A ghost?

[Watermaster2]

This might sound a little odd and I've never even really considered it before, but now I can't stop thinking about it.

I've heard a lot about ghosts, people that can't move on and aren't quite ready to go to the light. I'm still not entirely sure on this concept and there is a part of me that worries, "What if I get in that same position when I pass away?" The day that I leave this world, I want to be in the presence of the Lord and not wander this Earth alone.

[seaglass27]

My personal belief is that our souls go immediately to either heaven or hell when we die. The only scriptural support I can give for that position is Hebrews 9:27: "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment."

Perhaps you should ask yourself, how exactly would people learn that ghosts are people who can't move on and so aren't ready to go to the light?

[Watermaster2]

My personal belief is that our souls go immediately to either heaven or hell when we die. The only scriptural support I can give for that position is Hebrews 9:27: "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment."

Perhaps you should ask yourself, how exactly would people learn that ghosts are people who can't move on and so aren't ready to go to the light?

You see, it was yesterday when I started thinking about it. I went out to eat with my family and two of their friends. Those two friends talked about how they had seen and talked to a woman ghost that wanders their house. They explained in full detail how she died and what she looked like.

[K. Ayato]

All I can say is that there is a lot pertaining to the spiritual realm that we don't fully understand. Personally, I'd rather not delve into it. Reason being, I'm not God and I don't know what could emerge should I find a way to dabble into it.

[Nate]

Most Christians don't believe in ghosts, instead believing that as soon as you die you are subject to judgment, with the exception of Seventh Day Adventists, which believe the soul is dormant after death until Judgment Day, and Eastern Orthodox which believe that the soul waits in Hades (not the same thing as Hell) until Judgment Day. Most ghostly activity is assumed to be the work of demons (if it is real and not a sort of hallucination).

As for me personally, I don't know. There's a lot we don't know about death and the afterlife. I personally don't believe in ghosts, but I know very strong Christians who do believe in ghosts and have experienced them firsthand, which is why I can't dismiss the idea of ghosts entirely.

[Atria35]

^ What Nate said. There is also very slight Biblical evidence for ghosts (1 Samuel 28:15).

However, it's scanty on both sides of the argument, so I don't think the argument about ghosts can ever be settled one way or another. It all comes down to what you decide to believe.

[Vilo159]

Mormons also have a different view of it, too. We believe that you get partially judged when you die, and are sent to one of two waiting room type areas, based on if your good or bad, so kinda like going immediately to heaven or hell.Then the final judgement comes when christ comes again, and that's where we get our permanent spots. Not much room for ghosts there. I really don't know what to make of ghosts like that, its an intriguing question.

[SierraLea]

I believe in the Catholic Doctrine of Purgatory. It's kind of like how you refine silver. We have to go into the flames to purge ourselves of all the residue of sin before we can enter Heaven. You can actually get prayed out of Purgatory.
Once that's over, we're there. Unless, of course, we're going to the other place, then we just go straight to Hell.

[goldenspines]

^ What Nate said. There is also very slight Biblical evidence for ghosts (1 Samuel 28:15).

I raise you Ecclesiastes 9:5-6. http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ecclesiastes%209:5-6&version=NIV

Actually, ghosts probably can exist, but only if God wants them to. Even in Samuel, the medium was freaked out by the real (dead) Samuel's appearance (she didn't expect it, or rather, she's not in the business of actually seeing a real dead person/ghost. It's more like Nate was saying about demons imitating dead people and mediums talking to them).

What this boils down to is "What will happen after you die?" Thing is, you can never know for sure until you, you know, die. XD You can only believe what you believe and hope you're right.
I mean, I'd personally like to think that once I die I'd be in the presence of God for all of eternity, but if I end up becoming a ghost for whatever reason (theoretically speaking), I'll make sure to haunt as many people as I can. 8)

[K. Ayato]

Haunt the trolls, goldy . Especially one whose name I won't mention.

[seaglass27]

[quote="K. Ayato (post: 1599984)"]Haunt the trolls, goldy ]

What a horrible thing to wish on me. Jerk.

[K. Ayato]

Not you. I was referring to an infamous banned troll.

[Cleanedbyblood]

I found some more references to ghosts in the Bible: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+24:39&version=NLT

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+29:4&version=NLT

Personally I am not 100% sure I believe in ghosts or not (the exception being the Holy Ghost, that's the only ghost I believe in) Though I sort of had a "ghostly" experience. I was home alone with my brother (my folks went out for a bit) and I was lying in bed trying to sleep, and I heard a woman's voice tell me to go to sleep. I'm not 100% sure it was my mom (if it was her I didn't hear her come home.)

[Phantom_Sorano]

This is a very interesting question, so I am going to walk lightly here, and hope my reply is respected...

Okay...

Ghosts are tricky and many people have their belief on them, so I can only offer my opinion. For myself, I do believe something like a "ghost" can exist, but not it the classic way of thinking. I think most "ghosts" are like negatives of a photograph; when certain emotions of a person are so strong, it almost leaves a stain or residual. So like the classic example of the ghost that walks up and down the stairs...
For the "ghosts" that can work independently or don't have a fixed pattern, it gets fuzzier. Some cases of those, in my opinion, can be demons in disguise. Others I think might be fragments of "us" left by extreme trauma/sin. When a person dies suddenly or when they are extremely wicked, I think part of them will want to stick around to either help, hurt, or just don't know where to go. Again....it's hard to say and that's only my 2 cents. Personally, I have always been able to "feel" things about certain places...like if anyone has died there and sometimes I can get an idea of who they were-an odd, heaviness is there, so that inclines me to speculate the an idea of a "ghost" can exist.