So do you guys believe in paranormal ? I dont necessarily mean “ghosts” although i do believe that ghosts are actually demons. So we know that science havent proved neither disproved paranormal things like a poltergeist. So it comes down to the bible. But then again the bible doesnt mention something right? Share your thoughts. God bless
The Bible as a whole shows that along with a natural world, we also in some sense co-exist in a supernatural/paranormal world as well in where certain spirits can interfere with human life to one degree or another. God Himself is a supernatural entity if we want to get technical with it and thus I see no issue with supernatural/paranormal events going on in the Bible.
There are a lot of examples both in Old Testament and New Testament where people and Jesus interact with spiritual beings. I think the problem arises when more emphasis is put on the paranormal than on Jesus.
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I would also agree that there is a supernatural realm, but a lot of it is a mystery to us. I believe Jesus cast out demons, but I wonder whether the descriptions of some of those instances used the vocabulary of the culture of the time who perceived supernatural activity in ways and places we wouldn’t now. I certainly don’t think it’s something we need to live in fear of, at least not in a superstitious sense of seeing a demon behind every corner.
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Dear Nick,
The Bible is full of paranormal events: spirit manifestations and demonic possession are the most prevalent. Science has demonstrated the existence of ghosts and of the immortality of the soul, but not proven them. But what has been scientifically proven? the Bible speaks often of “the dead”, and tis is referring to either ghosts (lost souls) or demons who are both dead to God - not connected to God.
Yeah but "lost souls " cannot interfere with us since they are in hell .
So i will stick to the demons one
This is a big problem today that Christians do not acknowledge the lost souls, those who die without believing in God. They don’t go to hell. but hang around and try to interact with the people whom they lived with, either looking for revenge or trying to make contact. I suggest reading the groundbreaking work of Dr. Carl Wickland, 30 Years among the dead.
Best Wishes, Shawn
I agree with you on that, as a person that went to a Pentecostal-Charismatic college and church before returning to the UMC spiritual warfare was heavily emphasized and fear was put on certain things that could latch on demons to you (it was a crazy list which including even watching secular TV or listening to secular music for example, it also included generational curses and being with the Freemasons, boy/girl scouts and even college fraternities.) While some of the stuff I can agree with as in it lets demonic forces in your life, there is some stuff even back then I grinned and laughed a bit inside when reading it.
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I think there was more demonic activity during Jesus’ time than ‘normal’ because of who he is. He stirred up the hornets’ nest, so to speak. And regarding the spirits of the dead interacting with the living, @Shawn_Murphy, especially the trying to get revenge part, the most frequent mandate in scripture* is relevant.
If we were to be concerned with the spirits of the dead, scripture would have said something about it. The New Testament is profuse about how we are to behave and what we are to be concerned with, along with multiple warnings, and spirits of the dead is not one of them.
*This is a quiz. 
Do you all know what it is? I’ve mentioned it here at BioLogos before at least a couple of times.
I think there is no real distinction between Ghosts and demons. 2nd Temple Demonology insisted demons were spirits of dead Nephilim. I believe that this belief originated from the fact that Ancient Canaanites worshipped the Rephaim (equivalent to Nephilim in the OT), and in some cases (as shown from Ugarit) invoked them in necromantic rituals. Theoretically this could also be done with normal humans.
I believe there is an irreducibly subjective aspect to reality which I identify with the spiritual. To put it another way… I don’t believe the spiritual is objective in the sense that it is what it is independent of what we may want or believe. I think our beliefs and desires greatly effects how we experience the spiritual aspect of existence including God and other spirits. So while some experience this as ghosts, others experience this aspect of reality as demons, others as angels, others as fairies, djinn or shitani, while still others experience UFOs and alien abductions.
Personally I haven’t had much experience with such things (except God) and don’t have much desire to either. But I certainly do not believe in making my own experiences the definition of reality. On the other hand, I have seen people get lost in an enthusiasm for such things and I am not so sure it is helpful.
Dear Mitchell,
This is an interesting comment. Of all the spiritual entities you listed, God is the only one that has no contact with humanity. He sent His only Son to humanity, and only through Jesus can we reach God.
Dear Shawn,
This is an interesting comment. The stories of contact between man and God are quite numerous in the Bible. And we Christians not only believe in the Bible, but we believe Jesus is God. So not much of your post is making much sense in the context of Christianity.
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Dear Mitchell,
Christianity is about Christ and He is the one that promised to send the comforter, the teacher, the spirit of truth and never does He promise to send God. You are thinking of the OT, but we now live under the New Covenant. Besides, most Christians claim contact with the Holy Spirit.
Best Wishes, Shawn
So you believe contact with “aliens” its the same spiritual contact with God?
Dear Shawn,
Christianity is defined by the belief that Jesus is God and the Holy Spirit is God. They are one being. Most Christians therefore do not distinguish between them. They simply talk to God and have a relationship with God.
God is omnipresent. So the idea that God would have to be sent to us is very strange and bizarre.
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Nowhere in my post did I even come close to saying anything like that.
Is it possible that what some people have experienced as an encounter with aliens was somehow equivalent to an experience with God or angels or ghosts or demons? It seems very possible to me. That is not what I said above, but if you ask, I think that is possible. I certainly do not think that your religion and beliefs somehow gives you and exclusive ownership of God. And all these so called encounters with aliens have all the characteristics of a spiritual experience without a shred of evidence that these are physical encounters.
That is exactly backwards and reveals your erroneous take on the Trinity.
That sounds judgmental to me, and I’m sure it does to others as well.
That’s fairly bizarre. Would you care to attempt to back that up?