# Tell me about ghosts. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 20, 2012, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-ghosts/632028 "2012-08-20T03:27:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mdcastle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/958977/32.png) [@Mdcastle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mdcastle)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-ghosts/632028/1 "2012-08-20T03:27:29Z")
I was watching the show “Ghost Hunters” just because they were doing a place I visited the old Missouri Penetentiary. Of course they found some suspicous stuff (as well as finding EMF by a fusebox!), but they told the guy in charge, the former assistant warden who led the tour I was on, that there were definate paranormal activity but they didn’t seem particularly evil. On other episodes of the show, do they say "My god, you have a very evil spirit, you’d better move away // burn the place down // call a priest in for an excorcism. How would they tell if it was evil spirit or good spirit, and if there were evil spirits, wouldn’t an old prison, complete with an execution chamber, be a logical place for them to haunt, instead of good / neutral spirits being there? I know Stephen King was writing fiction, but might he have been on to something with the idea that building absorb good and bad stuff that has gone on, then reradiate them that sensitive individuals perceive as hanutings. Ever gone into a place and felt it was a “good” or “bad” place. Or maybe even the different feel an old building has as opposed to a new building, it’s aura, is part of this. Or is the aura completely just the result of our visual senses and nothing supernatural about it. Why is it that most hauntings are interesting / old places, as opposed to a random office building or strip mall? Can you reconcile the traditional concept of ghosts with biblical christianity. Maybe hauntings are angels and demons interacting with our world, but couldn’t the view that they are spirits of dead people be OK? Is there anything in the bible that says souls go immediately to heaven or hell, as opposed to sometimes sticking around a while and saying “boo”? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-ghosts/632028/2 "2012-08-20T03:34:47Z")
There’s no such thing. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-ghosts/632028/3 "2012-08-20T03:37:24Z")
There’s no such thing, and nothing that does or does not appear in a work of fiction like the bible will change that. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-ghosts/632028/4 "2012-08-20T04:36:58Z")
[This recent thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=660751) had some info from recent discoveries about ghosts. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-ghosts/632028/5 "2012-08-20T06:55:52Z")
> [@Mdcastleman](#): > > How would they tell if it was evil spirit or good spirit… They don’t “tell”, they MSI\* > [@](#): > > Why is it that most hauntings are interesting / old places, as opposed to a random office building or strip mall? It’s part of the gothic fictional tradition. Just like how after movies etc started featuring “aliens” in the shape known as “greys”, that’s what people started to report seeing. Fiction goes through fashions. \*“Make Shit Up” ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-ghosts/632028/6 "2012-08-20T07:04:53Z")
There’s no s-s-such t-t-thing as g-g-ghosts! ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-ghosts/632028/7 "2012-08-20T07:19:44Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > MSI\* > [@](#): > > \*“Make Shit Up” 😕 ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-ghosts/632028/8 "2012-08-20T07:26:46Z")
I took a picture of this tree one night and the camera revealed that all the air was filled with these glowing white spheres … ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-ghosts/632028/9 "2012-08-20T07:30:03Z")
If there are such things as ghosts, they’re never featured on these atrocious low-budget ‘ghost hunter’ TV shows. As far as I can tell, those consist entirely of stupid, excitable people bumbling around in the dark, stupidly and excitably and: [ul] [li]Knocking things over, then screaming “something moved!”[/li][li]Observing that cold air feels cold[/li][li]Being ignorant of the properties of their camera equipment, particularly with respect to illuminated, out-of-focus dust motes and condensation on the lens.[/li][/ul] About the best thing that can be said of these shows is that they are consistent. As far as reconciling the Bible with ghosts… you know there’s at least one ghost described _in_ the Bible? - in 1 Samuel 28, Saul instructs a witch to summon the Ghost of Samuel, and so she does, and Samuel appears (and is pissed off about being disturbed). ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-ghosts/632028/10 "2012-08-20T07:47:12Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > 😕 A ghost did that. I \*typed \*MSU. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-ghosts/632028/11 "2012-08-20T08:13:51Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > A ghost did that. I \*typed \*MSU. Something MOVED! ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-ghosts/632028/12 "2012-08-20T12:07:01Z")
Booooo ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-ghosts/632028/13 "2012-08-20T12:15:05Z")
> [@For You](#): > > I took a picture of this tree one night and the camera revealed that all the air was filled with these glowing white spheres … A good lens cleaner will take car of that problem. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/22080_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-ghosts/632028/14 "2012-08-20T12:16:41Z")
> [@For You](#): > > I took a picture of this tree one night and the camera revealed that all the air was filled with these glowing white spheres … My sister went on a “ghost tour” somewhere, and had similar spheres in her photos… _ooooooooooooo!!_ :eek: I guess that means my basement is haunted, because when we were doing some sheetrock work down there, I took some pictures and it had white spheres also! Silly me - I thought it was dust floating in the air… ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-ghosts/632028/15 "2012-08-20T12:24:05Z")
Orbs. Big, sweaty orbs. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-ghosts/632028/16 "2012-08-20T12:46:23Z")
I guess the most amazing thing about ghosts is that they are so rare…and if they are in fact the spirits of the dead, they ought to be more common today. The fact is, billions of people have lived and died on this planet-there ought to be jillions of ghosts. Ghost stories appear in every culture, yet we never see a good photo of one. I’m puzzled. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-ghosts/632028/17 "2012-08-20T13:37:28Z")
I dunno, guys - [this video seems pretty legit](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QR22Ef5-84w). (Don’t worry - it’s not a scary pop-up scream video.) ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-ghosts/632028/18 "2012-08-20T13:43:01Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > I dunno, guys - [this video seems pretty legit](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QR22Ef5-84w). (Don’t worry - it’s not a scary pop-up scream video.) I’ve seen thousands of ghost videos over the years and, to this day, this video is the only one I can’t debunk. It’s chilling. ---
**Author:** ![Bakhesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@Bakhesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bakhesh)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-ghosts/632028/19 "2012-08-20T13:44:15Z")
Skeptics will denounce anything, even when they can see the evidence with their own eyes. I once found a dead baby ghost at the side of the road, but when I showed it to my skeptic friends, they claimed it was just a handkerchief ---
**Author:** ![Coustralee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Coustralee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coustralee)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-ghosts/632028/20 "2012-08-20T14:36:38Z")
i would have gotten away with it if it wasnt for you meddling kids [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-ghosts/632028.md?page=2)