I believe they are another species of animal, not a dead ancestor
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Do you believe in ghosts?
- Thread starter SaintMalachi
- Start date
ninerbuff
godless wonder
So a ghost is physical to you?
A
angellous_evangellous
Guest
This was quite a while back. I doubt she kept it. I'll see if I can dig it up, though.
Gaura Priya
IRL
Didn't Bahaullah believe in angels though, or at least one, the maiden of heaven? If he believed in them, why do you disbelieve?
I'm not criticising you or anything, just genuinely curious.
Actually, Baha'u'llah used angels as a metaphor for the blessings, confirmations and virtues of God. A person who manifests celestial qualities are also termed 'angels.'
'Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'u'llah's son, clarifies this:
"By angel is meant the power of the confirmations of God that the candle of Gods confirming power shineth out from the lamp-niche of those souls meaning that every one of those beings will be granted the most vehement confirming support."
Also, the angel refers to the inspiration of God. Just as how when Gabriel appeared before Muhamad, or the Maid of Heaven before Baha'u'llah, they both refer to the inspiration, confirmation, power, virtues and blessings of God towards humanity.
Furthermore, I'm your typical Unitarian Universalist sceptic.
Gaura Priya
IRL
Here's a small Baha'i compilation that might be of interest, all from 'Abdu'l-Baha, a Baha'i philosopher and son of Baha'u'llah, the Manifestation of God.
"As to the question of evil spirits, demons and monsters, any references made to them in the Holy Books have symbolic meaning. What is currently known among the public is but sheer superstition."
"The reality underlying this question is that the evil spirit, Satan or whatever is interpreted as evil, refers to the lower nature in man. This baser nature is symbolized in various ways. In man there are two expressions: One is the expression of nature; the other the expression of the spiritual realm. The world of nature is defective. Look at it clearly, casting aside all superstition and imagination... God has never created an evil spirit; all such ideas and nomenclature are symbols expressing the mere human or earthly nature of man. It is an essential condition of the soil of earth that thorns, weeds and fruitless trees may grow from it. Relatively speaking, this is evil; it is simply the lower state and baser product of nature."
"There are no earth-bound souls. When the souls that are not good die they go entirely away from this earth and so cannot influence anyone. They are spiritually dead. Their thoughts can have influence only when they are alive on the earth... But the good souls are given eternal life and sometimes God permits their thoughts to reach the earth to help the people."
"There is no power exercised over the people by those evil souls that have passed away. Good is stronger than evil and even when alive they had very little power. How much less have they after they are dead, and besides they are nowhere near this planet."
"As to the question of evil spirits, demons and monsters, any references made to them in the Holy Books have symbolic meaning. What is currently known among the public is but sheer superstition."
"The reality underlying this question is that the evil spirit, Satan or whatever is interpreted as evil, refers to the lower nature in man. This baser nature is symbolized in various ways. In man there are two expressions: One is the expression of nature; the other the expression of the spiritual realm. The world of nature is defective. Look at it clearly, casting aside all superstition and imagination... God has never created an evil spirit; all such ideas and nomenclature are symbols expressing the mere human or earthly nature of man. It is an essential condition of the soil of earth that thorns, weeds and fruitless trees may grow from it. Relatively speaking, this is evil; it is simply the lower state and baser product of nature."
"There are no earth-bound souls. When the souls that are not good die they go entirely away from this earth and so cannot influence anyone. They are spiritually dead. Their thoughts can have influence only when they are alive on the earth... But the good souls are given eternal life and sometimes God permits their thoughts to reach the earth to help the people."
"There is no power exercised over the people by those evil souls that have passed away. Good is stronger than evil and even when alive they had very little power. How much less have they after they are dead, and besides they are nowhere near this planet."
Yes, I believe that all things are physical, or at least can be broken down into physical matters.
I was always so scared of ghosts. I never wanted to see anything supernatural, I thought the fright could kill me. I have never encountered anything that made me think"ghost" although I saw something I could not identify, was translucent and moved through the air in my house one evening. I was sitting with my family and my daughters friend. She saw the same thing and we both were astonished but couldn't decide what it was. I still just don't know....
chinu
chinu
St Giordano Bruno
Well-Known Member
Nope, just a possum my ceiling going bump in the night.
I have never seen a ghost, thou I have at times "felt a presence". According to my sisters, that openly admit to be "sensitive" I am sensitive too but, unlike them I do not try to pursue this ability. They also claim that my mother are also sensitive but that she does not understand this, just think she have have odd dreams. I try to be sceptical but I have told my sisters NOT to try to divine my future or something like that, of some reason the concept freaks me out.