you believe in ghosts? Why?

Question

I'm writing a book, and the main character's a cursed ghost. I just was curious if anyone had any ideas out there or experiences that may be helpful to my writing. And I'm interested to know WHY people believe or WHY they're skeptics. Thanks in advance!
Oh yeah, and how terrifying is the idea (or how terrifying was the experience if you had one)?

Answer 1

I'm skeptical. I can't say outright that I DON'T believe in ghosts, but I can't say outright that I do, either. The number of people who think that they have seen ghosts throughout history is staggering, suggesting some truth to it, but it may well just be a part of our psyche. So until there is some kind of scientific evidence that shows that they exist, I have no reason to believe someone has really seen a ghost. I know I never have!

That said, I have known people who say they saw ghosts, and two of them in particular I believe that they honestly think they did. Did they really? Or was it a hallucination or psychological vision? One was up in the middle of the night getting some water. Perhaps it was a sleep-induced dream, like the visions that some people with narcolepsy think they see. One of the people was at a hospital when someone they knew was very sick. They thought they saw a little boy disappear. Perhaps they were grief-stricken and stressed, and this caused them to think they saw something they did not. That said, I knew someone who was 100% convinced they saw a ghost, and after I investigated it, I was able to show that her roommate was playing tricks on her. I can't help but wonder how many true ghost stories are really hoaxes.

Then you watch these tv shows on Discovery or History Channel, and they take film crews into a yard and some little light flies past them and it is obviously a bug in the sunlight. They darken the picture and draw a circle around the light and make a big fuss about it, and it is a big joke to anyone with common sense. Or take the Amityville Horror house that was made into supposedly "based on a true story" movies. It has been all but proven that the people who lived there and supposedly saw ghosts and heard voices were just trying to make a buck off the fact that someone was murdered there. When you consider all the quacks out there who obviously did not see a ghost and are just trying to get some attention, it is hard to take anyone seriously when maybe they really DID see something.

So I am not saying ghosts absolutely do not exist. I am saying I don't know, but I am skeptical when someone says they saw one. Considering that I am a religious person, the concept of a soul makes me think that it is possible, but without some kind of solid evidence, I will never actually believe in ghosts. There are too many logical explanations for the stories you hear.

Answer 2

I believe there are ghost and people say you can usually explain why this or that happens but some things can't be explained away. Believe me i've tried to(im a logical person) Take for instance one night i was watching t.v about 2 am and my husband was asleep in the recliner and my 2 children were in there room fast asleep. All of a sudden something struck the back of the couch i was sitting on with such a force i screamed. NO one else was in the house like i said other than my family(asleep) That was really freaky....its like they wanted me to know that they were there, it has not ever happened again like that. i have seen a dark shadow about 6ft tall in the hall and my daughter (7) has also seen it. I have heard footsteps in the hall and nobody there when i go to investigate. Needless to say I say alot of prayers over me and my family and in the process of looking else where to live. If you are writing a book about a ghost it helps to have experienced something paranormal to get a better perspective on how to write. Good luck with your book. If you need anymore stories feel free to e-mail me. Have a good day and may you have a spooky tale , so as your book can be a little spooooooooookier!:-000000000

Answer 3

There is no evidence that ghosts exist that will convince a logician like me. I twice saw things that appeared to be ghosts. I'll recount the last time. My aunt and my brother often said they saw ghosts at her flat. I only saw one there once. I awoke about 3:00 AM and saw a woman floating by a door across the room. Her feet were over a foot above the floor. A halo of light was on and around her head. If Auntie or Bro saw that, they'd hide under the sheet and tell about seeing another ghost. I arose from bed and walked over to the ghost. When I was close, I saw it was a light shining through a window in an unusual manner onto a calendar with photos of scenery on it. That was the head. The body was a pattern in wall paper where the roof leaked. I've told many people that Christian scholars say the dead do not arise until Judgement day, and atheists say death is final, so both say there are no ghosts.

Answer 4

Yes, I sense them and have seen them. But, even before I had any experiences, I believed in them. They are simply spirits that have to accomplish certain things before going to their final resting place.

I hope you've had experiences yourself, because otherwise it's going to be hard writing about ghosts, especially as the main character. (I've written my experiences into story form and that was a challenge itself).

And, as a side note, you might find some stories on here if you search for peoples experiences with ghosts.

Good luck with your story.

Answer 5

Its kinda a fine line. I believe in Guardian Angels, but not Ghosts.

Answer 6

yes i sure did! years ago i when to the audie murphy veterans memorial hospital, my friend try to take pictures of me next to his pictures and the flash would not work right, i still have the pictures with the bright flash in front of them! have no idea what happen that day.

Answer 7

when i was a young girl my mom told me that black blobs of smoke would surround the ends of my bed and talk to me, she said i would answer and talk back. she said they would stay for hours not knowing what they were saying she would pray. she said this happened for years. know that i am grown i feel as though i can feel things that are around but i really dint feel like they are bad things i kind of pick up on emotions of people know and once was but the funny thing is i don't remember that as a child

Answer 8

I believe in spirits yes, and they are not entertainment, though finding proof of them is rather entertaining to watch. :)

Answer 9

well.... i had an experience with a ghost in ourhouse and at first it was scary.. but now we have a.... mutaul aggreement
lol its honestly true

Answer 10

YES BECAUSE MY DEAD GRANDMOTHER IS HAUNTED MY HOUSE.I NO ITS HER BECAUSE WHEN I GET INTO A FIGHT WITH MY PARENTS.SOMETHING WILL KEEP ME UP AT NIGHT BY PLAYING PANTS ON ME