Is belief in ghosts compatible with the Christian faith, or other religions?

[McBell]

1. I don't say all spirits go to heaven or hell, Christianity does. I don't believe in ghosts or spirits. This is one version of Christianity.

No, not all denominations of Christianity say that.
Come to think of it, I do not know of any denomination of Christianity that claims that the ALL spirits go to heaven or hell.

Please reveal the denomination that you are using to generalize all of Christianity?

3. If the final judgement "option" of Christianity is true, there is no spirit to run around until it is "raised from the dead" in the final judgement. The physical bodies are not raised, they are long since either cremated or decayed away. In any case, the spirit is not available to "haunt" a house until the final judgement.:sorry1:

You will need to provide the verse(s) that support this claim.
Please.

 

[McBell]

Considering that a belief in ghosts has been common among many sorts of Christians and throughout Christendom for its entire history, it's apparent that it is.

Do you get the same impression as I?
That he is trying to tell Christians what they are and are not supposed to believe?

 

[logician]

Don't be sorry. Just reread some of the bible. Jesus was tempted in the desert, he drove out demons, and his mother was visited by an angel. All of these encounters or so called encounters happened here on earth. If spirits like these exist, why not human spirits. I think it is a legitimate question. Can you answer it?

Actually, Jesus never existed, so no demons or angels.

Also, even if he did, the existence of demons or angels does not imply at all spirits running around on earth.:sleep:

 

[logician]

Do you get the same impression as I?
That he is trying to tell Christians what they are and are not supposed to believe?

I was a Christian for many years when younger, so I know what they believe.

99 percent of them believe you go to heaven (or hell) when you die, period.

 

[fallingblood]

Actually, Jesus never existed, so no demons or angels.

Also, even if he did, the existence of demons or angels does not imply at all spirits running around on earth.:sleep:

You can't prove the Jesus never existed, so your whole argument fails.

You still have yet to show any evidence for your position. You state statistics that have no evidence to back them up. You have to try a lot harder now.

 

[McBell]

I was a Christian for many years when younger, so I know what they believe.

99 percent of them believe you go to heaven (or hell) when you die, period.

Really?
So you know what every single Christian believes and can make such a statement about 99% of them based solely on your OLD Christians beliefs?
Wow, you should start your own psychic network.


You forgot posts #80 and #81.

 

[logician]

Really?
So you know what every single Christian believes and can make such a statement about 99% of them based solely on your OLD Christians beliefs?
Wow, you should start your own psychic network.




You forgot posts #80 and #81.

I was a Methodist, United Brethern, United Methodist, Presbyterian, was friends with many Catholics and a priest, baptists, also went to services in a few more "fundie" type congretations, so I've seen and heard about all of it. Every Christian I met believed they were going to heaven. :thud:

 

[McBell]

I was a Methodist, United Brethern, United Methodist, Presbyterian, was friends with many Catholics and a priest, baptists, also went to services in a few more "fundie" type congretations, so I've seen and heard about all of it. Every Christian I met believed they were going to heaven. :thud:

Are you kidding me?
You are basing your 99% statistic on THAT?!?




I stand by the statement:

You are trying to tell Christians what they are and are not supposed to believe.​

 

[logician]

Are you kidding me?
You are basing your 99% statistic on THAT?!?




I stand by the statement:

You are trying to tell Christians what they are and are not supposed to believe.
​

Just to get this straight, what do you think they believe?

 

[McBell]

Just to get this straight, what do you think they believe?

Who?
Your 99% of all Christians?
I have no idea what they all think.

Unlike you, I do not try to tell others what they are and are not to believe.
I mean, actually finding out what they believe might seriously hurt your argument.
So I completely understand why you would not bother with actually finding out.
I mean, what kind of thread would that be, using actual facts and the truth.....

 

[logician]

Let's try a different approach,

what do the words

" the life everlasting"

mean to any Christian?

Haunting a house?

 

[McBell]

Let's try a different approach,

what do the words

" the life everlasting"

mean to any Christian?

Haunting a house?

Why don't we just cut to the chase and you tell them what they believe it means.

I mean, that's pretty much what you did before....

 

[logician]

Why don't we just cut to the chase and you tell them what they believe it means.

I mean, that's pretty much what you did before....

Are you trying to make us believe the Christian religion, or any religion for that matter, doesn't have a basic set of beliefs its believers follow?

 

[McBell]

Are you trying to make us believe the Christian religion, or any religion for that matter, doesn't have a basic set of beliefs its believers follow?

Not at all.

However, I am not trying to take one simple super generalized thought and claiming that 99% of billions of people believe it.

 

[fallingblood]

Are you trying to make us believe the Christian religion, or any religion for that matter, doesn't have a basic set of beliefs its believers follow?

Have you ever looked into what those believers think about ghosts?

Catholics have purgatory. Some believe that purgatory is here on Earth, and that explains ghosts. Completely compatible.

Others Christians believe that it is some type of time-continuum phenomena where the events of one's life keeps replaying over and over again, and thus explains ghosts. Completely compatible with Christianity.

Other Christians believe that there is a time-lapse before going to heaven. The Bible mentions that the first will be the last and the last will be the first. Some sects believe that the last Christian (either to die, or to convert, not always the same with all) will be the first to enter Heaven after the final judgment. Until then, some souls roam the Earth, until the time in which Jesus has his second coming (this belief is more predominant among the apocalyptic Christians) and again is completely compatible with Christianity.

Other Christians believe that it is possible for one to be saved from hell. TBN actually had a story about an individual (a Christian) who was compelled by God to pull tortured spirits out of hell as they had repented of their sins. There is no evidence in the Bible that says this would not be possible, and is still compatible with Christianity.

Now, when I say Christianity, I don't mean the entire religion as that would be senseless to do. Christianity is extremely diverse, and has many different beliefs. Some Christians believe that every soul that goes to heaven or hell becomes a angel or demon. This would also explain ghosts.

 

[BruceDLimber]

>Is belief in ghosts compatible with Christianity, or other religions?

Not with the Baha'i Faith, no!

Peace,

Bruce

 

[logician]

Have you ever looked into what those believers think about ghosts?

Catholics have purgatory. Some believe that purgatory is here on Earth, and that explains ghosts. Completely compatible.

Others Christians believe that it is some type of time-continuum phenomena where the events of one's life keeps replaying over and over again, and thus explains ghosts. Completely compatible with Christianity.

Other Christians believe that there is a time-lapse before going to heaven. The Bible mentions that the first will be the last and the last will be the first. Some sects believe that the last Christian (either to die, or to convert, not always the same with all) will be the first to enter Heaven after the final judgment. Until then, some souls roam the Earth, until the time in which Jesus has his second coming (this belief is more predominant among the apocalyptic Christians) and again is completely compatible with Christianity.

Other Christians believe that it is possible for one to be saved from hell. TBN actually had a story about an individual (a Christian) who was compelled by God to pull tortured spirits out of hell as they had repented of their sins. There is no evidence in the Bible that says this would not be possible, and is still compatible with Christianity.

Now, when I say Christianity, I don't mean the entire religion as that would be senseless to do. Christianity is extremely diverse, and has many different beliefs. Some Christians believe that every soul that goes to heaven or hell becomes a angel or demon. This would also explain ghosts.

The number of Christians that have these "right field " beliefs is quite small, compared to the 1 billion+ Catholics alone. I still hold that 99 percent of Christians believe you go to heaven or hell when you die, and they don't believe those are located on earth.
Christians can believe anything they want, but the vast, vast majority recite the apostle's creed every week, and don't believe they'll be haunting a house when they die.
I personally never met anyone that thought they would be a ghost on earth when they died, and I met people from quite a few different denominations.

 

[fallingblood]

The number of Christians that have these "right field " beliefs is quite small, compared to the 1 billion+ Catholics alone. I still hold that 99 percent of Christians believe you go to heaven or hell when you die, and they don't believe those are located on earth.
Christians can believe anything they want, but the vast, vast majority recite the apostle's creed every week, and don't believe they'll be haunting a house when they die.
I personally never met anyone that thought they would be a ghost on earth when they died, and I met people from quite a few different denominations.

Did you miss my first example the one talking about Catholics? So that "right field" belief is quite small because this have 1 billion+ members? Try again.

And what does the apostles creed have to do with anything? Reading it, it would not be a stretch to assume that hell is here on Earth as Jesus had to descend into hell. So I think that argument on your part fails as well.

 

[Draka]

First off, I like how it has been mentioned twice in this thread about the story in the bible of the witch that called up the spirit of a dead person and yet logician ignores it.

Also, there is nothing that says that a spirit, once departed from the body immediately "zaps" into heaven or hell. Some have a belief in purgatory and some have a belief in "unfinished business". That the spirit "clings" before moving on for one reason or another.

Furthermore, even if one believes that you go immediately on to heaven or hell or whatever realm comes after this life, no one talks of some one-way doorway. Like you get to heaven and you're on lockdown and never allowed to "visit" the physical realm again.

Look, obviously if it is mentioned in the bible outright that a spirit of a dead person was brought forth then they obviously believe it is possible to return to the physical realm from the afterlife. Thus making belief in ghosts perfectly compatable with Christianity.

 

[McBell]

First off, I like how it has been mentioned twice in this thread about the story in the bible of the witch that called up the spirit of a dead person and yet logician ignores it.

Also, there is nothing that says that a spirit, once departed from the body immediately "zaps" into heaven or hell. Some have a belief in purgatory and some have a belief in "unfinished business". That the spirit "clings" before moving on for one reason or another.

Furthermore, even if one believes that you go immediately on to heaven or hell or whatever realm comes after this life, no one talks of some one-way doorway. Like you get to heaven and you're on lockdown and never allowed to "visit" the physical realm again.

Look, obviously if it is mentioned in the bible outright that a spirit of a dead person was brought forth then they obviously believe it is possible to return to the physical realm from the afterlife. Thus making belief in ghosts perfectly compatable with Christianity.

Oh great.
Now you have gone and done it.

Don't you know that logic is not supposed to be used in this thread?