Ghosts

One for the Christians in the audience.....Do you believe in Ghosts ?

Originally posted by huckleberryhound
One for the Christians in the audience.....Do you believe in Ghosts ?

no

Originally posted by huckleberryhound
One for the Christians in the audience.....Do you believe in Ghosts ?

The concept of the Ghost would not be part of Christian dogma, since Cristians go to heaven in their theology, therefore there would be no christians who would be back on earth as a spirit. I think, anyway.
That begs the question of what Christians would say about dead non-christians, I guess the answer there would be a dead non christian automatically goes to hell and again no earthly appearance. Does that about cover it?

Originally posted by huckleberryhound
One for the Christians in the audience.....Do you believe in Ghosts ?

The concept of the Ghost would not be part of Christian dogma, since Cristians go to heaven in their theology, therefore there would be no christians who would be back on earth as a spirit. I think, anyway.
That begs the question of what Christians would say about dead non-christians, I guess the answer there would be a dead non christian automatically goes to hell and again no earthly appearance. Does that about cover it?

Originally posted by huckleberryhound
One for the Christians in the audience.....Do you believe in Ghosts ?

The concept of the Ghost would not be part of Christian dogma, since Cristians go to heaven in their theology, therefore there would be no christians who would be back on earth as a spirit. I think, anyway.
That begs the question of what Christians would say about dead non-christians, I guess the answer there would be a dead non christian automatically goes to hell and again no earthly appearance. Does that about cover it?

Originally posted by sonhouse
The concept of the Ghost would not be part of Christian dogma, since Cristians go to heaven in their theology, therefore there would be no christians who would be back on earth as a spirit. I think, anyway.
That begs the question of what Christians would say about dead non-christians, I guess the answer there would be a dead non christian automatically goes to hell and again no earthly appearance. Does that about cover it?

Yes and no. Not all Christians are convinced that one goes directly to heaven or hell. After all, there is a ressurection, no? In fact, Christ referred to the dead as one that sleeps. I think you are right in that most Christians do not believe that the dead roam the earth after they die. However, that does not negate believing in a spiritual world in which those before us can be mimicked in some form or fashion.

Originally posted by sonhouse
The concept of the Ghost would not be part of Christian dogma, since Cristians go to heaven in their theology, therefore there would be no christians who would be back on earth as a spirit. I think, anyway.
That begs the question of what Christians would say about dead non-christians, I guess the answer there would be a dead non christian automatically goes to hell and again no earthly appearance. Does that about cover it?

So was it a ghost in the machine that made you post three times?
Christians do not agree on what their dogma is and a large percentage of them don't really have any dogma. I know plenty of Christians who believe in ghosts, witchcraft and other supernatural effects that one would think contradicts the basic teachings of Christianity. But then I once saw a survey of South Africans which claimed that about one third of Christians do not believe in the afterlife!

Originally posted by twhitehead
So was it a ghost in the machine that made you post three times?
Christians do not agree on what their dogma is and a large percentage of them don't really have any dogma. I know plenty of Christians who believe in ghosts, witchcraft and other supernatural effects that one would think contradicts the basic teachings of Christianity. But then I once saw a ...[text shortened]... outh Africans which claimed that about one third of Christians do not believe in the afterlife!

The stupid net connection at my house is so unreliable I don't know from one minute to the next if it's going to post or not. I finish a post, hit the 'post' button and sometimes it doesn't seem to go in so being frustrated, I hit the button several times and if it actually is working you get muliple posts so in that sense, yes there is a ghost in the machine, one that the service providers have been tearing their hair out over, since I don't just let it go at that but keep bugging them to get it fixed! At least they are trying.
I didn't know there was THAT much variance in the belief's of christians!

Originally posted by sonhouse
I didn't know there was THAT much variance in the belief's of christians!

In my home town of Livingstone, Zambia population approx 100,000 there are over 150 different Christian denominations. They clearly have differences in beliefs that are significant enough to make them not want to go to the same church as each other! And within denominations there are often heated conflicts.
Of course a lot of it is cultural more than belief in that many of the church practices are the way people like to do it rather than core beliefs. Many people will quite readily switch denomination when they get married in order to go to the same church as a spouse though that is not always the case. i have known couples to go to separate churches every Sunday for 20 years or more.

I have a somewhat strong belief in ghosts and I do remember finding biblical proof once when in mass. I couldn't tell you where it is exactly but it's in he part with the doubting Thomas. Jesus says he is not a ghost as he can be touched. Confirming ghosts and their etheral nature

Originally posted by whodey
Yes and no. Not all Christians are convinced that one goes directly to heaven or hell. After all, there is a ressurection, no? In fact, Christ referred to the dead as one that sleeps. I think you are right in that most Christians do not believe that the dead roam the earth after they die. However, that does not negate believing in a spiritual world in which those before us can be mimicked in some form or fashion.

I concur with Whodey on this issue. If we limit the tenets of Christianity to what the Bible spells out, then it is still a little fuzzy. At some point, believers in Christ will go to Heaven, and unbelievers will go to Hell. However, the Bible does make reference to spirits so...

In the Old Testament, King Saul visits a diviner and has the spirit of Samuel brought up.

In the New Testament, many who were "asleep" rose when Jesus died.

I don't believe in ghosts, but as Whodey said, the spiritual world certainly exists, and the enemy has done many things to draw our attention away from God.

Originally posted by Phelim
I have a somewhat strong belief in ghosts and I do remember finding biblical proof once when in mass. I couldn't tell you where it is exactly but it's in he part with the doubting Thomas. Jesus says he is not a ghost as he can be touched. Confirming ghosts and their etheral nature

It sounds to me more like a referance to the cultural illusions of the day, 'I am not a ghost' is not the same thing logically as saying 'I am a ghost' 'I am not a XXX' can just be a statement saying I am not of the class you may want to assume I am. That is not an affirmation of the possiblity of ghostness, that is a denial of ghostness, two separate concepts.

Originally posted by twhitehead
In my home town of Livingstone, Zambia population approx 100,000 there are over 150 different Christian denominations. They clearly have differences in beliefs that are significant enough to make them not want to go to the same church as each other! And within denominations there are often heated conflicts.
Of course a lot of it is cultural more than bel ...[text shortened]... ays the case. i have known couples to go to separate churches every Sunday for 20 years or more.

I think it safe to assume their are no groups getting violent and burning down the opposing view church. That sounds to me like a friendly disagreement which is good. That's where I draw the line, when people start rationalizing violence based on religious dogma, like the current violence in the Sudan where Islam is being forced down the throats of the local tribes under the threat and the actuality of deaths, many thousands of deaths in fact, all under the guise of a loving god.

Isn't the holy trinity a sure fire proof of ghostness ?

I'm not religious but I have an open mind to ghosts.
According to the greater anthropic principle, there are an infinite
number of universes that play out over each point in time.
If this is the case, there maybe some 'cosmic gelling' between
these universes that allow us to catch glimpses on an emotional
level.
In this situation nobody ever dies in their own universe but they
do all the time in others.