21 replies to this topic

[Sammy_Da_Cat]

So what does your religious or spiritual belief say about ghosts or spirits in general? How are they described? And why are they here? How do you feel your beliefs fit in with the ghosties you have encountered?
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In Buddhism there is a special realm set aside for very greedy people. It is called petti-visaya(Pali) or The Realm of the Hungry Ghost. The Hungry Ghost realm exist between the animal and the lower hell realms. If one does not learn generosity (Dana), and who lives a life of greed, they are destined for this realm. The ghost is depicted as having an over sized belly, and is always hungry. The problem is that it has a very small mouth which does not allow food or water in. In this realm he cannot indulge in the most mundane pleasures we have here in the human realm. Their attachment and wanting causes their misery and they suffer greatly because of their own selfishness.

In a way it kinda (not 100%) makes sense when you think about ghosts. Here they are stuck with us but they don't have the ability to touch, interact, hold, or even communicate their feelings like we have the ability to do***. Everything for them is just a bit out of reach. Can you imagine if you were a ghost and you couldn't interact with the items and people around you? What a torture that would be. Always trying to find away back into the life you had rather then the afterlife you could have had.

** Dont start sending me hate posts claiming that ghosts can communicate and interact with us, I know that they can do this but its is not at they same level as humans have the ability to do***

[anasuya]

That is entirely too interesting for you own good. lol. Now you're gonna have me running around researching it even more!

As far as my religious practices (Wicca), ghosts are generally seen as spirits who chose to stay behind to finish something they didn't have the chance to when alive, or spirits who don't even know they have passed on, and are therefore "trapped" here essentially. I personally believe they reside in a dimension or plane just outside our own, which is why we only catch occasional glimpses of them, if any at all. I haven't heard of a particular name ascribed to this plane. Wiccans believe in summerland, which is a place you go when you die (equatable with Heaven basically), but no named place for spirits who chose to stay here. Wonderful question!

Ana

[wickedavenged]

What does my religion say about ghost? Well, since I don't practice a religion I say what I want about ghosts and spirits.

[MoonChild]

wickedavenged, on Nov 16 2004, 02:21 AM, said:

What does my religion say about ghost? Well, since I don't practice a religion I say what I want about ghosts and spirits.

my definitions of that would be RELIGION is whatever you practice. Your set of belief's is what is religion for you.

[aloha_spirit]

Let's start with demons and devils. In the war in heaven, a third of the heavenly host followed Satan. These got cast to the worlds (including this one).

Then the Spirit World occupies the same sphere as our realm, so sometimes the spirits of the dead can interact with us.

[Sammy_Da_Cat]

wickedavenged, on Nov 15 2004, 03:51 PM, said:

What does my religion say about ghost? Well, since I don't practice a religion I say what I want about ghosts and spirits.

Thats why I said religious or spiritual belief. Even if you hold no religion you can still have spirituallity or a strong belief.

Anasuya I am going to have to look up summerland. I really havent looked into Wicca beliefs so I concede to my own ignorance. It have always been intrested in the Wiccan religion but I dont think I get a good picture of what its realy about from the web.

Moon I hope that little devil doesnt mean your playing devils advocate?

Aloha Its interest ing to know that the realms occupy the same sphere. But why cant everyone see ghosts if they are so close? Is there some law or protection that does not allow the two realms to interact at all times?

[aloha_spirit]

Sammy_Da_Cat, on Nov 15 2004, 03:48 PM, said:

Aloha Its interest ing to know that the realms occupy the same sphere. But why cant everyone see ghosts if they are so close? Is there some law or protection that does not allow the two realms to interact at all times?

The Prophet Joseph Smith Jr taught that there isn't anything that isn't material. In the case of spirits, they are made up of a finer material that our natural eyes generally can't perceive. That finer material also explains how spirits can walk through walls and other "solid" objects in our realm.

[hawkerdriver]

So what how does pure energy fit into Joseph's theory? SO, with that thought even thoughts themselves are material. I can't bite off on that.

[aloha_spirit]

hawkerdriver, on Nov 15 2004, 08:11 PM, said:

So what how does pure energy fit into Joseph's theory? SO, with that thought even thoughts themselves are material. I can't bite off on that.

Seeing that Joseph Smith lived in the early 1800s, I'm not sure what he'd say about thoughts or pure energy.

[plindboe]

aloha_spirit, on Nov 15 2004, 11:22 PM, said:

The Prophet Joseph Smith Jr taught that there isn't anything that isn't material.  In the case of spirits, they are made up of a finer material that our natural eyes generally can't perceive.  That finer material also explains how spirits can walk through walls and other "solid" objects in our realm.

If they are material, they are effected by gravity. Since the ground isn't more dense than a wall would be, why can they pass through walls, but yet avoid falling downwards through the ground?

[aloha_spirit]

These last couple of questions caused me to ponder and return to the source.

D&C 131:7-8 said:

There is no such thing as immaterial matter.  All spirit is matter, but it is more fine or pure, and can only be discerned by purer eyes; We cannot see it; but when our bodies are purified we shall see that it is all matter.

I think that clears up the thought / pure energy inconsistency - I had merely remembered a paraphrase.

As far as gravity goes, gravity is a natural law that cannot easily be manipulated by our current understanding. It is my belief that as we progress, we learn to alter (or even break) some of these laws.

HTH,
Lokela (aka the Aloha Spirit)

[hawkerdriver]

No-- see what if spirits are the same as thoughts. Then they would have no matter. What happens if spirits are just projected thoughts?

[Sammy_Da_Cat]

Hey guys what do you consider to be meterial? Is ther a certain state one must matain to be meterial? What laws does something have to fit into to be considered material? And are these laws defined on all planes of existance?

Just a few courious questions.

[aloha_spirit]

hawkerdriver, on Nov 16 2004, 05:23 PM, said:

No-- see what if spirits are the same as thoughts. Then they would have no matter. What happens if spirits are just projected thoughts?

Projected by whom?

If spirits are mere thoughts, how do some people capture them on film (cameras have no thought process to be fooled or manipulated)?

Again, we don't have proof positive as to what spirits / ghosts are made of, so everything's just opinion.

[aloha_spirit]

*bump*